http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/magazine/teenage-girls-twitching-le-roy.html?pagewanted=all
.
Article then goes on to outline that both these girls do have stressors - the mother of one has health issues, and the father of the other girl is an absentee dad. Gives lots of details about the history of the town (used to be prosperous, now is not so much) and about the treatments and testing the sufferers received. Author interviewed five of the girls, none of whom had relationships with their fathers and one of whom was almost homeless due to family and financial problems. One of the boys affected was a foster child who had recently switched homes right before his tics started.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/a...eens-of-leroy-and-conversion-disorder/252582/
TCE has been linked to cancer, toxicologist Dr. LuAnn White told CNN. But it's not a proven carcinogen. Besides, White said, TCE would be cleared quickly from the body. After a few days, it wouldn't even show up in urine or blood tests -- and any symptoms would disappear. White, the director of the Tulane Center for Applied Environmental Public Health Sciences, said the students
would have had to have been exposed to huge amounts of TCE for an extended period of time to show symptoms, and none of them, not even 36-year-old Marge Fitzsimmons, had been born when the TCE left behind by the derailed train cars was as its strongest.
Aha, but what about these girls' grandparents? Epigenomic research is bearing out that we inherit the fallout (in rna) of our grandparent's exposures and "sins," their smoking, drinking, medicines, toxic compounds, starvation, etc.. As a matter of fact, I currently believe that the hypertension and obesity epidemic in this country is a direct consequence of the Great Depression their grandparents endured.
So, my question about these girls is: were their families living in the area or working for the railroad when the TCE contamination occurred???
If you don't know about epigenomes or epigenetics, there are some great informational video (like Nova or Natl Geographic) that explain in detail. It's fascinating!! And, not only that, it made me aware of all the things I've been exposed to that will land on my grands,
. On the upside, my sons, who aren't fathers yet, have this information early enough in life to start making conscious choices about what they do with their bodies as young men.
Here's a rather dry scientific look at the subject, I'll hunt down the others, too.
Epigenetic Inheritance
“What Genes Remember”
Epigenetic inheritance of acquired characters more powerful than inheritance of genes
The experience of one generation can modify genes passed on to the next via a variety of mechanisms that blur the distinction between epigenetic and genetic Dr. Mae-Wan Ho
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/epigeneticInheritance.php
Epigenetics
Environmental factors can alter the way our genes are expressed, making even identical twins different. Aired July 24, 2007 on PBS
Program Description
Once nurture seemed clearly distinct from nature. Now it appears that our diets and lifestyles can change the expression of our genes. How? By influencing a network of chemical switches within our cells collectively known as the epigenome. This new understanding may lead us to potent new medical therapies. Epigenetic cancer therapy, for one, already seems to be yielding promising results
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/epigenetics.html
the transcript:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/epigenetics.html
and this Time Magazine article is good-- it gives a quick, concise, and not too technical rundown on the science and findings :
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1952313,00.html
I really do want to know how long the families have been in the region.
