[lurkingforacure]

I just read a book called "Blue Sky July" which is about a mother coping with her son who was born with cerebral palsy. It is both sad and beautiful. I doubt anyone could read it, especially a parent, without tearing up.

I never really knew what cp was, and since it is deemed a neurological condition, I looked it up. I was shocked to read the following, and Rick, this is particularly for you, check what Wiki says in this quote:

"Recent research has demonstrated that intrapartum asphyxia is not the most important cause, probably accounting for no more than 10 percent of all cases; rather, infections in the mother, even infections that are not easily detected, may triple the risk of the child developing the disorder, mainly as the result of the toxicity to the fetal brain of cytokines that are produced as part of the inflammatory response"

WOW-what do you all think of this?

[reverett123]

...being not only handsome but modest as well, I must credit the theory to others - Bin Liu and J.S. Hong at the NIH and P.M. Carvey at Rush.

It is the kind of thing that seems so evident in hindsight. Pregnant women routinely harbor infections such as gum disease or vaginosis which generate toxins in their bloodstream. Under some circumstances they get by the placenta. If that happens at the time that certain parts of the immune system are forming, then a series of pro-PD changes occur (fewer dopaminergic neurons for one). It can also at other times affect the endocrine controls of the stress response. As if that wasn't enough, maternal stress can itself add to the latter effect. Some of the effects are on time-delay until the endocrine system yells "Puberty!" and some are present at birth.

There are a lot of variables there that can account for different outcomes. But WAIT! There's MORE! All that mess makes us more vulnerable to other challenges. Things like pesticide exposure are multiplied in their effect, for example. And stress and inflammation damage the BBB.

And so on and so on. The point is that there are so many variables that you could possibly account for a dozen scourges with ease.

Originally Posted by lurkingforacure

I just read a book called "Blue Sky July" which is about a mother coping with her son who was born with cerebral palsy. It is both sad and beautiful. I doubt anyone could read it, especially a parent, without tearing up.

I never really knew what cp was, and since it is deemed a neurological condition, I looked it up. I was shocked to read the following, and Rick, this is particularly for you, check what Wiki says in this quote:

"Recent research has demonstrated that intrapartum asphyxia is not the most important cause, probably accounting for no more than 10 percent of all cases; rather, infections in the mother, even infections that are not easily detected, may triple the risk of the child developing the disorder, mainly as the result of the toxicity to the fetal brain of cytokines that are produced as part of the inflammatory response"

WOW-what do you all think of this?