Debilitating Diseases
Bad news seems to get more attention than good news. This topic will provide a change from World War 3, inflation, and COVID.
Do a search for "Most Popular Google Searches". I found 2 interesting things: The first was the search itself. It will simply scroll in large text, words, names, etc. across your screen in various languages. I assume these are the most popular current search arguments. The second was that ALS was not far from the top.
Searched "debilitating diseases" - there were over 60 million hits! These are obviously not all diseases but items somehow related to a disease. The first was a definition which was depressing itself. "Debilitating diseases come in many shapes and forms – from those that attack the muscles in our body and affect our physical abilities to those that affect our brain function and impair our thought processes." See
Debilitating Diseases - 12 Diseases that change millions of lives - Dodge Park Residential Care. Do the author and yourself a favour and read them - each has only a short summary.
Searched "debilitating diseases" - there were over 60 million hits! These are obviously not all diseases but items somehow related to a disease. The first was a definition which was depressing itself. "Debilitating diseases come in many shapes and forms – from those that attack the muscles in our body and affect our physical abilities to those that affect our brain function and impair our thought processes." See
Debilitating Diseases - 12 Diseases that change millions of lives - Dodge Park Residential Care. Do the author and yourself a favour and read them - each has only a short summary.
How many of these can you pair with someone you know, close or otherwise? How many do you fear for yourself?
The article did not list criteria.
Not sure why cancer, COVID, and heart disease are missing. There are many others. So what is all this about? You will notice two common nouns in the list - cause and cure. Mostly both are unknown.
It makes you wonder about the priorities and selfishness of Homo Sapiens. Today we are all waking up in hope that Putin won't drop the bomb or chemicals to kill us all. What a waste of intelligence and collective willpower.
Modern man has developed the ability to:
The article did not list criteria.
12. Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). An autoimmune disease. Many of us have some form of arthritis - my fingers and knuckles show it most. I'm not sure what type I have but it can be painful and it is progressing. There is no cure that I am aware of for arthritis. See also Arthritis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
11. Schizophrenia. This one is psychological. I know 3 people who have it. One died. It is suspected that he took his own life. There are drugs that suppress the worst effects but no known cause or cure. See also Schizophrenia - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
10. Poliomyelitis. While pre-teen I knew of another kid who was totally paralyzed by Polio - not sure of the type. Her father had to wheel her around in a baby carriage well into her teens. She finally did walk, got married and had kids. She was the thinnest person I ever knew. She died prematurely. There is an effective vaccine for this virus. See also Polio - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
9. Muscular Dystrophy (MD). Don't know anyone personally with this. Apparently there are different types. It seems to be inherited. There is no cure. They can cause muscle loss and weakness over time and can lead to death. See also Muscular dystrophy - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
8. Cerebral Palsy. Know of one person with this and she became a successful lawyer and mother/wife. Cause is apparently brain injury to the fetus. There is no cure but difficulty in speaking and motion is common. See also Cerebral palsy - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
7. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). If you know a heavy smoker or someone who has to carry an oxygen bottle you probably know someone with this. It can eventually kill. Lifestyle change like tossing the smokes can help a lot. See also COPD - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
6. Cystic Fibrosis. Don't know anyone here but apparently it causes severe breathing and digestive problems. Average lifespan is 37 years (in the article). Cause is thought to be a defective gene. No cure is known. See also Cystic fibrosis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
5. Scleroderma. Don't know this one or anyone with it. It causes connective tissue disorders and autoimmune diseases affecting skin, blood vessels, internal organs and muscles. It is usually fatal with no known cause or cure. See also Scleroderma Clinic - Overview - Mayo Clinic
4. Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. You likely know someone with it if not celebrities like Annette Funicello. I knew someone who passed from it. Some live reasonable lives. Many loose total body control from the effect on nerves. See also Multiple Sclerosis MRI multiple sclerosis lesions - Mayo Clinic
3. Parkinson’s Disease. The list of celebrities with this one is long. It is a brain disorder causing tremors and lack of control. There is no cure and it is ultimately fatal. See also Parkinson's disease - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
2. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – Lou Gherig’s Disease. This famous disease affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This gradually worsens leading to total lack of control and death. There is no known cure. See also Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
1. Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Again many of us know someone with the disease and some of us will be victims. My father died from it and it is my big fear. There is no known cause or cure. Survival can be short or long. The patient will no longer know reality or loved ones once they experience extreme dementia. See also Alzheimer's disease - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
Not sure why cancer, COVID, and heart disease are missing. There are many others. So what is all this about? You will notice two common nouns in the list - cause and cure. Mostly both are unknown.
It makes you wonder about the priorities and selfishness of Homo Sapiens. Today we are all waking up in hope that Putin won't drop the bomb or chemicals to kill us all. What a waste of intelligence and collective willpower.
Modern man has developed the ability to:
- Send people to the moon and is planning for planets beyond.
- Demolish huge parts of the world with one bomb using particles so small we can't see them
- Manufacture and convince people to buy and drive cars so fast and powerful they make no sense driving to the supermarket
- Manufacture computer chips the size of your fingernail more powerful than huge computers decades ago.
- Develop robots and software to replace people and their livelihoods
- Put the power of all this technology to "use" producing toys for us all primarily to entertain ourselves.
Why can't all this power and resource be directed towards developing cures for the above diseases and many more? Surely we can do it. We could also use them to eliminate starvation for the millions of people around the globe who have zero hope and zero future?
The answer seems to be selfishness. The very ruthless see mass loss of life as population control - elimination of the weak. It leaves more for them.
Too bad there might not be anything left to enjoy for the strong.
The answer seems to be selfishness. The very ruthless see mass loss of life as population control - elimination of the weak. It leaves more for them.
Too bad there might not be anything left to enjoy for the strong.
#thebrewsterblock
