Israeli Remedies for a Longer Life

Israelis have the 8th longest life-expectancy in world according to the latest World Health Organization figures.  Israeli medical treatments and devices are extending lives all over the world.  Here are some of the recent Israeli news items relating just to the areas of cancer, cardiology, neuroscience and diabetes.

I am confident that most readers in their lifetimes will see an end to the deadly effect of the majority of today’s cancers and can be proud that Israeli scientists will be major contributors to this achievement. For example, the UK’s National Health Service just has approved the funding of patients receiving the pioneering melanoma (skin cancer) treatment developed by Professor Jacob Schachter of the Sheba hospital in Tel Hashomer.   Meanwhile in the States, surgeons at Mercy Medical Center at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, have reported that MarginProbe from Israel’s Dune Medical has reduced the number of repeat breast-cancer operations by 75%.  And many aggressive brain tumors can now be cured using Novocure’s electrode treatment, invented by Israeli Professor Yoram Palti.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL-3JkQOsPg

Leukemia’s days are numbered thanks to pipeline treatments such as Astarabine from Israel’s BioSight.and BL-8040 from Israel’s Bioline Rx.  And Israel’s Gamida Cell reported good results from US trials of its NiCord blood cancer treatment.  Finally, Weizmann Institute’s groundbreaking prostate cancer treatment has now been approved by Israel’s Ministry of Health and is being administered to patients at Beilinson Hospital.

But prevention is better than cure, so I was pleased to read that researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Israel’s Technion Institute have developed enhanced micro-emulsion liquids that produce a powerful antioxidant anti-cancer protection protein called Nrf2.

It warms my heart to read that so many cardiology treatments and innovations have been developed by Israelis. UK medical journal The Lancet reported the first one-hour implants of the interatrial shunts from Israel’s V-Wave administered into 10 Canadian patients suffering poor left ventricular function, who were then discharged home next morning.  Surgeons performing a multicenter clinical trial of the laser system and unique catheters from Israel’s Eximo successfully unblocked the arteries of 20 patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) -  some of whom otherwise required bypass surgery or leg amputation.

Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have even trained cardiac cells to beat, using mechanical stimuli that do not come into contact with the cells, which could lead to development of more effective pacemakers.  At Tel Aviv University, Professor Tal Dvir unveiled his remote-controlled, bionic heart patch, which researchers say could become a revolutionary alternative to heart transplants for patients whose hearts have been damaged by heart attacks or cardiac disease. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ0bz-r8lEE 

Again, prevention of heart disease would avoid the need for the above treatments and devices, so let’s wish good luck to Israel’s Lycored for its award-winning supplement Cardiomato that lowers oxidized LDL cholesterol and reduces systolic blood pressure.  And perhaps the best news is that new Israeli Education Ministry guidelines prohibit selling or serving of sweets, snacks, and sugary or fatty foods to Israeli school and kindergarten students.  They must now be offered healthier substitutes such as low-fat spreadable cheeses, avocado, whole-wheat pasta and bread, fruit and vegetables.

In the field of Neuroscience, nearly 660,000 people have viewed the video that showed Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center surgeons curing an Israeli woman of Parkinson’s using the focused ultrasound brain surgery of Israel’s Insightec.  And the communication device for ALS and other "Locked in" patients from Israel’s EyeControl won its inventors £32,000 of funding thanks to public votes in the International on-line competition "The Venture".  Israelis should certainly have no problem sleeping thanks to Israeli startup 2breathe Technologies, which has developed a sensor and smartphone app to induce users to breathe slower, relax and fall asleep.  And Israel’s Itamar Medical has reported that 60 international hospitals have now adopted its Total Sleep Solution which treats Sleep Apnea – a known cause of heart attacks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WkmqMUIEJ8 

Diabetics will be interested to know that researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that the gene p16 enhances insulin production and have partly reversed diabetes in lab tests.  Further down the treatment pipeline, Israeli biotech Oramed had success in the Phase IIb study of its oral insulin capsule, designed to replace injected delayed-release insulin.  Meanwhile, Israel’s Frutarom – developers of Portusana, an extract of the herb purslane - have confirmed its positive effects on blood sugar levels in adults with Type 2 Diabetes.  Finally, type 2 diabetes may be preventable, thanks to a behavioral analytics engine and risk meter developed by Israel’s Sweetch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KENZRUpeAds 

What is really astounding is that these Israeli developments (and many more) all occurred during the last 3 months.  I haven’t even got room to include the areas of fighting infections, autoimmune diseases and life-saving medical devices.  I’ll report on those on another occasion.

Wishing you good health from Israel.

Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com and a searchable archive www.IsraelActive.com

For a free subscription, email a request to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com

Just look at Miriam now

In the Synagogue this week we read the “Song of the Sea” and how the prophetess Miriam (Moses’s sister) led the women in song and dance to celebrate the Hebrews’ escape from Pharaoh’s army.  Miriam is attributed with reuniting Moses’ parents and providing a miraculous well of water that travelled with the Hebrews in the wilderness.  Today, Israel’s women are at the forefront of Israel’s phenomenal innovations and achievements, as evidenced in these examples from the past few weeks.

I’ll begin where I left off in my last blog, in which I contrasted the Biblical splitting of the Sea of Reeds to Israel Technion Professor Lilac Amirav’s splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen with 100% efficiency using nanotechnology and solar energy.  Another female Professor, Anat Lowenstein from Tel Aviv University, was selected by Ophthalmologist Magazine in the top 100 most influential people in the world of ophthalmology. It noted that “her contribution to, and influence in the field of medical and surgical retina cannot be underestimated.”  Women certainly lead the way at Soroka Medical Center in Beer Sheva, where they are in charge of the departments for Infectious Diseases, Women’s Ultrasound, At Risk Mother & Child unit, Respiratory clinic, Interventional neurology, Ophthalmology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatric unit, Geriatric medicine, Neonatology, Pathology and more.

Female Israeli researchers frequently make medical breakthroughs. For example, Dr Ruth Shemer of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem recently co-authored a disease diagnostic method called methylation which has identified pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, diabetes, traumatic brain injury and MS.  In another recent report, Maya Ben-Yehuda Greenwald – a PhD student at the Hebrew University – has developed nanotech antioxidant protection for skin and organs. 

Staying in the medical arena, Dana Chanan is the CEO and cofounder of Israel’s Sweetch which has developed an app to detect pre-diabetes and provide diabetics with the tools to prevent the disease developing.  Meanwhile, heading up the non-profit Pears Program for Global Innovation is Israel’s Dr. Aliza Belman-Inbal whose Grand Challenge Israel has just awarded a 500,000-shekel prize to Israeli startup BioFeed for developing its solution for eradicating the Zika virus.

Israeli women are taking “tikun olam” (repairing the world) to new levels.  As Elana Kaminka, Deputy Director of Israel’s Tevel b’Tzedek highlights, contrary to the lies of the BDS supporters, Israel doesn’t just show up at disaster areas and leave.  They are still working in Nepal – a year after the two earthquakes that killed 9,000.  And Sivan Ya’ari is the founder of Innovation: Africa, which has brought clean water and renewable electricity to one million people in 104 rural villages in Malawi, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Senegal, Tanzania, DRC and Ethiopia.

Here in the Jewish State, most of the leaders of Israel’s social programs are women.  One major international program – Good Deeds Day – was initiated in 2007 by Israeli businesswoman and philanthropist, Shari Arison.  This year’s event has been adopted by 70 nations and involved millions of volunteers.  Without mentioning any other names, take a look at organizations such as Ezer Mizion, whose volunteers help cancer sufferers and their over-stretched families. Or Sobar, which is establishing a no-alcohol music bar to provide a safe place for Jerusalem youth.  Or the Red Mountain Therapeutic Riding School, in Israel’s Arava desert, which provides riding therapy for 200 special needs children and adults each week. 

Before you shout, “But what about Israeli-Arab women?” please read about Faiza, an Israeli-Arab doctor who works in the intensive care unit at a major Israeli private hospital.  She has ten siblings - most of them graduates of Israeli universities.  Or about the young Muslim and Christian women joining the Israel Defense Forces.  Israel certainly opened the eyes of Dr. Carol Jahshan, the daughter of a Lebanese refugee from Haifa who grew up in Beirut before moving the USA.  She has just completed a 3-month working collaboration at Israel’s Bar Ilan University.  And Jamila Hair, the 76-year-old female Druze owner of an Israeli soap factory, amazed the audience and media at the Festival of Women in Segovia, Spain, when she spoke about the peace between her Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Druze women workers.  Interestingly, the Druze revere Jethro (father-in-law to Moses) who joined up with the Hebrews when he heard about their Exodus from Egypt.

Twelve Israeli women featured in Timeout’s article to mark International Women’s Day.  They work in TV, women’s collectives, alternative medicine, art, fashion, community, advertising, dance, incubators, Africa, ceramics and aviation.  The future is also bright, with girls at Israel’s state schools having excellent opportunities to achieve success.  One such girl is 10th grade student Tamar Barbi from Hod Hasharon who just discovered a new "Three Radii Theorem" whilst studying mathematics at the highest level in Israel.

In Israel, women can become whatever they want, whether it is an Olympic wrestler like Ilana Kratysh, or a spy like Sylvia Rafael.  They can win medals for rhythmic gymnastics or - as with Timna Nelson-Levy and Yarden Gerbi for judo,

Finally, however, perhaps (as King Solomon wrote) there really is nothing new under the Sun.  Because just a few weeks ago a rare 2500-year-old seal, inscribed with the name of Elihana bat Gael in ancient Hebrew letters, was unearthed at the City of David in the Jerusalem Walls National Park.  The seal, found in a building from the First Temple period, showed that the owner was probably a successful businesswoman.  And maybe even a good prophet!

Israel – it’s the land of opportunity.

Michael Ordman writes a free weekly newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com and a searchable archive www.IsraelActive.com

For a free subscription, email a request to michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com