September 26, 2013– Scientific Breakthrough on Endorphins Leads to Remarkable Relief of Emotional and Physical Distress

 A team led by Dr. Stanley M. Crain, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and Dr. Steven Crain, neuropsychotherapist, has discovered that a specific biochemical imbalance in the endorphin system, the stress center of the brain and gut, may underlie the emotional and physical distress experienced by millions of sufferers of a wide variety of clinical conditions.  This Endorphinergic Distress Syndrome  (EDS) may be responsible, in part, for chronic anxiety, anger, depression and pain hypersensitivity.

Insight into the existence of EDS emerged from the convergence of Dr. Stanley Crain’s nerve tissue culture studies, in which he uncovered the bimodal nature of endorphin receptors, and Dr. Steven Crain’s clinical observations of a central distress syndrome underlying many psychiatric, neurologic, and neurodevelopmental disorders.  This “lab to clinic” translation may provide an entirely new approach to the treatment of clinical distress conditions, which have been highly resistant to current methods.

According to an article published this week in the Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science (JBBS) entitled “Emotional and Physical Distress Relief Using a Novel Endorphinergic Formulation” (Article), a scientific formulation of health-promoting plant extracts and amino acids has been developed for EDS.  By combining specific agents that enhance endorphin release with agents that switch endorphin receptors from an excitatory (distress/pain) to an inhibitory (calm/comfort) mode, this formulation reduced clinical distress symptoms of EDS in most participants.

Based on three decades of published preclinical research** at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, a series of recent clinical studies has demonstrated the remarkable efficacy and safety of this endorphinergic formulation to reduce chronic emotional and physical distress.  In the first clinical study, 60 healthy volunteers were presented with a stressful pain induction task in which they were asked to submerge their hand in ice-cold water.  Unexpectedly, this formulation not only increased pain tolerance, but it also dramatically reduced physical and emotional distress.

Following this discovery, a series of 203 clinical case studies were conducted over a 26-month period with participants who suffered from a wide variety of emotional and physical distress conditions.  The clinical benefits from this endorphinergic formulation were remarkable, including reduced anxiety, anger, depressed mood, and pain hypersensitivity.  Most participants reported greater calm, comfort, well-being, and pleasure as well as increased mental clarity, energy, productivity, healthier lifestyle choices, and an adaptive response to life’s stresses.

According to Dr. Stanley Crain, “These findings provide support for the existence of Endorphinergic Distress Syndrome, or EDS, a neurophysiologic dysfunction in the endorphin system, that may be responsible, in part, for a wide variety of clinical distress conditions.”  Dr. Steven Crain elaborated, “We are excited to be developing the first therapeutics that target EDS, which have a remarkable ability to relieve emotional and physical distress.  Finally, stress does not have to produce distress!”

 *Steven Crain, Matthew A. Crain, and Stanley M. Crain, “Emotional and Physical Distress Relief Using a Novel Endorphinergic Formulation,” Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science, Vol. 3, Issue 6, 2013, pp. 441-453. (Article)

 **Steven Crain and Stanley M. Crain, “Endorphinergic Attenuation of Distress by Concomitantly Enhancing Endogenous Opioid Release and Switching Opioid Receptor Signaling from an Excessively Excitatory to a Normal Inhibitory Mode,” Journal of Behavioral and Brain Science, Vol. 3, Issue 7, 2013, in press.

 February 12, 2013 – US Patent Office issues Patent Pat. No. 8,372,414 to Pondera for Anxiety Relief.

Patent Abstract:  “The present invention relates to methods and compositions for reducing distress dysfunction, including emotional and physical distress. The invention entails co-administration of at least one Receptor Switcher and at least one Endorphin Enhancer. Additionally, at least one Synergistic Enhance and/or at least one Exogenous Opioid are also administered to enhance or prolong the therapeutic effects.”

 Pondera Pharmaceuticals
Founded in 2009 by Drs. Michael and Steven Crain and William E. Crain, Esq, Pondera Pharmaceuticals’ mission is to help people from all walks of life engage in and enjoy their personal and working lives with reduced distress and pain as well as increased pleasure and satisfaction. Other members of the Pondera team include Eric Simon, PhD, Professor, NYU Langone Medical Center, who identified opioid receptors in the brain and coined the term “endorphins”; Stanley M. Crain, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, who discovered the bimodal nature of opioid receptors; Elliot J. Crane, MD, Professor, Stanford University School of Medicine and Lynn R. Webster, MD, FACPM, FASM, Medical Director and Founder, Lifetree Clinical Research® & Pain Clinic and Director-At-Large for the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
Additional product and company information can be found at ponderapharma.com.

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