Do you think scientists will ever "cure" anything ever again?

[Freak Show]

Think about it. We have millions of dollars invested in drug companies that do nothing but treat symptoms. Case in point, cholesterol and BP meds. Without these drugs, people's chol. and bp would not be normal. Then of course there's the obvious, AIDS. Again, drugs to "keep you alive" or better yet "a liveable disease." Fuck all that. Why is it we can clone a whole living thing, reattach severed limbs, create an artifical heart, map human genes, but we can't cure things that have direct impact in our daily lives. We can't cure the common cold. Hardly any STD's are curable (which scares the shit outta me thesedays). There's so many strains of influenza, staph, etc. now becoming resistant to treatment and what do they do? Up the dose or create stronger versions of the same drug. This will not/has not solved anything. I just don't understand the mystery of unlocking these "viruses." How much further do we have to dig before the answer is right in front of us?????? I don't have the answers, I'm not that smart, just a little concerned. What do you think?

 

[danielson]

hope this answers some questions:

the reason why we cant do HIV very well is its more sophisticated than a stealth fighter (biochemically). viruses have antigens. our immune system locks onto foreign antigens "(i.e. types were not supposed to have in our body, if were say all A's and an O showed up, we'd kill it). HIV has antigens similar to our own immune systems. it also covers all antigens in a sugar cloud (i.e. covers them up) so we cant attack them these antigens also mutate so we cant treat this like a normal disease, everything we used to do when making vaccines just went out the window. when HIV first hit the streets, they gave 10-15 yrs as an estimate. they didnt know anything about it but they still gave that estimate. thats why i never believe estimates.

cancer is your own cells. how can u distinguish between cancer cells and your normal cells when the only difference is a tiny mutated part of DNA locked deep within the cells

resistance is the result of greedy farmers and irrisponsible doctors and other factors like HIV patients. farmer feed chickens antyibiotics to make em grow quicker, but then this kills only nonresistant bacteria. some might be resistant, they then thrive, consequence u have lots of resistant strains. if a patient comes on with flu, he wants treatment. doctor gives him antibiotics, just to make him psychologically feel better, consequence, the bugs hes got become resistant (over here they WILL not give u them if u dont medically need em, elsewhere they will ) . HIV patients need antibiotivcs to live but sadly they ill harbour many resistant strains.

drug companies do not want cures, its not that profitable. chronic conditions mean big bucks. for instance do u know hayfever can be immunised against. yep, its funny they push tons of corticosteroids, antihistamines that eat away at yer kidneys (well there not that bad but there are side effects with say triludan+ grapefruit) when there is a fairly effective immunisation (not availible here )

tons of bacterial STDS are curable by antibiotics. but the viral ones are the problem as we have no viral drugs. HIV drugs are designed to stop the virus replicating by stooping priotein synthesis of viral protein (so no more virus can be made) and stopping it working by blocking its RNA (how it infects cells) but these only help the patiebnt, not cure him.

dont forget antibiotics were discovered 'by accident'. they are constantly searching for new ones and new cures. they will come as medical science advances. but what pisses me off is when something like human genome can be copyrighted. if they copyrighted my own DNA, shit id pump the CEO of that company full of lead, that is the most criminal thing i can think of.

oh they have flu immunisations. with so many mutations the doctor gyuesses whats gonna be in seasdon, they inject u with that immunisation. if hes wrong, ur ill. sucks. oh well. unless they can make an antiviral drug that doesnt harm u like crazy, flu will always be a problem

 

[danielson]

that post was far too long. but look at it like this. they could clone a human-pig, and u could use it to harvest organs from. ur heart a bit cloggy. whip out a new one. u gopt hepatitus, forget about it. cancer, chop out tha organ, stick in a new one. it quite a way of but who knows. genetics is the future, lots of hope there!

must sleep. now. gym next morning, finally. mmmm.....gymmmm

 

[The Dude]

Yes.

If it's viral, don't expect anything soon. No disease caused by a virus has ever been cured. We've developed vaccines for them, but we can't cure them. Not one.

Cancer is coming. The research being done today is phenomenal. It's not going to happen tomorrow, but piece by piece it will be conquered.

 

[Freak Show]

STELLAR REPLY, DANIELSON! Thanks for making a worthwhile contribution. Unfortunately, it still doesn't leave me feeling optimistic.

 

[Snooker991]

I think...

Actually,


I believe great strides will be made once we as a society figure out what to do with sensitive issues such as stem cell research and genetic engineering. Right now, modern western medicine has only three ways to fix a problem, remove it physically (i.e. surgery), treat it chemically, or bombard it with radiation. Unfortunately, surgery is necessarily invasive and as a consequence expensive, and drugs and radiation sometimes have side effects that are as bad or worse than the illness itself, not to mention it is imprecise and not garaunteed. However once we understand the genetic code, and how to alter that code we can make a targeted strike using the body's own naturally accepted defense mechanisms to cure illnesses. It has the advantage of not being invasive like drugs, and the advantage of being precise like surgery, not to mention the lack of side effects (assuming it is done right of course). However, the scientific complexity along with the moral and ethical issues associated with the research necessary to facilitate this sort of solution is so confusing and difficult, that it will take a while before we see headway in this regard. But I am optimistic...

Snooker

 

[plifter]

Look at history, smallpox used to wipe out people by the thousands. It was a big problem in many countries even in the late 70's and early 80's but now its gone. The US however still keeps a supply of it at the CDC in Atlanta in case a vaccine needs to be made.

 

[Natymike]

I read an aritcle in Scientific American (for a class). It talked about how 75% of antibiotics are now completely innefective because the bacteria they fight against constantly mutate to stay alive. This is a problem because antibiotics are ridiculously over prescribed.

Most antibiotics come from nature so things look pretty grim for the future.


On another note, mad cow disease takes 10 years to show up after the person eats the infected meat. This basically means that millions of people may be infected and not know.

Diseases are scary stuff, I also learned that there will probably never be a cure for AIDS because it is a retro-virus, basically it mutates no matter what you throw at it.

 

[Latimer]

The world is already getting overpopulated. Let nature take it's course.

 

[BackDoc]

On an optimistic note, once the first viral disease is able to be modified or killed without host death, then the rest of viruses will be short timing it...in other words, one retrovirus down and then the rest will go like dominos...provided the RNA protein can be overcome.

 

[X.X]

There is so much that we don't know. It's amazing.
When I heard the bad news about the AIDS virus most likely not being curable, that was depressing.

And small pox. Still scary. What if it were used as a biological weapon against us? It's not like we have a huge stockpile of vaccines. It would decimate our population.

 

[BackDoc]

And small pox. What if it were used as a biological weapon against us? It's not like we have a huge stockpile of vaccines. It would decimate our population. [/B][/QUOTE]

Scary for real...how about tetanus...some active spores in the soil have been dated to be as old as 3,000 years...if polluted into the soils then you can't grow food there until severe and rigorous decontamination...that would stop nearly all food production in the country at least for a while. The list is endless.

 

[danielson]

well dont worry too much about the resistance thing. antibiotics are only meant to help the immune system along really. if u get antibiotics u r meant to finish your full course of them so u kill as many as possible. if a few resistant strains are left, u should be feeling better for your immune system to nuke em, antibiotics for a healthy person are just a help along. but u should get worried if ur government hasnt put up guide lines for their use. im sure they have but over here it was publicised.

if it makes u feel any better we'd be equally as fucked if they dropped anthrax on us. the russians are said to be working on hybridising ebola and smallpox. gotta love those russians. their missiles are so lame theyll probably hit the ukraine anyhow.

i think america destroyed its last smallpox sample....or britain...either way theres oficially only one sample left....officially. some lab technician accidentaly opened it up and died, thats why.

but hey, a vacine for strain I of HIV is under clinical trials over here at the moment, so cheer up ....but most people think virus's arent even aliove. all it is is some DNA/RNA and protein covering it. is that alive? so how do u get rid of that. also virus's replicate inside of cells, so how can u stop that without causing some serious side effects.

they are still researhing but they are looing at using virus's that attack the bacteria but nmot the humnas, called bacteriophages....still researching it but its a possible direction from antibiotics. of course if we keep pissing about and misusing them this might be the height of modern medicine where we could treat bacterial infections. that makes me sad as the only reason we have lost them is the greed and stupidity of men....we could have prolonged their usage for much longer, lets hope they find some more.

antibiotics can be designed synthetically but its much harder. they found a new one in crocodiles! they make thier own. its why crocs dont die for wounds. bastards. still we'll steal it

stem cell resarch is a good thing hopefully people wont hold it up. all it needs if for one tabloid journalist to whine on about it and then the public will go mental. rthats the greatest danger too, the media.

 

[donutglazer]

The world is already getting overpopulated. Let nature take it's course.

I believe Latimer is talking about the Gyya hypothesis here. This is where the universe is like its own living organism.


For example, some believed that the moon was once part of the earth-and the moon was like its first offspring.

I may be off base-just my 2.

 

[musclebrains]

stem cell resarch is a good thing hopefully people wont hold it up. all it needs if for one tabloid journalist to whine on about it and then the public will go mental. rthats the greatest danger too, the media.

Oh, that's already happened and Dubya is officially "concerned," according to an article I read a week or so ago.

The progress on an AIDS cure/vaccine is depressingly slow. I've attended all of the world AIDS conferences the last 10 or 12 years and it was amazing at the last one in S. Africa to see how people's despondency collapsed into the denial enabled by Duesberg and those who claim HIV doesn't cause the disease. South Africa is still suffering from its Prime Minister's decision to buy that awful argument. The government has even turned down the offer of free drug distribution with the argument that the treatment, not HIV, causes AIDS.

 

[Gilbyag]

yup

 

[AGENT SHAGWELL]

Thats weird cause I was just chatting with a friend about this same subject. No....Pharmaceutical Companies will not have that. Stem cells and genetic engineering is the key, but FDA won't pass shit with the pharmaceutical hand on their shoulder.

 

[Bootyshaker]

I hope they can find a better and easier cure for these fucking hemmeroids!

Bootyshaker

 

[Steroid_Virgin]

Funny.. I was just chatting with a friend about this same subject just the other day, eventhough she likes to take what I say of context sometimes...

I think there is a major conspiracy.. a triangle between the government, the drug companies, and the insurance companies... with the up and coming biochem companies as pawns stuck in the middle, all while you and I are the poor bastards suffering because of some fat cats caught up in a multi billion dollar scheme centered around keeping a few rich people richer, and keeping sick people sick, keep screwing us in our proverbial assess with out KY.

 

[8pack]

I think there is a major conspiracy.. a triangle between the government, the drug companies, and the insurance companies... with the up and coming biochem companies as pawns stuck in the middle, all while you and I are the poor bastards suffering because of some fat cats caught up in a multi billion dollar scheme centered around keeping a few rich people richer, and keeping sick people sick, keep screwing us in our proverbial assess with out KY.

Well said there is a higher "margin" their word for profit, in treating the symptom then curing the disease.

 

[BackDoc]

It's nearly unimaginable to think that if a cure is out there that it is being dictated by greed...however, it's not unrealistic to think that. After all, each 3-day treatment I took as chemo cost 6,000 dollars for three little bags of chemicals. That's a lotta cabbage!

I no longer give money to the cancer societies and groups...I think it's money wasted. Anyone wanting to help cancer patients out should volunteer their time....driving them back and forth to treatments, bringing them food, talking on the telephone with them, getting organized into groups and cheering them up. That's the real difference help can make. Not this donation crap. Think of all the money they raise for march of dimes or jerry's kids or other charities...we're talking a ton of money...and they're no closer to a cure than they were 20 years ago. Volunteer your time or sponsor someone with the disease if you want to help out. It's time we stop giving these companies money so they can reassess exactly what they've been doing with it all these years....at least give us some new lies.

 

[8pack]

Great idea!

So how does one go about volunteering their time?

 

[HeavyDutyGuy]

"And small pox. What if it were used as a biological weapon against us? It's not like we have a huge stockpile of vaccines. It would decimate our population"

No it wouldnt, because we have already have been vaccinated- are they not doing that anymore?.

 

[BackDoc]

They're experimenting with mutations of some diseases combining them with smallpox et al. But they are no longer vaccinating against smallpox in some places. Even if most of the population was protected somehow, that doesn't speak of the massive tax on the system it would cost to take care of these people. It would still be a bad situation perhaps.

As to volunteering your time, contact your local field office of the Red Cross, American Cancer Society, or whatever your compelling is. They have screening processes but if you are wanting to help out they will not turn you away. Not everyone is going to be cut out for patient-hospital transport...and the last thing they want is someone to volunteer their services for a short time then change their mind...which can be tough on patients who get to know them and rely on their company. So they might ask you to do any number of time-related volunteer stuff. They are good people and can work with your schedule. Most places are understaffed and appreciate any help. Well worth it in my opinion.

 

[X.X]

Heavydutyguy:
About smallpox; It's been eradicated from the human population and there are no animal carriers. So the risk of infection is from lab sources where the virus is still being stored.

I read that the last case of smallpox was in 1977 (there had been a world-wide effort to get rid of it). At least that was a success.

Hopefully it's never unleashed from it's storage place.