Important News You May Have Missed

In our busy lives, we often overlook the occurrences taking place in the world around us. It is easy to miss important information if we are otherwise occupied when these key announcements are made. There have been a few scientific breakthroughs in the world of medicine over the past week that did not receive much attention from the media, making them easy to miss. However, these breakthroughs are important and should not be overlooked.

Reported on June 28, 2008:

Scientists in America are preparing to begin human testing to see if they have, in fact, found the cure for cancer. It appears that the human body holds the key to curing itself. A specific type of white blood cell has been isolated and shown to kill cancer cells in mice. Further testing has shown that these blood cells will kill cancer cells in a petri dish. The logical next step is human testing.

While there has been a great deal of progress in the treatments for cancer, until now there has not been any definitive element that has been seen to eliminate all cancer cells with a 100% cure rate. This newest development could change the lives of millions of people affected by this horrible disease.

This new treatment will consist of taking the proper blood cells from healthy donors and transfusing those healthy white blood cells into the cancer patient. Ideally, the newly administered blood cells will attach the cancer in the patient’s body and leave the patient cancer free. The afore mentioned testing done in mice has shown this method to be 100% curative in mice with cancer.

Reported on July 1, 2008:

In Oklahoma, scientists have found that coffee may help prevent multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is caused by a reaction in the body that causes the immune system to react improperly, thus attacking the nerves in the central nervous system.

The study shows that a something in coffee prevents a certain component of DNA from connecting to the proper receptor. When that building block fails to connect to its receptor, the reaction that causes multiple sclerosis symptoms, such as motor function and speech disorders, is also prevented. This action of blocking the attachment to the receptor prevents the body from setting up the neurological reactions that cause the body’s immune system’s to attack itself.

This new finding may well impact other auto-immune diseases, too. Arthritis and lupus are also known to be caused by the body’s immune system working improperly to attack the body instead of protecting the body as it should. If the component of coffee are shown to be affective in human trials at preventing this type of physical disorder, the results could decrease the affects of several debilitating diseases.

Reported here on July 1, 2008

Studies conducted in 2006 on the affects of this particular psychedelic drug have shown that there appear to be long term positive side affects. The findings from this study could open the door to future studies targeted at finding pharmaceutical uses such as treatment for addictions and psychological disorders. The drug might also be instrumental in helping seriously ill patients deal with the psychological affects of chronic illness.

While the use of this drug is illegal and not recommended as something to be used in the form of a self-treatment, the study does show promise for future possibilities in making this drug safer for human use under the care of a physician. It should be noted that using this without the care of a physician could result in harm to oneself or others and should be avoided.

Scientific research continues to make remarkable progress in the field of medicine. Should these new treatments prove to be medically safe, certain diseases could become less of a concern for our society. Many people will no longer be forced to suffer through the normal activities of daily life without any hope of relief. Further research is needed to fully develop any treatment possibilities and to discern what possible side affects may be of concern with these treatments. However, the current information does indicate that the medical field is reaching a place where diseases that have plagued us for so long may become insignificant.