[PaulJulius]

Patients with CF at Fairview got the same things that patients everywhere did—some nebulized treatments to loosen secretions and unclog passageways (a kind of mist tent in a mouth pipe), antibiotics, and a good thumping on their chests every day. Yet, somehow, everything he did was different.

I found this quote especially interesting. I've often found this to be true, that you look over at someone who's much better, and on one hand they're just doing the same things you're doing, but somehow they're just on a different level. It's very difficult to distinguish exactly how someone achieves better results, that is, until it's been explained. Here, we see this clearly in how the level of lung function is perceived. Both centers provide the same treatment, but at the Cincinnati center lung levels around 70% are "okay", but at Minnesota, any drop is unacceptable, even if the patient is already at above-normal levels.

It sort of reminds me of the "Don't deal with it, fix it" article that was also posted recently. You'll be coasting around at a certain stable level of engagement until one day you see something you've never considered before and all of a sudden you see a whole new world of possibilities.