Category Archives: Health

The Wegovy Backlash

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I hope not, of course, but there has never been a weight-loss pill that hasn’t backfired somehow. While the short-term safety of Wegovy seems to be understood, it is too new to possibly know of the long-term effects. There is definitely a psychological aspect to it, so conceivably that wears off, and our brains find new pathways to desire eating again.

Possibly, the long-term side-effect is not something that can be measured in a lab. Something like a loss of zest in general, a loss of appetite for life, and the myriad of ways that can present itself in our everyday lives. For example, a loss in the desire to have children, or complete tertiary studies.

Lab-Grown Human Eggs and Human Sperm

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While scientists can behave ethically, few let ethics get in the way of advancing knowledge and techniques. If they can do it, typically they will.

Which means that now or in the future, someone is going to create a human baby completely outside of the human body. And by using stem cells, it can happen without the permission of the genetic parents. Crazy!

Mice have already been born from real mouse sperm and lab-created mouse eggs. They were healthy and soon became parents themselves, so they passed the hybrid burdle.

2009: Human egg cells grown in a lab.

2016: Lab-created mouse sperm makes babies

2016: Lab-created mouse egg makes babies

2022: Lab-generated human sperm

2022: First synthetic mouse embryos

You can see the trajectory… it will happen – synthetically made humans – it is simply a matter of who and when. China is an obvious bet.

And factor in that declining populations are a problem for capitalist societies, and we could be making artificial kids purely to be worker consumers.

Tiny Houses for Quarantine

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For the COVID pandemic, we had quarantine in homes for locals, and quarantines in hotels or dedicated facilities for international arrivals. Even in countries like NZ that legendarily cut themselves off from the rest of the world, the virus still snuck in.

You can’t/won’t 100% stop people entering a country. Repatriation flights have crew. Goods arrive by manned flights and ships. Special permission is given to dignitaries and the rich & famous.

The next pandemic will hopefully see a country locked out from the rest of the world before it spreads to other countries. The best way to achieve that anywhere the virus appears is to shutdown the town/city where it is. That provides new challenges, as there often won’t be enough hotels to use for quarantine, and usually there won’t be any dedicated facilities. At the same time, supplies need to come in and out.

One thing we can do is have portable quarantine facilities that can be relocated to where they are needed, and that can by built-for-purpose tiny houses. These, by design, already fit on trailers. There’s even one that unfolds, for $US50K.

It just needs some tweaks:

  • Hospital grade air-conditioning
  • Food delivery hatches
  • A fence to limit outdoor exercise distance

The Best Solution to Pandemics (in hindsight)

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After decades of planning for the next pandemic, it appears it was just the maths of it we worked out, not the practical response. In hindsight here’s my opinion of how to plan for the next virus:

  • National authority – having cities and states with their own rules does not help. One national body should have overarching control over every aspect of the response
  • Trained and monitored people in crucial situations – where infection is more likely – travellers, quarantine, hospitals, care homes & industries like abattoirs – providing leaflets is not enough. Repeated on the spot training and 24/7 monitoring is essential. Dollars spent here can save thousands for the economy
  • Close borders early – every country would have, if they could turn back time, closed borders sooner. The #1 best response is to not let the virus in. That means accepting that sometimes jumping the gun hurts the economy for no reason.
  • Fewer lockdown stages – from day one, make masks, social distancing, and no crowds, mandatory. Stage two is the most extreme, where you stay at home except for when it is essential. Harsher lock downs, sooner
  • Dedicated quarantine centres – we have them in Australia for pets and racehorses, we can make them for people. Remove the ability for the virus to escape quarantine
  • Enforced isolation – in Australia, 50% of people who were told to self-isolate still left their homes. All self-isolation must be strictly monitored, ideally with ankle bracelets or a phone app that uses location
  • Concierge – people in self-isolation need zero excuses to break the rules. So give them a hotline to a concierge who will coordinate all their heath and supplies, for free. Even give people a free Uber Eats account. Make them feel like they are treated well for the inconvenience.
  • Reward, not punish – if someone tests positive, there are things they need to do, like self-isolate and not have visitors. They will often not be able to work. Reward them – like giving everyone who tests positive $500, on top of any other welfare payments. Obviously it can’t be high enough that people choose to catch it!
  • No limits on testing – if the system can’t cope, improve the system. In an ideal world, everyone gets tested in the first week. Like the entire city or country.
  • Natural boundaries – when one location has an outbreak and locks down, make the location a natural one, not an administrative one.
  • Money matters not – federal governments can print more money. Not a single decision should be based on money.
  • Prison for people who spread misinformation – no bail. Lock them up. Be harsh.
  • All interest, repayments and rent on hold – for anybody who has to close their business or cannot work.

Post-Pandemic Thermal Imaging

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Self-isolation during the 2020 pandemic had an interesting side-effect – far less people catching the flu.

Possibly earlier administration of vaccines were a factor, but it will not be surprising to see lesser contact presumed to be the the key.

Over 50% of elderly deaths come from preventable infections, and the repercussions of falls.

Thermal imaging is affordable and easy to implement. Just like we have metal detectors when entering facilities like courts and prisons, expect to see thermal imaging checking for fevers when entering aged-care facilities and hospitals.

A minor inconvenience to save lives.

Expect life expectancies to increase substantially, quickly.

Note: alternative or complimentary technology may emerge in the home. Instead of having thermal imaging in the greater world, we could have thermal imaging (and various other forms of self-diagnosis) in the home. Some tests could be part of a morning ritual like brushing your teeth and checking the weather forecast

STAP Stem Cells for Clones and Body Part Replacements

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 “Who would have thought that to reprogram adult cells to a pluripotent state just required a small amount of acid for less than half an hour – it’s an incredible discovery.”

“It’s mother nature’s repair process.”

“The implication is that you can very easily, from a drop of blood and simple techniques, create a perfect identical twin”

By stressing regular adult human cells (30 mins in an acid bath), they literally curl up into a foetal position – they become the very same embryonic stem cells that have the power to become any human cell.

Now, Vacanti, along with Haruko Obokata at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, and colleagues have discovered a different way to rewind adult cells – without touching the DNA. The method is striking for its simplicity: all you need to do is place the cells in a stressful situation, such as an acidic environment.

Stem cells are already being used to repair humans. This new discovery means it is highly likely that within a decade or two we will be able to repair virtually any damage to our bodies. And create human clones. Although most non-scientists would prefer this to never happen, some scientists will find it hard to resist.

Source New Scientist Feb 1 2014, found online here.

Chip Implants for Drug Delivery

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Let us get the major negative out of the way first – the chip is the size of a scrabble tile. While smaller devices might be acceptable, many people would not like something so large embedded into their skin.


http://www.mchips.com/technology/technology.html

As you can see, the microchip is small, but it needs a reservoir beneath it to hold all the medicine.

The advantages are awesome:

  • Drug delivery for up to 16 years
  • Turn on/off wirelessly (via an app)
  • Never forget to take your medicine
  • No repeat visits to the pharmacy / drugstore
  • Available in 2017

Another disadvantage is that many of the target market would want multiple medications delivered in this manner – how many can you implant?

 

 

Chips in Contact Lenses, via Google

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We’ve heard this is the future, with experts claiming that one day Google Glass capabilities will be embedded into contact lenses.

Well the future has begun, with Google planning to get things started with a glucose monitor built into contact lenses. The circuitry is built into the outer edge on the lens.

We’re now testing a smart contact lens that’s built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material. We’re testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second. We’re also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the wearer, so we’re exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds.
http://googleblog.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/introducing-our-smart-contact-lens.html?m=0