Nobody likes to get sick. This is as general of a statement as you will read and “bleeds” common sense, yet so many of us are unwilling to address potential health issues as their symptoms arise which leads to the possibility of emergency care.
Thankfully science and medicine have been and continue to work in cooperation to bring us the best possible care in a preventive as well as an emergency level of care. Without the continuous innovations on a scientific as well as medical level, many of us would not have the quality of life we have now, so it bodes us well to respect and acknowledge the continuous efforts of the scientific and medical fraternities.
For many people the idea of animal testing is controversial, and this is understandable. Most of those who object have visions of dirty animal cages and unnecessary infliction of pain and suffering on the animals. This is a flawed perception, and the basis of many of the advances we as a society have made in the pharmaceutical industry can be directly tied to this labor of the medical and scientific community.
With the advances that have been made a lab animal ID is a more humane and virtually painless process, contrary to what many may perceive as a painful and gory process. Many of the top pharmaceutical companies worldwide have embraced this technology and are willing to put their companies name behind this method of identification during the testing process.
Ultimately none of us want to get to the point where we have to be under the care of a Doctor in a critical condition, any condition for that matter. Be that as it may, we are human and the human condition is apt at some point to break down and become sick.
Trends of recent are geared more towards preventive care at different stages, primarily aimed at disease prevention. The three common stages are primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention. Each of these facets of disease prevention focuses on the proper education of the individual on good decisions that can be made now to help keep the possibilities of a chronic condition surfacing later in life.
Everything from the education as stated before to vaccinations and testing to see if the individual is susceptible to a certain disease are covered in this three stage model.
When a medical emergency occurs, time is of the essence and the labor of those in the medical and scientific community have made wonderful strides to improve the care provided by the first responders.
One of the most notable advances in this arena is Mobile Stroke Units (MSU’s). When first responders are equipped with an MSU they are able to run certain tests and scans on the patient as they are being transported to the hospital thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the care the patient will receive once they arrive in the emergency room. And as we know, time is of essence, especially when dealing with a potential stroke.
The 21st century is an exciting time as technology continues to better our quality of life and life expectancy. As a society, we should tip our hats to those who labor long and hard in the fields of scientific and medical research.
