Dying doesn't have to be permanent

You have probably heard stories of people with a terminal illness that had their body frozen after death. The idea being that with the advance of medical science, there would come a time when the illness would be curable and they could be revived and cured.

It is normally assumed that this is a crazy idea:

reasons for skepticism :

1. For legal reasons the freezing cannot be done until after natural death, at which time the process has do be done quickly to avoid decomposition.

2. Freezing normally causes ice crystals to form, destroying cell membranes.

3. On thawing, too much cell damage has been done for any hope of repair before oxygen deprivation degrades all the cells.

But is it really crazy? Certainly point 1 is valid and haste is needed. Point 2 has a get-out clause however in that anti-freeze can be used.
Body-parts are routinely frozen with the aid of an anti-freeze like dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) then later thawed and successfully used for transplants. However currently this is only done with durable parts.

What about point 3.? Medical Science has made and is still making great progress, but in itself it is not likely to be enough. This is where nanotechnology comes in.

Enter Nanotechnology

If you have heard of nanotechnology at all, it is probably from science fiction. Suffice to say here that a real viable technology is just a matter of time and the ramifications are enormous.

Basically the idea is that millions of small machines can be infused into the body at the early stages of thawing to repair the cell membranes and break down the anti-freeze etc. This technology is still in its infancy, but seems more and more inevitable. After all current computer technology would have seemed science fiction not too long ago!

All this means that cryonic suspension as it is called is not just a crazy idea but perhaps light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel for those who need a cure but will not survive to see it. Find out more, this could be the biggest opportunity of your life!

Of course old age could also be considered as an incurable disease!

Things to watch out for:

• Costs - these vary from about US$30,000 upwards
• Ensure that annual charges are covered
• Ensure that the company will survive
• Avoid earthquake areas
• Make sure the company has adequate power backup
• Avoid being registered as an organ donor
• Carry a card to tell people your plans in case of accident
• Make sure there are facilities near you
• Don't live in British Columbia, they have a laws against cryonics!
• Avoid autopsies