I thought my readers might enjoy knowing that my brother Paul and his team of scientists are making some exciting advances in the treatment of diseases involving the miss-folding of proteins in the brain, including ALS, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s diseases . The recent ALS fund raiser involving pouring ice water on the heads of donors (a dubious enterprise) raised nearly forty million dollars. Here is a short clip of the famous actor, Harrison Ford, accepting the challenge and naming my brother and several of his associates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj_V_SxXy2U
Paul spent many years searching for new medicines from plants used by traditional healers in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. For these efforts TIME magazine named him one of 11 “Heroes of Medicine.” His efforts in preserving island rain forests were recognized with the Goldman Environmental Prize.
You can learn more about his research at the website of his research institute in Jackson Hole, Wyoming here: http://www.ethnomedicine.org/
Not long ago, Paul was invited to make a TEDx lecture onsite in Jackson Hole that explains these advances in simple language. Here it is if you are interested:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jWi6WQQ9wo
The Institute for Ethnomedicine is a non-profit enterprise and is not associated with any government agency; it is wholly funded through donations. The Jackson Hole laboratory is one of the most advanced of its kind in the world. The clinical trials for the drug discoveries are being conducted in Australia, and I am personally taking a dosage to reduce my generally advancing stupidity and the crankiness of old age. So, do me a small favor and send them your spare change. Otherwise I may soon be reduced to writing garbage in this blog (perhaps it’s already too late…..).
