The man who saw inside himself (health)

[steelyman]

Not sure whether this is best in Health and ER or Other Topics, but some (especially the tech-oriented, of which there seem to be a lot) may be interested.

It’s a piece about a scientist (astrophysicist) who took/takes a very active role in monitoring his health using advanced technologies, including helping to guide his own surgery.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazin...-smarr-the-man-who-saw-inside-himself/550883/

 

[JoeWras]

Cool! Nice that his doctors cooperated. Most would not be so accommodating. Also, he had to go through some hoops, I'm sure, for all those extra tests even if he self pays.

Personally, what is extra cool for me is he was one of my professors back in the dark ages! I don't remember much about him except that he didn't tick me off.

 

[Spock]

A doctor who treats himself
has a fool for a patient.

 

[Rianne]

Not every man's tool. Would be nice though. My nephrologist walked me through my CT, 3 dimensional on his computer. Looked at all the organs, what went wrong and everything else looks ok.

When I went into ER initially, I did not want a CT scan. The nurses smiled and said everyone wants a CT scan. Mine was necessary because lipase was high, pancreatic fluid. Rarely do they just order a CT scan.

 

[CaptTom]

I think this is what the future of medicine will look like.

One of the turning points in just about all the physical sciences was when researchers started to actually find causes, rather than just categorize and label the things they found. One line from the article especially resonates with me:

This will enable physicians to define disease not as a theoretical grouping of symptoms but as a precise physical anomaly in a specific patient.

I think, to some extent, medical science is still at that primitive stage where things are classified and given labels. Although that's a necessary first step, it's only the first step.

As a patient, you don't want to hear: "These symptoms prove that you have Xxxxxxx Disease. Good. We're done here."

You want to hear "...and we know what causes that, as well as how to cure it."

There's still too much of the former, and nowhere near enough of the latter. Maybe it's time we stop being satisfied with just having a label for every condition.

 

[Ever_Ready]

As a patient, you don't want to hear: "These symptoms prove that you have Xxxxxxx Disease. Good. We're done here."

You want to hear "...and we know what causes that, as well as how to cure it."

There's still too much of the former, and nowhere near enough of the latter. Maybe it's time we stop being satisfied with just having a label for every condition.

The problem is they still get paid well for only doing the former. Little incentive to do more.

 

[SecondCor521]

For those who are interested in this topic the January 2019 issue of National Geographic has several articles in a similar vein. (Pun not intended but noticed.)

 

[travelover]

Thanks for posting this - really fascinating. I especially appreciate the possibilities of studying multiple patients and correlating specific local conditions, like biome, in the body to health or wellness.

 

[oldphd]

I really enjoyed this article. As a PhD engineer who has worked all of my career with high end computing/imaging and about 1/3 with medical applications, I know enough to appreciate it. Amazing!

On a side note... DW has had heart valve issues for many years. At first it was if you need surgery, then when, then it was NOW! Open heart surgery was just under 3 years ago.

In simple terms the valve leaked, but it was multiple locations involving both flaps. In the couple of years before surgery when we knew it was a when (not if), her cardiologist asked if we could afford to travel to Cleveland Clinic (one specific doc) or NY for another doc who were the top guys for repair. We live in a medium size city and he said everybody in town would just replace without attempting repair.

Then when surgery time came, he said there was a young new heart surgeon in town who was one of the top guys in the country (had married a local girl) and they had recruited him to move here. Recommended him.

She had a TEE (Transesophageal echocardiography) and then we visit with the surgeon prior to surgery. Great guy, good bedside manner, put her at ease. Part of the meeting involved him showing us the video of her valve through a heart cycle, with color contours depicting the leaks. You could see the multiple leaks, and discern the involvement of the two flaps! I found it absolutely fascinating, and the surgeon was getting excited as he pointed out where he would work and what a challenge it would be, but that he was up to the task. After that visit, the one thing DW didn't like was looking at the screen, knowing that was her (and the problem).

Surgery was successful, and today that repaired valve is still working great, even as other heart issues are evolving. While the success of the surgery was obviously due to the surgeon, I have no doubt that his understanding of the details of the problems in the valve that the imaging provided contributed to his success.

 

[NW-Bound]

... I think, to some extent, medical science is still at that primitive stage where things are classified and given labels. Although that's a necessary first step, it's only the first step.

As a patient, you don't want to hear: "These symptoms prove that you have Xxxxxxx Disease. Good. We're done here."

You want to hear "...and we know what causes that, as well as how to cure it."

There's still too much of the former, and nowhere near enough of the latter. Maybe it's time we stop being satisfied with just having a label for every condition.

Of course the medical profession wants to know what causes a disease, and how to treat it.

The problem is that nobody knows! For example, there's more about cancer that we do not know than we do know.

Or back to the Crohn's disease with which the scientist in the linked article is afflicted. It is not really that rare, but nobody knows what causes it, nor how to cure it. All they can do is to cut out the bad section, and the scientist built a computer model of his bowel to help with the surgery. This technology should be used routinely to aid surgeons everywhere.

 

[Elbata]

What a fascinating man. Here's a Youtube lecture he gives on microbiome:

 

[travelover]

A doctor who treats himself
has a fool for a patient.

I watched the video. I wouldn't categorize him as a fool.

 

[travelover]

Of course the medical profession wants to know what causes a disease, and how to treat it.

The problem is that nobody knows! For example, there's more about cancer that we do not know than we do know...........

But isn't the issue that we have not prioritized understanding causation over treatment? There has to be a lot more money in selling drugs to treat a disease than eliminating it all together.

 

[Calico]

Not every man's tool. Would be nice though. My nephrologist walked me through my CT, 3 dimensional on his computer. Looked at all the organs, what went wrong and everything else looks ok.

When I went into ER initially, I did not want a CT scan. The nurses smiled and said everyone wants a CT scan. Mine was necessary because lipase was high, pancreatic fluid. Rarely do they just order a CT scan.

On the PBS News Hour tonight there was a story about a surgeon who uses virtual reality to "walk his pediatric patients and their parents through the patient's brain" before surgery. He said the level of understanding on the part of the patients and families (re: the source of the problem and what will happen during surgery) is enhanced tenfold (I am paraphrasing) compared to the traditional 2-dimensional tools he has used to explain procedures in the past. Fascinating stuff.

The patient profiled in this piece is a 15-year-old who loves video games, and suffers from epileptic seizures, so he was hugely impressed and reassured by the VR explanation of his upcoming surgery!

https://www.pbs.org/video/leading-edge-mapping-the-mind-1547081553/

 

[NW-Bound]

But isn't the issue that we have not prioritized understanding causation over treatment? There has to be a lot more money in selling drugs to treat a disease than eliminating it all together.

I think they have looked and still look, but have not been successful in finding the causes of most diseases. And if something has a genetic factor, what can be done about it?

 

[Music Lover]

But isn't the issue that we have not prioritized understanding causation over treatment? There has to be a lot more money in selling drugs to treat a disease than eliminating it all together.

There are a lot of dead billionaires that would have paid their entire fortune for a cure, yet no one did. Those who are corrupt enough to withhold a cure because selling treatment made more money, would also be corrupt enough to successfully treat someone who could afford the "right price".

"I'm sorry, but you will need to take these drugs which will cost you $10,000 a year for the rest of your life."

"Can I make it go away for $1,000,000 right now?"

 

[travelover]

I think they have looked and still look, but have not been successful in finding the causes of most diseases. And if something has a genetic factor, what can be done about it?

Gene splicing? This seems to be the next frontier of treatment and prevention.

There are a lot of dead billionaires that would have paid their entire fortune for a cure, yet no one did. Those who are corrupt enough to withhold a cure because selling treatment made more money, would also be corrupt enough to successfully treat someone who could afford the "right price".

"I'm sorry, but you will need to take these drugs which will cost you $10,000 a year for the rest of your life."

"Can I make it go away for $1,000,000 right now?"

I'm not saying they have the cure and won't share it, I'm saying billions are spent on research for treatments and advertising, much less on figuring out causes and prevention.

 

[Music Lover]

I'm not saying they have the cure and won't share it, I'm saying billions are spent on research for treatments and advertising, much less on figuring out causes and prevention.

I think that everyone wants a cure, they just have varying opinions what the ratio between research and treatment should be.