A lot of people don't realize have far ahead we are getting in medical science, this could be the century where everything is cured and life is extended. Sometimes the advancements are on the quiet side and may not even appear in the average daily newspaper or if they do, they are buried in the middle somewhere. We wouldn't want to displace the sensational news of people being killed and raped, would we? Isn't it funny that some things that are very important to the human race often take a back seat in the news, because the publishers of the papers think that only sensational headlines sell papers.

If we look at the human genome project, the study that is supposed to last 15 years and discover what every gene in our body does, we find out that a milestone was reached. The last of the 23 chromosomes in the human body has been mapped. I know that this sounds pretty dull to most people, but it is a very import accomplishment. One of the scientists stated, "This achievement effectively closes the book on an important volume of the Human Genome Project" This was the largest chromosome in the human body. Over 1,000 new genes have been identified and these discoveries will help researchers to find cures for many of today's diseases. So how much information is in this last chromosome? If we had to type it out, it would fill 60,000 pages. This last chromosome makes up 8% of our genome and has about 2X as many genes as the average chromosome. The way this works, in a simplified explanation, is that the scientists hope to be able to compare the genetic sequence between a healthy person and one with a particular disease and thus find out how to correct the defect. Another researcher said, The sequence of chromosome 1, published today, is part of an exciting and near-complete reference volume of our genome. Freely available in the public domain, researchers all over the world are already adding new information to it, enriching the picture of what it is to be human, for the benefit of others in the future.".

Parkinson's disease is a severely debilitating disease and in the worst cases, surgeons are now implanting electrodes deep in the brains of the patients. The purpose of the electrodes is to shut down the tremors that accompany the disease and cause all sorts of involuntary movement. This procedure is not without risks. To implant the electrode, the skull is opened and the electrode implanted, but the very implanting of the electrode can damage delicate blood vessels in the brain. Nanotubes to the rescue. The implantation of a new polymer nanoelectrode will not only reduce the cost of the operation, but increase the safety factor. The reason the operation becomes safer, is the fact that the nanoelectrode is only 600 nanometers across. Because of this, the skull doesn't have to be opened and the nanoelectrode can be inserted into an artery in the arm or groin and threaded up to the brain. It has the capability of traveling through any blood vessel, no matter how small. The only road block left is to make sure that the wires do not cause blood clots, but there has been no evidence of this.

A new wheelchair has been introduced into the market place. So what you say, there are plenty of wheelchairs out there already! Well, there has never been a wheelchair like this one. It is unique. The chair actually can climb stairs. Yes you heard me correctly, it climbs stairs. The wheelchair contains a new stability system that can sense changes in weight on the individual wheels. You back up to the stairs and the Independence IBot 3000 Mobility System takes over and brings you gently up one step at a time. The chair has another trick up its sleeve. There is a button that can be pressed that raises the chair so that the occupant can be at eye level with people he or she is talking to. The chair is sort of the Humvee of wheelchairs. Almost no terrain is too rough for the chair to travel over and it can climb over 4 inch curbs. Even sand won't stop the chair. There is a restriction, however. You can not weigh more than 250 pounds. But have no fear, a newer version just came out and it is said to contain significant enhancements.

I have a tip that I would like to pass on to you. If you want to save money on your drug prescriptions, get your doctor to give you a prescription for pills at double the dosage you need and buy a pill cutter. Cut the pills in half and now you will have the correct dosage and twice the amount of pills for the same price.

When we go to the doctor and he wants to see how our heart is performing, one of the things he might use is a halter monitor. That is a device that you wear for a day while during your normal routine. It records your heartbeats and if there is an abnormality it records that too. Now there is a device for mental illness that operates by wearing it. The device is called "LifeShirt". It is a computerized vest that continuously monitors the patient's movements. It monitors hyperactive and repetitive movements and also collects data on respiration, heart rate and other physiological measurements.So far this has only been used on patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Now I am all for new medical techniques and I don't want to be a wet blanket, but can't a doctor just watch a patient to see if there are strange movements? I was always under the impression that these are visible almost instantly and if not just put them in a room with a camera.You can get a web cam for about 15 dollars or less. Oh well, I am not a psychiatrist, but I would hate to see a device developed just so charges can be made for testing. As far as respiration and heart beats are concerned, there are devices out there that can easily monitor this.

A new device, in the shape of a belt, that is worn around a patients chest, without any sticky electrodes, is being introduced. It transmits wirelessly and allows doctors to monitor patients who are at home and to get an ecg reading anytime they need it. This is especially helpful to patients that are already being monitored at home for things like hypertension and weight.

Scientists are now evaluating something called a walking work station. The device is a combination desk and treadmill. Wow I could use one of these. It is being tried out on obese office workers and the results are beginning to show that this is beneficial to those people. Just a couple of hours of walking a week is a great help to them. I think I could have told them this with monitoring the workers, but be that as it may, it is a good way to get exercise.

A new device has been tested in one medical center that restores the heart's rhythm to normal without medication. 79 patients received microwave probes and 95% of them had a perfect sinus heart rhythm after a 30 day test and even a year later, 82% were still normal and 68% of those patients were off anti coagulant medications.

A new catheter technique for patching holes in the heart may make it possible for some patients to avoid heart surgery. The patch successfully closed ventricular septal defects (VSDs) - or ruptures in the wall between the right and left ventricles, in nearly all patients, allowing blood to circulate normally again and relieving fluid back-up in the lungs. After recovery, patients were able to return to active lives.