Like I shared last week, I've been on a bit of a kick regarding documentaries. I find that I haven't had much time lately to sit down and read as much as I'd like - nothing compared to when I was still a school and plowing through books. So I've been trying to watch these different shorts at work, or when I have a couple free minutes to try and continue learning - even if the topics themselves are random and not necessarily applicable to my life.
But this next short that I'm going to show you hits a little close to home. It's about the drug Ambien. I myself have never dealt with it first hand, but I know many people who have, for whatever reason. Depression, insomnia, etc. All I ever knew about it was that it made you sleepy, kind of numb to the world - in your own bubble for a while. Not necessarily happy, but 'doped up' enough not to be bothered by your problems. Little did I know though, that the medical field is on the edge of a massive breakthrough. Somehow, something in the drug, some ingredient or combination of ingredients, is doing miraculous things in certain patients. Waking one from a coma, temporarily increasing the IQ in a patient who has severe brain damage, allowing damaged cells, muscles, and nerves to become active in another. Yet no one can put a finger on why. They're doing their best. But for now - they just know it works.
So what is it exactly? I don't know in the slightest, but I am super intrigued by this. That such a simple drug, meant for something as simple as making it easier for people to sleep, is revolutionizing how we look at other serious illnesses and ailments. By the end of the documentary, I found myself with more questions than when I started, but it didn't matter since I was so enamored by it. I truly hope they figure out what in the drug is causing these miracles and find a way to apply it to more people in need, but until then, I'm content with being amazed by modern medicine.
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