I am amazed to see the new medical treatments and breakthroughs that are available from year to year. Just ten or twenty years ago, these treatments wouldn’t have been possible. Just think of what the next ten years will bring in medicine.
As I get older, I keep up on new innovations in medicine. Of course, twenty years ago, I was young and carefree, and I didn’t pay close enough attention. But now I find myself staying away from burgers and fries and asking myself if I really do need dessert. When I see breakthroughs in treatment for heart failure and cholesterol, they truly are more near and dear to my heart. I will continue to be watchful in the future about my diet, and if you please, keep the treatments coming for the things that I can’t take care of myself.
According to CNN Health, Cleveland Clinic has released the Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2015. Each of the following could be innovations available in the upcoming year.
- Mobile stroke unit – time is of the essence when dealing with strokes. This could greatly reduce the medical reaction time.
- Dengue fever vaccine – new vaccine for this deadly virus spread by mosquito bites.
- Painless blood testing – cheaper, faster and less painful to those that hate blood draws. The blood will be taken from your fingertip. It is said that 100 tests can be done from one drop of blood using this method.
- New way to lower cholesterol – PCSK9 is a self-injectable drug can be used by those who have not had much luck using statins.
- Cancer drug that doesn’t harm healthy tissue – we will be able to knockout cancerous cells without effecting the healthy ones.
- Immune booster for cancer patients – can show large support for patients with metastatic melanoma.
- Wireless cardiac pacemaker – has a lithium battery that can last almost 7 years.
- New medications for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis – two new experimental drugs (pirfenidone and nintedanib) have been approved by the FDA for patients with this life ending disease. Usually, patients have three to five years to live once they have been diagnosed.
- Single-dose radiation therapy for breast cancer – this can treat a breast cancer tumor during surgery in a single dose.
- New drug for heart failure – angiotensin-receptor neprilysin inhibitor greatly reduces the risk of dying from heart failure.
Have a Happy New Year! May it bring you good health and prosperity!
