Nanotechnology is starting to really become an interesting part of medicine today. A recent report indicates that nanobot robots can actually be used to locate cancerous tumors in the body. They are inserted into the body and then essentially ride the bloodstream to the location of the cancer. Not only that, but they actually have the potential to disrupt the tumor’s growth.

The study, completed at the California Institute of Technology, found that small polymer robots could be covered with a protein called transferrin and then inserted into the body to find melanoma tumor cells. The robots could get inside of the tumor cells and use a process called RNA interference to disrupt the growth of the tumors. The next step would be to create nanobots that could actually get in there and shrink the tumors to get rid of the cancer entirely (rather than just stopping it from growing).

This technology is still a ways off in terms of being a reality for the average cancer patient. Additional testing needs to be completed and technology may need to be improved in the future. However, this is a great step for nanotechnology in medicine.

The use of nanotechnology in medicine fascinates me. I think it’s because this is one of those things that I can comprehend at an intellectual level but it just blows my mind to try to understand exactly how it really works. Sure, I can read the scientific explanations of how the technology works but then when I try to think about how someone can build a super-tiny machine and actually make it do things like this … Wow!

Tags: medicine, nano robot, nanobot, nanotechnology

Last month I was so sick that I couldn’t get out of bed for almost a week and I couldn’t really do much else for about three weeks after that. It was awful. It wasn’t even serious really – just a cold that turned into a bit of a lung infection which exacerbated old problems with asthma. Once the cold was out of my system, I was able to get the rest under control.

However, I did have to go to a doctor about my asthma because I hadn’t been to one in ages. The trip went exactly as I expected that it would. He told me that I need to use a steroid inhaler every day forever and ever and I told him that I didn’t want to do that and we were basically at a standstill. It ended with me agreeing to try this inhaler for one month and come back to the doctor.

I tried the inhaler for all of two or three days before I decided that the side effects weren’t worth the trial. I also just felt like I was going against all of my gut instincts by taking this steroid inhaler so I quit it and now I have to go back to the doctor and explain that. And I really just don’t want to bother. I’ve spent years trying to figure out what to do about my asthma and I haven’t found any great solution that works for me.

Sometimes I really hate the hassles of trying to figure out the right medication and medical choices. I don’t know if I should use a steroid inhaler or an albuterol inhaler or keep trying to find a holistic solution for asthma that works for me. I don’t know if I should get my wisdom teeth removed or just leave them be. Heck, sometimes I don’t even know if I should take aspirin or Tylenol for a headache.

And I feel like I don’t really get information from my doctors that is helpful. The pulmonologist just says that I need the steroid inhaler end of story. The dentist insists that I need to get my wisdom teeth removed even though they don’t bother me but she can’t really give me a good reason why. I feel like I have to be my own advocate and do research myself but there doesn’t seem to be enough accurate information out there for me to know what to do. It’s frustrating! And it makes me really really glad that I’m basically healthy.

Tags: asthma, doctors, health, hub pages, kathryn vercillo, medication, medicine, pain relief