In 1996 there was an outbreak of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) (aka “Mad Cow Disease”) in England that was the springboard for new and urgent research in several areas. The outbreak caused 183,000 animals and dozens of people to die. In late 2003 BSE was found in a cow in NW United States, and the research has taken another surge. (Since 1989 the U.S. has banned imported beef from countries with known cases of BSE, but the cow that caused the disease in 2003 had been imported from Canada two years earlier.) Currently the test performed to determine whether or not BSE is present takes 5 days to complete, but new tests are being perfected which can render accurate results in 36 to 48 hours.

The agent that causes BSE in cows is unknown (it appears to be associated with abnormal, infectious protein prions), but it IS known that the death of neurons in the brain cause the brain tissue to become “spongy” and causes the cow’s brain to deteriorate, which in turn causes the cow to behave differently and eventually die. The BSE cases in England came to an all-time high in January, 1993 when there were about 1,000 new cases a week. There is evidence that the cattle contracted the disease by eating feed from meat and bone meal that was made from sheep that had scrapie (scrapie is another Spongiform Encephalopathy). (These poor sheep were obviously infected, because scrapie causes twitching, excitability, severe itching and thirst, emaciation, weakness and paralysis). People who then eat beef or beef products from infected cows may come down with a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease (vCJD). (Milk and other dairy products are not believed to transmit the disease).

CJD was first described in 1920. This is a fatal brain disorder that is both rare and degenerative; patients usually die within a year. There are three types of CJD: Sporadic (85% of all cases), Hereditary (5-10% of all cases) and Acquired (less than 1% since 1920). The first two types of CJD generally occur in older people (symptoms show up around age 60), but Acquired – the type that results from eating BSE-infected cows – usually strikes younger people (29 is the median age). CJD is a dementia that progresses rapidly and often involves muscle spasms and personality change (including failing memory, impaired thinking and judgment). Impaired vision and hearing, insomnia, and problems with sensations are also experienced. The person lapses into a coma and dies.

Creutzfeldt-Jacob is NOT transmitted by casual contact - spouses and other family members of a CJD person are no more likely to get the disease than the general population. Person-to-person infection is rare, but has occurred because of such procedures as infected dura mater (brain tissue covering) grafts, use of improperly sterilized electrodes implanted in the brain, and injection of contaminated pituitary growth hormone. However, doctors and other health care workers who come in contact with brain tissue or spinal cord fluid from CJD patients must take extra precautions to assure no exposure to infected material occurs. Normal sterilization procedures such as washing and boiling, even pressure-cooking, are ineffective against this problem.

Since there is no known cure for CJD, treatment is primarily a matter of making the patient as comfortable as possible by alleviating pain and relieving other symptoms.

RECIPES THAT DO NOT INCLUDE BEEF

Soup With Turkey Sausage (serves 4 or 5)(based on recipe in Men’s Health website)

Spray bottom of soup pot with non-stick cooking spray. Add:

• 1 onion, chopped or quartered and sliced
• 2 garlic, minced
• 4 smoked turkey sausages, cut into rounds

Cook on med heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is browned and onion is opaque. Add:

• 5 c. chicken broth
• 1 c. dried lentils, rinsed
• 1-15 oz can stewed tomatoes, juice and all
• 1 TB Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp ground cumin

Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.

Add:

• 1 or 2 carrots, either sliced or shredded
• 1 or 2 stalks celery, sliced or chopped
• 1 c. baby spinach, rinsed and chopped

Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat again and simmer gently for 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Grilled Portobello Sandwich (serves 2)(based on recipe in Men’s Health website)

Marinate for several hours in a resealable plastic bag or small plastic bowl with tight fitting lid in refrigerator, shaking occasionally (if possible):

• 2 portobello mushrooms
• ½ c. Italian dressing OR herb vinaigrette

On grill or in non-stick skillet cook for 4-5 minutes per side:

• the marinated mushrooms
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced

Make a sauce using:

• 2TB light mayonnaise
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced

Spread the sauce on:

• 2 onion rolls

Complete the sandwiches with the grilled mushrooms, red peppers and Monterey Jack Cheese.

Impossible Chicken and Broccoli Pie (serves 6-8)

Preheat oven to 375^o. Grease a 10” pie plate.

Combine in bowl:

• 1-10 oz pkg frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained well
• 1-1/2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
• 2/3 c. onion, chopped
• ¾ c. shredded cheddar

Stir and then put into the pie plate.

Combine in blender container:

• 1-1/3 c. milk
• 3 eggs
• ¾ c. Bisquick
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

Process for 15 seconds (or beat for 1 minute with mixer in a bowl). Pour over mixture in pie plate. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Top with:

• ¾ c. shredded cheddar

Return to oven for several more minutes, just until cheese melts. Cool 5 minutes before slicing.

Easy Pineapple Dessert

Preheat oven to 350^o.

Combine in 9x13 cake pan:

• 1-1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1 c. boiling water

Add:

• 1-20 oz. can crushed pineapple, UNdrained

Sprinkle on, but do not stir:

• 1-18 oz. pkg. white OR yellow cake mix

Drizzle over top:

• ½ c. (1 stick) butter ORmargarine

Sprinkle on top of that:

• 1 c. grated coconut
• 1 c. chopped nuts

Bake for 50 minutes, until it tests done with a toothpick. Delicious warm with ice cream. Can also be served cold with whipped cream.

Endnotes

Nat’l Institute of Health/Nat’l Library of Medicine http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/creutzfeldtjakobdisease.html

Center for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/cjd/bse_cjd_qa.htm

How Stuff Works
http://science.howstuffworks.com/mad-cow-disease.htm/printable

Some recipes inspired by http://www.menshealth.com/cda/home/0,6922,s1-0-0-0-0,00.html

IH Distribution LLC, who brought you this article, has a full line of professional skin care & nutritional products: all products (including anti-aging products) can be purchased with a 30 day money-back guarantee

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