gizmolove

Alzheimer's and an Arrant Protein (What's the connection?) Sorry..Long

My mother was diagnosed with "Alzheimer's" some 6 months before her death in 1998. She was the 3rd person in her family to have this disease. The heartache that this caused in years previous and the fact of not getting proper diagnosis and help for her condition added greatly to the heartache and pain that the family went through in dealing with her for the years prior to her diagnose and ultimate death.

Years before she was diagnosed; oh I'd say sometime in the 1980's, I saw a special on TV, on the PBS channel about a famous female anthropologist (sorry can not remember her name), who was doing work in Borneo or New Guinea or somewhere in the world with a remote tribe of people that practiced ritualistic cannibalism. As part of her research on tribes and their history and customs, she became aware of a disease that this tribe suffered from that was eventually tracked down as to the eating of human flesh. Part of her research entailed sending the brain of some of the victims to England for a frozen slide study. The brain of the person was frozen and then a ultra thin slice was cut and put under a very high microscope to study. The results were that the brain of these effected people which should have been whole and complete, (similar to a cluster like cauliflower) was in fact shot full of tiny holes. Holes that impeded the normal thought processes and caused erratic and illogical brain functioning. On further study she also found that the only other place in nature that had such a pattern of "holes" in the brain was in sheep. A careful study here in the US of effected sheep (May have also been in England---so long ago I can not remember), showed that the sheep also, upon frozen brain analysis had, not only the same symptoms as humans with this disease; but, also the same "holes" in their brains as did the cannibals of this remote part of the world. The theory, or should I say question of this program was: "Can a brain disease like "Alzheimer's", be transmitted through the eating of infected flesh like sheep or cattle?". (Although, it was not shown at the time that cattle could in fact possess this disease, only sheep).

Now, we sling-shot through time to the present. Just the other night I was watching a program on The Learning Channel. (TLC). When I first turned on this program I noticed that it was talking about the "Donner" (sorry don't know the spelling) party, and that particular tragedy. Then it went to Serial Killers; and, in particular the ones like Jeffery Domer (sorry...again don't know the spelling) who ate their victims. Up until this point it was just another program. Then it got really interesting.

The program switched to a remote tribe in Papaya New Guinea who practiced ritual cannibalism. Then it showed some men from this tribe that were effected by this disease. They had the "shakes" and had trouble walking in the beginning stages. They walked with a stick or a cane. Then as the disease got worst the brain started to show signs of severe dementia and mobility was greatly effected. Eventually they needed help standing and finally their body's could not stand upright or walk at all. And, the dementia became very severe, as to make communication impossible and activity (if any) very limited. The program then switched back and forth between one of these natives and "sick" cows and "effected" sheep that showed the very same difficulties. Then the program went on to explain that research had found that this problem with dementia and normal thought patterns that effected brain activity and mobility was found to be in a "Arrant Protein" that effected the brain functioning. This arrant protein was found in all "CJD" patients as well as in Mad Cow Disease, as well as in the natives of this land who developed a condition that they called Koru. (Sorry, again I do not know the spelling?).

They explained that this "arrant protein" caused the brain to fill up with plaque and then turn into a jelly-like substance and then eventually liquefied and ran off. This left holes in the brain which made normal thought patterns and mobility increasingly more difficult, and then eventually impossible. This was the first time that I have ever heard that CJD and Mad Cow Disease (and possibly Alzheimer's Disease ?), could actually all be related to an "arrant protein" of the brain.

PERSONAL SIDE-BAR

This protein was thought to infect the person in the same way that a cancer cell might infect a person. You have one effected protein, and instead of the rest of the normal proteins making this one protein better, the well proteins become a clone (as it were), to the sick protein. Similar to the spread of the one cancer cell. Eventually spreading and making healthy cells also sick. It attaches itself to a healthy cell and spreads out it's sickness from there. It is now a proven fact that the normally healthy brain stem in CJD is infected with this arrant protein, and it is thought that most, if not all Alzheimer's patients, have some from of this plaque or protein in their brains as well. (Healthy cells very seldom get more healthy when exposed to a sick cell). Therefore, it is my thought that this protein is more likely to invade the body from outside, than to be a genetic mutation that one can carry 40-50--60 or even 80 years before the damage begins. However, there are some forms of illness today that do carry very long life cycles. Even Aids can hide in the body for up to 10 years or longer, and Siflas can be carried for decades before it's final effects are known.

This also brings my mind around to the obvious connection between "tainted" meat sources and other bodily illnesses. Some two dozen or more people die each year from eating "bad" fish or sea-food. And, we all know about how you can eat "bad" meat and get Ecoli. (Although Ecoli, of course, does not have an extended life cycle.). This also springs my mind around to conditions in our packing plants. Many specials have been aired about how, in packing plants (even while FDA inspectors are present), huge sides of beef can fall into "the pit" and become contaminated with filth and then raised onto their hooks again and butchered without even so much as an antiseptic wash. Is it any wonder that someday it could be, or might be, proved that filthy hygiene practices may be to blame for infecting generations of people with brain debilitation diseases? (Just a personal thought). It is also a fact that clearly 1/3rd of our poultry products are infected with salmonella. Need I say more about improper and unclean food conditions?

When you put all these things together. You get a sanerio that I find disturbing. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not some kind of "Green Peace" whacko. Or, some kind of environmental nut-case. And, I don't particularly think of myself as any kind of conspiracy buff either. However, it is food for thought, (sorry about the pun), to think that our very food sources may be to blame for killing us. And, what is even worse, possibly giving us a disease that is far more, less preferable than a quick death. Namely a disease like Alzheimer's or CJD or any other of the horrific diseases that can destroy the human brain and leave the body to exist for years.

WORLD VIEW

Scientists now are working to identify this protein and to reverse the stem of further damage in CJD patients and in Alzheimer's patients and in many other diseases like Mad Cow Disease. However, I wonder when if ever, the powers-that-be, will ever fess up to the fact that illuminating the contamination at the source would have not been more preferable, than to treat the condition after-the-fact. Unfortunately, do to our world social-economical and political ties with big business; and, the import and export of goods (world trade) like food products; such a thought would seam unrealistic at best. Let's face it, on every ground, our world order is tied into, it would seam better to keep fighting the problem that we have right now, than to cast blame on an industry that financially supports the world markets. For financially, socially, politically and economically we are all dependent upon each other. My only regret is that I do not live in a world whereby it is NOT financially feasible to "do the right thing". And, whereby doing the expedient thing, always SEAMS more profitable.


Any thoughts?
Gizmo

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Gizmo