Will Medical Breakthroughs make a difference to you?
The general consensus then was that if you can manage to stay in good health for the next 20 years that there would be medical technology that would keep you that way for decades to follow. There were on-going research projects including gene therapy that would help achieve this...
The last blog item about zebrafish fixing their own hearts prompted me to write this article.
I remember when I was in my early 40's (20 years ago) that we would see items on the TV, and other media about imminent medical breakthroughs that would have beneficial life changing effects.
Well, after being involved in health and wellness full time for about 12 years I can now look back on these ‘promising’ discoveries and pass a comment... which are in a word...nonsense! They have amounted to nought.
I’m not saying that these scientists are con men or women, no, far from that. They are generally dedicated people who truly believe that they are on the verge of some great discovery which will benefit mankind...but, it never amounts to anything. I understand the need for these R & D projects to be given media coverage as it is essential for their funding. For example, in the last entry if the British Heart Foundation did not ‘sell’ the idea of Zebrafish being the answer for heart failure they would never get their 60 million pounds.
The danger is when we, as the general public start thinking that we don’t have to be so vigilant about our own health because we will be saved by medical science. I used to think that way 20 years ago but I now realise that this way of thinking is flawed. Don’t hold your breath in anticipation thinking that some new discovery will be life changing.
Consider the zebrafish heart issue. Even if they were successful in ‘fixing’ a heart it will still not fix the rest of the circulatory system. It would not prevent a heart attack due to a clogged artery; it would not avoid a stroke due to a blockage in the capillaries feeding the brain...and so on.
The bottom line is that there have been some remarkable advances in medical science in certain specific areas, but not in general health or longevity. The advances in general health and longevity have been outside the mainstream medical profession. Those advances have been in the knowledge of what various natural substances can do in supporting the efficient functioning of the human body.
At the end of the day you cannot beat nature through the use of ‘foreign’ molecules in the form of drugs.
No one is going to be able to offer a magic potion for perfect general health and longevity. The human body is a remarkable machine and has the ability to repair itself but it takes time, the amount of time of which is directly dependent upon how it has been treated in the past. It is up to all of us if we want a full, pain free and enjoyable life to treat our body as our most prized possession and learn what is needed to keep it working whilst it is alive.
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