[HN Gopher] Doctors could hack the nervous system with ultrasound
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       Doctors could hack the nervous system with ultrasound
        
       Author : purpleko
       Score  : 110 points
       Date   : 2025-06-09 14:27 UTC (8 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (spectrum.ieee.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (spectrum.ieee.org)
        
       | M0r13n wrote:
       | > But in people with diabetes, this sensing system is
       | dysfunctional, and the liver releases glucose even when blood
       | levels are already high, causing a host of health problems.
       | 
       | I am pretty sure, that the dysfunctional glucose sensing and
       | inappropriate liver glucose release are consequences and
       | complications of diabetes, not the primary causes. Diabetes (Type
       | 2) is primarily caused by insulin resistance combined with
       | progressive beta cell dysfunction.
       | 
       | Therefore, treating the liver to treat diabetes seems .... weird?
        
         | layer8 wrote:
         | I understand the treatment to address those secondary
         | consequences and complications, not the primary causes of
         | diabetes.
        
           | M0r13n wrote:
           | You're right. But they explicitly wrote "we examined the
           | potential of FUS as a treatment for diabetes". So they are
           | discussing a treatment, not just symptom relief
        
             | literalAardvark wrote:
             | "Medical treatment" definitely doesn't always mean dealing
             | with the root cause. As you've learned.
             | 
             | Splinting a leg is treatment, but it has nothing to do with
             | not drinking before driving.
        
         | codingdave wrote:
         | As an analogy, when my driveway is covered in snow and ice, the
         | root cause is precipitation. But my immediate need is to get my
         | car out, so I shovel the drive.
         | 
         | Yes, treating symptoms is not the ideal, but if you can fix the
         | immediate need of getting blood sugar down, that is still
         | helpful.
        
           | givemeethekeys wrote:
           | In your story, your driveway was designed to be shoveled like
           | the body is designed to deal with small amounts of sugar.
           | 
           | Let's say we had a particularly bad winter that required the
           | use of power tools, which had the effect of damaging the
           | driveway. Your body on diabetes is like a damaged driveway.
           | 
           | At some point you'll need to fix the damaged driveway. It
           | will require a change in lifestyle while the driveway is
           | being fixed, and perhaps even a change SOP's to reduce the
           | risk of future damage.
           | 
           | Most people never give up on the power tools (supplemental
           | insulin). Most doctors don't know any better.
        
         | m3kw9 wrote:
         | You are talking about more like reversing the disease
        
         | snarf21 wrote:
         | There is a lot of research pointing to the duodenum being
         | damaged and not playing it role correctly. It is essentially
         | the signaler to the pancreas and gall bladder and liver to
         | release All The Things! There have even been some studies
         | around a new approach that resurfaces the duodenum with a hot
         | water balloon that brings back proper function, known as
         | Duodenal Mucosal Resurfacing (DMR).
        
       | elric wrote:
       | > One day, an AI system might be able to guide at-home users as
       | they place a wearable device on their body and trigger the
       | stimulation.
       | 
       | How would that work? Do we even have a reliable way of detecting
       | localized places of internal inflammation? The article mentions
       | ultrasound imaging, but this is beginning to sound a lot like a
       | "if all you've got is a hammer" type thing.
       | 
       | What about other localized inflammatory conditions, such as
       | asthma?
        
       | jollyllama wrote:
       | How does the frequency and amplitude of something used for this
       | approach compare to that used for routine fetal imaging?
        
       | AStonesThrow wrote:
       | _In Soviet Russia, Nervous System with Ultrasound hacks Doctors
       | !_ -- (((Iakov Smirnov)))
        
       | hinkley wrote:
       | I know I'm meant to be thinking, "wow this is so awesome, the
       | body is amazing!" but all I can think about is the future of war
       | crimes. And I don't know if that says more about what goes on
       | inside my head or what is happening outside of it.
        
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       (page generated 2025-06-09 23:00 UTC)