Curing Diseases

[MissDemeter]

I realize this isn't an atheist issue, but I wanted to post this here because there are a TON of really intelligent people in this guild.

I realize that millions of people die from cancer every year. But everyone is driving me crazy with the whole, "give money to cancer research" "we need to find a cure for cancer." We have cures for cancer. And lots of people get better, they get cured.

My issue is, why is everyone so stressed about it that we forget about all of the other incurable diseases? Take AIDS, for example. There is no cure for AIDS. And millions of people have died from it, mostly children. Once you get it, you're doomed. You will die a slow, painful death. It won't happen in a week, it won't happen in a year, it probably won't happen in at least 5 years. But it will happen, and it's horrific.

Another lethal incurable disease: Huntington's Chorea. A rare, but dehabillitating disease. It works very much like Alzheimers. Oh, lookie there, another disease with no cure that is not being researched. Alzheimer's disease is horrible, and causes you to lose your mind. It hurts, and it especially hurts your loved ones.

Osteoporosis. This is another incurable disease that is just horrible. It doesn't kill you, but it'll make you want to die.

My point is, we spend so much money on Cancer research, and I get it, it's important. Three of my grandparents died from cancer, and my aunt survived cancer 5 years ago. It's certainly affected my life. And so many people out there too. We just need to also find a way to cure some other diseases that are just as horrible as cancer.

Discuss.  

[MissDemeter]

If this is tl:dr for you, here the spoon-feed:

Lots of people with cancer, too much money spent on cancer research because of lots of other diseases with zero cures while cancer has 3. (4?) Lots of people with horrible lethal diseases who don't get their disease researched and cured.  

[alteregoivy]

Actually, there is research being done on the other diseases you mentioned, it's just not as public or well-funded as cancer. Also, sometimes, other branches of research show promise for an unexpected cure.

Take Alzheimer's, for example. On PBS the other week, they had a new story with people who were doing research with mice. The scientist would place a platform in a pool of opaque liquid just under the surface. They would drop a mouse in the pool, and after several times, the mouse would memorize the location of the platform and go straight for it.

Then the researchers exposed some mice to chemicals that caused them brain damage. Those mice were no longer able to find the platform; without the scientists there to rescue them, they would drown (but of course they were rescued).

Then the brain-damaged mice were taken to the equivalent of Mouse Disney Land; lots of other mice to play with, exercise wheels, toys, just lots of stimulation and new stuff. After a few weeks at the mousey amusement park, the brain damaged mice were able to find the platform again! They regained lost memories!

Research is now in the process of discovering the mechanism behind this, and possibly creating a drug on that principle. It's also a great treatment for patients with Alzheimer's; take that patient to a more stimulating environment. Sometimes, they are able to get a little better.

I understand your point, and I feel the exact same way. But that isn't to say that nothing is being done, it's just not nearly as public.  

[Henneth Annun]

I don't have any statistics in my head about this, but possibly cancer has more awareness/'publicity' and funding to it is because it's more widespread than other serious diseases. Again, I'm not sure, I'm just making guesses.  

[EATSMEATS]

Actually there's this one treatment that should work on most types of illnesses besides maybe AIDS. It's Stem Cell Research. I've done a report on it for college and it should be able to cure alzheimers, parkinsons, and osteoporosis.

and don't let anyone tell you that it is immoral or wrong, because they found a way to not use embryos.  

[BONK Atomic Punch]

EATSMEATS

Actually there's this one treatment that should work on most types of illnesses besides maybe AIDS. It's Stem Cell Research. I've done a report on it for college and it should be able to cure alzheimers, parkinsons, and osteoporosis.

and don't let anyone tell you that it is immoral or wrong, because they found a way to not use embryos.

Stem cells don't only just come from umbilical cords. They can come from all sorts of areas in your body :')  

[alteregoivy]

BONK Atomic Punch

EATSMEATS

Actually there's this one treatment that should work on most types of illnesses besides maybe AIDS. It's Stem Cell Research. I've done a report on it for college and it should be able to cure alzheimers, parkinsons, and osteoporosis.

and don't let anyone tell you that it is immoral or wrong, because they found a way to not use embryos.

Stem cells don't only just come from umbilical cords. They can come from all sorts of areas in your body :')

While that is true, the stem cells that come from a human adult are only able to change in one way depending on what part of they body they come from. This makes them very limited in use. Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, have the potential to turn into pretty much any other kind of cell. That's why the focus is on embryonic stem cells as opposed to what is already in an adult.  

[Marx Gant]

For AIDS, they actualy do have a cure for it, I forgot the scientific name for the med but it is going through FDA aproval and if it does go through, they are going to announce it. I am not sure about the progress of this because I last heard it in a newspaper a few months ago.

As for Osteoporosis, i believe that some researchers are working on that, but they are not short on funding so they do not need any help. I could be wrong.  

[Nardone]

you do bring up a lot of really good points.. the reason why everyone forgets about aids and focuses more on cancer is because just about everyone in America knew or knows a cancer patient.. aids is a disease thats mostly in africa and with most people thinking of africa as a "hopeless continent" they dont think much of it..
so in the end its just mostly people thinking of the ones they love.. me myself would contribute to aids before cancer because i live close to areas that have aids pretty bad.. and although i had a few family members die of cancer i just think a donation to aids research would help the world more  

[B1g_crunch]

The only thing religion cures is intelligence.  

[Arios V]

EATSMEATS

Actually there's this one treatment that should work on most types of illnesses besides maybe AIDS. It's Stem Cell Research. I've done a report on it for college and it should be able to cure alzheimers, parkinsons, and osteoporosis.

and don't let anyone tell you that it is immoral or wrong, because they found a way to not use embryos.

I know, Stem Cells are incredibly powerful things. I remember seeing this special on the Science Channel last week called "Future Of..." and one of the most interesting things they profiled on there was this dust that could allow badly damaged (even dead or lost) limbs/organs to regenerate completely. Basically, if you accidentally cut off the tip of your finger, you could regrow it completely and have it look like it was never damaged. Humans have this ability when we are still forming, but after we are born, we lose it. This powder in a sense would allow us to regain that power. Also, this powder doesn't come from embryos, it comes from pigs (I think the stomach or the bladder. There is something about the make-up of the organ that is almost like raw embryonic stem cells.) However, they are working on ways to synthetically make these stem cells....or so I've heard.