"A vaccine grown in tobacco plants helps guinea pigs survive the plague. Genetic engineering transforms a virus that usually causes the plants' leaves to shrivel into one that makes them produce pharmaceuticals."

After reading this, it made me think about things we may be able to do to other organisms to make them help us. With enough funds, we may be able to genetically alter an organism to find cures and vaccines for the flu, common cold and other common sicknesses. Imagine the possibilities... If we mastered some of them, we may be able to take the information we know about that and find a cure for the more devastating illnesses, such as Cancer, Diabetes and HIV/AIDS. It would be nice to see this in the near future.

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It is pretty cool to think about all these possibilites, but im not to sure about the cold and flue idea. I mean, if we eliminate them from our daily lives our immunity would fail and we'd once again handicap ourselves putting us all in even more danger if a new virus shows up. I think it would be better to tough through it and get stronger, i hate relying on things. Especially when my own life is involved. Hence why whenever i see a piece of gum stuck under a desk i eat it... builds up my immunity...hahahaa jk

also haven't you noticed that whenever a human being goes into nature to alter something to make it produce particular vaccines, we end up destroying nature by either eliminating a whole species because there is now a disruption in the food chain, or by creating new organisms that either gain or lose particular functions.

Besides once we find a cure for something ie. HIV/AIDS there is bound to be a disease that will be twice as harmful. I support what Jon says in "sucking it up" whenever you have a little cold. So many people will go to the doctor to get antibiotics for a little infection and this happens so many times that their body will become accustomed to the drug and when they are really sick there isn't any medicine that can help them since there body is immune to most medications. Lesson learned: stay off the drugs

But if you do have a common cold and do not go to the doctors to get some anitbiotics and the cold turns into something more serious. I think that yes you should "suck it up" but if you still have the cold after like 5 days you should go get some medicence to help you.

i think you could live with a cold for a bit more than 5 days tyler
our society has become so dependent on going to the doctor and getting antibiotics for the slightest illness that many bacteria have become immune to drugs. TB, malaria, childhood ear infections, and various other diseases and infections are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. scientists and researchers are thus left trying to find new, more toxic, and harmful ways to treat the bugs. this is a very serious problem and is only to escalate in the future.

Tyler is always sick though, sometimes on antibiotics.
I had an ear/sinus infection during diplomas so I got antibiotics for that but I was quite sick. Little things that you can get better from fast have no need for antibiotics. However, as Tyler said, illness that can turn deadly fast should be treated ASAP.

Well i know this person who had a cold for 5 days. She did not go and get any kind of help. then after 3 more days she went to the doctors and they told her she had severe broncitics. She was on antiboitics for the next two weeks. her doctor told her to come in whenever she has a cold and it does not go away after 5 days.

I barely ever go to the doctor.. iv been sick for way longer then 6 days and im still alive. Some people just gotta suck it up and build themselves up. I dont need to stinking antibiotics! lol

there was a study done when kids before the age of 1 who took any anitbotic were more likely to have asthma.. plus, not all bugs need drugs..viruses your body can fight off itself.. it does it like a million times a day bcause there are soo many germs in the air.. but the more drugs you take the less likely you will be able to fight it off because the bacterium have found a way to change or trick the medication.. plus medication kill of the healthy cells too.. which is why you feel so tired after taking medication..hmm i wonder how the day medication works that doesnt make you drowsy?

That is true but i am just pointing out from my own personnel experience that if you are sick for more than 5 days maybe you should go see the doctor beacuse if you do not get help it could lead to more serious problems.

heehee if i went to the doctor everytime i was sick for more than 5 days and we didn't have this amazing health care system i'd probably have like a billion $ tab.

What doesn't kill ya makes ya stronger. But I hardly ever go to the doctor, and I'm rarely sick. I don't think I've ever been on antibiotics. Don't they somehow screw up your immune system, and that brings me to another question...are flu shots really all the good (not for seniors and children but for young adults)?

with the flu shot, they actually inject the virus into you.. so your body learns to recongnize this virus and kill it off if it were to come back... but the flu is ever changing its shape.. yeah its beneficial... but not really.. maybe for the old and young because their immune systems are slowing down or just building.. like me, i have a very strong immune system.. i am rarely sick

Well they do inject the flue into you but the flue organisms are dead so the body is able to make the white blood cells needed to fight off the real thing when you do get it. And with plants making new treatments for different diseases I thing that the government should fund this projects. Also there is a new cure for diabetes that has come out in the last 4 months. We are slowly coming along but at least we are getting better.

the more chemicals that you put into your body the more at risk you are at getting another harmful disease. for example taking a new diabetes medication may help your diabetes but whats to say that this medication won't activate cancerous cells in your body. i believe that its up to the person to decide if they want medication or not since it's thier decision

But what if that medication will save your life. And the chances of someone getting cancer form a new medication. Even if that was a side affect don’t you thing that the Canadian government would ban it. Don’t forget that the Canadian government does tests on the medications before they can release it to the public.

the canadian government does a lot more testing on new drugs and therapies than do most countries. there are a bunch of drugs available in the US that aren't allowed in canada yet because they havent undergone sufficient study. many medications do however have very harmful sideeffects and yet they are still available. chemotherapy, while killing cancerous cells, also kills healthy cells. thats why patients sign waiver forms so that they know what they are getting themselves into if they do choose to take a drug or undergo therapy

It is so unfortunate that some people that go through chemo, go through all of it for nothing, and end up harming themselves more by going through it. Hopefully, someday there will be a safe and inexpensive cure for cancer.