Indian Scientists Develop New Cancer Treatment, But More Focus Should be on Preventive Methods
As an Indian, I felt proud today when I read about how scientists at Bengaluru based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a revolutionary non-invasive bandage made with magnetic nanoparticles to treat skin cancer. This is a pioneering achievement in the whole world and tells a lot about our advancements in medical research.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer according to World Health Organization, with one in every three cancers detected worldwide being a skin cancer, and with the total number of detected skin cancer cases annually standing at around 30 lakh. They are basically of two types – the rarer but more lethal melanomas, and the more prevalent but less risky non-melanomas.
Conventional therapies for skin cancer include surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Since their efficacy is not very high, newer treatments are being developed around the world and one of the most promising one is magnetic hyperthermia, which is basically about using magnetic nanoparticles invasively to produce heat to kill off the cancerous skin cells, under the influence of an external Alternating Current Magnetic Field (AMF).
But the versions of magnetic hyperthermia developed until now suffered from drawbacks like non-uniform heating in the tissues due to uncontrolled aggregation of the magnetic nanoparticles as well as their toxicity in the body. The achievement of IISc researchers is that they have solved both these issues by developing a non-invasive bandage which has the magnetic nanoparticles built in and it offers uniform heating to the affected tissue.
Moreover, in their experiments, these scientists were able to demonstrate selective killing of only cancer cells, with healthy cells left intact. This is no small achievement and it had called for the interdisciplinary efforts of multiple departments at IISc. While I admire their achievement and feel proud that an Indian team could achieve it, I am more concerned about the lack of focus on modern preventive methods against cancer.
In other words, while the kind of works done at IISc and elsewhere in the world are necessary, more important is educating the people about the next-generation preventive methods possible against various cancers. There is a world of difference between treatments after a disease has occurred and preventive methods to ward off that disease.
Anyone who has been directly involved in the treatment of cancer for a loved one would attest to this. Cancers as well as cancer treatments like surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are life-shattering issues for most families due to the ambiguous outcomes and the enormous drain on time and resources.
How much better would be to focus on effective preventive methods if they are available. In fact, they are available right now, right here in India too. My new book, ‘The Making of a Superhuman’, is all about this preventive approach against common diseases.
When I say preventive methods, I don’t mean the usual advice on diet, exercise or lifestyle, which most health conscious people already know. What I really mean is the scientifically validated Personalized Epigenetic Lifestyle Modifications against various diseases.
For example, it is common knowledge that excessive exposure to the harmful ultraviolet rays in sunlight is the leading cause for developing skin cancer. But most people don’t know that such UV rays can cause skin cancer in someone only if he or she has a genetic susceptibility to develop skin cancer.
And what if someone does have such a susceptibility to develop skin cancer in their genes? There are Epigenetic Lifestyle Modifications that can be prescribed for such a person, of which cutting exposure to sunlight is only one step.
Similar is the case with hundreds of common diseases. Vieroots Wellness Solutions, a health startup that I founded recently, offers such a solution. Called as EPLIMO for Personalized Epigenetic Lifestyle Modifications, it is an Artificial Intelligence driven smartphone app that can generate such lifestyle modifications for over 200 common diseases.
Each person will have genetic susceptibilities for only a few diseases, if at all, and EPLIMO takes this input from a Genetic Susceptibility Test for hundreds of diseases, in one go. Following this next-generation technology, which Vieroots has now pioneered in India, diseases can be prevented so that collateral damage to health and finances can be avoided later on. Prevention is indeed better than cure in every sense.
A disease free life is also at the center of healthy longevity and productivity, or in other words, a superhuman life. If you would like to take charge of your health in every way, Vieroots also has an exclusive club for you, called Superhuman Tribe . You are welcome!