I am increasingly impressed by the scientific world. There have been so many medical breakthroughs in the past decade that I’m hard-pressed to keep up. The advances in genetic testing alone have been incredible. I truly believe that if these advances had been around before my mother had waged her valiant, yet unsuccessful, war against cancer, she’d still be alive today.
I also wish my mother were alive to see Nurtec, the new, amazing medication for migraines. She watched helplessly as I suffered from migraines for years. This new pill is a miracle. You dissolve it on your tongue, and blink! The migraine instantly disappears! (At least for me. Your results may vary. Don’t take my word for it. Talk to an actual doctor.)
Recently, a friend sent me a link to an article entitled, “Cleveland Clinic Performs Lifesaving Fetal Surgery to Remove Rare Heart Tumor”
Wow. Just wow. They operated on this 5-month-old fetus while it was still in the womb. The doctors cut open the woman’s uterus, exposed the part of the infant that they needed to operate on, did the operation, stuck him all the way back in the uterus, and sewed the mom back up. She carried the baby 10 more weeks before she had it by cesarean section. Mom and baby are doing fine.
My first thought was, “Do you have any idea how paper-thin a fetus’ skin is at that stage?” Parents visiting their premature babies in the NICU are usually instructed not to stroke their children, as their skin might slough off. So imagine trying to sew or glue it back together after major surgery. Amazing.
Advances are coming so fast and furious that I can barely understand what they are anymore. I mean, I struggle to understand CRISPR and stem cell research, even as it’s changing the world. What else is going on?
A lazy Google search yielded this interesting article: 50 notable medical advancements of the decade. It describes full face transplants, regrowing body parts, surgical super glue that was inspired by slug slime, and contact lenses that can monitor your glucose. It also talks about deep brain stimulation for stroke patients, and even more evidence that autism is not connected to vaccines. We are even discovering what dogs knew all along: That many diseases can be detected by smell.
We’re living in a world where there’s a new cystic fibrosis treatment that is 90 percent effective. There’s even an artificial pancreas for diabetes patients now. And great news, guys! Progress has been made on penis transplants!
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. I suspect that if we read this article 10 years from now, all these advances will seem quaint compared to what will be going on at that point. I just love human ingenuity. Perhaps there is hope for us yet.
Breakthroughs like these make me wonder why so many people are ignoring doctors who are begging us all to get the COVID vaccines like they themselves have. (96 percent of all doctors are fully vaccinated.) Don’t you want to stick around to see what happens next? Don’t you think you should trust the experts, rather than the people with the political agenda? I sure do!
Like this quirky little blog? Then you’ll enjoy my book! http://amzn.to/2mlPVh5
The View from a Drawbridge 
All right, now why don’t they get cracking on a *reliable* cure for sleep apnea? And a few other things, don’t get me started…
I would be thrilled to throw away my CPAP. But for every medical solution created, there are probably 100 medical problems waiting to be solved. I’m still impressed, though, that we’ve come as far as we have. I’m glad I’m not living in the era of leeches as a cure all.