Saturday, December 16, 2006

A Gift From Above

I do not know if you have seen this, but I think that it is a gift for all of us during the holidays, no matter what faith. To me, being a Christian, it is a gift from God, given to us through diligent and dedicated health care professionals and researchers. But, whatever your faith, give thanks for this.According to this news article, a group of scientists in Canada (Toronto) have made a tremendous breakthrough in a search for a cure for diabetes. This disease, which affects so many people around the world, can be deadly for those afflicted. According to the researchers:Diabetic mice became healthy virtually overnight after researchers injected a substance to counteract the effect of malfunctioning pain neurons in the pancreas."I couldn't believe it," said Dr. Michael Salter, a pain expert at the Hospital for Sick Children and one of the scientists. "Mice with diabetes suddenly didn't have diabetes any more."It would seem that this could lead to a cure. But if nothing else, it will open a whole new front in the research on this disease. And remember that even though the incidence of Type II Diabetes has been increasing in adults in the US, even more important in all of this is the fact that so many children are affected with the disease.What a holiday gift to all of us.BTW - Happy Hanukkah.