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8/9/2019 Medical Charities - Support Compassion, Not Suffering
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Medical Research
NOT SUFFERINGSUPPORT COMPASSION
Medical charities play
an important role
when it comes to
human health, yet
manyof them, including
Cancer Research
UK, the British
Heart Foundation,
theAlzheimers
Society and
Parkinsons UK,
conduct or fund
invasive research
on animals.
However, there is
a better way.
8/9/2019 Medical Charities - Support Compassion, Not Suffering
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CANCERCancers are induced
artificially in animals. This
maybe done byexposing
them to radiation or
cancer-causing chemicals,
injecting themwith
tumourcells, oraltering
an animals genetics.
Theresulting tumourscause great
suffering and are,in anycase, markedly
different from natural human cancers. In
addition, animal responses to carcinogens
can be veryunlike our own.For example,
thelink between smoking and lungcancer
wasfirst observedin people, butalmost
alleffortsover 50 yearsto producesmoking-relatedlung cancer in animals
failed. Consequently, vital health
warnings were delayed for many years.
Given thisbackground, it is hardly
surprising thatanimal responses to
potential cancer therapiesalso differ
from those in humans.The influential US
National Cancer Institute admits that
valuabletreatmentshave probably beenlostdue to animal experiments.
Experimentsoften involve cuttingopen
healthydogs chests and damaging
their hearts. In onerecentstudy,
researchersadministered a drug
supposedly to simulatea disturbance
of the heartrhythmseen inhumans.
Other drugs were then tested fortheir
ability to restore normal rhythm.
A condition called ventricularfibrillation
is a type of disturbance ofheartrhythm,
anda commoncause of suddencardiac
death in humans (where theheart
unexpectedlystops beating).Pigs and
dogs hearts areconsidered thebest
model for studyingthis ailment, and
yetthe artificially induced ventricular
fibrillation in themappearsto be
significantlydifferent fromthe condition
in humans.
eart disease in humans is
ftencaused by cholesterol
eposits onarterywalls, which
an lead to clogged blood
essels andheartattacks. It is
irtually impossible to
eproduce this in dogs, andyet
hey are frequently used for
eart research.
Whilemostbrain disorders
are uniquetohumans,
monkeysarefrequentlyused
in shocking experiments
aimedat understanding
andseeking a remedy for
Parkinsons disease and
other neurological
conditions.
A typicalexperiment involves injecting
destructive chemicals into monkeys
brains,thereby causing brain damage in
an attemptto recreate thesymptomsof
dementia. Different treatmentsmay then
be trialled to assesstheir effects. However,
Lewy bodies,a generally recognised
markerfor thediseasein humans, are
eithernot seen, or only very infrequently,
in theaffected brain regionsof primates.
And, whilstParkinsons becomes
progressively worse in humans,the
chemically-induced marmoset version
demonstrates gradual recovery. As the
conditions are caused artificially,
studyingthemcan,in any case,tellus
little of direct relevance about the cause
and progression of thedisease in people.
Non-invasive research thatis specific
tothe humanbrainis neededif any
real progressis tobe made with these
disorders.
HEARTDISEASE
BRAINDISORDERS
PETA
Notonly is animal research harmful toanimals, it is alsopotentially harmful topeople.
Drugs that are shown tobe safe inanimals may later prove tobedangerous inhumans,while valuable cures and treatments can bemissed if they fail in animal tests.
8/9/2019 Medical Charities - Support Compassion, Not Suffering
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Stopping animal experimentswill not mean an
end to scientific progress. Using non-animal
methods allowsus toobtain data that is more
accurateand relevant to human health and,
therefore, more likely to lead to effectivetreatments. There aremany such alternatives
to animal testing, withmore being developed
all the time.
MRI, CAT and PET scans allow non-invasive
yet detailed analysis of human organs
particularly useful for Alzheimers and
Parkinsons research.
Human DNA, cells, and donated tissue and
organs can be used to analyse disease
processes and test new therapies.
Microdosing allows tiny amounts of
experimental drugs to be tracked in the
human body.
Computer modelling can be used to predict
how drugs will work and what effect they
will have.
Clinical observation of patients and the
study of human populations can yield
valuable information about human disease.
Autopsy studies can reveal why people died
and allow doctors to observe the outcome
of different treatments.
It is also important to focus on education
and disease prevention, as well as better
health care for those who are already ill.
WHATYOUCANDO:
ABETTERWAY
Donate only to those charities
that do not conduct or fund
animal experiments. Contact
Animal Aid at info@animalaid.
org.uk or 01732 364546 for an
up-to-date list.
Contact those charities that are
involved with vivisection and ask
them to reconsider their policies
for the sake of both animal and
human health.
Write to your MP and ask that the
government invests more moneyin developing and implementing
non-animal research methods.
Consider donating part of your
body to be used for research after
your death, and help reduce the
number of animals used. Contact
Animal Aid for more information.
ARS
Animal Aid The Old Chapel, Bradford Street, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 1AW Tel: 01732 364546
Email: [email protected] Registered in the UK as Animal Abuse Injustice and Defence Society. Companynumber 1787309
YES, IWANTTOSUPPORTANIMALAIDS CAMPAIGN
I enclose a cheque or postal
order payable to Animal Aid:
10 20 40 Other
Please send me a FREE
information pack
Name:
Address:
Postcode: Tel No:
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Pleasetick this box if you wouldpreferNOTtoreceive information fromlike-minded organisations.
www.animalaid.org.uk