posted on June 10, 2003 03:46:12 PM new
Do you think medical research is really looking for cures to anything? When was the last time anything was cured? They've made slight progress due to the electronic industry with new diagnostics, pumps and all that, but when they claim they're making strides (such as the Cancer Society), what are they referring to?
posted on June 10, 2003 04:00:17 PM new
There may not be any cure for many conditions. The best hope in some cases is prevention, education and management when disease has developed. If you think there is a magic bullet for every disease that can be found I've got bad news. Much comes down to genetics, lifestyle and environment.
I believe medicine is exploring all available avenues in search of both cures, vaccines, and treatment in order to offer a quality of life to those who have been afflicted with the disease processes.
posted on June 10, 2003 06:41:52 PM new
This week alone, there have been several cancer treatments that have gone to the next phase of FDA trials. Ironically, Imclone, the company made famous by Martha Stewart for bailing out on their stock, has announced new successes with their cancer drug Erbitux.
posted on June 10, 2003 06:57:01 PM new
LOL!! Your post hit me right between the eyes davebraun! That was something that never even occurred to me. I've been ranting about this for YEARS and nobody's ever said that before. It makes the most sense of anything I've ever heard!!!
posted on June 11, 2003 08:48:57 AM new
I've posted before that my sister has MS. I was devastated when I first found out, because I had seen a good friend go through agony watching his wife be ravaged by the disease - to the point where she could no longer eat or walk. When my sister was diagnosed I read everything I could get my hands on about the disease, trying to be sure that I focused on stuff that was relatively current.
The difference between today's information, and stuff published just 10 years ago, is amazing. Previously, the prognosis for MS was an inevitable decline of brain activity and meant the patient would almost always end up in a wheelchair. They now have drugs (released in the last 5-6 years) that will stop the spread of the disease and in some cases actually reverse some of the damage to the brain.
It's not really a "cure," but they have succeeded in significantly stopping the progress of the disease. My sister's doctor told her that with proper medication and management of her stress factors and lifestyle, she may never get any worse.
Time Magazine had an interesting piece that summed up the fight for a "cure" to cancer at the start of the millenium.
posted on June 14, 2003 10:34:28 AM new
msincognito - Thanks for sharing that VERY interesting Time Magazine article. Pretty much goes along with the same thoughts/ideas davebraun stated so well.
posted on June 14, 2003 11:11:21 AM new
My thought is:
Finding a (cure) would end millions of jobs, cut out billions of dollars in funds,grants,donations.
Would be bad buss. to claim an out and out cure!
While breakthroughs,on the other hand would only increase optomism and funding.
posted on June 14, 2003 11:28:36 AM new
It may seem that way. The eternal search for El Dorado. I don't think we are capable at our present evolutionary stage to duplicate or replace the creative force which is what it would take to cure all disease. Great strides have been made through the understanding and application if science. I do not discount that there are some out to profit and that is their motivation but the majority I have seen are motivated by the desire to help those who need help.
posted on June 14, 2003 02:26:15 PM new
Why was it that years ago when knowledge was primative and resorces were limited.
They were able to come up with cures and vacines in no time.
To end diseases that could have wiped out mankind.
The things today are as deadly but not as threatining,so a few dead people here and there can be tolerated.
posted on June 14, 2003 04:04:16 PM new
Simply that. The greatest leap forward was probably the discovery by Flemming of what today seems very simple, penicillin. Many conditions we are now confronted with rather than being simple infection are degenerative disorders that need to be dealt with on a cellular level. We do not have the knowledge nor the technology currently. Medical scholars are working to that end, survival rates in many diseases have been extended and in the future will be extended further. Great strides have been made in the quality of life for afflicted people but if you are thinking that disease will be eliminated I don't believe that to be realistic. Our modern world is a sea of chemical pollutants that we are forced to habitat hence the rise in allergies, respiratory disease, and neurological disorder. As we create new and more potent pollutants, new and more potent disorders will rise to meet them.
