Program
16, January 23
2001
Gene Therapy
for the Heart
When
a U.S. teenager died after receiving gene therapy, the revolutionary
treatment received alot of bad press.
And it's true that
gene therapy hasn't produced the benefits doctors had hoped to
see.
But here in Canada, researchers are running clinical trials on
gene
therapy for the leading cause of death -- heart disease.
And
the
results, so far, are promising. Jack Finn believes the treatment
saved
his life.
Restraining
the Elderly
No
one likes to talk about it, but there are still situations where
the
elderly and the chronically ill are restrained so that they don't
fall
out of a chair or out of their bed. Is this practise humane?
Is
it a necessary evil to keep patients from hurting themselves,
or a barbarous
practise that's indicitive of a healthcare system more intent
on cost-cutting than patient care?
