floridadynamo MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: THE SOCIOLOGICAL PATHOLOGY SURROUNDING RESEARCH INTO ITS ETIOLOGY AND TREATMENT 1.
MS, the most common of the chronic demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (1-2.5 million cases world-wide), has no agreed upon etiology, no known cure and no agreed upon course of therapy.
Anyone familiar with the history of treating MS is aware that MS patients are amongst the most put upon patients in the world having been subjected to an unbelievable array of treatments – too many of which had no readily discernable scientific basis.
The question is: What is the current situation pertaining to understanding the etiology of MS and its treatment? In my most despairing moments, I consider the situation to have improved, but sometimes, I cannot help wonder to what degree. Permit me to explain.
There is an unfortunate and sordid tale associated with investigations into the etiology and therapy of MS. It is a story of which MS patients, the general public and even many neurologists are almost totally ignorant. It is a story of which detailed portions have appeared in separate professional journals and a chapter in a book but has never been picked up by the media and from which I derived my conclusions.
By sordid I am referring to a story that is replete with unprofessional behaviors on the part of scientists/physicians and a public fund raising charitable organization: such conduct includes intellectual dishonesty, prevarications, unethical practices, distortions, half truths, turf protection, greed, economic conflicts of interest and adverse political consequences to those who oppose the revealed orthodoxy of the establishment – all of which have devastating consequences for too many MS patients.
Persons knowledgeable about the deadly influence of ideology – specifically religious ideology – in all aspects of life, especially with the artificially created evolution-creation (non)controversy would instantly identify with this story. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of the deadly influence of ideology in science and medicine.
The deadly influence of ideology is exactly the situation existing in MS research. The reasons for public ignorance are multiple: the technical nature of the material, sometimes its esoteric nature, the general scientific illiteracy of the public and of the people in the media, the biases of media people who are scientifically/medically knowledgeable and the media’s inevitable failure to perform its important investigative and educational functions – unless there is a most compelling societal outrage or scandal. It is true that many such ideological conflicts generally are not published in the scientific/medical literature – certainly not in the lay press – and, in general, people in a given field have varying levels of knowledge about such events. Occasionally, the material is published but, as stated, the general media have not picked up the story or have not told the story properly.
The challenge is to describe these incredibly complex and sordid sociological/political/economic events while explaining the necessary technical background in terms that reasonably intelligent lay people could understand.
That is my challenge to think about and unfold in future posts.
floridadynamo WHY ARE ONLY CONSERVATIVES IGNORAMUSES?
Recently I sent the following comments to my list of correspondents It was based on an article describing a successful, new Israeli technological advance – a miniature spy plane. My comments (which are copied below) made reference to the American education system and to those who oppose the teaching of science, especially evolutionary science, in our public schools elicited a negative response from a friend who is quite conservative in her political views.
Her response to my original comments is a strong chastisement and opens with the question that heads this post. Her comments are copied below my original comments as are my comments to her chastisement.
Floridadynamo
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MY ORIGINAL COMMENTS
Dear Family and Friends
Stop and think
This is the kind of innovation and brilliance the world is ready, willing, able and working overtime to destroy just to satisfy their religiously (primarily Muslim and Christian) inspired hatreds.
Stop and think again. With all the great technological and intellectual contributions that Israelis have made to modern society, how much more Israelis could do if they did not have to spend their time, talent and financial resources developing machinery for an unnecessary and on-going 60+ year war (with no end in sight since Israel has not been destroyed – yet)so they could defend themselves from world-wide religiously inspired idiots and idiocy.
This is what happens when we permit our education system to be destroyed by people who do not want to learn the truth as to how our world is put together and how it works just so they can maintain their false beliefs enshrined in and promulgated in books written by humans thousands of years ago and who gave the title holy to their works.
People want to use the benefits from scientific and technological knowledge while they are simultaneously trying desperately to hold back further advances unless their brand of ignorance also can be foisted on an unsuspecting public. That is why, school districts have to spend multi-millions of dollars to defend themselves against religiously-inspired ridiculous law suits – religion v science (all of science, not just biology); the bible v evolution (a concept that unifies knowledge with a glorious insight into the interaction of life with the physical and chemical world in which it exists and a concept which is supported by the very knowledge gained from a variety of sciences – biology, geology, paleontology, astronomy, chemistry, physics, anthropology.)
And the sad part, we have political leaders who help promote religiously inspired ignorance and stupidity and powerful media personnel who, on a daily basis, in their own ignorance, foist their erroneous beliefs on a public they help keep ignorant (I wonder if Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, Glen Beck, Neal Boortz(Sp?), Ben Stein and the dozens of other ignoramuses – their wannabees - around the country recognize themselves).
All I ever heard and hear from students and the public is that they do not believe in evolution as if evolution is like a religion – something one “believes” in – not knowing that evolution is a scientific concept that one accepts or rejects based on evidence, not belief – keeping in mind that neither the Bible (Jewish and/or Christian scriptures) nor the Koran meet the minimal standards for scientific evidence.
Click on the link and watch this video and think.
Then weep.
Weep for the massive stupidity that exists in this world and that helps control its social, political, and economic fate.
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MY FRIEND’S COMMENTS
I have decades of experience of debating this subject with religious people, including scientists. The only way they justify their opposition to evolution is by lying and distortion. Even Judge John Jones, III, (a Republican appointee to the district court) in the Dover, PA, case called those who argued against evolution, liars. His words, not mine.
It is not disagreement over the same data. It is disagreement over the fact that they refuse to acknowledge the existence of the data.
It is a disagreement over the fact that they misquote scientists- there is a very well known book that deals with this subject where the scientists themselves have complained and a comparison was made between what the scientists actually said and what the anti-evolutionists claim they said.
Yes many Rabbis are ignorant of science or, if they are scientists, prefer to accept religious ideology over fact.
I was one of several who took on one of the most famous scientist rabbis of our time – Moses David Tendler of Yeshiva University, when he was here several years ago as a speaker at a conference on Science and the Torah. The only way he, a microbiologist with whom I worked in the 1950s ( I had to remind him of that fact), could try to destroy evolution was by forgetting about natural selection. He refused even to acknowledge the existence of one of the most fundamental aspects of evolutionary theory.
Knowledgeable people in the audience applauded me and the others when we showed the fallacy of his reasoning.
Again you misunderstand,. It is not the belief in god that makes them ignorant. It is their refusal to understand that belief is not fact. That one could believe whatever they want but it doesn’t make it true. The problem is that these people want their beliefs to be acknowledged as true and to be incorporated into the textbooks and taught in the schools as the co-equal to science. And, they waste millions of tax payer dollars going to court over this matter.
Perhaps you want women having difficult labor to have childbirth by belief (that because of Eve, god made delivery painful) and prayer instead of being treated with modern medical knowledge. This happened in the Ft Wayne area when we were living there (the woman died) and is still happening. Not only does this occur with women but also with the treatment of children for all sorts of illnesses. And, too many of these children die. Sometimes a child is fortunate by having the courts intervene.
I have had people defend such antisocial, child abuse behavior to me by referring to it as god’s will.
Perhaps you will defend this too.
Perhaps you can justify such antisocial behavior based on a conservative or religious ideology. I cannot. The money spent on frivolous lawsuits would be better spent on education.
This is not proselytizing. It is stating facts that have deleterious consequences for our society. It is time you recognized this for the truth that it is.
You may not like it because of your political ideology, however, the truth is that it is the conservatives who have been fighting science and science education. I have been in this battle for over 30 years, I know whereof I speak.
Stop listening to Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh. In the early 1990s, I called and also debated Rush on radio and, when I backed him into a corner, he shut me off.
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Aspire to inspire before you expire. -Anon.
“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” -Sinclair Lewis
“When fascism comes to America and the world, it will be because the world refused to respond properly to the banners of religion. -Floridadynamo’s modern paraphrase of Sinclair Lewis.
floridadynamo THE TRUTH EMERGES: ISRAEL JUSTIFIED – HAMAS DID FIRE MISSILES
Dear Family and Friends
Well! What do you know? After all the vituperation that has been heaped on Israel for Operation Cast Lead (Gaza) and with all the lies spread about Israel bombing civilians and the media, more of the truth is emerging, i.e., Hamas did fire from the media building.
Journalist Paula Slier, after visiting Gaza since Operation Cast Lead, admitted that her fellow reporters lied about Hamas firing on Israel from the media building:
Colleagues in our sister organisation, Russia Al Yaum, said Hamas fighters had been hiding in the basement of the media building and they couldn’t go on air and admit it as otherwise they would have become targets. So, in this respect at least, when the Israeli army justified its attacks on media houses, they were telling the truth when they said fire was coming from them!
Here is the web link to a video in which she learned about this truth:
http://backspin.typepad.com/backspin/2010/01/journos-admit-hamas-fired-from-media-buildings.html
This admission confirms what many people have claimed through the years about the media’s reporting about Israel, i.e., media people were not and are not “neutral observers.” In fact, there were complaints that the media were and are actual participants. This is not to be interpreted as a blanket condemnation of all media personnel as some of them have had their lives threatened if they report negatively on the myriad behaviors of the so-called Palestinians. Be that as it may, we must never forget that Ted Turner, when he started CNN, made a deal with the Saudis – favorable reporting on Arab/Muslim activities – negative spin and Israeli activities – in return for access.
Gee whiz, who would have “thunk” it? An admission that Israel was right in its claims that there was fire emanating from the media building.
By the way, did you notice her laughing when she found out the truth? What was so funny?
It was as if she was saying: So what? We lied? Oh, well. We only lied about Jews.
I find it interesting, and I hope you do too, to learn how people on the political left – who were and are quick to condemn Israel for almost anything it does, except if it were to self-destruct – have not commented on this story.
The truth is that Israel was protecting itself. The truth is that the world attacked Jews for daring to defend themselves. The truth is that the world still hasn’t gotten used to the idea that Jews can fight and will fight to defend themselves. The truth is that the world has great difficulty in accepting the fact of Jews winning wars in which they are greatly outnumbered in man power, in available money, in arms etc.
The truth is that unlike the antisemitic European countries – whose antisemitism is part of their christian cultural DNA, especially the smug, arrogant French with their De Gaulle-like air of superiority – who seem to require American troops to defend them, who, when the danger has been neutralized with the deaths and maiming of thousands of Americans, do not mind sticking their fat fingers in USA eyes – Israel has never asked for American troops.
Israel has only asked for the arms it requires to do its own defending.
We have already seen how Israel then adapts American arms to make them more efficient and how the USA then adopts Israel’s improvements and strengthening of its own military.
I do admit, it is great to have this rare gust of fresh air emanating from the Arab/Muslims. Wouldn’t it be wonderful, if this were the beginning of a new trend – the honest reporting of events in the Middle East on the part of the Arab/Muslims. As the song said: “I Can Dream, can’t I?”
Floridadynamo
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floridadynamo Dear Family and Friends
Several weeks ago, when Tim Tiebow, the Univ of FL star quarterback had a concussion, I remember sending out an e-mail in which I included a letter I sent to the South Florida Sun Sentinel – which it did not publish – about how concussions are not diagnosed and treated properly.
Today we read about these tragic stories (see copied article below), which only strengthens the case I made.
The real tragedy is the unnecessary deaths that occur and even the impairments that occur from repeated concussions.
Of course a lot of this brain damage is related back to the false concept of young athletes being macho – one of the most ridiculous social pathologies existing in society today.
Equally absurd is the concept that since professional football players are paid such huge sums of money, they, too, must continue to play since sitting on the bench is too costly.
I am not sure how one establishes a price on the value of a human brain.
What makes all of this so tragic, is not just the needless loss of life, brain impairment, macho culture, salary considerations, but the fact that so much of this could be prevented by using the diagnostic testing and therapeutic protocol I was involved in developing with the late, great physician, Dr. Richard A. Neubauer. (As an aside: how many lives of young athletes could be saved by requiring a detailed heart exam prior to their being permitted to engage in competitive sports? The routine exam by a physician is insufficient to detect too many innate heart defects) But, just as happened when I spoke to the boxing commission in LA, back in the 1990s and with Angelo Dundee about Mohamed Ali, the powers to be do not want to hear this. Why? It would cost them too much money. There is the cost of the diagnosis and treatment – which could be taken care of by purchasing insurance (granted, there will be a cost associated with purchasing specific medical insurance – especially for athletes involved with football, boxing and soccer more so than perhaps other sports such as hockey, basketball and polo etc. – but worse, from their perspective, the loss of revenue from the boxer not being in the ring during that time.
And, before I descend from my soap box, there is the matter of the deadly influence of the greed associated with big pharma and its stranglehold on medicine – remember, oxygen cannot be put into a pill and sold for a hundred dollars a pill, nor can oxygen be patented and controlled by any one company.
Read and weep
Weep for the needless loss of life and brain impairment
Weep for the inane social macho concept being instilled in young athletes, young men in general and now in young women.
Weep for the greed that places money over human life.
Weep for the general stupidity in our society.
Weep for the deadly influence of ideology and money in medicine – read the book written by Sheldon Gottlieb, the Naked Mind, also the chapter he wrote on multiple sclerosis that appeared in the medical book: Hyperbaric Oxygen for Neurological Disorders
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“It is required of a man that he should share the passion and action of his time, at peril of being judged not to have lived.”
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Aspire to inspire before you expire. -Anon.
“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.” -Sinclair Lewis
“When fascism comes to America and the world, it will be because the world refused to respond properly to the banners of religion. -Shelly Gottlieb’s modern paraphrase of Sinclair Lewis.
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Concussions extra dangerous to teen brains
By Stephanie Smith, CNN
February 4, 2010 4:38 p.m. EST
The impact of a concussion
(CNN) — Max Conradt was used to defensive linemen hurtling their 300-pound frames at him week after week. He was a high school quarterback, the team leader who took his licks and got back up.
That is, until the wrenching hit that changed everything.
“It was a vicious hit,” said Ralph Conradt, Max’s father. “A really bad hit.”
Afterward, the 17-year-old got up slowly, staggered for a few seconds, and continued to play. When the game ended, he limped toward the sideline.
“He looked at me and said ‘My chin hurts,’ ” said Joy Conradt, Max’s stepmother. “I started to respond and he collapsed. I was absolutely nauseatedly sick with fear.”
It was a concussion — in fact, a handful of concussions over the course of two weeks — that his doctors believe caused Conradt to sink to the ground, blood pooling dangerously in his brain.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 4 million sports and recreation-related concussions occur each year. Experts say the vast majority are suffered at the high school level, but few schools have rules governing how concussion is treated — and few coaches are trained to identify it.
“It’s the group we need to worry about most,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, chairman of the American Academy of Neurology Sports Neurology Section, adding that fewer than half of high schools have access to athletic trainers.
“If there is any suggestion of a concussion, we need to take kids out of the game,” said Dr. Stan Herring, team physician for the Seattle Seahawks. “The consequences [of not doing so] can be devastating or even fatal.”
What is a concussion?
The devastating consequences would dawn on Conradt’s family members as they sat, breathless, in a closed-off waiting room at the hospital.
“They told us he was going to die,” said Ralph Conradt. “He was just a 17-year-old kid playing football. Up until then, I never heard of anyone ever dying in a football game.”
In 2008, 16-year-old Ryne Dougherty, a junior linebacker in New Jersey, died after two concussions suffered within a few weeks. The same year, across the country in Washington, 14-year-old David Bosse complained about headache after playing a junior high school game, but returned to play the following week. He died the next morning.
Without a medical expert on the field, coaches and parents are making — and in some cases not making — decisions about concussion for which they are ill-equipped, said Herring. That means that post-concussive symptoms like nausea, dizziness, headache, confusion and memory problems are going unchecked.
“We need coaches and parents to understand this phrase: When in doubt, come out,” said Herring. “It’s better to miss a game than to miss a season … better to miss a game than to miss the rest of your life.”
A study released by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital last year revealed that between 2005 and 2008, about 40 percent of athletes with concussion were allowed to return to play too soon.
The data bore even grimmer testimony about lack of education: During the 2007-2008 season, one in six concussed football players who also lost consciousness returned to play the same day.
“Do you think knowing what I know today that I would have let my son play?” said Ralph Conradt. “Not a chance. Not a chance.”
Months after his third brain surgery, Max Conradt was bent over his hospital bed, his back forming the shape of the letter “C.” His head lolled precariously — his eyes trained on what seemed like a far-off place. His lips were moving, but no sound escaped. The tube that helped him breathe hissed and gurgled against his throat.
Conradt survived his brain injuries, but the relief for his family was tinged with grief. Doctors said Max would live, but with the mental capacity of a 9-year-old.
“It’s a whole different thing losing your child to a brain injury,” said Joy Conradt. “The kid you knew is dead. Somebody completely different is in the body of the child you knew.”
Still, experts stress that Conradt’s situation is not typical.
“There’s a lot of description of possible bad outcomes with concussion and a lot of worry about it. That’s appropriate,” said Kutcher, director of the NeuroSport Program at the University of Michigan. “The truth of the matter is we have millions and millions of kids who have played contact sports and we haven’t seen that link.”
Leadership has to come from the coaches, the captains to quit attributing bravery to these injuries. Concussion can be tragic.
–Dr. Stan Herring, team physician for the Seattle Seahawks
Fueled by rage about his son’s brain injury, Ralph Conradt lobbied legislators to pass “Max’s Law,” imposing strong restrictions for returning players to games after they suffer concussion, and requiring rigorous training for coaches.
According to Herring, about two dozen other states also have legislation pending. This week Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announced an initiative designed to reduce sports-related concussions in every U.S. state.
In addition to laws and education, experts say a cultural shift among coaches, players and parents is necessary.
“This whole suck it up and play through it mentality needs to go,” said Herring. “Leadership has to come from the coaches, the captains to quit attributing bravery to these injuries. Concussion can be tragic.”
It is almost eight years to the day since Max Conradt was released from the hospital. He lives in an assisted living facility and his thoughts often flit back to his “glory days” on the football field. His memories about the concussions that sent his life on its current spiral are scant. But he does know the most chilling details.
“I was sat on by a 280-pound lineman … he sat on my head,” said Conradt, now 25. “When I was walking off of the field, blood was gushing through my brain. I don’t remember, but that’s what happened.”
With the strapping 17-year-old football player he once was a distant memory, today Conradt struggles with basic motor skills, memory and containing occasional fits of rage and depression.
“He gets really, really down when he thinks about what could have been,” said Ralph Conradt.
Still, concussion has not dimmed his dreams. Max still craves a challenge. He would like to go back to school. He would like to have some semblance of a normal life.
CNN’s Ashley Wennersherron contributed to this report.
