Distorted UV rays in Utah

MSers and Limbolanders,

I forgot to mention that the MS specialist MD I heard speak recently also said that the reason why there are many cases of MS in Utah, where it is very sunny and people can usually get plenty of sunshine, is because the UV rays here are somewhat abnormal - so they don't result in the kind of vitamin D production that usually would occur.  Thought that was interesting.

WAF

[Nancy T]

That sounds odd. I would think rather it would be the genetic backgrounds, as many Mormon converts came from England, Scandinavia, and other northern European countries.

[Quixotic1]

Distorted UV rays in one state.....

Huh?  Sounds like magical thinking.

I wonder if they bleed over into Nevada or anything.  Utah is not a hotbed of MS that I am aware of.

I have to agree with Nancy.

Quix

[Weakandfalling]

Sorry this is a late post, but haven't had time for the things I enjoy.  Even now, a stack of mail is screaming to be opened!!

I agree with both of you that it does sound very odd that Utah would have distorted UV rays.  However, that statement did come from a respected MD specializing in MS who is based at the U. of Utah.  I'm not sure he meant that Utah had a huge number of MSers compared to other states, but he did mean that Utah did have a disproportionate number of  MSers considering the vast amount of sunshine exposure we have here.  In other words, for the sunshine experienced, we should have fewer cases than we do of MS.  He did feel his UV statement was true.   Needless to say the U of U is a "C-rated school" so now you know why I am having such a hard time getting any kind of diagnosis here!!  (most of our MDs here were educated there).

However, we do have a local company in downtown Salt Lake City with the innocuous-sounding name of  "Energy Solutions" that actually makes money by IMPORTING nuclear waste from other countries such as Italy etc.  No telling what it does with the waste, where it ends up, or how it might affect our lives here.  We do have a several-square-mile area locally that is inexplicably having far more ALS cases than would normally be expected in a given population.  Hmmmm . . . . I'd move to gorgeous Oregon if I could only tolerate the rain - but I'm a desert person -thriving on aridity.

Thanks for your thoughts!

WAF

P.S.  Regarding our kindly Mormons, they seem to be far harder hit by Parkinson than by MS possibly since they do not drink coffee (which has a protective anti-Parkinson effect).  I could never give up my java:  On my frig is a magnet that rightfully reads:
"Give me coffee and no one gets hurts!"