Arthritis sufferers have been offered fresh hope after patients were effectively cured using a revolutionary electronic implant.
Doctors used tiny pacemaker style devices embedded in the necks of patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis to "hack" into their nervous systems.
The implant fires bursts of electrical impulses into a key nerve that relays brain signals to the body's vital organs.
Scientists who have been conducting a groundbreaking trial of the implant say "more than half" of the patients have found their condition has now dramatically improved.
Researchers now believe the same technique - which can eliminate the need for patients to take drugs - could reverse other chronic conditions, including asthma, obesity and diabetes.
A study of 20 patients, being carried out at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, is expected to be published in the New Year but already researchers say over 50% of them have shown significant improvement.
Professor Paul-Peter Tak, a rheumatologist at the hospital, said: "Even in patients who have failed everything, including the most modern pharmaceuticals, we have seen a clear trend of improvement."
"We may be able to achieve remission in 20% to 30% of patients, which would be a huge step forward in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis."
Doctors hope the nerve stimulator could be widely used within 10 years. But they admit they don't yet fully understand how it has such a powerful effect.
Spleen produced fewer chemicals
The implant stimulates the vagus nerve, which connects the brain to the major organs and is responsible for many 'automatic' body functions such as breathing and heart rate.
By firing impulses for just three minutes a day, scientists were able to reduce the activity of the spleen, a key organ in the immune system.
Within a matter of days the organ produced fewer chemicals and other immune cells that cause the abnormal inflammation in the joints of people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Monique Robroek had an implant fitted under her skin a year ago. She had been in so much pain that she struggled to walk across a room, despite taking the strongest possible arthritis drugs.
She has now stopped all medication and is totally pain free
"I have my normal life back. Within six weeks I felt no pain. The swelling has gone. I go biking, walk the dog and drive my car. It is like magic."
Ms Robroek holds a magnet over the device to switch it on. Within seconds the altered nerve impulses cause her voice to tremble.
But scientists say they have not seen any other side effects from the treatment.
"It is very appealing to patients because they do not want to take medicines for 30-40 years," said Prof Tak. "It's also restoring the natural balance in the body."
Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline believes the potential for bio-electronics is so great that it has invested US$50m (€40.8m) in the technology.
It is already experimenting with next-generation smart devices the size of a grain of rice.
Kris Famm, who is leading the research, said the implants could prevent the airway spasms of asthma, control appetite in obesity, and restore normal insulin production in diabetes.
He said: "I hope that in 10-20 years if you or I had diabetes, we would go to the doctor and there is an option to introduce this sort of device onto the nerve that controls that balance."
"It becomes your treatment instead of insulin injections or pills."
