posted October 26, 2006 01:22 PM            

It's time to expose the phony compassion of these radical extremists when they talk about "compassion" for those who have progressive degenerative diseases.

When Charlton Heston disclosed he had Alzheimer's disease, George Clooney had this to say.

"I don't care. Charlton Heston is the head of the National Rifle Association. He deserves whatever anyone says about him.
George Clooney"

posted October 26, 2006 01:32 PM            

You've got that right. From pretending to care about the deaths of Soldiers, yet only posting rabid hate letters from family members like Cindy Sheehan, to pretending to care about MJF and Rush's comments. In fact, I don't recall any of our famous rabid liberals here EVER giving a damn or posting about MJF and his plight with PD.

I would go on to say, that I would bet money if it had been a Conservative celebrity with PD that was associated with a drug, they would be dancing in the streets celebrating the person's slow demise.

posted October 26, 2006 05:36 PM            

Also the fact Pid said it's irrelevant how he got it and that it's a horrifying disease. I agree.

I agree with this too and think most people would do the same...it's honest as well.

"Had I been a drug user and contracted a disease I would still do everything humanly possible to try and find a cure or use my status (in the case of a celebrity) to find a cure."

I doubt I posted anything which isn't widely known. Certainly the information is readily available and has been for some time.

TINK raised an important issue...."Sometimes we're so damn eager to be sensitive and compassionate and PC we forget to think."

It does no one any good to go rushing off in every direction shrieking and screaming...DO SOMETHING. We need to pursue the most promising avenues for cures and effective therapies to treat or obliterate degenerative diseases.

By their very nature, they are time sensitive for those who have contracted them and no time...or precious federal taxpayer resources should be wasted pursuing unpromising lines of research. The fact private research money has dried up here..or nearly so for embryonic stem cell research is telling.

TINK made another point and it's that MJF is a big boy now. How could he think there wouldn't be blowback when he makes accusations that Republicans want to deny sufferers of degenerative diseases a cure?

Vote for Republicans and your afflicted loved one's will die because they don't care. BS.

posted October 26, 2006 11:25 PM              

(CBS/AP) Responding to criticism by conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh, actor Michael J. Fox defended his appearance in a political campaign ad, saying he wasn't acting or off his medication.

In fact, at the time he was over-medicated for his Parkinson's disease, Fox said Thursday in an exclusive interview with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.

"The irony is that I was too medicated. I was dyskinesic," Fox told Couric. "Because the thing about … being symptomatic is that it's not comfortable. No one wants to be symptomatic; it's like being hit with a hammer."

His body visibly wracked by tremors, Fox appears in a political ad touting Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill's stance in favor of embryonic stem cell research. That prompted Limbaugh to speculate that Fox was "either off his medication or acting."

Fox told Couric, "At this point now, if I didn't take medication I wouldn't be able to speak."

He said he appeared in the ad only to advance his cause, and that "disease is a non-partisan problem that requires a bipartisan solution."

"I don't really care about politics," Fox added. "We want to appeal to voters to elect the people that are going to give us a margin, so we can't be vetoed again."

Though Fox, a native of Canada who became an American citizen in 2000, has been politically active for Democratic causes, he said he has voted for and would vote for a Republican. "Arlen Specter is my guy," he said of the Republican senator from Pennsylvania. "I've campaigned for Arlen Specter. He's been a fantastic champion of stem cell research. I've spoken alongside Mike Castle, who's a Republican congressman. Absolutely."

"This is not about red states and blue states," added Fox, who has also lobbied Congress to lift President Bush's restrictions on funding for stem cell research. "This is not about Democrats and Republicans. This is about claiming our place as the scientific leader in scientific research and moving forward and helping our citizens. That’s all it is. It’s that simple."

On his Web site Tuesday, Limbaugh appeared to back away from his accusation.

"All I'm saying is I've never seen him the way he appears in this commercial for Claire McCaskill," says Limbaugh. "So I will bigly, hugely admit that I was wrong, and I will apologize to Michael J. Fox, if I am wrong in characterizing his behavior on this commercial as an act, especially since people are telling me they have seen him this way on other interviews and in other television appearances."

Fox told Couric that even though it's tough for him to sit for interviews as his symptoms worsen, he feel privileged to be able to do so.

"Honestly, I mean, I really feel this: That you get in your life very few chances to make a difference. And I really feel privileged to do this that I get a chance to do this. But having said that, it's not pretty. It's not pretty when it gets bad," Fox said. "I've learned to throw vanity out the window. I've had enough years of people thinking I was pretty and teenage girls hanging my picture on walls. I'm over that now."

In the Missouri ad, Fox says, "As you might know I care deeply about stem cell research. In Missouri you can elect Claire McCaskill, who shares my hope for cures."

McCaskill has made support for embryonic stem cell research a key part of her campaign to unseat Sen. Jim Talent. The Republican incumbent opposes the research as unethical, saying it destroys human embryos.

The ad debuted prominently Saturday night during Game 1 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Detroit Tigers and will continue airing statewide this week, a campaign spokeswoman said.

Debate over stem cell research looms large in Missouri, where voters are considering a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to protect all federally allowed forms of the research, including embryonic stem cell research. The scientific study holds promise in the search to cure diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

"Unfortunately, Sen. Jim Talent opposes expanding stem cell research," Fox says in the 30-second spot. "Sen. Talent even wanted to criminalize the science that gives us a chance for hope."

Talent's campaign called the ad a false attack.

"Sen. Talent supports medical research including stem cell research that doesn't involve cloning or destroying a human embryo," said Talent spokesman Rich Chrismer.

Earlier this year, Talent withdrew his support for a Senate bill that would ban all embryonic stem cell research and impose a million-dollar fine and jail sentence on violators. But he opposes the Missouri ballot initiative, claiming it would "make cloning human life at the earliest stage a constitutional right."

Supporters of the state referendum deny that assertion, noting the language of the proposed constitutional amendment explicitly bans human cloning.

McCaskill, running even with Talent in the latest polls, hopes to get a boost from aligning herself with support for the ballot measure, which recent polls show has the support of 58 percent of likely voters. Backers of the measure have raised nearly $29 million toward its passage, the costliest political campaign in Missouri history.

Fox's ad urges voters that "what you do in Missouri matters to millions of Americans. Americans like me." The ad ends with a picture of McCaskill and her voice approving the message.

Couric asked, could he have waited to film it until he was having a better day, with less dyskinesia?

"You don’t know when that’s going to be," Fox said. "My mother was visiting that day, was in the back room and she was saying throughout the filming of (the ad) — and she was talking to my friends back there — and she was saying, 'he's trying so hard to be still.' And so she was the one actually when the comments were made, she was the only who was really angry, and she said 'I can’t even see straight.' I said, ‘Mom, just relax, it’s OK, don't worry about it.' But it’s just not that simple. That’s why we're doing this."
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/26/eveningnews/main2128188.shtml

posted October 27, 2006 12:39 AM              

quote:

---

I can blast you with more evidence from scientific journals if you need more proof, but sadly it isn't proof you are looking for, rather a justification for your rabid defense of another liberal.--pidaua

---

you havnt blasted me with any evidence of anything pidaua.......not one single thing..........

how about you just blast me with your scientific journal source for this one eh?

quote:

---

Also, look up parkinson's disease and what is the common (like 95%) cause of those men diagnosed under the age of 40... MPTP..--pidaua

---

posted October 27, 2006 03:16 PM            

"His body visibly wracked by tremors, Fox appears in a political ad touting Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill's stance in favor of embryonic stem cell research"

The ad says not one word about embryonic stem cell research.

"He said he appeared in the ad only to advance his cause, and that "disease is a non-partisan problem that requires a bipartisan solution."

Fox made it a partisan political issue by appearing in a wholly partisan political ad for several democrat political candidates.

"This is not about red states and blue states," added Fox, who has also lobbied Congress to lift President Bush's restrictions on funding for stem cell research"

There is no Bush restriction on stem cell research per se. Only on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

"The scientific study holds promise in the search to cure diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's"

There are no, not one study which holds any promise for a cure for PD, Alzheimer's Disease or any other disease from embryonic stem cell research or therapy.

Given the fact that Fox has established a foundation, the Michael J Fox Foundation which has raised millions for Parkinson's Disease research, MJF cannot claim ignorance of fact....that there are no studies and no therapies indicating embryonic stem cell research holds any promise whatsoever for a cure.

Eleanore

posted October 28, 2006 03:42 AM              

Incidently it was not that Russ Limbaugh was addicted to pain killers and getting his maid to be his go between with drug dealers that the media cared about so much to dwell on it. It was his hypocrisy as he stated many times that drug dealers should get the death penalty.

This is really sick and it seems that there is nothing so low and disgusting that the right will not do or say to protect their heroes who are all just as bad as they are.

It is a real giant leap to a college kid accidently coming up with MPTP and it being sold on the streets as synthetic herion to relating that to Michael J Fox and his Parkingson's Disease. Parkingson's Disease is on the national list of rare diseases of which there is no known cause and therefore no cure. The entire medical profession doesn't know the cause of Parkingson's disease but it seems that Pidaua who isn't even involved in the medical profession or medical research presents herself as having all the answers.

Just as she and Jwhop seem to know the exact thoughts and feelings of everyone on the left regarding the deaths of soldiers. No, you don't. You are just both a couple of judgmental baffoons.

Michael J. Fox and Parkinson's Disease

Exact causes still a mysteryFrom Mary Kugler,

Between one and one-and-a-half million Americans are affected by Parkinson's disease, a disorder of the central nervous system. "Parkinson's" is the overall term for at least six different categoriesof the disorder, which usually affects people age 50 or older.
About 10-20% of people with Parkinson's are diagnosed before age 50; only half of these people are diagnosed before age 40. This is called juvenile Parkinson's. Michael J. Fox, diagnosed at age 30 years old in 1991, is in this category.

Possible causes

People with Parkinson's disease have a shortage of a chemical that affects movement (called dopamine) in their brains.

It appears that changes in the cells of the substantia nigra, the area of the brain that produces dopamine, are at fault. How these changes happen is not precisely known; theories include accelerated aging, genetic susceptibility, and environmental factors, among others. Most likely Parkinson's disease is caused by a combination of these things.

Medical treatment

Treatment of Parkinson's disease has traditionally been with medication that can be made into dopamine in the brain (Sinemet), or by drugs that seem to affect the use of dopamine in the brain (Symmetrel, Eldepryl). Newer drugs, called dopamine agonists (Parlodel, Permax, Mirapex, Requip), activate dopamine-sensitive brain cells.

Surgical treatments

One technique being investigated is high-frequency stimulation of a part of the brain called the subthalamic nucleus. This is known as deep brain stimulation. Brain tissue transplants using genetically-altered cells, fetal tissue, or pig tissue introduce cells to produce dopamine. New techniques for thalamotomy and pallidotomy, which destroy the "trouble-causing" cells in the brain using an electrode, are being developed.

Michael J. Fox

Michael J. Fox has established The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. He has spoken out in favor of stem cell research and has worked tirelessly to raise money for research. The Foundation Web site states, "Fox wholeheartedly believes that if there is a concentrated effort from the Parkinson's community, elected representatives in Washington, DC, and (most importantly) the general public, researchers can pinpoint the cause of Parkinson's and uncover a cure by 2010."

Updated: May 1, 2005

Parkinson's Disease - What Research is Being Done?

In the last decade research has laid the groundwork for many of today's promising new clinical trials, technologies, and drug treatments. Scientists, physicians, and patients hope that today's progress means tomorrow's cure and prevention.

Parkinson's disease research focuses on many areas. Some investigators are studying the functions and anatomy of the motor system and how it regulates movement and relates to major command centers in the brain. Scientists looking for the cause of Parkinson's disease will continue to search for possible environmental factors, such as toxins that may trigger the disorder, and to study genetic factors to determine if one or many defective genes play a role. Although Parkinson's disease is not directly inherited, it is possible that some people are genetically more or less susceptible to developing it. Other scientists are working to develop new protective drugs that can delay, prevent, or reverse the disease.

Since the accidental discovery that MPTP causes parkinsonian symptoms in humans, scientists have found that by injecting MPTP into laboratory animals, they can reproduce the brain lesions that cause these symptoms. This allows them to study the mechanisms of the disease and helps in the development of new treatments. For instance, it was from animal studies that researchers discovered that the drug selegiline can prevent the toxic effects of MPTP. This discovery helped spark interest in studying selegiline as a preventive treatment in humans.

Scientists are also investigating the role of mitochondria, structures in cells that provide the energy for cellular activity, in Parkinson's disease. Because MPTP interferes with the function of mitochondria within nerve cells, some scientists suspect that similar abnormalities may be involved in Parkinson's disease.

Today, an array of promising research involves studying brain areas other than the substantia nigra that may be involved in the disease. One group of NINDS-supported scientists is studying the consequences of dopamine cell degeneration in the basal ganglia -- brain structures located deep in the forebrain that help control voluntary movement. In laboratory animals, MPTP-induced reduction of dopamine results in overactivity of nerve cells in a region of the brain called the subthalamic nucleus, producing tremors and rigidity and suggesting that these symptoms may be related to excessive activity in this region. Destroying the subthalamic nucleus results in a reversal of parkinsonian symptoms in the animal models.

Scientists supported by the NINDS are also looking for clues to the cause of Parkinson's disease by studying malfunctions in the structures called "dopamine transporters" that carry dopamine in and out of the synapse, or narrow gap between nerve cells. For example, one research group recently found an age-related decrease in the concentration of dopamine transporters in healthy human nerve cells taken from areas of the brain damaged by Parkinson's. This decline in transporter concentration means that any further threat to the remaining dopamine transporters could result in Parkinson's disease.

The search for more effective medications for Parkinson's disease is likely to be aided by the recent isolation of at least five individual brain receptors for dopamine. New information about the unique effects of each individual dopamine receptor on different brain areas has led to new treatment theories and clinical trials.

MPTP AND DRUG-INDUCED PARKINSON'S DISEASE

MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine)
It has been known for more than 60 years that idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterised pathologically by the death of neurones in the substantia nigra area of the brain. While this is not the only feature of the disease, it is the most obvious and this kind of damage has been shown to be present with all clinical findings seen in the disease. It is not known why these cells die in PD, or what it is that causes them to die. An answer may lie in the research being undertaken with the recently described neurotoxin, MPTP. This compound appears to be selectively toxic to the cells in the substantia nigra, and is capable of producing virtually all the signs and symptoms of idiopathic PD.

MPTP was first tested for its possible therapeutic use in 1947, but the primates that were given the drug became rigid and unable to move, eventually dying. The compound was being tested as a possible anti-parkinsonian agent. After 6 humans were given the drug and developed PD symptoms and 2 died, the drug was abandoned.

However, after the production of another compound, MPPP (an illicit narcotic compound), the importance of MPTP to PD was discovered.

The first case of MPTP causing parkinsonism occurred in 1976 when a young college student who manufactured and abused MPPP made a mistake in his synthesis and produced MPTP. Within 3 days he was severely parkinsonian and his family thought he was schizophrenic. Eventually he was placed on and responded to Sinemet. Two years later he committed suicide and the autopsy showed cell destruction in the substantia nigra, and the damage was, in fact, the same as that seen in PD patients.

In 1982 MPPP was again manufactured and sold in the street as synthetic heroin. It was not long before contaminated batches containing MPTP hit the streets, which dealt a devastating blow to the young users. Hospitals began admitting patients as young as 19 with severe end stage parkinsonian symptoms. The source was tracked down to MPTP and its effect was found to be permanent damage to the neurones of the substantia nigra. This left patients with what was clinically idiopathic PD.

Not only do patients with MPTP-induced parkinsonism manifest all the typical features of idiopathic PD, but associated features are present also. These observations have a direct bearing on the anatomical site of the origin of the signs and symptoms in PD.

All the evidence to date suggests that patients with MPTP-induced parkinsonism have lesions limited to the substantia nigra, and exhibit virtually all of the clinical features of this disease. These patients therefore provide powerful support for the argument that most, if not all, of the motor symptoms and signs in PD can be produced by lesions of the substantia nigra.

While patients with MPTP-induced parkinsonism show all the clinical features of PD, it is not PD. As a model it is ideal, but it is a separate disease and it does differ from idiopathic PD. MPTP-induced parkinsonism is very selective, whereas with idiopathic PD other areas of the brain are affected.

MPTP-induced parkinsonism is very rapid in its onset (as quick as a few days to full symptoms), whereas idiopathic PD has a slow progression and may take years to become evident. Another major difference is the presence of Lewy bodies. These are concentric inclusion bodies which can be identified by using a red dye called eosin. They are considered a hallmark of idiopathic PD but are yet to be demonstrated in MPTP-induced parkinsonism.

The major trials with MPTP have been carried out by Dr J. William Langston, who has written a book on MPTP based upon his tests and observations of the drug. He has tested the drug on animals, observed its effects on humans, and provided the medical world and people with PD with a vast amount of valuable information on the effects and consequences of this drug. One of the most important findings of the animal tests is that MPTP can produce severe parkinsonism in monkeys.

If a monkey is treated with oral doses of levodopa, one can observe wide fluctuations in motor function as well as a 'wearing off' period. Since these animals have not been exposed to high doses of levodopa it is this evidence which led Dr Langston to one of his major conclusions: 'The complications which occur with L-dopa therapy, such as dose limiting dyskinesia and 'on-off' phenomena, may be more related to severity of disease than to duration of therapy.' This finding would seem to support the use of early levodopa treatment.

The most fascinating part of the discovery of MPTP is that it has caused scientists to take an interest in finding an environmental cause for the disease. Probably the most astounding case of possible environmental factors is the case of a chemist who contracted PD whilst working with MPTP. The only possible forms of infection were through the skin or by inhaling the vapour. While it may be considered coincidental, several other similar cases have since been reported, making it a possibility that MPTP does not need to be injected to have an effect on the substantia nigra.

The preliminary finding concerning MPTP and its relationship to PD has added another dimension to the study of the disease. Although MPTP is not the cause of idiopathic PD, it does suggest a chemical basis for the disease which may lead to further discoveries in this area, and the possibility of a chemical cure.

Other drugs
Other compounds which induce parkinsonism include phenothiazines (including metoclopramide), butyrophenones and reserpine. The onset of drug-induced parkinsonism is more rapid than that of PD, and the symptoms usually dissipate over a period of several weeks if these drugs are withdrawn.

There have been other reports of drug-induced parkinsonism, especially connected to a group of farmers exposed to a particular chemical spray. The compound MPTP is a pyridine and has a very simple molecular structure. Many chemical sprays contain the MPTP molecule but it is not known why the compound is not harmful when placed in these compounds. Perhaps the other parts of the compound act as an inhibitor to the MPTP. However, because we can isolate the MPTP molecule it makes it a lot easier to find other instances in which MPTP has been used and placed into our environment.

myDr, 2002. Reproduced with kind permission from Parkinson’s Australia.

posted October 28, 2006 03:53 AM              

Michael J Fox was diagnosed with Juvenile Parkingson's Disease at the age of 30. It is a disease in which the symptoms grow increasingly worse over the course of time as we have seen in the case of Michael J Fox.

posted October 28, 2006 04:04 AM              

Again you are being judgmental when you speak of my "hatred" for conservatives. Unlike you I can hate everything that neo cons stand for without hating the person.

Hate the sin. Not the sinner, Pidaua.

Once again I will state as I have many times before. It was Limbaughs hypocrisy that was noted regarding drug use and drug dealers. Not his addiction to pain pills. You can't condemn them as he did and be one at the same time without being a hypocrite.

posted October 28, 2006 12:15 PM              

here you can actually watch the footage of limbaugh mocking the movements of mjf as he was making those accusations on the radio.......

posted October 28, 2006 02:09 PM            

I actually watched...both the lying MJF commercial for the Missouri democrat Senatorial candidate...and the MJF response to Rush Limbaugh who said MJF movements in the political ad were exaggerated...in so many words.

Know what Petron? Rush Limbaugh is absolutely right.

In the MJF response to Limbaugh, his movements were not nearly as severe as they were in the political ad...by about half.

Notice the difference in the head and body movements in both videos of MJF...notice the range of side to side head and body movement...about half from one video to the other.

Limbaugh said..and the video of Limbaugh prove he was not mocking MJF. What Limbaugh was doing was attempting to portray to his viewing audience via the video cam audience what he had witnessed when he viewed the MJF political commercial and contrast that with what he had witnessed in other MJF appearances.

There was no glee, no comments about MJF deserving the disease...nothing of the sort. Limbaugh was sober faced throughout.

Limbaugh had every reason to think MJF might be exaggerating his movements for impact. In his OWN book Fox tells of going off his meds before testifying before Congressional committees to give his testimony more dramatic impact.

This is in direct contradiction to some material posted here that being off PD meds causes less movement, stiffness and seeming paralyses.

My problem with Fox is not that he made a political commercial for democrats. Rather, it's the lies in that commercial to which Fox lent his credibility.

The Republican, Jim Talent is not against "stem cell research". Neither is the Bush administration attempting to criminalize "stem cell research".

Neither is there any evidence whatsoever that embryonic stem cell research holds ANY promise for a cure for degenerative diseases. Just the opposite is true which is the reason money from the private sector has dried up or is rapidly drying up for research into embryonic stem cell research.

A Little Truth in Stem Cell Debate, Please
Michael Reagan
Friday, Oct. 27, 2006

Stem cell research is one of the major issues in many campaigns across the country in this election year, and it is being demagogued like few others.

In the interest of truth in politics it's worth noting that there are two kinds of stem cells research – one involving embryonic stem cells (ESC) and the other using adult or cord-blood stem cells.

The overwhelming number of candidates, Republican and Democratic, favor research on stem cells gathered from adult and core-blood sources. But many, mostly Republicans, oppose ESC research because harvesting the cells requires killing a living human embryo, and in many cases result from cloning human embryos for the sole purpose of harvesting the stem cells from the embryos killed in the process.

All across the country, Democrats and their lackeys in the media distort the issue by portraying those opposed to embryonic stem cell research as being opposed to all stem cell research, refusing to draw the crucial distinction between the two types.

In addition to this dishonest tactic, proponents of ESC research inevitably claim that it is the form of research holding out the most promise as an effective means of curing a host of serious physical and mental disorders, while either ignoring or downplaying the incredible results now demonstrated in adult and core-blood stem cell research.

Moreover, a great falsehood been spread that President Bush and fellow Republicans opposed to embryonic stem cell research have attempted to ban it outright, when the truth is that all they have done is to seek to deny it government funding. Those who want to pursue it are free to find other sources of revenue, which - if the promises made on its behalf were credible - would be readily available from sources such as drug companies.

Such funding is not forthcoming, and for very good reasons.

Think about it this way: there are about 70 to 80 million baby boomers right now on the cusp of reaching the age where they will be susceptible to Alzheimer's disease.

With that many people just in the U.S. facing the threat of falling prey to Alzheimer's disease, wouldn't you think that if there were an answer to the problem - as the use of embryonic stem cells has been widely touted to be by its proponents - that the drug companies would be falling all over themselves to throw money at those wanting to do ESC research and come up with cures that would make them hundreds of billions in profits?

The fact that the drug companies have turned their back on ESC research should tell you something. One reason is that there is absolutely no basis for the claims that ESC holds a promise to cure all sorts of ailments from Alzheimer's to Parkinson's, or even spinal cord injuries. It's all smoke and mirrors and most of it is based on a single source -- the thoroughly discredited claims of South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk, who has been convicted of falsifying his research data.

One damning result of the ESC research that has been done is the fact that when the cells are injected into lab animals many grow brain tumors – some malignant and fatal. Thus far, that is the sole fruit of ESC research – fatal brain tumors. Drug companies aren't interested in funding that kind of outcome. There's no money in producing brain tumors.

In contrast to the dismal results of ESC, research on adult and cord-blood stem cells has produced real results, helping to cure such maladies as sickle cell anemia, lymphoma and juvenile leukemia. As a result funding is no problem here.

Claims that the president and his party are opposed to stem cell research fall flat on their back when you recall that last year Congress overwhelmingly passed - and the president signed - a bill funding the saving and storage of therapeutic core-blood stem cells and providing $150 million to fund storage of the cells.

posted October 28, 2006 02:45 PM              

quote:

---

Know what Petron? Rush Limbaugh is absolutely right.
In the MJF response to Limbaugh, his movements were not nearly as severe as they were in the political ad...by about half.

In his OWN book Fox tells of going off his meds before testifying before Congressional committees to give his testimony more dramatic impact.

This is in direct contradiction to some material posted here that being off PD meds causes less movement, stiffness and seeming paralyses.--jwhop

---

you seem to have missed the point....fox was on his meds....which cause those types of movements (which pd sufferers find preferable to the bradykinsea of no meds).....and as he stated, the effects vary, you dont know what your going to get one day to the next.....

so youre claiming the same thing rush did.....that fox was faking.......

posted October 28, 2006 02:46 PM              

quote:

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He's pushing federally funded embryonic stem cell research.--jwhop

---

quote:

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The ad says not one word about embryonic stem cell research.--jwhop

---

quote:

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There is no Bush restriction on stem cell research per se. Only on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.--jwhop

---

quote:

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The Republican, Jim Talent is not against "stem cell research". Neither is the Bush administration attempting to criminalize "stem cell research".--jwhop

---

obviously the phrase "stem cell research" includes embryonic stem cell research

posted October 28, 2006 02:48 PM              

******************
------------------
Why are embryonic stem cells important?
Embryonic stem cells are of great interest to medicine and science because of their ability to develop into virtually any other cell made by the human body. In theory, if stem cells can be grown and their development directed in culture, it would be possible to grow cells of medical importance such as bone marrow, neural tissue or muscle.

The first potential applications of human embryonic stem cell technology may be in the area of drug discovery. The ability to grow pure populations of specific cell types offers a proving ground for chemical compounds that may have medical importance. Treating specific cell types with chemicals and measuring their response offers a short-cut to sort out chemicals that can be used to treat the diseases that involve those specific cell types. Stem cell technology, therefore, would permit the rapid screening of hundreds of thousands of chemicals that must now be tested through much more time-consuming processes.

The study of human development also benefits from embryonic stem cell research. The earliest stages of human development have been difficult or impossible to study. Human embryonic stem cells offer insights into developmental events that cannot be studied directly in humans in utero or fully understood through the use of animal models. Understanding the events that occur at the first stages of development has potential clinical significance for preventing or treating birth defects, infertility and pregnancy loss. A thorough knowledge of normal development could ultimately allow the prevention or treatment of abnormal human development. For instance, screening drugs by testing them on cultured human embryonic stem cells could help reduce the risk of drug-related birth defects.

How might embryonic stem cells be used to treat disease?
The ability to grow human tissue of all kinds opens the door to treating a range of cell-based diseases and to growing medically important tissues that can be used for transplantation purposes. For example, diseases like juvenile onset diabetes mellitus and Parkinson's disease occur because of defects in one of just a few cells types. Replacing faulty cells with healthy ones offers hope of lifelong treatment. Similarly, failing hearts and other organs, in theory, could be shored up by injecting healthy cells to replace damaged or diseased cells.

Why not derive stem cells from adults?
There are several approaches now in human clinical trials that utilize mature stem cells (such as blood-forming cells, neuron-forming cells and cartilage-forming cells). However, because adult cells are already specialized, their potential to regenerate damaged tissue is very limited: skin cells will only become skin and cartilage cells will only become cartilage. Adults do not have stem cells in many vital organs, so when those tissues are damaged, scar tissue develops. Only embryonic stem cells, which have the capacity to become any kind of human tissue, have the potential to repair vital organs.

Another limitation of adult stem cells is their inability to proliferate in culture. Unlike embryonic stem cells, which have a capacity to reproduce indefinitely in the laboratory, adult stem cells are difficult to grow in the lab and their potential to reproduce diminishes with age. Therefore, obtaining clinically significant amounts of adult stem cells may prove to be difficult.

Studies of adult stem cells are important and will provide valuable insights into the use of stem cell in transplantation procedures. However, only through exploration of all types of stem cell research will scientists find the most efficient and effective ways to treat diseases.

What are the benefits of studying embryonic stem cells?
Pluripotent stem cells represent hope for millions of Americans. They have the potential to treat or cure a myriad of diseases, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, spinal cord injuries and burns.

This extraordinary research is still in its infancy and practical application will only be possible with additional study. Scientists need to understand what leads cells to specialization in order to direct cells to become particular types of tissue. For example, islet cells control insulin production in the pancreas, which is disrupted in people with diabetes. If an individual with diabetes is to be cured, the stem cells used for treatment must develop into new insulin-producing islet cells, not heart tissue or other cells. Research is required to determine how to control the differentiation of stem cells so they will be therapeutically effective. Research is also necessary to study the potential of immune rejection of the cells, and how to overcome that problem.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/packages/stemcells/facts.html#3

An Embryonic Stem Cell Model For Parkinson's Disease

Despite the well-characterized cellular basis of Parkinson's disease -- the degeneration of dopamine-production neurons -- the molecular mechanisms responsible for the neurodegeneration remain unknown. Part of the challenge is finding a model that can adequately mimic the loss of dopamine cells. In two papers published in PLoS Biology, Asa Abeliovich and colleagues make the case that a model based on mouse embryonic stem cells offers a promising platform for dissecting the disease mechanism of Parkinson's.

Oxidative stress has long been associated with neuronal cell death and neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's. Proving a causal relationship between oxidative stress and neurodegeneration, however, requires establishing a molecular mechanism. These results support a link between oxidative damage and disease, and provide a tractable model for both studying the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease and screening potential neuroprotectant drugs. The authors are hoping to extend their work to human embryonic stem cells, but their work is limited by the availability of such cells under the current NIH guidelines.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041005074846.htm

Embryonic Mouse Stem Cells Reduce Symptoms in Model for Parkinson's Disease

NINDS is part of the
National Institutes of
Health

For release: Thursday, June 20, 2002

Embryonic mouse stem cells transformed into neurons in a lab dish and then transplanted into a rat model for Parkinson's disease (PD) form functional connections and reduce disease symptoms, a new study shows. The finding suggests that embryonic stem (ES) cells may ultimately be useful for treating PD and other brain diseases.

These rats have parkinsonian symptoms on one side of their bodies. A similar group of rats received transplants of ES cells without the Nurr1 gene, and a third group received sham operations.

"Dr. McKay's experiments further our understanding of the potential of stem cells to develop into differentiated neurons," says Audrey S. Penn, M.D., Acting Director of NINDS. "They provide proof of principle that we can start with embryonic stem cells and end up with dopamine neurons that are useful in a model for Parkinson's disease."

Since undifferentiated ES cells sometimes multiply out of control and form tumors, the researchers measured the number of cells in the grafts at several time points after the transplants. The number of cells in the grafted areas appeared to stabilize by 4 weeks after the transplants, and none of the rats developed tumors.

While the results suggest that ES cell-derived neurons may be useful for treating PD and other neurological diseases, they are still preliminary, Dr. McKay says. Researchers need much more information about how the cells interact with the host brain and about their safety before similar strategies can be tested in humans. He and his colleagues are planning studies to address these questions.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news_and_events/press_releases/pressrelease_stemcells_062002 .htm

posted October 28, 2006 03:14 PM              

quote:

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But many, mostly Republicans, oppose ESC research because harvesting the cells requires killing a living human embryo

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posted October 30, 2006 04:16 PM            

Jwhop summed it all up right there with this quote

"jwhop
Knowflake
Posts: 7408
From: Madeira Beach, Florida
Registered: Aug 2001
posted October 26, 2006 05:36 PM
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I like what Pid posted regarding the pathology and symptoms of PD and also some possible external causes.
Also the fact Pid said it's irrelevant how he got it and that it's a horrifying disease. I agree.

I agree with this too and think most people would do the same...it's honest as well.

"Had I been a drug user and contracted a disease I would still do everything humanly possible to try and find a cure or use my status (in the case of a celebrity) to find a cure.""

If you can't comprehend those words, then its better for me not to waste any more time on you since you will use your filter and not listen to what is real.

posted October 30, 2006 04:22 PM            

"those who think mjf is just a heroin shooting faker need not watch this...."

Who said I called him a heroin shooting faker? Please find that in our posts (mine and other's that questioned whether he allowed his symptoms to be hyper exaggerated)

posted November 01, 2006 03:18 PM            

Includes sting ray barb in Steve Irwin's chest for Halloween

Of course Maher must be given a pass by the left. He's one of the self identified leftist intellectuals.

Leftist intellectuals must self identify themselves or the rest of us would fail to notice their brilliance.

posted November 01, 2006 03:28 PM            

To add to that, these are some of the same people that constantly defend people like Charlie Sheen (another former drug addict) and state the child porn allegations stemmed from his ex-wife being duped by the right wing conspiracy.

posted November 01, 2006 03:58 PM            

Thanks for bringing up Ronald Reagan...and the rude, crude, demeaning, dehumanizing comments made about him when he announced he had Alzheimer's.

Now, let's really blow the lid off this thread.

Michael J Fox was put forward to lie about Republicans and also lie about stem cell research precisely because the left perceived him to be another "untouchable". Someone who enjoyed immunity from any negative comment, someone who could not be refuted.

Ann Coulter has identified some other leftist "untouchables". Of course, leftists screeched, shrieked, screamed and wet themselves on que.

Turns out that MJF has admitted he hasn't even read the Missouri ballot initiative he came out in favor of...which the Republican candidate opposes and the left's chosen one is pushing on Missouri voters.