Gone are the days of sensational headlines created only to assist newspaper hucksters in their quest sell the most copies. Well...wait...uhm...
News broke early this morning about an exciting discovery in the world of science. A chemical has been discovered which has been shown to stop brain deterioration. Let me say that again. The chemical stops the deterioration of the brain.
Every day it seems like there is someone new standing on a rooftop claiming that their vitamin or food additive or diet program or brain therapy is the next big thing in the fight against Alzheimer's. These outrageous claims are typically only rivaled by the ever-increasing list of foods, chemicals, technologies, and TV programs that we should avoid because they undoubtedly cause Alzheimer's. In Reality-ville, where I live most of the time, no one knows what causes Alzheimer's and no one knows how to stop it.
However, when all of the people who typically disregard Chicken Little start looking up at the sky it is worth taking notice.
In Alzheimer's and Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, something goes wrong with specific proteins in the brain. The brain's natural response to this foul up is to stop producing proteins. This "chemical helps brain cells ignore the broken proteins, keep functioning and stay alive."
Perhaps what is so exciting about this discovery are the potential ramifications of the chemical. While scientists are quick to caution that even if successful it could still be a decade before it is available, there is a distinct possibility that they have have found a way to beat Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's. And that is worth shouting about.
So EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24478942
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