If Shrub Hadn't Effectively Stopped Stem Cell Research...

[Beloved Citizen]

...Ronald Reagan could very well still be alive today.

[orthogonal]

1. Nope

He died of pneumonia, not the Alzheimer's.

Stem cells aren't going to due much for pneumonia.

[slinkerwink]

5. yes, they can.....but alzheimers was the main cause of his death

[goclark]

13. Could the bullet have brought on Alzheimers?

I was just wondering. He never was the same after that happened.

[slinkerwink]

15. no

[troublemaker]

25. YES Alzheimer's is often induced/advanced by trauma

The family has said for years that he got way worse overnight due to a fall and hat gibes with what I know if the disease. It can advance in leaps and trauma can play a role..

Of course they cannot admit he had Alzheimer's after he was shot because, well... he was holding the nuclear trigger for another 7 years, y'know. But many people that knew him have said he was never the same after being shot. (I think Lou Cannon's bio drew that conclusion also)

[slinkerwink]

2. exactly, or it could have alleviated some of the effects of alzheimers

and reagan would have been able to speak or recognize his family before he died. His death is Bush's fault.

[Dookus]

9. His death was Bush's fault?

that's the silliest thing I've seen in... well, probably 10 minutes considering today.

Reagan was 90 and had already suffered from Alzheimers for at least a decade before Bush became President. Do you really think a cure for Alzheimers would have been found within 3 years?

Stem cell research is still occurring. We should back it more strongly, but it's not like we were on the verge of finding a cure and then Bush slammed the door shut. Stem cell research still occurs in the US. It's occurring all over the world. So far no cure for alzheimers has been found.

[slinkerwink]

12. I never said a "cure"....I said some of the effects of alzheimers could

have been alleviated with the use of stem cell research.

[Dookus]

16. and there is absolutely

no reason why such treatments couldn't have been used on Reagan.

it is not against the law to use stem cells.

Do you even know what Bush did regarding stem cells?

[Dookus]

3. Not likely

he was already very ill when Bush came into office. Plus, stem cell research is still going on, a lot in other countries.

It wouldn't have helped Reagan, but it might some day help you or me. I hope Nancy makes a very strong statement in favor of stem cell research here in the US.

[slinkerwink]

7. you know....it's been three years, and in that time, they could've tried

an experimental stem cell research drug on reagan, (after all, they do have connections)

[azmesa207]

26. Not likely

He had had Alzheimer's for 6 years before Bush became president he was already in the late stages and Stem Cell research would have done no good

[NNadir]

4. This reminds me of my Grandmother who died at 89.

Every year for several decades afterward, my father would make remarks like "if she'd lived, she'd be 104."

This of course is not to compare my Grandmother with Reagan. My Grandmother, for all her faults, was a decent human being.

[Spazito]

6. To be fair, that is not accurate...

stem cell research was only stopped in the US, other countries were not limited and they have yet to get to that point in their research but I am hopeful they will.

Using Reagan as an example, though, is an excellent argument for removing the restrictions placed on stem cell research in the US, imo.

[slinkerwink]

8. there were already instances where doctors were using stem cells on

alzheimer's patients before Bush stopped stem cell research. That was already in the process, but stopped when Bush said no. If he had not done that, the research would have been more advanced and could have helped REagan.

[Dookus]

11. You should learn more about the issue

Bush did not stop stem-cell research.

[slinkerwink]

14. Yes, Bush did by restricting stem cell research to seven lines which is

NOT helpful at all to scientists! He also banned stem cells from aborted fetuses, and said that stem cells could be cultivated from other sources, but it was those seven remaining lines that scientists had to use.

[Spazito]

21. The point the poster made was that Reagan might still be alive...

and that is inaccurate. There are doctors outside of the US that are not limited by the same rules and have not yet saved anyone from Alzheimer's. The US is NOT the only place where research takes place and bush did not stop all stem cell research, he stopped embryonic stem cell research. Other countries do not have that restriction.

[donhakman]

10. Come on, Bush is a pro lifer

[Dookus]

17. no

stem cell research was not even stopped in the US.

Bush refused federal funding for NEW lines of EMBRYONIC stem cells for research.

The existing lines are still being researched. Other lines can be freely researched, just not using government money. Non-embryonic stem cells are wide open for research.

I disagree with his decision on embryonic stem cell lines, but it really doesn't eliminate stem cell research.

[ThatPoetGuy]

24. Somebody's been feeding you a line

"Bush refused federal funding for NEW lines of EMBRYONIC stem cells for research."

The emphases are yours, but they're exactly the ones I want to emphasize.

Embryonic sc's are the ones with the most promise, research-wise.

Not harvesting new lines means, as the old ones become unviable, nothing can be done to make up for it.



"Other lines can be freely researched, just not using government money."

Have you thought about the significance of this?

It means, if Johns-Hopkins decided to do sc research, they'd lose federal funding. Johns-Hopkins would have to shut its doors.

So if no institution that accepts government money can do this valuable research, what does that mean?

It means only private companies can do the research.

It means any resulting procedures will be patented.

"You want to fix your Daddy's Alzheimers? That'll be 20 million dollars."

[Dookus]

31. been feeding me a line?

I make my statement, and then you agree with it, but I'm being fed a line.

I never said I agreed with the decision - I think it was horrible.

But somebody asserted that Bush put a halt to all stem-cell research in the US. That is simply not true.

Just because I don't lie about a decision doesn't mean I agree with it. I can tell the truth about it and still be opposed to it.

[ThatPoetGuy]

36. Do you know, I'm terrible at titles and subject lines?

Sorry for the poor choice of words.

However, the body of my message does aim to show a different spin on the issues.

[MasonJar]

18. Probably not Reagan, but many with his condition in the future.

There are so many reasons to get this man out of power. He is too ignorant to speak much less think. War! No stem cell research! War and crony Haliburton! No to Head Start! War and Haliburton and war crimes against humanity! No to the protection of our environment and world! War and Haliburton and war crimes against humanity and Jesus freakism! No to the voices of our allies! War and Haliburton and war crimes and Jesus freakism and ever-growing deficit! No to peace! War and Haliburton and war crimes and Jesus freakism and deficit and tax cuts for the richest! No to dissent in any form! No to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights! I say No More Bush!

[Cleita]

19. For some perspective, he was ninety three.

If the Alzheimers hadn't done him in something else would have and in just a few years too. Stem cell research could help my husband, too, who suffers from kidney failure, but I don't think at the age of 78 it would buy him that much time. I would like to see it developed though for the young people who would benefit immensely from it.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

20. Pure conjecture

maybe yes, maybe no. It is true it may have been some benefit, but we're only guessing that it ultimately would have made a difference.
One thing is sure: Stem Cell Research must proceed without restraint.
Bush hasn't helped that at all.

[donhakman]

22. The 63 lines were an exaggeration then

There are fewer than 20 of the official lines left.

[louis c]

23. Nancy

The question for us is "how does Nancy feel about the idiot president's opposition to stem cell research". Remember, this has been her driving passion for nearly a decade, and the asshole in the White House could not afford to lose a single vote among his base supporters by showing humanitarian feelings toward her worthy cause. He never missed an opportunity to create obstacles in her path, or to work to undermine her efforts. I'm sure she holds the same feelings toward the drunk in the West Wing as Sen. McCain does. Maybe we will add her to the list of Republicans who will secretly attempt to settle some scores? One can only hope.

[troublemaker]

27. Ab-surd

I'm trying to be less negative all the time, but our perception of the timeline of things like this is a bit off.

[Beloved Citizen]

33. It was supposed to be an absurd post

I love this place, but sometimes it can get lonely.:eyes:

[whistle]

28. The same thing can be said about 150,000 other alzheimers...

...patients who have died during Dubya's term so far.

Alzheimer's deaths on rise
Mortality related to this disease increased more than for any other of the top 10 killers, prompting concern about the ever-increasing burden on caregivers.
By Victoria Stagg Elliott, AMNews staff. March 8, 2004.

Deaths related to Alzheimer's disease increased nearly 6% from 2001 to 2002, according to "Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2002," a report published by the National Center for Health Statistics last month. This finding comes on the heels of a 5% increase between 2000 to 2001, and a 9% increase from 1999 to 2000.

Experts blame the phenomenon on the convergence of several trends, including changes in the death certificate system, improvements in medical technology and a shift in demographics. But they also see the numbers as a warning signal about the continuing strain that spiraling rates of Alzheimer's morbidity and mortality will impose on the health care system.

So, in all likelihood Reagan did not die of the disease of Alzheimers but something else that he got because of his vulnerability.

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/03/08/hlsa0308.htm


Health Reference > Questions & Answers >

Alzheimer's deaths: Common causes?



Question:

My grandmother has advanced Alzheimer's disease. What do most people with this disease die of? Does the brain just quit communicating with the heart?
Gina / Florida

Answer:


There's no one predominant cause of death in people with Alzheimer's disease. However, many people with Alzheimer's die from problems related to the decrease in brain function, which increases the risk of falls and infections. Some common health concerns in people with Alzheimer's include:

Inhaling (aspirating) food or liquid into the lungs due to swallowing difficulties. This can lead to pneumonia.
Urinary incontinence that may require placement of a catheter. Insertion of a catheter increases the risk of serious urinary tract infections.
Falls, which in older adults commonly lead to serious head injuries or fractures of the hip or other bones.
Pulmonary embolism. Inactivity increases the risk of blood clots.
People with Alzheimer's are at increased risk of complications and death from anesthesia and surgery.
Loss of brain function usually doesn't cause death by interfering with the function of the heart.

[madrchsod]

29. no

ronnie was well on his way after he got shot. after he was shot he lost control of the government to bush and this thugs..

[pinto]

30. LA Times article re: stem cell and Alzheimer's Assoc link:

Alzheimer's Association (US)

http://www.alz.org/overview.asp

An initiative that would have California taxpayers underwrite $3 billion worth of research into using embryonic stem cells to develop cures for Alzheimer's and other debilitating diseases qualified for the Nov. 2 ballot Thursday.
Source: The Los Angeles Times


Read the entire article at:

http://www.latimes.com

(free registration required)

[Dookus]

32. Yup

and as a Californian, I look forward to voting for that measure.

[genius]

34. Nancy should sue Dubya

She did a turn-around and begged Congress to back Stem Cell Research.

[PaDUer]

35. If Reagan didn't have alzheimer's

you can bet Nancy wouldn't been active in calling for stem cell research.

[LTR]

37. The guy was 93 years old

I'd say he lived a pretty long life.

Suffered the past decade or so.