Friday, May 29, 2015

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Jeffrey Lieberman

Apparently there's a new History of Psychiatry book being peddled by one of the former presidents of the American Psychiatric Ass-ociation.
His thesis is that psychiatry was horrifying but is now in it's golden period and truly become a science worthy of respect.

It doesn't seem to be having the intended effect.

Shrinks: The Untold Story of Psychiatry by Jeffrey Lieberman review 
Yet it’s difficult to share Lieberman’s triumphalist certainties. No medical specialisation outside American psychiatry counts it a success to have vastly grown the number of those who suffer from its burgeoning classifications; to have promulgated the taking of regular medication by everyone, including toddlers suffering from a new DSM category of illness that in the past might have been termed “rambunctious childhood”; or to have boosted mood-altering pill-popping to an extent street pushers would consider a bonanza.
Booyah. 

This reviewer goes a little further and points of some of Lieberman's own questionable history.
Lieberman’s Experiments
In his Globe series, Whitaker details how psychotic symptom exacerbation and provocation experiments were pioneered in 1974 by David Janowsky, who reported success in developing a new tool for studying schizophrenia. Janowsky found that giving diagnosed schizophrenics the psychostimulant drug methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta) caused “a dramatic intensification of pre-existing symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions” and that other psychostimulants such as amphetamines also exacerbated psychosis. Janowsky’s work established the idea that psychosis-inducing drugs could be used as “challenge agents” for studying psychosis.
In Lieberman’s own 1987 review of 36 studies in which psychostimulant drugs were administered to patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, he concluded that among psychostimulant drugs, methylphenidate has the greatest “psychotogenic potency.” And so Lieberman, in his subsequent experimentation on patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, administered methylphenidate, the psychostimulant with greatest likelihood to do damage.
On the face of it, this experiment, in which a drug is administered to induce a psychotic reaction, is cruel enough. But it gets worse. Lieberman’s subjects were as young as 14 years old, and he did this experiment on “first-episode psychotic patients,” the majority of whom, research shows, ordinarily recover. Lieberman reports that the symptom of distrustfulness “significantly increased following the administration of methylphenidate.” So, after having a psychotic episode, patients are intravenously administered a psychostimulant drug designed to induce more psychotic behaviors, and they become more distrustful. It would be remarkable if such “treatment” would not make someone distrustful of doctors, perhaps for the remainder of their lives.
Yeah, this is the true picture of Psychiatry.  There's a story like this for every major player. 
These are the people with the authority to institutionalize other people.
Maniacs Running the Asylum.

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Feature not a Bug


Seasons affect 'how genes and immune system work'
Of the 22,000 genes they scrutinised - which is nearly all the genes humans possess - a quarter showed clear signs of seasonal variation.
The gene changes that interested the researchers the most were ones involved with immunity and, specifically, inflammation.
During cold, winter months - December to February for people living north of the equator and June to August for those in the southern hemisphere - these genes were more active.
When they studied people living close to the equator, where the temperatures are fairly high all year round, they noticed a different pattern. Immunity and inflammation was linked to the rainy season, when diseases such as malaria are more rife.
This is expected behavior.
Orexin production is increased by light on the retinas, and orexin is involved in the immune response.   Your immune response changes between day and night too.
And your entire physiology changes when you are sick.... that definitely involves turning some other genes on and off.
Seasonal variance in gene expression is a fundamental feature of our  gut-brain axis.

Under Your Nose

Hallucinations and delusions more common than thought
 "We used to think that only people with psychosis heard voices or had delusions, but now we know that otherwise healthy, high-functioning people also report these experiences," Professor McGrath said.

"In particular, we are interested in learning why some people recover, while others may progress to more serious disorders such as schizophrenia," he said.
"We need to understand why it's temporary for some people and permanent for others. We can use these findings to start identifying whether the mechanisms causing these hallucinations are the same or different in both situations.
"We need to rethink the link between hearing voices and mental health - it's more subtle than previously thought.
Umm no.  It's as simple as it gets.
It's a frakking head infection.   

Monday, May 25, 2015

Yo Dr. Mignot

Serum cytokine levels in Kleine-Levin Syndrome 
We did not observe any changes in serum cytokine levels during KLS episodes compared to between episodes. In a small cohort of asymptomatic KLS patients and age and gender matched healthy controls (n=8/group), all collected and processed at the same day, asymptomatic KLS patients had significantly higher levels of serum sVCAM1 compared to healthy controls.
These data suggest that KLS episodes are not accompanied by an abnormal systemic immune reaction.
So.. you are paying attention.   Huh.
I'm glad you put this on record.   Yeah, I like that a lot.
It will make a nice companion for that flu study you retracted.

You have got this so backwards.   You were looking for a Normal immune response not an "abnormal" one...
Don't you think that if they showed the expected signs of sepsis someone would have noticed-  like maybe centuries before you became a doctor?

You need to look for a strain of strep that  produces aberrant adhesin molecules.   They don't trigger a cytokine storm.  Oh, and I suggest some titers for streptolysin and pneumolysin, too.
That would probably explain all of this.

Actually, we don't need your input or hasty conclusions anymore.
Karolinska is on this already.
Please feel free to go off and exploit someone else's misery...

Saturday, May 23, 2015

But of Course

Scientists discover bacterial cause behind fatal heart complications
A multidisciplinary research team, led by Professor Aras Kadioglu and Professor Cheng-Hock Toh at the University of Liverpool, has now shown that the cause of cardiac injury is a toxin called pneumolysin, which is released by the bacteria during infection. They found that this toxin could directly attack heart muscle cells, causing injury, damage and death.
Importantly, the researchers also found that the use of antibiotics could exacerbate damage to heart muscle cells during infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae, as antibiotic-induced bacterial death releases large amounts of pneumolysin into the blood circulation.
I am so fcking lucky to be alive.   My doctors should have killed me off a long time ago.

Update:

Here, this is from 2011
Myth that gum disease causes heart attacks debunked
A panel of 13 US experts spelled out their views in a scientific statement published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
The scientists reviewed 500 journal articles looking at links between gum and cardiovascular disease.
They concluded that while people with gum disease may be at greater risk of heart or artery disease, the association is probably coincidental.
There's a correlation, but it completely destroys their dietary fat hypothesis,  so it's clearly irrelevant.  Eat some fruits and vegetables...

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Perks You Up

Caffeine intake associated with reduced levels of erectile dysfunction

For the Record

Is nicotine all bad?

About 40 years ago, Russell was one of the first scientists to suggest that people "smoke for the nicotine, but die from the tar".

And that's because nicotine is actually very, very good for sick people.   
(have I mentioned that people are not stupid?)

Nicotine tightens epithelial junctions.   It keeps bacteria and toxins from leaking out  of your lungs and intestines and  in through your skin and  into your brain through your blood-brain-barrier.   If you are infected, this is really really advantageous.


Nicotine does NOT cause cancer.  Even the cancer society say so.  It's all that other shit in cigarettes that kills you.   (mostly by destroying your mouth...)

And we have trouble quitting  not because it's addictive, but because it's powerfully effective.
Enough to actually reduce the harm from the other toxins in smoke.

A study in the journal Brain and Cognition in 2000 found that “nicotinic stimulation may have promise for improving both cognitive and motor aspects of Parkinson's disease.” Another, in Behavioral Brain Research, suggested “there is considerable potential for therapeutic applications in the near future.” Other work has looked at the stimulant's potential for easing symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
In Sweden, many people get their nicotine from sucking smoke-free tobacco called "snus." Research there has put rates of lung cancer, heart disease and other smoking-related illness among the lowest in Europe.

Mark my words:  Very soon, prescription inhalable nicotine is going to be a primary treatment for chronic infection.
Especially lung infections... heh.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Drive-By Science


Food industry braces for Obama trans fat ban
The food industry is all pissed off that they can't sell us their poison instead of real food.
Thanks Obama.


Long-term depression may double stroke risk for middle-aged adults
Adults over 50 who have persistent symptoms of depression may have twice the risk of stroke as those who do not, according to a new study led by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Researchers found that stroke risk remains higher even after symptoms of depression go away, particularly for women.

Sleep apnea linked to depression in men
Severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and excessive daytime sleepiness are associated with an increased risk of depression in men, according to a new community-based study of Australian men.

Persistent nightmares in childhood could be linked to psychotic experiences in later adolescence
Researchers at the University of Warwick have found a significant link between the presence of persistent nightmares in childhood and psychotic experiences in later adolescence.
Yes....  well...   I had nightmares and  screamwalked almost every night from the time I was 5 until I was 13.   I can guarantee that this is caused by undiagnosed acute trigeminal neuralgia.
So go figure.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Seth Berkowitz
From his obviously self-written Wikipedia entry:

Insomnia Cookies
The concept was founded by Seth Berkowitz in 2003 while attending the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Berkowitz began baking and delivering cookies from a dorm room to students on campus late at night. The popularity of the warm cookie delivery service rapidly spread among college students who were up late writing papers, cramming for exams, or coming home from the bars and smoking all sorts of bud (the loud). The first retail store opened in 2004 in Syracuse, NY.
Insomnia Cookies has 60+ locations in the United States and continues to grow. Bakeries are typically located near colleges, universities or metropolitan cities throughout the Northeast and Midwest. Expansion has begun across the United States.
Yes, well he, and all you krazy kids need to refrain from coating your mouth with sugar, brush your teeth, swallow some omega3 oil, and go to bed.

See the circle of insanity.

Everything Old is New Again

Omega-3: Intervention for childhood behavioral problems?
Omega-3, a fatty acid commonly found in fish oil, may have long-term neurodevelopmental effects that ultimately reduce antisocial and aggressive behavior problems in children, a new study suggests.
Adrian Raine is one of my all time favorite researchers.   He used to be my PubMed default search...   He's been obsessed with the effects of neurobiology on behavior for decades.  

But yeah, there's a reason this works...
Omega 3 reduces the effects of endotoxin.

But although that exact mechanism is fairly new information-  the benefits have been known for a millenium, at the very least.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

This is Why

Because Lydia is graduating from college today.   Maybe right now.
Such a wonderful outcome after so much misery.

Watch out world.  
You go get'em, girlfriend.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

John Crace

While the psychiatrists argue about antidepressants, I’ll keep taking them 

Fine, but keep your ridiculous decisions to yourself, dickhead.
There's a lot of women going insane and dying.

One Step in the Right Direction

Infant antibiotic use linked to adult diseases
Antibiotics are by far the most common prescription drugs given to children. They account for about one-fourth of all medications prescribed to children, with a third of these prescriptions considered unnecessary. Other studies have shown profound short- and long-term effects of antibiotics on the diversity and composition of the bacteria in our bodies, called our microbiome.
"Diseases related to metabolism and the immune system are increasing dramatically, and in many cases we don't know why," said the study's senior author Dan Knights, a computational biologist and assistant professor in the University of Minnesota's Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Biotechnology Institute. "Previous studies showed links between antibiotic use and unbalanced gut bacteria, and others showed links between unbalanced gut bacteria and adult disease. Over the past year we synthesized hundreds of studies and found evidence of strong correlations between antibiotic use, changes in gut bacteria, and disease in adulthood."
Yeah, this is a nice experiment, and sure they kill off your commensural microbes, but that's only a small part of the damage antibiotics do..
Existing evidence already proves that antibiotics-
  • Allow resistant strains to proliferate-  in the individuals that are treated, not just in general.
  • Increase intestinal permeability and allow enteric bacteria into the abdomen and bloodstream
  • And while they do that, they trigger those bacteria to release all their endotoxin, creating a whole other set of symptoms.  (this has been known for sixty years)
  • And-  they directly disable mitochondria.  Because mitochondria are descended from bacteria, their membranes are also destroyed.
See the source of your Vortex.
And her permanent nightmare.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Yo Psychs

Six alarming health trends every woman needs to know
More American women are committing suicide. The suicide mortality rate among U.S. women grew 35 percent between 2001 and 2013.
Yeah, ummmm, not to put too fine a point on this- but more women are seeing shrinks and ingesting your dubious drugs than ever before...  maybe that has something to do with it...

Article Roundup


Vitamin D Derivative Reduces Risk for Further Skin Cancer
An inexpensive vitamin D₃ product, widely available over the counter, has been shown to reduce significantly the risk of developing further skin cancers in patients who have already been diagnosed with nonmelanoma skin cancer. The product is nicotinamide, taken orally 500 mg twice daily.
Measles leaves you vulnerable to a host of deadly diseases
Many parents who reject vaccination do so because they believe having measles is healthier than being vaccinated against it. They might, however, reconsider if there's clear evidence that measles leaves a child vulnerable to pneumonia, meningitis or diphtheria.
Apparently it wipes out your immune system memory.   That's bad.
I had measles as an infant.   And then a whole parade of other infections.


Amino acid found in some foods could improve oral health
Arginine, a common amino acid, could help significantly improve oral health as it breaks down dental plaque, according to a collaborative study by experts at Newcastle University and University of Michigan, USA.
 Dr Jakubovics said: "Our study shows that the effects are only seen at very high concentrations of arginine, such as those that are currently being introduced into certain oral healthcare products. There is no evidence yet that lower concentrations found in foods such as red meats would have benefits for removal of dental plaque."
This is highly theoretical.  This is a petri dish experiment.
In humans- there is plenty of evidence that Arginine triggers cold sores.   And 60% of the population has the HSV1 virus.   Which  contributes to cognitive trouble and dementia...


Strong statin-diabetes link seen in large study
In a study of nearly 26,000 beneficiaries of Tricare, the military health system, those taking statin drugs to control their cholesterol were 87 percent more likely to develop diabetes. The research confirms past findings on the link between the widely prescribed drugs and diabetes risk. But it is among the first to show the connection in a relatively healthy group of people. The study included only people who at baseline were free of heart disease, diabetes, and other severe chronic disease.
Wow, that number keeps getting higher the more people take them.   Huh.

Friday, May 8, 2015

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Marc Kiviniemi

Thoughts drive dieting plans but feelings drive dieting behavior, study finds
"There is clearly a disconnect if we have a majority of the population that has tried to lose weight and a majority of the population that is overweight," says Marc Kiviniemi, a public health researcher at the University at Buffalo. "People are planning to diet and trying to diet, but that's not translating into a successful weight loss effort."
Many issues, from biological to environmental, determine effective weight control, but how people manage their own behavior is a big piece of that puzzle.
...
"The crux of the disconnect is the divide between thoughts and feelings. Planning is important, but feelings matter, and focusing on feelings and understanding their role can be a great benefit," says Kiviniemi, associate professor of community health and health behavior in the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions.
...
"First of all, the deprivation experience is miserable. If you didn't associate negative feelings with it to start, you will after a few days," says Kiviniemi. "The other thing that's important is the distinction between things that require effort and things that are automatic.
...
"In the dietary domain, eating more fruits and vegetables is fabulous advice. But if you have negative feelings about those food choices, they might not represent elements of a good plan," says Kiviniemi. "It's not just about eating healthy foods. It's about eating the healthy foods you like the most."
Please see how this man is completely willing to concoct bullshit  (and not even creative bullshit) to explain away his own lack of knowledge on a topic.
The crux of this disconnect actually is that 'diet experts" do not understand the slightest bit about metabolism.  Deprivation is not required to lose weight.   Obesity is caused by WHAT we eat, not HOW MUCH.
The Grand Plan is the real problem.  Eating fruit is NOT a reasonable way to lose weight.  It's NOT a "healthy choice".     
It makes people hungrier and insulin resistant at the same time.   It increases fat production.
Which actually does make us FEEL WORSE.
That is why we don't comply with their "fabulous advice". 

People are not stupid.
But Psychology is fundamentally based on the assumption that we are, and therefore never even contemplates a reality based explanation.

One more time:
If their diet doesn't explicitly account for the sugar induced effects of Orexin, they are full of shit.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Well How About That

Obesity, depression have role in excessive daytime sleepiness
The researchers measured self-reporting of EDS at baseline and again an average of 7.5 years later in 1,395 men and women. Study participants completed a comprehensive sleep history and physical examination and were evaluated for one night in a sleep laboratory. The researchers also recorded sleep, physical and mental health problems and substance use and determined whether participants were being treated for physical and mental health conditions.
"Obesity and weight gain predicted who was going to have daytime sleepiness," said Julio Fernandez-Mendoza, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Sleep Research and Treatment Center at Penn State College of Medicine. "Moreover, weight loss predicted who was going to stop experiencing daytime sleepiness, reinforcing the causal relationship."
Yeah, one trip to a Narcolepsy conference would convince you of that.  Unless you're Dr. Mignot. 

citation

Bonus link
'Fuzzy thinking' in depression and bipolar disorder: New research finds effect is real

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Uh huh

Could eating fruit be making you hungrier?
New research has revealed that eating fruit may be making you hungrier and greedier

Could cake and chocolate lead to Alzheimer's disease?
A new study has revealed high blood sugar levels could be the cause of Alzheimer's disease

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Things that caught my eye

Early signs of arthritis can be found in the mouth

Pancreatic cancer risk linked to weak sunlight: Harm may come from low vitamin D

High costs of dental care leave many with too little money for basic necessities

FDA to Study Safety, Effectiveness of Healthcare Antiseptics
This is a bunch of legalese explaining that basically medical experts do not actually know the efficacy or side effects of the antimicrobial chemicals they use.   So they're going to study that now.   Thanks FDA.

Anxiety is not overcome in the brain's fear center
 If a person is anxious, the hippocampus does not pass the information to the amygdala, where feelings of fear are normally processed but to the prefrontal cortex, where decisions are made. Klausberger: "For example, imagine you are setting off on a very high "skywalk" in the mountains and you are anxious and unsure whether to proceed. In order to see the view, your curiosity has to prevail and overcome your anxiety. The decision of whether to indulge your curiosity and step out or to stay where you are and keep safe is taken in the prefrontal cortex."
citation


 Arizona Bacon Fest.   Because Arizona Bacon Fest, duh.


My new favorite science story.   It's even better than the french cheese effect.

Microwave oven baffled astronomers for decades
The source of strange radio signals that have left astronomers at Australia's most famous radio telescope scratching their heads for 17 years has finally been discovered. It turns out that it was a microwave oven.  
 I believe it is the perfect metaphor for everything I think about.

Vocabulary Lesson

Cereal Box Zombie

Things that make me laugh and laugh

Cheese: the secret to a longer life and faster metabolism?
Good news for fromage fiends: a new study suggests a link between cheese consumption and a longer, healthier life.
This cheese addict who just happens to be named after an alpine shepherd girl says...  bwahahahaha!

Monday, May 4, 2015

Brain Eating Zombie of the Day

Alan Levinovit- author of The Gluten Lie

Diet fads are destroying us: Paleo, gluten-free and the lies we tell ourselves
I saw this countercultural rejection of grains, and then I saw almost the exact same thing, with the same kinds of hyperbolic claims, happening again with books like Grain Brain and Wheat Belly. And I thought to myself, you know, it’s funny, people are trying to debunk these fad diets with scientific evidence, but what they’re not realizing is that really these beliefs aren’t scientific at all. They’re wrapped in scientific rhetoric, but ultimately they’re quasi-religious beliefs that are based on superstition and myth.

Says a man who obsessively studies the arbitrary rules of religion.
He apparently doesn't understand science doesn't work that way.
I don't think he even read the books.  
But then again, he really can't afford to.
Because the data proves him wrong. 

His is a philosophical argument based on past behavior:  Because people have always been concerned about diet, this is merely more of the same...

Well, people are not stupid.
Diet really does affect Quality of Life.  Therefore it's been a topic of discussion since prehistory.
Not to mention, people certainly don't adhere to a pain-in-the-ass, breadless diet if there's no benefit they can perceive.

This is what the science says:  There is every reason to believe that huge portions of the population are now immunologically sensitive to grains due to wanton overprescribing of antibiotics. 

Hopefully I will be able to buy his book on remainder for a penny someday, just to keep as a souvenir of how ridiculous this struggle has been.
Put it next to my Caffeine Blues book.

Saturday, May 2, 2015

This and That

My explanation:  women with advanced endotoxemia are more likely to have children with milder forms of the affliction.
Indicating this is an illness that can be transmitted sexually...
 so here's some info all those sister-wives could probably use-
Cranberry juice helps ward off UTI

Booze calorie counts get EU parliament backing
European Union lawmakers called Wednesday for all alcoholic drinks including beer, wine and spirits to have labelled calorie counts in a bid to tackle obesity and other health problems.
Here is the problem with letting politicians make food policies-  they don't understand metabolism.  Hell, most nutritionists don't understand metabolism.  There is absolutely nothing about the calories in alcohol that is relevant to obesity or other health problems.  There are quite a few other effects that are though.

How aspirin fights colorectal cancer


Oh Mercy.
‘Post-Ebola Syndrome’ A New Mystery For WHO To Solve
“We are seeing a lot of people with vision problems. Some complain of clouded vision, but for others the visual loss is progressive. I have seen two people who are now blind.”