WHY SHOULDN'T YOU
USE ANIMAL MODELS IN HUMAN RESEARCH?
History has shows that
many of the drugs marketed have side effects not shown in animals or are shown
in animals that are not side effects of humans (Monamy).
* Diethylstilbestro
(DES) - Was created to
prevent miscarriage.
RESULTS: increased spontaneous abortions, premature births, neonatal
death even after knowledge of this problem it was allowed on the market for
nearly 20 years. * Zimeldine - Was created as a SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake
Inhibitor)RESULTS: Caused
permanent paralysis, which was not predicted in animal testing. *Depo Provera - A contraceptive RESULTS: banned in 1973 because it caused cancer in dogs and
baboons. * Floride - Oral product for humansRESULTS: Causes cancer in rats. In 1998 Journal of American Medical Association says deaths
from adverse reactions to medications are the 4th leading killer of
Americans. In 1994 an estimated 106,000 Americans died as a result (Greek
&Greek).
Aids is a research
area in which Millions of dollars are poured into. Researchers use
chimpanzees because they 98% of our genetic make-up. This seems the most
realistic animal model to use. When using chimpanzees for AIDS
research, it was discovered that in fact that 2% is what mattered most. of
all of the chimpanzees that have been infected with the human HIV retrovirus,
none have developed the typical symptoms of AIDS.
Of all of the research that is key advances
today is because of humans not non-human animals. The collected data from
clinical and in vitro research. (HIV/AIDS and Vivisection) .
Prolonging life.
Where can we go from here. Researchers are preserving life for longer than
in past history. We are growing older, than our ancestors. That is a
wonderful thing isn't it. Actually not, because we are getting older, our
bodies are breaking down and being sustained for longer periods of time.
When is the last time you met an 80 year old man or woman who was not taking
medications for heart conditions, blood pressure, arthritis, osteoporosis?
We are now in need of medications to sustain our health. Is this
necessary? I leave it up to you. Animals die because we live
longer.
Health issues, Here we
are with another interesting topic. What diseases are we creating
ourselves? Consider what you eat, consider what you should be
eating. Do we exercise as we should? As humans with abilities to
understand complexities of health, we should be the most fit, healthy species on
the planet. We are not. Humans are the only animal that has corroded
arteries, and yet we attempt to create this same phenomena in dogs. We do
this through medicines so that our lifestyle does not interfere with our
health.
Non human animals are
not meant to be models for humans. Humans are meant to be models for
humans. More research should be focusing on how to use human and
cadavers for human diseases for understanding functions of the body.
WHY SHOULDN'T YOU
USE ANIMAL MODELS IN HUMAN RESEARCH?
People suffer everyday
with issues from disease to disabilities.
It is difficult to
imagine not taking an aspirin for a headache or vaccinating your child from
diseases that will kill whole countries with a single outbreak.
Cystic Fibrosis,
Polio, AIDS etc.
Robert Gallo, M.D.
a
co-discoverer of HIV
states that "With animals, we may have a cure for AIDS in 10 years. Without animals
we will never cure AIDS in our lifetime." Biomedical research understands the way that animals bodies
work in a way that cannot be ethically justified on human beings. By
learning about animals and their functions it can be applied to humans as
well. Medications and operation possibilities have become successful
in saving thousands of lives. The device used to open blockages in the
heart was first performed in dog surgeries. Dogs were also used in
research to cure narcolepsy, when treating dogs for the disorder researchers
found that they can also generalize it to humans with this
problem.
Thousands of people
suffer from diabetes, The insulin diabetics use is derived from the pancreas
glands of pigs and cows.
Animal studies have
been used with respect to brain structure and functions. We are now able to
know which parts of the brain is affected in stroke patients. MRI, CAT and
PETscans came about by means of animals.
We would not be where we
are today without the help of our fellow animals. And most likely without
the medications and surgeries, I would not be alive to write this page.
Organism: Watanabe
rabbits
System Studied: Cardiology
Human Counterpart:
hyper-cholesterolemia
Organism: Armadillo
System Studied: Reproduction
developmental biology
Human Counterpart: twinning,
menopause, infertility, leprosy
Organism: Opossum
System Studied: Reproduction
embryonic development
Human Counterpart: development of
infants
Organism: Ferrets
System Studied: Immune system
Human Counterpart: gastritis and
stomach ulcers
Organism: Woodchucks
System Studied: Immune system
Human Counterpart:
hepatitis
Organism: Painted turtles &
water snake
System Studied: Reproduction &
embryonic development
Human Counterpart: blood lipid and
cholesterol levels
Organism: Axolotls
System Studied: Circulatory system
and cardiac muscles
Human Counterpart: heart
attack
Organism: Seals
System Studied: Respiratory, nervous
system
Human Counterpart: sudden infant
death syndrome (SIDS)
