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FUKUSHIMA FUBAR
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FORGET ABOUT CELL PHONES "PREVENTING" ALZHIMER'S
By William Thomas
FORGET ABOUT CELL PHONES "PREVENTING" ALZHEIMER'S
"Want To Prevent Alzheimer's? Use Your Cell Phone More" trumpeted a scientific website:
If your friends and family give you trouble for spending too much time on your cell phone, scientists at the University of South Florida may have discovered the ultimate excuse for your constant yakking. In a surprising study published today in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, researchers reported the first evidence that long-term exposure to electromagnetic waves associated with cell phone use may actually protect against, and even reverse, Alzheimer's disease. The study also challenges claims that EMF exposure causes brain cancer.
"It surprised us to find that cell phone exposure, begun in early adulthood, protects the memory of mice otherwise destined to develop Alzheimer's symptoms," said lead author Gary Arendash, PhD, USF Research Professor at the Florida ADRC. "It was even more astonishing that the electromagnetic waves generated by cell phones actually reversed memory impairment in old Alzheimer's mice."
[scientificblogging.com Jan 7/10]
The Journal of Alzheimer's Disease gave the "yakking on cell phones is good for you" story big play.
[j-alz.com]
Medical News Today ran it as a Featured Article explaining how an international team of researchers were "surprised" to find that electromagnetic waves protected mice against Alzheimer's - and even reversed the memory damage caused by the disease! [medicalnewstoday.com Jan 7/10]
WebMD Health News actually called cell phone radiation therapy "An effective, non-invasive and drug-free way to treat Alzheimer's disease has finally been discovered." [medicinenet.com Jan 6/10]
The influential Huffington Post posted the story at 5 o'clock on the morning it broke under the banner: "Cell Phone Use May Help Fight Alzheimer's " [huffingtonpost.com 01- 7-10 05:01 AM]
Calling itself "Europe's leading source of resource news," Alpha Galileo posted the "yakking" story, too. [alphagalileo.org Jan 6/10]
Fox News went with co-researcher USF professor Chuanhai Cao saying, "This technology could be quickly translated to human benefit against Alzheimer's disease."
Yahoo News likewise ran with it, exposing millions more readers to the soon to be discredited study. Flickr got it from Yahoo, infecting millions more with the notion that cell phones are now "key allies" in a world war against a disease that was virtually nonexistent before the late 1970's.
The prestigious sciencedaily.com also reprinted the "yakking on cell phones is good for you" story, giving it serious velocity. [sciencedaily.com]
"Mice were exposed to signals from a centrally-located antenna," the BBC reported, in what sounded like a pitch for cell phone towers. The BBC urged everyone to relax and enjoy the rays, saying, "After all the concern over possible damage to health from using mobile phones, scientists have found a potential benefit from radiation."
Associated Content's "Health & Wellness" section spoke for many when it claimed that all previous concerns over cell phone health risks were moot because mobile phones could be used "To Treat Alzheimer's Disease":
"When the world was hit with mobile mania, a lot of spoilers spread the news that they cause brain tumors. However, the scenario is changed now as it was announced that cell phones, indeed, help fight Alzheimer's." [associatedcontent.com Jan 23/10]
LiveScience added, "The radiation gave mice without Alzheimer's a boost in brain activity."
So does caffeine.
THE DRASTIC DUO: CAFFEINE AND CELL PHONES
All this cell phone rejoicing was uncomfortably reminiscent of the last big blast from the same lead Florida U. researcher, Gary Arendash.
"Caffeine could be a viable treatment for established Alzheimer's disease, and not simply a protective strategy. That's important because caffeine is a safe drug for most people," the neuroscientist told reporters last year. [NY Daily News July 6/09]
What caffeine addict could resist a story like this? "Caffeine May Ease Or Reverse Alzheimer's" was the header at healthcentral.com.
Exercise News had a nice little write-up: "Drinking coffee may offer your body more than extra energy in the mornings. New studies suggest caffeine may prevent and reverse memory loss for Alzheimer's patients."
NPR picked it up. The New York Daily News went nuts, reporting: "That mug of morning coffee may do more than keep you from falling asleep at your desk. New research shows it could also help treat or stave off memory loss, a key symptom of Alzheimer's disease."
The CBC liked it, too: "Increased consumption of caffeine may mitigate or even reverse the effects of Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at the Florida Alzheimer's Disease Research Center." [CBC News July 6/09]
Continued in eBook download below...
