JELL-O Deficiency Linked To Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Workers at Kraft Foods, Inc. couldnât be happier in these less than certain economic times.Â  For them, the future looks bright and shiny.JackÂ Pepper, productionÂ managerÂ for Kraft Foodsâ JELL-O Division said, âWe just read a report from the National Council on Osteopathy, and they say gelatin helps relieve carpal tunnel syndrome!Â  We couldnât be happier!âCarpal tunnel syndrome results when unnatural, repetitive pressure is placed on the median nerve located in the wrist.Â  Symptoms include numbness, tingling, shooting pains into the hand, and compromisedÂ handÂ movement.âGelatin is a natural fleor,â said Dr. Ambrose Seelig, of Baltimoreâs Johns Hopkins Medical Center.Â  Dr. SeeligÂ coordinatedÂ a groundbreakingÂ gelatin study after his dog, Joy, accidentally ate an entire JELL-O mold that he and his veterinarian wife had made for a pot-luck dinner.âJoyâs not supposed to have table scraps, but sheâs a tricky one.Â  Sheâs 14, and starting to show signs of slowing down â the usual things that happen with a dog of a certain age,â said the doctor.Â  âShe was having a lot of trouble with her joints; they were stiffening, and her paw actually had what in humans would be diagnosed as carpal tunnel.Â  She scratched at the door so much with repetitive paw movements,Â soÂ her mobility became compromised.ââThen, I had an âOprah Moment,ââ said Seelig. Â âWell, thatâs what my wife called it.âTwo days after Joy ate the JELL-O mold, her mobilityÂ increased and even her coat looked shinier.Â  âI thought I was imagining things,â said the doctor, âbut my wife confirmed it!âJoyâs paw was becoming more mobile.âWe kept feeding her JELL-O,â said Dr. Seelig. Â âShe loves it!Â  She thinks sheâs gettingÂ a treat, but sheâs actually involved in good, sound medical research!âDr. Seelig wondered if the JELL-OÂ treatment could produceÂ the same result for two-legged sufferers.Human trials were arranged at a testing facility in Maryland.Â  An ad was placed on craigslist asking for volunteersÂ who suffered from the syndrome.âWe had personalized bowls of JELL-O lined up, ready and waiting for the volunteers,â said Seelig.Â  Some of them were disappointedÂ that they werenât receiving experimental drugs.Â  A few severe cases couldnât even shake hands or hold a spoon when they walked in, but after a month, their symptoms had disappeared, or were greatly reduced.ââOur division is working âround the clock,â saidÂ JackÂ Pepper, as he supervised production fromÂ the busy JELL-O floor.Â  âWeâve even had to hire a new midnight shift!Â  Itâs great!Â  I look out hereÂ and all I see for miles and miles are happy employees pulling levers up and down, back and forth, again and again and again; boxing gelatin, hand-mixing flavors, sealing bags, over and over and over again â 24/7!Â  Everyoneâs thrilled!âVegan activists are hoping for an equivalent therapy, as most gelatin products are derived from the skin, bones, hooves, and connective tissue of animals, and therefore not fit for human consumption.âJoyâs doing great!â says Dr. Seelig.Â  âExcept for her green tongue. She likes the melon flavor now, though,â he said.