Natural Supplements, More Research Needed

Most medical doctors lack knowledge about the benefits of natural supplements for the treatment of disease. One reason is the lack of research on these products. Another reason is natural supplements do not require a prescription. Most are available over the counter or purchased via the internet. Some supplements have been researched and found to have significant benefits. Unfortunately most doctors are unaware of these possibilities. However, drug companies keep doctors well informed of their products.

Supplements like nattokinase, carnitine, creatine and other amino acids have some modest research supporting positive benefits for certain diseases. Admittedly, research is sparse and often employs a small number of subjects. Drug companies do not spend resources to study supplements because these are not patentable and will likely not contribute to their profit picture. What is needed is more research to determine efficacy, side effects, and proper dosage. Our government should support this research. Otherwise, we run the risk of not benefiting from supplements that may control, or even cure diseases.

Ocean Waves, Another Source of Clean Energy

Any motion that occurs in nature can become a non-polluting source of energy. Examples include wind, rivers, and tides. A less known source is ocean waves.Waves possess an enormous amount of energy. This energy can be transferred into electricity by forcing generators to rotate in a magnetic field. Unfortunately building durable, and cost-effective wave energy converters is proving to be difficult. Federal funding is ongoing and hopefully will result in progress in a decade or two.

Conditions That Will Impact the Future Quality of Life

Life Expectancy

Human life expectancy has increased over time due to a number of factors, including:  medical advances, public health, improved living standards, economic growth, reduced poverty, better sanitation, immunizations, access to clean water, and improved nutrition. Unfortunately, wars, smoking, illicit drug use, and excessive use of alcoholic beverages will continue to shorten lifespan.

Average Life Expectancy at Birth in Years:

Period Life Expectancy (world average)

19th Century……………………….……..28.5-32 years

1900……………………………………….31-32

1950……………………………………….45.7-48

2019-2020………………………………...72.6-73.2

The current birth rate for the U.S. in 2024 is 12.009 births per 1000 people, a 0.12% decline from 2023. (See chart below.)

U.S. Birth Rate per 1000 People Per Year

Year Births Per Percentage Change

1000 People from  Preceding Year

2024 12.009 0.12% decline 

2023 12.023 0.09% increase

2022 12.012 0.09% increase

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Life expectancy is expected to continue to increase significantly as AI provides cures for intractable diseases like cancer and diabetes. The growth of powerful Quantum Computers (QC) will accelerate this process significantly. The impact of AI and QC will be worldwide and affect most of society. For example:

• AI and QC will result in the loss of many jobs as manufacturing and services become more automated.

• Pension plans will be threatened as many lose jobs or are forced into early retirement.

• The profits of businesses will rise significantly as workers are replaced by robots and automation.

• A “Universal Basic Income'' (UBI) will be provided to those who have lost employment and/or pensions. One source of revenue will be taxes assessed on companies that have displaced workers. 

• Governments will be faced with an unemployed and idle population that will become increasingly restless. Efforts will be made to provide activities to occupy the populace.

• The combination of a longer human lifespan and a declining birth rate will result in an increasingly older population.

• Some elderly will receive home care 24/7 from humanoid robots.

• Many elderly will have access to transportation via driverless cars. 

Some Recommendations for Electric Vehicle (EV) Deployment

A major concern of EVs is lack of charging stations, time required to recharge batteries, and range anxiety. Easily replaceable battery packs can help reduce these concerns. Rather than wait to recharge the battery, an already charged one can replace the spent battery. Such a system would require that all car manufacturers provide a standardized battery replacement system built into each vehicle.

All charging locations and gas stations should transition to replaceable battery sites. These locations should be equipped to recharged spent batteries once collected.

There is a concern about fires in EVs. One way to remedy this fear is to provide EVs with a built-in foam fire extinguisher located under the hood that becomes activated when a fire is detected.

When an extended power outage occurs due to weather, people should be encouraged to work from home where possible. All homes should have a back-up power source to keep computers and cell phones operational.

F-35 Jet Crash Has Worrisome Implications

This accident remains under investigation and all details have not been released as of Sept. 26, 2023. One of the mysteries relates to why the pilot ejected and left the plane on autopilot. Apparently, he was unable to set the direction of flight over the Atlantic ocean and thereby reduce the potential crash site away from populated areas. It eventually crashed in an unpopulated rural section of South Carolina. 

A number of possible causes should be investigated: (1) system design failure resulting in a loss of control of the navigation system, (2) weather related incidents like lightning striking the jet, (3) a malicious laser striking the jet, and (4) a rouge signal designed to hack the jet's avionics. The latter two possible causes are especially concerning as any plane can be taken down, including passenger jets. The government should give this investigation its highest priority

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics on Medicine

In my blog entry of Sept. 11, 2012 (Some Predictions on the Impact of Technology on Society) I mention that medicine could utilize technology in many areas of practice. In another entry of Oct. 24, 2017, I recommended that every individual's medical record be stored in the cloud (Internet) where it can be accessed from anywhere at any time. In this entry I will discuss the potential benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics on the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and injuries. AI can also improve the delivery of medical services while reducing cost. Telemedicine: Whenever a person feels ill or is injured a call would be made to a central notification agency. Once the patient's social security number is provided, the following sequence of events transpires: The caller is greeted by a chatbot (a computer program in the form of a virtual correspondent that can vocally engage in conversation with the caller). Connected to a program on the Internet, the chatbot would immediately determine the seriousness of the ailment based on the information provided. It will then request an ambulance if it is determined to be an emergency, or request the person be driven to the hospital for further diagnosis and treatment, or the chatbot can provide advice on home treatment if there is no need for immediate attention. The chatbot can even request medication if needed. [Note: The use of chatbots has a number of advantages over a human point of contact: (1) waiting is eliminated as response time is immediate; (2) determination of the nature of the case is quickly assessed as the chatbot is programmed to diagnose the problem based on the information provided by the caller; (3) medical records are automatically retrieved and updated, which can aid with the diagnosis and personalize the treatment based on the person's history; (4) The need for a doctor or nurse is minimized, freeing them to devote more time to patient care, and (5) costs are reduced as chatbots work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without compensation.] Telepsychotherapy: Another use of chatbots is in the support it can provide to individuals with mental health or addiction problems. Conversing with a chatbot is. thanks to AI. very human sounding. The chatbot can determine if a caller is suicidal and request home intervention. The chatbot can deliver online psychotherapy at any time or place. Patients may be more willing to communicate with a non-judgemental robot than to a live individual. Finally, the cost of delivering this service is minimal compared to the cost of an hour's worth of counseling with a psychiatrist or a psychologist. Medical records: Every individual's medical history from birth onward can be stored on the internet. These records can be retrieved at any time from any place. These are password protected using the individual's social security number. Everyone should be reminded to always keep their number in their purse or wallet. Quick retrieval of this information can facilitate diagnosis and treatment. Diagnostics: Another area where AI can be applied is in improving the cost, speed, and accuracy of diagnosis. Blood analysis can be automated, heart function and other measures can be accessed, and x-rays can be read automatially and immediately. A diagnosis can be completed as soon as all inputs are entered. Surgery: Computers connected to various medical devices can be programmed to perform surgical procedures accurately. Treatment will be facilitated and cost reduced. Patient monitoring: The use of various sensors can monitor a patient's condition. Medical staff can be summoned if their condition requires attention. Dispensing medication: Robots can be programmed to provide patients with medication in a timely manner. Research: As a large pool of patient information is accumulated, AI can detect relationships between human practices and the occurrance of diseases. Also, AI can associate the effects of various chemical compounds and/or medical procedures on various disease processes, and recommend these as possible treatments.

The Work at Home Trend Can Have Far-Reaching Effects.

The recent COVID pandemic resulted in a work at home requirement for many employees. Once the pandemic abated, many workers continued to work at home. This trend has many implications both positive and negative. Positive changes include: (1) A reduction in the expense of operating and maintaining office buildings. (2) The need for office buildings could potentially be eliminated or reduced to a much smaller structure. Cost savings can be appreciable. (3) Meetings could be held online. (4) The time lost to commuting can provide workers with more time to devote to online work. (5) Employees could realize more income by reducing the cost of commuting and car maintenance. (6) A reduction in pollution as vehicles are used less. (7) A reduction in the price of gasoline as transportation to work places declines. (8) Abandoned or reduced use of office building space can be converted to much needed living spaces. Working at home could have some negative ramifications including: (1) A loss of property value as office buildings decline in need. (2) A decrease in the construction of new office buildings. (3) An increase in abandoned buildings where alternate uses are not found. (4) Loss of tax revenue when cities are faced with abandoned buildings. (5) Loss of revenue by retail establishments like restaurants and shopping centers as office workers no longer commute to cities. (6) Loss of jobs by those needed to operate office buildings and retail establishments. (7) A decline in mass transit (buses and trains.)

Laptop usage can automatically improve a student's vocabulary and grammar

As school districts transition to one laptop computer per student the need for dictionaries should decline. This assumes that all reading and writing takes place on a laptop. In the recent past, a student had to stop reading and resort to a dictionary when confronted with a word that was unfamiliar. Today's computers can contain a built-in dictionary. When the student clicks on an unfamiliar word, the definition appears automatically. Another advantage would be laptops that flag and correct grammatical and spelling errors as a student writes. Repeated corrections should ultimately help the student learn correct grammar and spelling. Schools should see to it that all their computers have programs that provide word definitions and spelling/grammar checkers. These programs can help improve a student's reading and writing.

A Look at Natural Sources of Energy

Wherever there is motion in nature there exists a source of renewable energy. Air (wind), water (rivers, oceans), and light (sun rays) are all souces of energy. Harnessing this energy, while free and abundant, requires expensive infrastructure such as turbines, solar arrays, and dams. Additionally, dynamos are needed to convert these energy sources into electricity. These devices create electricity by rotating magnets (rotors) through a strong magnetic field. The rotors are moved by any of the energy sources cited above. The electricity is then routed through wires to wherever it is needed. Wind and water are probably the most efficient sources of energy. Turbines capture the energy of: wind or streams from dams. Either of these can move the rotors that generate electricity. Ocean energy in the form of tides and waves is especially abundant, but used the least. More research is needed on how to capture wave energy. Another little used abundant energy source is geothermal, the internal heat source within the earth. Non-renewable enegy sources are contributing to global warming. Some may argue that implementing renwable energy is too expensive, but the dangerous impact of using combustables like coal and oil on climate change far exceedes this cost. Now is the best time to fund research on how to effiiently implement renewable energy sources before it is too late.

What Motivated the Killing of Children at Sandy Hook?

The killer responsible for the Sandy Hook massacre was a former student. He was removed from this school and placed on homebound instruction due to his aberrant behavior. At the age of 20 he returned to this school and murdered many students and staff. I believe that if the school took action to help this student rather than expel him the outcome would have been far different. Apparently, Sandy Hook had no onsite mental health services to treat this troubled child. While counseling services have traditionally been offered at most Middle and High School levels, nothing was provded in most elementary schools at the time. Most elementary school children do not respond well to talk therapy as is common in counseling programs in middle and high schools. Play therapy is preferred as this is how young children readily express their feelings. This treatment can be provided individually or in small groups of students. The goal is to help acting out children to express their anger in socially acceptable ways. Withdrwn children are encouraged to express their feelings in an environment they percieved as safe and accepting. Play therapy counselers require special training. They must be tolerant of noise and play activity of young children. Behavior limits are imposed only when a child's safety is at risk. Counseling services should be provided to parents as well. Finally, schools must be supportive of a play therapy program. This means providing a special room along with various play items that appeal to young children.