Medical breakthroughs happen every day, and though most of them need to be replicated in research, it is an exciting time in medicine to witness disease states and health prevention methods advancing. In today’s edition of What’s Happening in Medical News? We’ll take a look at the medical technology that’s being developed in 2018.
At Huneycutt Family Medicine, we are your premier Loveland primary care physicians and we work tirelessly to give all of our patients advanced medical care with a focus on incorporating new and innovative medicals techniques and procedures. Find out more about the amazing medical advances doctors and scientist are developing to combat and solve our most pressing medical concerns.
2018 Medical Innovations
Pioneering research is happening in the medical space, and medical advancements then trickle down into the hands of your family doctor and person-by-person, community-by-community see health and wellness at a whole new level.
Cholesterol support
High-cholesterol levels plague well over 102 million Americans and the numbers continue to climb each year. Needless to say, US citizens need a reprieve from their high-cholesterol! A cholesterol drug known as a PCSK9 inhibitor is gaining traction and scientists claims there are fewer side effects than statins. Recent studies have reported 20 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol levels in a cohort of 25,982 patients, so expect to see the drug be used in more medical practices in 2018.
ALS breakthroughs
ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a gradual set of symptoms that manifest differently in each person, from the inability to hold a pen to slurred speech. As it progresses, sufferers can experience complete paralyzation in the body. New research is developing a procedure where ALS patients will be able to communicate their thoughts with a brain-computer interface-based communication ability. While it’s still in its infancy, this could mean many people would gain the ability to communicate once again.
Gene therapy
While the topic of gene therapy gets a little murky, as it’s a hotly debated topic in ethics, however, the general technique offers scientists the ability to reconfigure genes and omit genetic diseases from their DNA. This would allow an embryo to avoid diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and retinal degeneration. Should this therapy ever be approved, it would mean a better quality of life for those it benefits.
Post-surgery advancements
If you have surgery, the recovery process can be a long and hard road. After the pain medications wear off, you’re left having to navigate post-surgery recovery on your own. Research scientists are in the beginning stages of developing what’s known as Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) that provides patients with nutrition plans and complementary care to increase the rate of healing.
Alternatives to sleep apnea treatments
Sleep apnea is a dangerous condition that affects your breathing while you’re asleep. Not does it disrupt your sleep patterns, some of the treatments are disruptful in and of themselves. A less invasive treatment is in development called the Remede sleep system that is an implanted device that help combats the condition by sending a signal to the nerves that then sends a signal to the diaphragm to activate breathing. It recently was approved by the FDA, so you may see it more frequently in this year.
A new pancreas for diabetics
In people with diabetes, the pancreas has the inability to produce sufficient insulin. The development of artificial pancreas’ could be more widely distributed in 2018, helping diabetics combat this disorder.
Medical innovations are taking off in 2018 with cholesterol support, ALS breakthroughs, gene therapy, post-surgery advancements, and sleep apnea advancements, dramatically increase the quality of life for people worldwide.