Helpful Medicines And Technology

It looks like we have finally found a cure for cancer. An article about how it was found has been appearing in many different places. Cancer is caused by cells growing out of control. That is about the only constant, so scientists attacked this problem by figuring out how they could stop the growth rather than trying to cure different cancers with different solutions. They found they could program cancer cells back to their normal functions and make them benign. They did it by stopping the rapid growth of the cells and getting them to resume their normal activity. One of the most promising things about this is the fact it was done with some of the most dangerous and aggressive cancers. Human trials should be held in the future, but the scientists are quite sure this will work. The next question is will the pharmaceutical companies stand in the way? The discovery was made at the Mayo Clinic in Florida. The scientists described this as being similar to applying brakes to a speeding car. This would mean the end for chemo and radiation treatments. We should be watching this closely and pushing the government to recognize this and do testing as soon as possible, before it gets relegated to the back burner so the huge profits to drug companies can continue.

There is a lot of good news on the medical front. There has been another medical discovery which could benefit all of us in our old age and that is eye drops which melt cataracts. Scientists have discovered the naturally occurring steroid lanosterol has the ability to melt cataracts. A study was conducted in China and it was found children who had a hereditary form of cataracts didn’t produce lanosterol. Apparently we must produce less as we age. The introduction of this steroid into the eyes in drops seems to fix the problem. Surgery could be a thing of the past.

Sometimes a drug is produced to treat a certain disorder, but it is found it can also be effective for treating another. Such was the case with Modafinil. Modafinil was developed to help those who have narcolepsy, a sleep disorder. Something strange happened as people were taking this drug, they became smarter. Researchers began to notice what was happening and they documented the fact in 24 different studies which took place between 1990 and 2014. Those who were taking modafinil were showing benefits in areas such as decision making, flexibility, learning, creativity and memory. The drug has become a favorite of students who are taking tests. While 70 percent of students reported no side effects, the other 30 percent have said they had nausea, stomach aches, insomnia and headaches.

Another case of a drug being created for a particular use, but being found to be helpful with a different disease is Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA). The drug was created to treat liver ailments, but it was found it could be helpful in the treatment of the mysterious disease Parkinson’s. I say mysterious because doctors know so little about this disease. The drug has been used for decades, so it is one which has been fully tested. It is said the drug increases oxygen consumption and cellular energy levels. Scientists have been looking at drugs already in use for other applications and they have been finding quite a few which can be used to treat diseases they were never designed to treat. Needless to say this makes the drug companies very happy, they love to sell more product.

Most people hate it when they go to the doctor or lab and have to get a needle. Many of us have had experiences where the person giving us the needle is unable to find a vein in our arm and has to sort of explore by moving the needle around causing pain. Most of us just grin and bear it, thinking it is all part of the experience, because medicine means pain. This doesn’t have to be the case any longer. A new invention called VeinViewer may end all this. It is basically a patch which is put over your skin and shows where you veins are located for precise stabbing with a needle. Let’s all hope this is put into use immediately.

Blood clots have been a problem since humanity first set foot on the earth, but there may be a better way to fight them coming soon. A research group has been studying the best way to fight blood clots and they have come up with something interesting. First let me say we have been advancing in technology at an incredible rate and this has allowed medicine and technology to join in many areas. Researchers working at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute and Melbourne University have found a way to destroy deadly blood clots, they use nanotechnology. Tiny machines are sent to seek out the clot and destroy it. Currently there are side effects. It is agreed it will take years before it will be ready for use however.

Pain seems to be part of life. There is a huge market for pain killers, both legitimately and illegitimately, which is unfortunate. Many pain killers have side effects which make them unpleasant to take, this even applies to some of the over the counter drugs. Drug companies are always looking for better pain killers and now they are examining a sea animal which has one of the most deadly venoms on the planet. The animal is the Cone Snail. It can kill a human in just a couple of minutes. Researchers in Queensland believe a drug can be made from this venom which will kill pain in the worst cases. Different types of Cone Snails have different chemicals in their venom. It is hard to believe, but one type of Cone Snail catches fast moving fish.

I want to finish this article by telling you about a sort of net. It is a net which fits into a needle and can be injected into you and wraps around your brain. The idea is to make it possible to monitor your brain with this neural net. It creates an interface so your brain’s activity can be read.