Cystic fibrosis therapy…

Cystic fibrosis patients over 12 years of age who have a particular genetic mutation now have a  newly approved  drug treatment.   This could offer hope for the 90% of patients who share this mutation, which means about 27,000 patients.  The drug combination appears to be more effective when used together than when used separately.  The CF diagnosis isn’t an automatic death sentence, but sufferers tend to acquire digestive problems,  diabetes,  and other life-shortening diseases and symptoms so they seldom reach age 50.

 

 

 

James Harrison, hero…

James Harrison is the most prolific blood donor in the world,  having kept a promise made at 14 to donate blood as often as possible,  prompted by being the surgical recipient of donated blood himself.

Soon after he began donating in 1954,  the Australian’s blood was found to have  unusually strong and persistent antibodies used to develop an injection called Anti-D, which helps fight against rhesus disease.  Rhesus occurs when a mother with RhD negative blood carries a baby with RhD positive blood, inherited from the father,  and the mother’s body produces antigens to destroy what it senses as a foreign threat — the baby’s red blood cells.  The result can be miscarriages,  stillbirths,  brain damage,  or fatal anaemia in newborns.   It kills thousands of babies a year.

But the Australian’s weekly blood donations since then have saved the lives of an estimated 2.4 million babies and earned him the moniker. “the man with the golden arm.”   He made his final donation last Friday,  aged 81,  when doctors declared he should stop for his own health.   Australia normally ends donations at age 71,  but  James Harrison’s special blood,  and his remarkable fealty to a promise made,  earned him the designation of hero.

 

Life from nothing…

I can’t quite decide whether to applaud or run for cover  over this.   It is potentially a huge step towards human cloning,  and if you believe scientists and researchers will restrain themselves,  you don’t understand human nature very well.

 

 

Flu vaccine fail…

I don’t take flu shots,  for the simple reason that I haven’t had flu or a cold in many decades.   Apparently the same mechanism which causes the allergies that make me so miserable also provide protection against flu and colds.  I suppose it’s a fair trade-off,  since allergies aren’t contagious,  but I feel sorry for people who like good sheeple got the shots this year thinking they were safe.

Now they are learning that this year’s  concoction is  only about 36% effective against flu serious enough to prompt medical attention.   That means that older,  frail patients,  and the very young or those with compromised immune systems have scant protection against this year’s  crop of nasty bugs.   Do bear in mind that the vaccine is a government creation…

Virtual reality savior…

Doctors have used virtual reality to save the lives of conjoined twin sisters. Yeah,  it sounds dry and too technical,  but it isn’t.  Read it  and have some hope for the future!

 

 

Autism breakthrough?

A drug more than a century old may hold the key to combating autism symptoms,  according to a study by researcher Dr Robert Naviaux of the San Diego School of Medicine.   Go here  to learn about suramin,  a drug first developed in 1916,  and join me in praying that the drug will actually free those who suffer from it.

 

 

Heartburn meds…

If you think most doctors bother to read the microscopic fine print on the information fold-outs that come with modern medicine,  you are dead wrong,  and if you count on them to do what is really your job,  you may well end up actually dead.

So all you heartburn and acid reflux sufferers  take notice  and protect yourselves.