The video below shows a cat that has a thiamine (Vitamin B1) deficiency.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LYW22xnBBo
You may have noticed how the cat could not properly sit down or look at the camera without aid of the nurse. Thiamine deficiency can cause or be a part of causing: Alzheimer's disease, beriberi, alcoholic brain disease, optic neuropathy, and other illnesses. In this particular video we witness a cat diagnosed with a form of beriberi known as dry beriberi. Beriberi is a neurological and cardiovascular disease of which has three major forms: dry beriberi, wet beriberi, and infantile beriberi. Dry beriberi is a symmetric impairment of sensory, motor, and reflex functions affecting distal more than proximal limb segments and causing calf muscle tenderness.
You'll love this video more than the last. I guarantee it!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76DVULxJ-kk
The video you just watched is a post-treatment video of the same cat. I must point out that it was wise to use such a unique cat because you cannot just say that it is another cat that is it's brother or relative. It's key trauma to the eye makes it undoubtedly noticeable as the same cat. Also, cats are freakin' adorable haha
Now it gets interesting. As I was reading a book that was assigned by my professor, I stumbled across an interesting side note. "Cancer cells and the testis cells that make sperm also rely overwhelmingly on glucose". In a later sentence it states that "to use glucose, the body needs thiamine". Can you put two and two together? Do you just realize what could happen??!! If you could somehow cause someone that has cancer to become thiamine deficient, you could stop the formation of cancer cells and thus pausing a ticking time bomb. Once the cancer cells have stopped producing, doctors could go in an remove the cancer cells. This will stop the spread of cancer cells throughout the operation and decrease the chance of reformation. Once the procedure is over and done with, they could go ahead and treat the patient with thiamine pills to allow them to become functional again. Boom! Bye-bye cancer.
Here is the million dollar question though. Assuming that my hypothesis is correct, "Is it morally correct to put a cancer patient through this treatment if it means possibly endangering their life in order to save it?"...
Cancer is a feat in the biomedical researches. However, I don't think that we are at our wit's end yet. In 30 years, there may just be a cure that can totally absolve it. Especially since as we are progressing each year with technology, each year, now seems like a month over. What makes the cure challenging is that, studies of the human body have only just started gaining momentum early in this century. We are still such a new area of knowledge and discovery, compared to others, like astronomy. But like I said, I don't think that this is something humans cannot surpass... I have tremendous faith in science and technology, that even though I am not that literate in biomedical current events, I know we are heading the right way in solving some of the most difficult threats we face as a human race.
ReplyDeleteInteresting observation. I like how you think beyond and outside the box, even though you know that you may be wrong, it still is interesting to contemplate more possibilities. I find Cancer interesting because of how that mutated cell continues to multiply until tumors form and well, you know what happens. Imagine if you were able to zap all of those cancerous cells simultaneously and eradicate the growing cancer, now that would be wonderful. But due to the fact that many other cells have the same components it is difficult to find something that would only attack that specific type of cell.
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