Police Beat Schizophrenic To Death

For those of you who have a schizophrenic male relative it is something you live in fear of. He has a run in with police and doesn't respond to police commands and the police take it personally. Reason magazine has the story, plus video and pictures that are just too horrific for me to repost. But they may have gone after the wrong schizophrenic. His father was a retired police officer. Reason quotes another blogger:

Kelly Thomas, a 37-year-old homeless man with schizophrenia, kept calling for his father as police beat and tased him repeatedly.

But his father, a retired Orange County sheriff’s deputy, was not around.

It wasn't until after Thomas slipped into a coma and was hospitalized with multiple injures that his father saw him.

And by then, it was too late. Thomas never recovered. The 135-pound man died five days after his run-in with Fullerton police.

Read the whole thing. And weep.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Worms Schizophrenia

I was rereading my post Worms Autism and since I referenced one comment from here I thought I ought to read them all. Just in case I missed something interesting. And it looks like I did. Several somethings in fact. Let me start with a bit that interests me personally since I have a close relation with the problem.

A patient using whipworm to treat IBD/Ulcerative Colitis by Mike Luis

[Comment posted 2011-02-01 07:34:30]
Fascinating article. If the hygiene/old friends hypothesis stands correct about the rise of autoimmune diseases in developed countries/areas, and the connection between inflammation and autism is sound, then helminthic therapy holds potential to treat a huge amount of devastating conditions; IBD, Allergies, Asthma, MS, and now Autism, perhaps more. There is even literature on the potential effects on mental illness, such as clinical depression, as related to cytokines. I am a patient who has been using trichuris trichiura (human whipworm) to treat Ulcerative Colitis and have seen incredible success. I blog about my experience here.

Which led me to research cytokines schizophrenia.

Which led me to Cortisol and Cytokines in Chronic and Treatment-Resistant Patients with Schizophrenia: Association with Psychopathology and Response to Antipsychotics.

There is a complex bidirectional communication between the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems that can be demonstrated by the presence of shared neurotransmitters, hormones, and cytokines (Blalock, 1989; Haddad et al, 2002). Communication between these systems plays an essential role in modulating the adequate response of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis to the stimulatory influence of cytokines and stress-related mediators (Spangelo et al, 1995). Growing evidence suggests that, in addition to providing communication between immune cells, specific cytokines play a role in signaling the brain to produce neurochemical, neuroendocrine, neuroimmune, and behavioral changes (Muller and Ackenheil, 1998; Kronfol and Remick, 2000). Recently, studies have shown that the interface between these complex systems is impaired in schizophrenia (SCH, Altamura et al, 1999).

Go to the above link for more links. Way more links.

Here is another one.

Growing evidence suggests that the immune, endocrine, and nervous systems interact with each other through cytokines, hormones, and neurotransmitters. The activation of the cytokine systems may be involved in the neuropathological changes occurring in the central nervous system (CNS) of schizophrenic patients. Numerous studies report that treatment with antipsychotic drugs affects the cytokine network. Hence, it is plausible that the influence of antipsychotics on the cytokine systems may be responsible for their clinical efficacy in schizophrenia. This article reviews current data on the cytokine-modulating potential of antipsychotic drugs. First, basic information on the cytokine networks with special reference to their role in the CNS as well as an up-to-date knowledge of the cytokine alterations in schizophrenia is outlined. Second, the hitherto published studies on the influence of antipsychotics on the cytokine system are reviewed. Third, the possible mechanisms underlying antipsychotics’ potential to influence the cytokine networks and the most relevant aspects of this activity are discussed. Finally, limitations of the presented studies and prospects of future research are delineated.

Well isn't that interesting? So could worms treat schizophrenia? From my limited research all I can say is that no one knows. I did find a link to a now defunct www address that said, "I might try worms", but that is about it.

OK. What else did I find? Another comment that interests me since I know several people with the problem.

Yes, I have read similar about diabetes. by Jan-Olof Flink

[Comment posted 2011-03-23 08:52:27]
Amy Hendrickson asks in the comments if "anyone heard of worms being used to help people with diabetes?"

Yes I did read about that early 2009.
Anne Cooke, professor at Cambridge university and her team showed that they could stop diabetes in mice by giving them some kind of extract made from Schistosoma mansoni, the worm that causes bilharzia

That is quite suggestive. However, I have gone on long enough so I will let you so your own research.

I do like the idea of Dynamic Balance. Which is all you can have when everything is moving around.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

I Blame The Drug War

There are a lot of reports about the Arizona shooter, Jared Loughner, being a pot smoker. But then Dave at Classical Values says that he quit smoking pot and drinking alcohol in August of 2010.

There are reports that cannabis helps some people who have schizophrenia. In other words they are self medicating for their symptoms.

Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia report obtaining subjective relief from cannabis to control various symptoms associated with the disease, according to survey data published in the International Journal of Mental Health Nursing.

An investigator at Flinders University in South Australia interviewed 30 patients aged between 18 and 65 who had a DSM-IV comorbid diagnosis of schizophrenia and cannabis 'abuse.' The investigator reported that over half of the respondents reported using cannabis to control schizophrenic symptoms. Of those interviewed, 25 patients reported that smoking cannabis reduced their anxiety; 21 patients said that marijuana helped them to forget childhood trauma; and 12 stated that cannabis "enhanc[ed] their spiritual awareness."

So I blame cannabis prohibition. If pot use wasn't socially condemned and illegal he might still be on his meds and six people now dead might still be alive. I understand he had a minor conviction for marijuana and usually one of the conditions for release/probation is drug testing. So to stay out of jail he probably was forced to give up his medication of choice.

So as long as we are doing the blame game I'm going to blame the Drug War for the death of six people in Arizona. It makes more sense than anything else I've heard so far.

There is a book on the subject:

Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence

The author of the book, Dr. Mitch Earleywine, has said about the patient testimonials I referred to above:

...these patients' testimonials lend credibility to the theory that a large part of the association between marijuana and schizophrenia may be explained by self-medication.

"It's not that cannabis use is causing schizophrenia," he said. "It's that patients notice the initial symptoms of schizophrenia and turn to marijuana for relief."

Which is the same thing I heard from a hospital psychological intake nurse here in Rockford, Illinois two or three years ago. Evidently it is now common knowledge in the medical profession. So why isn't it common knowledge among the general population? I have my theories. But if I voiced them I'd probably get labeled a paranoid. Possibly schizophrenic. And definitely a danger to society.

I still blame the Drug War.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Matters Of Faith

Wretchard at Belmont Club is having a discussion of the nature of faith prompted by an Obama speech Honoring the Fort Hood dead. Faith is an interesting thing. An engineer labors on because he has faith that questions will turn into answers. And not just any answers. Answers good enough to earn a profit. That severely limits the solution space. We see the same thing in farmers. They have to believe that they can steer around unpredictable obstacles well enough to harvest a crop and make a profit. Faith is an every day thing for that kind of business. But it is an uncertain faith. Sometimes faith is unwarranted. Difficult business that.

Well a few words on the subject:

I have always liked Hunter S. Thompson’s Commentary on Faith.

I wouldn’t recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they’ve always worked for me. Hunter S. Thompson

I will admit it is not a religion suitable for children.

God and I have a special relationship. I believe God exists and that c********* had better straighten up and fly right or I’m going to kick some serious arse when I get a holt of the summabitch.

Of course I really don’t need faith. God talks to me every day. Or it could just be my mild schizophrenia.

You want mild schizophrenia to help you? Lower the filters. You know, be born again. Stop making so much internal noise. Replace it with external noise. Because there is signal hidden in that noise. All true religion consists of teaching you how to be born again. Being the technical geniuses we are in the West some day we will invent a pill. Maybe we could call it TFW. Temporary Filter Wipe.

So what is the value of faith? It gets you to labor on, despite the fact that there is no objective way out of the current difficulties. Faith overcomes depression. And sometimes that extra effort is enough to get you out of the mess. Or it gives you something to do until the solution arrives. Survival advantages. And it doesn't need much advantage to make faith propagate - genetically if not by word of mouth.

H/T RD in the comments at Find God Or Your Money Back

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Some Joke

Al Franken was joking at a steak dinner in Iowa.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., and Iowa’s top elected Democrats struck an urgent tone Sunday on what they said is the need to pass health care reforms.

The issue dominated speeches at U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin’s 32nd annual steak fry fundraiser, as Democrats who control Congress attempt to pass a health care reform package this year.

Franken, who keynoted the event, provided some of the humor he was known for during his stint on “Saturday Night Live” as he talked about health care.

“Of course, one way nutritionists tell us we could prevent disease is if we ate less charcoal-grilled, marbled red meat,” Franken joked to the crowd, who had just dined on steak dinners.

That Franken guy is a real card. And he is exactly why so many fear a government takeover of health care. The fear the government will use its powers to DICTATE how Americans should live their lives in order to lower health care costs.

What I have seen is people becoming Health Nazis based on dislike for those living beyond the bounds of accepted risk. We already see that with smoking without people realizing that tobacco is an anti-depressant favored by schizophrenics. You can look it up.

What happens when government outlaws butter because it is bad for you and then ooops it finds out that butter is better than margarine. (I never stopped eating butter. I hated the taste of margarine.) We don't know as much as we think we do. It will not stop Congress from passing laws. It never has.

Take addiction which the NIDA says is in part (50%) genetic in origin. Have the law makers adjusted their laws accordingly? Don't hold your breath. Heh.

Salt - The Natural Anti-Depressant

Yep. New research shows that salt may be an anti-depressant.

Does demolishing a salty bag of potato chips seem to put you in a better mood? If so, you're not alone, according to psychologists at the University of Iowa who say salt may be nature's anti-depressant.

Researchers based the conclusion on studies on rats. They found that rats that were deficient in sodium chloride avoided activities they normally enjoyed, like drinking a sugary substance or pressing a bar that stimulates a pleasant sensation in their brains.

"Things that normally would be pleasurable for rats didn't elicit the same degree of relish, which leads us to believe that a salt deficit and the craving associated with it can induce one of the key symptoms associated with depression," said University of Iowa psychologist Kim Johnson.

The study cannot definitively conclude that the salt-deficient rats are suffering from depression, but the lack of interest in normally pleasurable activities is a key sign of the condition.

So why is the mayor of New York pushing an campaign to cut the amount of salt in processed and restruant foods in half? Does he want to see a lot of depressed Americans?

Actions have consequences often unforeseen. Take the campaign against tobacco. A lot of schizophrenics self medicate with tobacco. Do we really want a lot of unmedicated schizophrenics on our streets? Is that really a good idea? Fortunately if this salt initiative gets enacted they will have a lot of depressed people to keep them company.

Cross Posted at Classical Values

Get Ready To Celebrate

Brain Awareness Week March 12 - 18 will soon be upon us. We ahould be aware of our brains because without brains we wouldn't be aware of our brains. Cause enough to celebrate.

Brain Awareness Week, 12 - 18 March 2007, is an international effort organized by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives to advance public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. The Dana Alliance is joined in the campaign by partners in the United States and around the world, including medical and research organizations; patient advocacy groups; the National Institutes of Health, and other government agencies; service groups; hospitals and universities; K-12 schools; and professional organizations.

For scientists, it is an opportunity to let people know what is being done to diagnose, treat and prevent disorders of the brain such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, stroke, schizophrenia and depression, which affect the lives of millions of people.

For schools, charities, hospitals - and even arts organizations - it is the chance to reveal some of the mysteries of the brain.

Around the world, hundreds of public events to inspire interest in the brain are staged as part of Brain Awareness Week, to draw attention to what is being accomplished in scientific laboratories, and provide information about the brain that everyone can understand.

My main interest is not cognition. I'm interested in brain malfunctions such as PTSD and schizophrenia. For both of those genetics accounts for about 1/2 of the cause. The other half for PTSD is trauma. Especially emotional trauma. For schizophrenia the trigger is likely to be the same.

So there you have it, a celebration and a few easily understood facts. Happy Brain Week.

Walking On Broken Glass

I was having an e-mail exchange with one of my commenters and the difficulties of life came up. My commenter was talking about his relationships and the "walking on egg shells" feelings you get in your relationships with some loved ones. Parents, siblings, offspring. Here is a little of what I had to say:

I finally learned that the "perfect childhood" is an illusion. My pain, however, prepared me to help others. Which in the ideal case is what it is supposed to do and what you are supposed to do.

I have a relative who is borderline mad, schizophrenia. If he takes his medicine he is fine. He hates taking his medicine. Says it deprives him of an interesting life of the mind. Being borderline schizophrenic myself I understand that. Schizophrenia is a big help to creativity if it doesn't turn into madness. Gifts and curses. Sometimes it is hard to tell.

Well I have lead a very interesting life so far and for that I am eternally grateful.

When I get that "walking on egg shells" feeling I like to listen to "Walking On Broken Glass" by the EURYTHMICS. It expresses the feeling well.

Now everyone of us was made to suffer
Everyone of us was made to weep
But we've been hurting one another
And now the pain has cut too deep...
So take me from the wreckage
Save me from the blast
Lift me up and take me back
Don't let me keep on walking...
Walking on broken glass

Walking On Broken Glass - lyrics

Walking On Broken Glass - music video

Cross Posted at Classical Values