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[Brent S]

One thing I forgot to mention in the post about eating brain tissue:

Prions are not destroyed by cooking.

Sugical instruments can be autoclaved with standards that make them surgically sterile, yet the prions will survive on the instruments and can infect someone from cross contamination in the operating room.

Bleach won't even destroy them, although strong hydrochloric acid probably would with prolonged exposure.

No problem there, I’m not eating anything’s brains, mammalian or otherwise....

 

[Kevin L]

No problem there, I’m not eating anything’s brains, mammalian or otherwise....

I would hope not.

There is even strong evidence that plants can take prions into their systems when they absorb water and nutrients from the ground, and that people can get prion disease from eating these food plants.

Scarey thought.

 

[Brent S]

I would hope not.

There is even strong evidence that plants can take prions into their systems when they absorb water and nutrients from the ground, and that people can get prion disease from eating these food plants.

Scarey thought.

That’s the whole reason I like to grow my own foods. In reality though, even then you’re not 100% certain of being healthy. The land I am on was part of a huge apple grove 80 to 100 years ago. God knows what kind of pesticides were used here and could still be on the ground. Oh well, something is going to kill you sooner or later, but not eating brains is an easy thing to avoid for me.

 

[Kevin L]

I agree with you.

There's a difference between sensible eating habits and being paranoid of eating anything because the world wants to kill you.

I also have a theory about prion diseases that I can't find an answer for.

Do prions accumulate in graveyards and, perhaps, leach into groundwater?

If prions survive autoclaving and bleach, do they survive embalming fluid?

I know that I wouldn't want my dream home anywhere near a cemetary for that reason...especially because I want well water.

 

[Robinjopo1]

Yuck.

Seriously, though, your cousin should change his culinary habits.

Eating mammalian brain tissue can lead to certian nasty, protracted, fatal neurological diseases from prions.

An example is Crutzfeld-Yakov disease.

Also, cannibals in Papua New Guinea died from a disease called kuru, which comes from eating human brain tissue.

These diseases all produce spongiform encephalopathy, which means that the brain gradually wastes away as it becomes clogged with a kind of plaque and filled with microscopic holes.

Tell your cousin to stop eating brain tissue right now.

That was when they were young. They didn't get mad cow disease. They are all well except for a couple that were killed in accidents.

 

[Kevin L]

That was when they were young. They didn't get mad cow disease. They are all well except for a couple that were killed in accidents.

I'm sorry about your family members that died in car accidents.

It's good that they didn't get mad cow, and that they're fine and healthy.

Still, though...sucking out brains?

Yuck.

 

[Brent S]

I agree with you.

There's a difference between sensible eating habits and being paranoid of eating anything because the world wants to kill you.

I also have a theory about prion diseases that I can't find an answer for.

Do prions accumulate in graveyards and, perhaps, leach into groundwater?

If prions survive autoclaving and bleach, do they survive embalming fluid?

I know that I wouldn't want my dream home anywhere near a cemetary for that reason...especially because I want well water.

I’ve always thought that living anywhere near a cemetery would have contaminated groundwater. Just from the embalming fluids. I doubt the prion could survive much longer after the body decomposed though.

 

[DrHenley]

I’ve always thought that living anywhere near a cemetery would have contaminated groundwater. Just from the embalming fluids. I doubt the prion could survive much longer after the body decomposed though.

The thing that makes prions so insidious is that they are extremely stable molecules and are very difficult to destroy. In the case of Cronic Wasting Disease, they believe that when an infected deer dies and decomposes, the prions are absorbed into the ground, then are taken up by grass. Then other deer eat the grass and become infected.

 

[Brent S]

The thing that makes prions so insidious is that they are extremely stable molecules and are very difficult to destroy. In the case of Cronic Wasting Disease, they believe that when an infected deer dies and decomposes, the prions are absorbed into the ground, then are taken up by grass. Then other deer eat the grass and become infected.

Yikes!

 

[Kevin L]

The thing that makes prions so insidious is that they are extremely stable molecules and are very difficult to destroy. In the case of Cronic Wasting Disease, they believe that when an infected deer dies and decomposes, the prions are absorbed into the ground, then are taken up by grass. Then other deer eat the grass and become infected.

Didn't know that, but it makes sense.

Does this mean that any cemetary is a kind of Love Canal for infectious prions?

 

[DrHenley]

The incidence of CJD (Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease) is only one in one million, so the chances of getting even one resident of the cemetery with CJD is very low. And if there is a modern casket, which is usually the case now, it should be contained for up to centuries.

 

[Kevin L]

The incidence of CJD (Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease) is only one in one million, so the chances of getting even one resident of the cemetery with CJD is very low. And if there is a modern casket, which is usually the case now, it should be contained for up to centuries.

I see.

Such diseases are, indeed, very rare...but my point (which I didn't clarify earlier, and should have) is that rare diseases become epidemic in disasters. Malaria doesn't exist in the U.S. unless someone contracts it abroad, but the anopheline mosquitoes are alive and well in the U.S., so if things fall apart, it's probably only a matter of time until malaria becomes an epidemic.

Do we need to consider CJD and its variants in the same light? I don't know if I could catch a prion disease from eating deer with chronic wasting disease, but I wouldn't want to chance it.

There's even a school of thought that gives serious credibility to the idea that Alzheimer's is a prion disease...and that horrible condition isn't rare (unfortunately).

Perhaps worrying about such things after SHTF is like worrying about an asteroid strike when we run the numbers...so eating brain tissue shouldn't be a big deal.

I don't know.

I was just throwing the idea out there.

 

[DrHenley]

So far CWD hasn't jumped the species barrier, but it doesn't mean it won't. They recommend precautions when handling deer carcasses in CWD prone areas just in case.

But then again, it's not completely settled that prions are responsible for spreading CWD. Some believe it is spread by virus and that prions are just a symptom.

 

[Kevin L]

Thank you.

There's a lot out there that's under suspicion for this or that, so where does a person place confidence in what to eat?

As an example, I hear that fish is very healthy because of omega-3, low in saturated fats, and so on.

Then I hear about mercury, and how someone shouldn't eat certian fish more than three times a week...yet a constant diet of red meat leads to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, colon cancer, and so on.

Eating poultry is good because it's low in fat...and then we hear about antibiotics and hormones that cause problems.

A vegetarian diet is healthy...and then we hear that soy causes spikes in estrogen, and grains (and I am sensitive to gluten) can cause all kinds of horrible things...

And so on.

How does one eat post SHTF with a priority toward prevention since hospital and advanced medical care may be at a premium?

Also along with this question is how do we figure risks with food when there are no FDA standards to enforce cleanliness and hygiene?

 

[Brent S]

Thank you.

There's a lot out there that's under suspicion for this or that, so where does a person place confidence in what to eat?

As an example, I hear that fish is very healthy because of omega-3, low in saturated fats, and so on.

Then I hear about mercury, and how someone shouldn't eat certian fish more than three times a week...yet a constant diet of red meat leads to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, colon cancer, and so on.

Eating poultry is good because it's low in fat...and then we hear about antibiotics and hormones that cause problems.

A vegetarian diet is healthy...and then we hear that soy causes spikes in estrogen, and grains (and I am sensitive to gluten) can cause all kinds of horrible things...

And so on.

How does one eat post SHTF with a priority toward prevention since hospital and advanced medical care may be at a premium?

Also along with this question is how do we figure risks with food when there are no FDA standards to enforce cleanliness and hygiene?

I have a feeling that if shtf, all our standards will be a lot lower when it comes to food. I recently even stated, jokingly, that I could probably eat kale and turnips in a pinch. I have a feeling that those two things may be considered a delicacy if things get really bad.

 

[Robinjopo1]

Squirrels taste like chicken!

Hey guys, I don't have Wi-Fi. I looked at out satellite on garage roof, close to the motion detector, AND the damned wire has been severed. Probably the squirrels again. Therefore, I won't be on often for I few day but will be checking in periodically. Have a great day.

 

[DrPrepper]

Hey guys, I don't have Wi-Fi. I looked at out satellite on garage roof, close to the motion detector, AND the damned wire has been severed. Probably the squirrels again. Therefore, I won't be on often for I few day but will be checking in periodically. Have a great day.

I hate squirrels for this very reason.

 

[Robinjopo1]

I hate squirrels for this very reason.

Hey Dr. How hot are these wires can I fix them or will I get knocked off the roof?

 

[grayghost668]

Hey Dr. How hot are these wires can I fix them or will I get knocked off the roof?

robin if you are talking about coax I don't think you will even feel a tingle,,,,,I have patched mine up several times over the years

 

[Robinjopo1]

robin if you are talking about coax I don't think you will even feel a tingle,,,,,I have patched mine up several times over the years

Thanks. I'll get out the ladder later. I don't see how it could be very powerful.