CUTTING-EDGE
THIS PAGE IS SORTA COUNTER TO GENE-CULTURE. THE LIKES OF deCODE RECOGNIZE BIO-MECHANISMS ARE USUALLY DETERMINING FACTORS IN CHRONIC COMPLAINTS - SOMETHING COMPARATIVE GENOME STUDIES LACK (see blog 'comparative genome studies suck')
You'd assume many medical practitioners would follow a basic principle that 'natural vigor' is something you have as a 'given' & any treatments or technologies are in addition to this principle. It's common knowledge that clones of higher animals lack vigor (Dolly the sheep). How dyou define 'vigor'? Possibly lack of susceptibility to a multitude of malaises (nervous & physical).
ESCs also raise the spectre of human reproductive cloning - see this link.
replacing faulty DNA with 'fixes'
For example, a faulty gene in muscular dystrophy is being tested with a 'patch' implant.
There are numerous untested naturally-occurring genes out there (in viruses etc) - a few are already utilized
eg. in Parkinson's.
The blood-suckers amongst you may be turned-on by parasitic tropical hookworms which dampen the immuno-response in asthmatics.
Here's an interesting herbal treatment for cancer using feverfew
Green tea is apparently used in various things, acting as a powerful antioxidant preventative to nervous disorders like Alzheimer's (the mechanism also occurs in cholesterol - preventing dangerous free-radicals produced by oxygen forming in cells).. OK, now try grapes with anti-cancer antioxidants!....
....These herbal treatments give a good intro to the general use of drugs in chronic conditions - obviously, this includes naturally-occuring herbs present in curries or green tea etc (many contain aromatics or antioxidants). Alzheimer's, say,can have a genetic predisposition (a heritable trait) as one factor in its progression. However, drugs in the body have extremely diverse effects.
Basically, it depends on how much boffins choose to focus on this, that or the other! Just to give one example, boffins in LA have discovered omega-3 fish oil increases levels of a protein that needs boosting in Alzheimer's.
Coincidentally, boffins have discovered a way to block the protein that causes many a cancer to spread by animating the tumour around the body .
Is the future of anti-viral therapy 'protein structure' & is this picture worth a thousand words? -see this link & this pic!
....for complaints such as angina , or heart disease (cardio-vascular). This is a tough one as cholesterol is both 'good' - it's an essential vitamin for nerves - & 'bad' low density lipoprotein (ie for heart or cardiovascular). A new report also shows you can study a gene responsible for producing 'bad' cholesterol but that information doesn't tell you HOW bad it is!
