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Not Those 14th Century Cures Anyway

I grew up watching Jerry Lewis host telethons for Muscular Dystrophy and I honestly believed that MD would be cured in my lifetime.. I turn 61 this week and my hope that major diseases like MD will be cured before I die is slim at best. It seems that all of my life researchers have been futilely looking for cures to diseases like cancer, diabetes, AIDS, ALS, MD, MS, NMO, and many other acronymed diseases.

Apart from that it seems that we humans are also killing ourselves slowly with the food and substances that we ingest. Comforting to know that we have improved some though considering that, according to to this site, the people of 14th century Europe battled disease using superstitious and uninformed treatments like:
  • bathing in human urine;
  • wearing of excrement;
  • placing dead animals in homes;
  • use of leeches that sucked out blood;
  • drinking molten gold and powdered emeralds.
So glad we have advanced past those things. Even so, in the past few years I have spent a few bucks researching and imbibing other nonprescription home remedies to battle osteoarthritis and elevated cholesterol levels.. and I have not found any to really deliver results.. but I still take high levels of concentrated fish oil each day hoping that it will do me some good over time. And people often tell me that I need to find a family of leeches to help me to reduce my high iron levels.

I am still hopeful that research on things like stem cells may one day produce a cure for diseases like NMO (the one my wife battles). Until then I will remain thankful for the drugs and therapies that are helping fight off diseases after they inflict their victims.. and especially today I am thankful for Rituxin - that chemo drug that is helping my wife as she gets a dose of it today.

Do you remember watching Jerry and thinking how one day these diseases would be cured? Have you found any natural/home remedies to work for you?
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3 comments:

  1. crownringMay 10, 2010 at 11:20:00 AM CDT

    We're on the verge of a cure............

    I wonder just how many TV commercials I've seen for various medical charities have contained those (or like) words.

    I take Flaxseed meal and oil, dried sour cherries, Salmon oil, CoQ10, a women's 50+ multi, Ester C, Citrical Plus, a couple other things, along with my meds for diabetes, cholesterol, and anxiety. None of it is a cure, but hopefully these vitamins and meds will help keep my medical problems in check.

    I am glad that Rituxin is helping Ann, Bob. I hope this means she can get back to sewing and other pursuits she enjoys soon. :)

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  2. Bar L.May 10, 2010 at 7:54:00 PM CDT

    First of all: Happy Birthday, Bob! This is the big 4-0 right? ;) which date is the actual day?

    It is very sad that we are still so far away from cures for some of these debilitating or life threatening. Since I've recently become aware of how prevalent mental illness is, it also disturbs me that no only have they not found a "good drug" yet but that it receives very little stigma.

    People are much more empathetic towards causes like breast cancer - pink is everywhere on everything. But many of the other serious cancers and diseases are not in the spotlight and don't get the same funding :(

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  3. kc bobMay 11, 2010 at 9:33:00 AM CDT

    Thanks CR and Barbara! The dark day is Friday :)

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