Cause or Cure? Is the Relentless Pursuit of a Cure Hazardous to our Health?

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For the past 50 years, we’ve clung to the belief that with enough investment, we will find cures for what kills us. Have we become so enamored with the search for elusive cures that we fail to seize opportunities to prevent death, disease and disability? This video explores how we can prevent disease and save lives by developing population strategies.

Autism has risen dramatically over the past 4 decades. Our genes don’t change that quickly, so the rapid rise in autism is primarily due to environmental triggers. Yet we spent 96% of research dollars to identify genes linked to autism; only 4% was spent to identify environmental triggers. Why should we invest more to identify environmental triggers? If we identify environmental triggers or causes and eliminate them, we can prevent children from developing leukemia, autism and other diseases. You can read more about how childhood leukemia and the science underlying this video here.