Posted on 01/30/2012 4:34:33 PM PST by Dysart
Research into how iron, copper, zinc and other metals work in the brain may help unlock some of the secrets of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Iron and copper appear to accumulate beyond normal levels in the brains of people with these diseases, and a new, Australian study published Sunday shows reducing excess iron in the brain can alleviate Alzheimer's-like symptoms—at least in mice.
A genetic mutation related to regulating iron is linked to ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. Zinc, on the other hand, appears to impair memory if its levels get too low or if it gets into a brain region where it doesn't belong, as it can with traumatic brain injury.
Research into the complicated, invisible roles these metals play in brain diseases has lagged behind study of the more-visible proteins that are damaged or clump together in the brains of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's sufferers. But better understanding metals' role in the brain could help shed light on a range of medical conditions and might offer a new route for developing treatments, scientists say.
"The field is coming around to the idea of the cause of Alzheimer's being multifactorial," and disturbed metal regulation could be one of those factors, says Ralph Nixon, chairman of the Alzheimer Association's medical and scientific advisory council and director of the Silberstein Alzheimer's Institute at New York University.
Tiny metal ions—charged particles of the elements—serve several essential functions in the body, including facilitating chemical reactions to generate energy and preserving the structure of proteins. Strict checks and balances in a healthy body keep metal levels within a tight range.
But the biological changes that come with disease and aging—as opposed to poisoning from outside sources like food, supplements or metal pans—can knock levels of these metals out of whack in the brain.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I zinc you’ll dig this topic, ore at least won’t mine it.
I haven't seen where it's been dropped as suspect, have you?
You know what? You can get the metals out. Cheaply. With over-the-counter stuff.
Yep.
DMSA, DMPS, EDTA.
Mostly the protocols are on YouTube, and they’re mostly simple. It’s liberal hippy whackos who are typically into this, however, so be prepared to sometimes hear about bike paths, or chem-trails, or about how money is bad.
I almost couldn’t stand it.
But...if you follow the protocols for 6 months or so, you’ll be fine. It’s not fast, but it is cheap and simple.
I’ll stop here cuz sometimes people tell me to shut up about this because I don’t have an M.D..
I wonder if anybody told them that stone, such as granite, contains radium and other radioactive metals?
And that radon comes from the decay of radium?
Truth is, a definitive finding of strict causation is pretty scarce in these matters...about as common as isolating specific mechanism of action in many drugs—elusive.
I’m probably going to pass.
Guess what, were all going to die anyway. : P
Violent criminals tend to suffer from lack of metals in their brains and can apparently be cured by administering a few grams of lead at high velocity.
Now there's proof of causation. Cured indeed.
They may be onto something here — brains have giant veins in them, metal is found in giant veins... need I go on?!? ;’)
Thanks Dysart.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.