Two patients can have identical knee x-rays/MRIs - loss of joint space and osteophyte formation etc. But one has pain and the other does not. Do they both have osteoarthritis? They clearly don't have the same dis-ease.
Patient don't care about having cartilage or bone sclerosis or subchondral cyst formation; they care about pain that stops them moving (which in turn can increase their weight further exacerbating the joint issues).
So, osteoarthritis is a problem in that it causes pain. If something specifically reduces osteoarthritic pain, I am okay with it saying it 'beats' the dis-ease.
It is dose dependent. Use of low powered US for a short period is safe. If you increase power, you can cause damage - either to to break kidney stones as you say, or, when focussed properly, burn bits of the brain to treat tremors.
Agree in principle with remote diagnostics in this way. But, the number of acute illnesses that can be diagnosed with US and can/should be treated at home is fairly small. Pneumonia cannot be detected by US unless it is up against the chest wall (or perhaps if it causes excess fluid in the pleural space). An otitis media diagnosis would not be possible with US. Appendicitis can be seen with US but it is very operator-dependent and asking parents to fish around for the appendix would be a big ask (even with some rather advanced AI assistance). You can certainly find enlarged lymph nodes but fingers are often just as good.
Patient don't care about having cartilage or bone sclerosis or subchondral cyst formation; they care about pain that stops them moving (which in turn can increase their weight further exacerbating the joint issues).
So, osteoarthritis is a problem in that it causes pain. If something specifically reduces osteoarthritic pain, I am okay with it saying it 'beats' the dis-ease.