TP: "Pissing Against the Wind", John Horvath

Pissing Against the Wind

John Horvath 26.12.2004

It's no longer a question of technology

This year marked the fiftieth anniversary of the first successful organ transplant -- which happened to be a kidney transplant among twins. It also happened to be the year when I received a new kidney, from a cadaver, back in April. Since then it has been working well, more or less, and during this time I couldn't help but draw some parallels between the experience I had just gone through and the subject of technology, social change, and globalisation, topics about which I write frequently. One of the main similarities I have noticed is despite the major advances in science and technology over the years, and the promise of equitable and cost-effective treatment, what often hampers true progress is not the technology itself, but its application.


Although the topic of renal failure and, subsequently, an organ transplant, may seem rather personal, it's actually a growing problem that society is increasingly being forced to confront. End-stage renal deficiency (ESRD), in where the kidney or kidneys are no longer able to work sufficiently to sustain life, is a virtual epidemic in many countries of both the developed and underdeveloped world. In Canada, for instance, this health problem is increasing in prevalence by approximately 10% annually. As countries find their health budgets stretched beyond the limits, it's becoming more and more difficult for them to provide adequate resources to meet the growing needs for treatment.

It's commonly assumed that the main reason for this virtual epidemic in many parts of the world is an aging population. Yet this is only partially true. In my experiences thus far, I have come across many young people who suffer from renal disease. Indeed, in Hungary I met just as many young people as old people with the problem.

The virtual epidemic associated with ESRD has to do with a combination of factors. Some are genetic or the result of bad luck, such as when a major childhood disease like Scarlet Fever damages a kidney. Others, however, are man-made and preventable. One of the most obvious is the environment. As we poison the environment we invariably poison ourselves. The massive rise in cancer and many other diseases -- including some that had previously been wiped out in the developed world -- attests to the fact that modern day capitalism lies at the root of our social and personal ills.

More: http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/19/19003/1.html

to feed the world, to keep the world healthy, to give everyone a chance. The problem is we don't do it.

And diabetes (Type 2) is a product of unhealthy eating/exercise patterns. Alzheimers also seems to be a product of diabetes. A word to the wise...

Alcoholism is also a suspected cause of diabetes.