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Would you be alive today without modern medicine?

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Woud you be alive today?

  • Yes. I have the constitution of an ox.

  • Nope, I'd be dead.

Results are only viewable after voting.
never had anything the least bit lifethreatening apart from appendicitis, but my body took care of that on its own, never had antibiotics, never needed any kind of medication, so yeah, I'd still be alive today. I used to fake getting sick when I was a kid because I hardly ever got sick for real and I was jealous my friends got to regularly stay home for a whole week.
 
lxskllr said:
I was thinking of infections. What happens if you don't get antibiotics. Do they /ever/ get better on their own? There's been a couple times I've had ear infections, and tried to avoid the doctor and antibiotics, but I couldn't take the stabbing pain in my ear anymore. I was also concerned about a ruptured ear drum.

So... What did people do before antibiotics? Get better? Die? Adapt to the critters, creating a new super organism? :^D
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Depends on the person's immune system and the infection. Sometimes, people would get better, sometimes people would be crippled for life but get better overall, and sometimes the infection would spread and the person would die.

Eg: strep throat, left untreated, will sometimes turn into rheumatic fever, which affects the heart.
 
I was born with some asthmatic symptoms (for which I was under quasi constant medications until I was 7 or so), got under the knife for phimosis and a hernia as a child, dislocated my shoulder during a bike crash, and it kept dislocating, went under the knife again for some laparoscopic surgery.
Had pertussis as a child. Was probably in contact with someone that had tuberculosis during my studies, tested positive for the antibody (but was immunized with a negative antibody test as a child). Who knows whether smallpox etc. wouldn't have gotten me, if I/previous generations hadn't been immunized.
Also as a teenager I suffered from migraines with aura pretty regularly. While not lief threatening per se, they still take one out of business pretty much entirely. Who knows what would've been done about them, without modern medical knowledge.
Also got immunized against meningo-encephalitis, while living in an infected tick infested region. Might have had my brain rot away, without that 😀

Hence, I claim yes. Something would've gotten me, sooner or later.
 
Probably not if we're defining modern medicine with the advent of antibiotics. I had strep throat once a year for like 3-4 years in elementary school. While the odds might be in my favor of recovery without serious complications once or twice, it can progress into something lethal, and 4 in a row probably would have been bad.

Outside of that, I've had a few dental issues that might have progressed into worse if left untreated. A couple of large cavities and one abscess caused by internal resorption (which no amount of brushing would have prevented).

So I guess I haven't had anything that people today would consider to be incredibly serious, but it's amazing what killed you 80-100 years ago that might sideline you for a few days today. Modern medicine is probably the biggest reason why life expectancy is 75 and not 45 now. We had clean water and sanitation then.
 
I have never had any major sickness or ever had surgery so probably.

The one time I have actually been in the hospital for an extended period was I got dengue fever in the Philippines. So I had to take a lot of IVs and keep hydrated and rest a lot and could have died then I guess. 3-10% fatality rate in 3rd world nations but most people live through it so I'd say probably yes
 
lxskllr said:
So... What did people do before antibiotics? Get better? Die? Adapt to the critters, creating a new super organism? :^D
Click to expand...

I grew up in a Mennonite community. There were several faith healers or natural healers around. My grandmother was a popular healer. She knew which local plants had antibiotic properties Yes, people did get better when she treated them. A lot of current medications derive from olde-time natural remedies.
 
I'm indestructible, and things like diabetes or heart disease are gonna get me long before the bubonic plague anyways. Haven't been to a doctor in 15 years, should probably go someday I suppose.
 
nanette1985 said:
I grew up in a Mennonite community. There were several faith healers or natural healers around. My grandmother was a popular healer. She knew which local plants had antibiotic properties Yes, people did get better when she treated them. A lot of current medications derive from olde-time natural remedies.
Click to expand...

You ever thought about writing a book? From bits and pieces you've dropped, it sounds like you've had an interesting life. From Mennonite to rock n roller(?), there's gotta be some good stories in there. It would pass the time, and might make you a couple bucks.
 
Nope, I'd be eating dirt by now.

I had a serious case of bleeding ulcers a few years ago and passed out from blood loss. Once the ambulance dropped me at the hospital, they didn't even have time to take me up to the floor they normally do endoscopy procedures. They brought the equipment to me and cauterized the hole in my stomach to stop the bleeding. No question I would have bled out if they hadn't been able to do that.
 
I would probably be dead. As a baby, I had some sort of stomach valve problem that was making me throw up all my milk, it required surgery. I still have a small scar on my stomach from that.
 
I have chronic disease and my life would really suck (from all perspectives). Some people do die but those are extreme cases.

Thankfully the medicine I do take is very mild and has almost no side effects or risk of further complicating my health (heck they even give it to pregnant women).

BUT my condition is not an SEVERE emotion and there is plenty of evidence that there is something completely wrong.

It really comes down to NEED.

There is WAY too many prescriptions/medications out there that people don't really NEED. But their doctor/pharma and our society will sell them on it. Mind you there IS a need for SOME cases of Severe Depression or ADD etc....however, you will never EVER convince me that it's there is so many of these severe conditions to justify billion dollar market.

Legal prescription TODAY are a bigger issue (and kill MORE people) than STREET/ILLEGAL drugs!!! America nor our government seems to really care.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...number-one-cause-preventable-death-in-us.aspx
 
Most of us wouldn't be here and not because of events in your own life but because of what didn't happen to your parents, grand parents, etc.

Once upon a time the infant mortality rate was really high, and many people didn't live into middle-age and never had kids.

Cholera, typhoid, small pox, tuberculosis, etc used to kill a lot of people, still do but not relative to the population. You're most likely alive because your parents or grand parents didn't die from one of these or something similar.
 
Vic Vega said:
Most of us wouldn't be here and not because of events in your own life but because of what didn't happen to your parents, grand parents, etc.

Once upon a time the infant mortality rate was really high, and many people didn't live into middle-age and never had kids.

Cholera, typhoid, small pox, tuberculosis, etc used to kill a lot of people, still do but not relative to the population. You're most likely alive because your parents or grand parents didn't die from one of these or something similar.
Click to expand...

Did you know US ranks pretty low on Infant mortality rates? We are MAYBE as good as Cuba (and if you ONLY seen the shape/equipment of their hospitals)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_infant_mortality_rate
 
Yep, I'd be fine, pointing and laughing at the fallen around me. Never had any major illnesses, though I'm probably about to get super cancer. /shrug

KT
 
When I was 14 dr said I had Bronchitis. For 2 weeks I could not keep any food down. By the second week I got really hungry and would eat some toast and 2 mins I was throwing up. I also had an inflamed spleen and a major fever. Everything I read on Bronchitis says 90% is caused by virues so not sure it was really Bronchitis. The DR gave me some medicine and a week later I was starting to get better and 2 week after that I was good. I was headed down a dark path and with out the medicine I would have starved to death.
 
Born 2 months early had to have a tube inserted into my lung, and other modern medical treatments came pretty close to dying before I even started life.
 
I have no way to know for sure since I had the usual vaccines as a child and got sick a few times too but I assume it is all part of normal life (getting sick and building immunity). I haven't had any real problems as an adult, but ive also not seen a doctor in quite a few years. I should probably go some time soon just in case. I could be in trouble and not know it.

I hope to pass away like my grandfather, while asleep. The idea of living long is good, but only if I'm still healthy and capable. Probably won't though, it seems the women in my family last forever and the men all go a few decades prior. heh
 
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