[Dewey]

Originally posted by duck
There will never be a cure forthcoming, for reasons described above, and others. As a matter of fact, no disease will ever be cured again. Like commedian Chris Rock asks "What's the last disease that's been cured? Polio?" Rock goes on to joke that the guy who found the cure (Salk) must get nastigrams from the drug companies for destroying a potential source of income.

The drug companies in the world are over-bearing and I dare say untouchable. In the US alone I have now seen two Presidents from the opposite sides of the political spectrum bow and cow-tow to the drug industry. They control whoever is in office. Next time you sit down to watch your favorite TV show, count the number of commercials, and then count the number of drug commercials--They are out of control.

I hate to be such a pessimist, but I see no evidence of any major advances toward a "cure". Many of us here wax poetic about stem cell research, but in my view not even that potential avenue will yield a cure--But it will yield more drug therapies for us. Also, in the future, expect a vaccination for AIDS to become available, and expect your pediatrician to want to give your infant the shot to protect them (ie, make more money for the pharmaceuatical industry).

I agree with what you both say, Skilz and Duck. However, I will say that cancer patients (I.e. those with Hodgkin's Lymphoma and other forms) have had a 99.8% cure rate with stem cell treatments.

For the record, Diabetes alone is a $132 Billion dollar per year cash cow for the medical companies, and the number is steadily rising. That's why I fear that a cure may not be "around the corner" either. Back in 1982, when I was first diagnosed, I was also told the cure was 10 years out. However, that time has since long come and gone. That's why I'm somewhat "cynical" about it. However, I do hope and pray for others at least. It would definitely be nice to see (and help) make a cure a reality for the right reasons, and Not money driven ones.