6 breakthroughs that could change medicine

[bik0]

6 breakthroughs that could change medicine

Prevention magazine shares some game-changing new developments
By Richard Laliberte
Prevention
updated 3:44 p.m. ET, Fri., Jan. 8, 2010

Prevention magazine shares the remarkable innovations that promise to revolutionize how doctors prevent, diagnose and treat both common conditions and diseases.

Breakthrough that could stave off cancer naturally
In 2009, the American College of Sports Medicine certified its first group of cancer exercise trainers. The new program reflects fresh thinking about how physical activity can help prevent and treat cancer. "Oncologists who once thought cancer patients should take it easy are beginning to prescribe exercise as a form of medicine," says exercise physiologist Richard Cotton, ACSM's national director of certification. Research finds that exercise can lower recurrence rates and boost survival among women who have had cancer. One review found that moderate activity, such as brisk walking 3 hours a week, reduced breast and colon cancer deaths by about 50%. Bottom line: Exercise is a potent weapon against the disease both before and after diagnosis.

Breakthrough that could thin blood more safely
For decades, the blood thinner of choice for people at high risk of stroke has been warfarin (Coumadin), a tricky drug that doctors must monitor carefully—often with weekly tests—because it interacts with other medications and increases risks of bleeding. Now, a new drug called dabigatran prevents more stokes with less bleeding than warfarin, according to a study of 18,113 people with atrial fibrillation, a key risk factor for stroke. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, marks the first time in more than 50 years that a new blood thinner has been found that is considered more effective than the existing gold standard, says study leader Stuart Connolly, MD director of the division of cardiology at McMaster University in Ontario. "It's a triple win because the new drug is also easier to use," he says. "It doesn't interact with many other medications, so you don't need to constantly test and adjust the dose." Dabigatran is available as Pradaxa in Canada and Europe; FDA approval is pending.

Breakthrough that may protect the world against HIV
Researchers at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, have discovered two new antibodies, produced by a minority of patients, that offer hope for an HIV vaccine. Because the new antibodies are "broadly neutralizing," they cripple many different strains of the deadly virus. Four other broadly neutralizing antibodies are known to exist, but the new weapons are more potent, latch on to their targets more easily, and are the first to have been isolated from patients in the development world, where 95% of new AIDS cases occur. Researchers are now working on developing an active ingredient to put into a vaccine that would stimulate the production of these antibodies.

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http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/34771163/ns/today-today_health

[tridim]

1. Stem cell therapy and genetic manipulation are also much closer to reality than we think.

Those two areas of research will change everything.

I keep wondering if the insurance companies know that these therapies are close. If they work as predicted we're going to become a much healthier pool of potential customers, which is really bad for their bottom line.

[bik0]

2. Not true - a healthier pool of potential customers would result in fewer claims

which would help their bottom line profits. That's like saying fewer car accidents would hurt auto insurer's profits.

[tridim]

3. But, if these procedures become cheap, which is the promise..

demand for comprehensive insurance will diminish quickly. Now, we'll probably have a mandate at that point, but we'll also have regulations and basic competition in place that will prevent insurance companies from charging more than market value for their product. By that time the new CHC's will be handing out stem cell injections at cost (non-profit), and private insurance will be forced to compete or risk becoming obsolete. It's their choice, play ball or go home.

All this is just a guess, there are tons of variables that will crop up along the way. It's just interesting to think about how it will all play out.

[trotsky]

4. Logic has no place in the Health forum.

Big pharma is trying to kill us. Big pharma wants us to live a long time addicted to their drugs. Yes, both thoughts are held simultaneously by some folks. Don't ask me how they do it.

[applegrove]

5. Thanks for posting.