We don’t hear much about Mad Cow Disease anymore (thank goodness), but scientists are studying the human form (Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease) because it has similarities to diseases that affect millions, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to these shows).
read more
New findings about the causes of Mad Cow Disease show that sometimes it may be genetic?for cows, anyway.
Researcher Juergen A. Richt says, “We now know it’s also in the genes of cattle.” Until several years ago, it was thought that the cattle prion disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy?also called BSE or mad cow disease?was a foodborne disease. But his team’s new findings suggest that mad cow disease also is caused by a genetic mutation within a gene called Prion Protein Gene.
read more
First we find out that, for some mysterious reason, the Saudis (some of whom were involved in911) are immune from a lawsuit filed by families of victims of the 911attacks. Now we’ve learned that the Agriculture Dept. can STOP meatpackers from testing cattle for Mad Cow Disease. Has our government gone crazy?or is it just crazy about big money and big business, and its powerful foreignfriends?
A small Arkansas meatpacker called Creekstone Farms wanted to test every animal at its plant, to assure foreign purchasers (and Americans) that the meat was safe to eat. Sounds like a good idea, right? Lots of us would pay more for meat that we knew was guaranteed to be safe, just like we do for organic fruits and vegetables.
read more
A new treatment may be able to REVERSE Mad Cow Disease in humans. It works in mice.
Blocking the production of certain proteins in the brains of diseased mice completely reverses the memory loss caused by Mad Cow. Will it do the same thing for humans? The human form of Mad Cow is called variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).
Animals and humans both produce normal prion proteins in our nervous systems. Mad Cow and vCJD produce abnormal, “folded” prions that disrupt the functioning of our normal prions. The resulting brain damage leads to loss of coordination, dementia and eventually to death.
read more