Few people, who have watched the X-Men movies, haven’t imagined themselves having Wolverine’s accelerated healing power. Whether it is broken bones, a slash from a machete, a bullet to the head or burns from fire, Wolverine’s body regenerates almost instantly, making him nearly invincible.
Just imagine if your body could do that!
Unfortunately, science is long way away from making such extraordinary abilities a reality. However, research into accelerated healing of fractures through various approaches has piqued interest of the 6% of the population that will suffer at least one bone fracture this year, and the doctors who will treat them.
One such approach is a personalized nutritional intake. Research shows that increasing calorie intake from 2,500 to 6,000 ensures the optimum healing rate for individuals suffering from multiple fractures.
More specifically, an increase in the amount of protein ingested enhances the hardness of the callus formed. This also reduces the likelihood of future fractures at the same spot. Elevated levels of mineral and vitamin intake also seem to be conducive to bone regeneration after a fracture.
The use of specific waves of radiation to heal fractures has produced some encouraging results as well. Low-intensity ultrasound has been shown to reduce healing times by up to 40% while also creating stiffer and harder calluses. This particular method is especially interesting because it seems to reduce the negative effects of two significant factors on the healing process – smoking and age. Additionally, it requires just a short twenty-minute session daily with a small device, which means it can be administered at home.
Another research that shows promise may be considered by some to lie on the borderline of established medicine. One such approach currently being investigated is magnetic therapy. The preliminary results seem to suggest that magnets placed at strategic points of the ailing body can help it recover from fractures as well as a myriad of injuries, diseases and chronic conditions.
On the other hand, there is a rather uncanny discovery that has held up quite conclusively in research: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) seems to show a linear association with fracture healing. Basically, if you want your fracture to heal quicker, you might consider getting a TBI at the same time.
Whereas this isn’t quite the equivalent of removing the healthy appendix during an unassociated surgical procedure in the stomach region, practical experience and research has shown that the phenomenon does exist.
Who knows, maybe an intense TBI was Wolverine’s secret all along.
