ALTERNATIVE
MENTAL HEALTH NEWS #16
An ezine brought to you by AlternativeMentalHealth.com and Safe Harbor, a
nonprofit corporation.
Dan Stradford, Editor
Alan Graham, Assistant Editor
Gloria McTaggart, Assistant Editor
SafeHarborProj@aol.com
www.AlternativeMentalHealth.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
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1. ABOUT SAFE HARBOR
2. EDITOR'S COMMENT
3. LETTER TO THE EDITOR
4. ARTICLE: SAFE HARBOR AWARDED $25,000 GRANT
5. ARTICLE: LIVING WITH LEAD TOXICITY6. ARTICLE: ALZHEIMERS, AUTISM, AND MERCURY
TOXICITY
7. ARTICLE: AUTISM - THE GUT CONNECTION
8. ARTICLE: WILSON'S THYROID SYNDROME LINKED TO MENTAL SYMPTOMS
9. ARTICLE: SEROTONIN DEFICIENCY SYNDROME AND L-TRYPTOPHAN
10. ARTICLE: DEA REVIEW OF METHYLPHENIDATE
11. ARTICLE: ALUMINUM TARGETED FOR MENTAL ILLS
12. ABOUT ALTERNATIVEMENTALHEALTH.COM
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ABOUT SAFE HARBOR
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Safe Harbor was founded in 1998 in the wake of growing public dissatisfaction
with the unwanted effects of orthodox psychiatric treatments such as medication
and shock therapy. Seeking to satisfy the desire for safer, more effective
treatments, the Project is dedicated to educating the public, the medical
profession, and government officials on research and treatments that, minimally,
do no harm and, optimally, cure the causes of severe mental symptoms. Our
primary thrust is education on the medical causes of severe mental symptoms and
the use of nutritional and other natural treatments.
Contact info:
Safe Harbor
1718 Colorado Bl.
Los Angeles, California 90041
U.S.A.
(818) 890-1862
SafeHarborProj@aol.com
www.AlternativeMentalHealth.com
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WE WELCOME YOUR DONATIONS. AS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, SAFE HARBOR IS SUPPORTED
SOLELY THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF THE PUBLIC. DONATIONS CAN BE MAILED TO THE
ABOVE ADDRESS. WE ALSO ACCEPT VISA/MASTERCARD BY PHONE. THANK YOU.
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EDITOR'S COMMENT
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The following may shock you. Or, even more sadly, maybe it won't.
It comes from Teresa, a woman who recently joined the Safe Harbor staff as a
fund raiser:
"As soon as I was hired by Safe Harbor, I was really excited and started
sharing this news with all my friends, handing out cards and brochures. A few
days later I got a call from a representative of a very large pharmaceutical
firm, saying he was a friend of a friend.
"He told me that this was a bad career choice on my part because
organizations such as Safe Harbor will not survive. He said there is
corporate-backed legislation that would be passed soon, outlawing
over-the-counter sales of vitamins and alternative methods. He said he would
give the legal department of his corporate office information on us because they
like to keep their eyes on organizations like ours.
"The man said he was doing me a favor and warning me to not ruin my career
by doing this kind of work. I thanked him for his concerns and told him that
it's good to know we are being watched because this will make us work harder to
be the best we can be to serve the community honestly. He wasn't happy with my
response and said, 'I warned you. Goodbye.'"
Just reporting the facts, folks, strange as they are. We at Safe Harbor try to
be scientific in our thinking and are not big believers in conspiracies, so we
found this information quite surprising. Threatening Safe Harbor is like shaking
a fist at Mother Theresa. We are one of the most peaceful organizations in
existence. Just look at our name. We seek harm to no one but are here only to
help others.
That our work would raise such ire is fascinating indeed. But we will take this
whispered threat from the shadows and do what we do with all our information:
Put it here on the internet for all the world to see.
We will let the public judge men such as these.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
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Your recommendation for 5HTP (or tryptophan) is well taken, but it surprises me
that you do not include nutritional yeast as a natural source for the amino acid
tryptophan.
Nutritional yeast is very inexpensive, and a person generally needs to take
about 1 tablespoon a day. I suggest about 3 pm to 4 pm because that is the time
when low oxygen percentages are available in the environment and most people are
sleepy.
Because nutritional yeast is so nutrient dense, it is best to start with 1
teaspoon a day and work up slowly to 1 tablespoon, otherwise gas may be a
problem. A benefit of this supplement is a wide range of B complex vitamins
also.
Nutritional yeast is not MSG nor is it a cause of candida Albicans as so many
people falsely believe.
You might also want to see http://home.graffiti.net/biob/
for a very good food based supplement that supplies B complex vitamins, and
tryptophan, and other amino acids.
Thank you for the ability to comment.
Gayle Eversole CRNP, PhD, AHG
DHom candidate
www.leaflady.org
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SAFE HARBOR AWARDED $25,000 GRANT
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Safe Harbor was recently awarded a $25,000 grant by The California Endowment to
improve care in the Los Angeles County Mental Health system. The California
Endowment is the state's largest health foundation.
Earlier this year, Safe Harbor was the first to post on the Internet - at its
site AlternativeMentalHealth.com - a document called the Medical Evaluation
Field Manual. The manual, written by Dr. Lorrin Koran of Stanford University, is
the result of a study commissioned by the California State legislature in the
1980s.
The study found that nearly half of the physical ailments of the county mental
health clientele were being MISSED in physical exams and medical workups. Dr.
Koran's team developed simple methods for dramatically improving the quality of
exams with minimal cost increases, and their results were published in the
Medical Evaluation Field Manual. However, the manual was never implemented.
"Many mental problems are caused by treatable medical problems," said
Dan Stradford, president and founder of Safe Harbor. "If these medical
problems can be spotted by proper physical exams, we can save a lot of people
from spending a lifetime on psychiatric medication when they are, in reality,
medically ill."
The California Endowment has provided Safe Harbor with a $25,000 grant to
develop a plan on how the Medical Evaluation Field Manual can be implemented in
Los Angeles County.
"This is a wonderful opportunity for us and the county. We are very
grateful for The California Endowment's support," said Stradford. "Not
only will improved exams get patients correctly diagnosed, but they will no
doubt save lives for those who have life-threatening ailments that, in the past,
might have been missed. This project fully aligns with Safe Harbor's mission of
improving the quality of life and helping to reduce the unnecessary use of
psychiatric medication whenever possible."
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LIVING WITH LEAD TOXICITY
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The following letter was sent to AltenativeMentalHealth.com in response to the
article on our site entitled "Toxic Metals and Mental Health" by Dr.
Mark Filidei.
October 11, 2001
Dear Dr. Filidei:
I read your article noted above and appreciate each finding. Unfortunately, my
family was exposed in South Carolina to toxic lead from an industrial auto
battery manufacturer 32 years ago and we have suffered the consequences.
Only in November 2000 did we learn that the manufacturing plant located only 400
feet behind our house was emitting heavy metals through an unlined lagoon, into
the air and into our water. We lived there ten years from 1969-1979. The house
was demolished by the company in November 2000 in an effort to cut down on
lawsuits because two other families living there since 1979 have suffered
newborn horrors. This is now a SuperFund site!
In June 2001 our family flew to New York City for Bone Lead Measurements at Mt.
Sinai Medical Center XRF Laboratory. Two daughters showed levels of 60% and 250%
more than the average, normal female. Myself and one niece were tested on
October 3 & 4 and we are awaiting the results. Then, another daughter and
two grandsons must be tested by XRF.
The symptoms of chronic lead exposure listed in your paper are part of our
lives. One twin daughter, divorced, has lost her children due to HRS,
hepatorenal syndrome - a liver/kidney malfunction - (we thankfully are raising
the kids) and she is unable to maintain her life successfully.
Another twin daughter has no ability to read, write, count money or drive a car.
She also has complex-partial seizures uncontrolled by medicines. These girls
were 3 months old when we moved into the new house.
My niece has all of the symptoms listed in your paper plus seizures. She was 4
years old and played with our girls daily. In fact, she and our oldest ate
"mud pies" from the yard!
Our oldest daughter has had spontaneous broken bones, knee surgeries, back
surgeries and endometriosis (the presence of uterine lining tissue in abnormal
places). She is unable to conceive and bear children. Her behavior is improving
through education of lead research papers like yours. Before November 2000 she
thought she was "doomed to be different from others" and had little
self-esteem. Now she has hope.
Guess you noticed I didn't mention myself! I have had little time to take care
of me, though I certainly am irritable, cannot concentrate and do not sleep. I
have had 3 emergency kidney surgeries and emergency gall bladder removal, to
name a few problems.
Dr. Filidei, your work is important. We are glad you get up every day.
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ALZHEIMERS, AUTISM, AND MERCURY TOXICITY
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We also received a letter from a Florida M.D., Dr. David Minkoff, expressing
"wariness" of the Alzheimers vaccine mentioned in our last issue.
"All the data points to mercury as the key culprit in Alzheimers
disease," reads the letter. "In the lab it causes amyloid plaques and
tau protein. See http://www.altcorp.com on this... 'Alzheimers' is not a
disease. It's a toxic condition. Vaccines don't cure toxic conditions but rather
cause one to look elsewhere (in error) for the reason that will never be
found."
The letter prompted further search into the question of mercury and other heavy
metal toxicity. Ironically, certain vaccines appear to be part of the problem --
not directly, but through a mercury-containing preservative called thimerosal.
Its usage is too recent to have a known impact on Alzheimers, but the link to
autism is widely acknowledged. Other studies have established a connection
between Alzheimers and the mercury contained in silver amalgam fillings.
A study was conducted in 1990 by three psychiatrists [Wenstrup et al,
"Trace element imbalances in isolated subcellular fractions of Alzheimer's
disease brains", Brain Research¸ Vol 553, p125-131, 1990] to look for
trace element imbalances in the brains of Alzheimers patients. The brains from
ten autopsied Alzheimers patients and 12 control patients of the same age were
evaluated. The most significant imbalance of metals found in the Alzheimers
patients was an elevated mercury level and an elevated level of bromine. Leading
Edge Research tells us, "levels of mercury were especially significant in
the cerebral cortex, especially in an area called the nucleus basalis of Meynert,
a primary center of memory retention. Short term memory loss is initially the
most common complaint. Researchers have also found significant levels of mercury
in the hippocampus and amygdala, which are also structures that relate to
memory."
In an article titled "Claims for Autism Caused By Childhood Vaccinations
Containing Thimerosal or Mercury," the website of law firm Ashcraft &
Gerel tells us:
"A full generation of children in America was exposed to dangerous doses of
highly toxic ethyl mercury from 1990 through 2000. Children were injected with
the toxic mercury that was a major ingredient in a chemical product called
thimerosal, an additive and biological preservative packaged into multi-dose
vials of many childhood vaccines. With each dose of vaccine that contained
thimerosal, a child would also get an injection of toxic mercury. Each one of
those mercury injections exposed the child to levels of toxic mercury in excess
of the federal government's own safety guidelines.
"Mercury is widely known to cause neurological damage, often permanent.
Current clinical and epidemiological research suggests that the mercury-laden
thimerosal so widely given to children by the drug companies in the 1990's might
cause a range of neurological and neurodevelopmental injuries, including autism.
Compounding this public health disaster is that the toxic exposure was entirely
avoidable. The thimerosal was added merely as product packaging for the
multi-dose vials, and is not needed as a preservative when the vaccines are
packaged in single-dose vials or single-use syringes."
Vaccine protocols in the U.S. in 1990 included 33 Doses of 10 Different Viral
and Bacterial Vaccines by the Age of 5.
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AUTISM - THE GUT CONNECTION
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In 1971, Goodwin, et al, studied malabsorption and cerebral dysfunction in
autistic children and reported that 40% (6/15) of the children in the study had
bulky, odorous or loose stools, or diarrhea.
Since that time numerous studies have confirmed the gastrointestinal
disorder-autism link.
In 1999, pediatrician Karoly Horvath, et al, of the University of Maryland
School of Medicine, performed gastrointestinal evaluation on 36 severely
autistic children and found they often showed signs of chronic inflammation in
the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum, and, because of enzyme deficiencies, had
trouble digesting and absorbing carbohydrates - possibly the cause of the
chronic loose stools and gas.
Dr. Horvath stated that "Although gastrointestinal symptoms frequently
accompany the manifestations of autism, little attention has been paid to this
aspect."
In a more recent study by Wakefield, et al, published in the American Journal of
Gastroenterology in September 2000, colonoscopies were performed on 60 autistic
children who also had gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach pain,
constipation, bloating, and diarrhea. The study found much greater evidence of
intestinal lesions in autistic children than in healthy or non-autistic children
with similar digestive problems. Over 90% of autistic children showed clinical
evidence of chronic enterocolitis (an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the
intestine), such as lymphoid nodular hyperplasia - greater than six times that
found in non-autistic children with inflammatory bowel disease.
Although researchers are not certain what causes this condition, in a recent
issue of Medical Hypotheses, Mark A. Brudnak, Ph.D., N.D., constructed a theory
that could explain how the condition could develop and progress.
Dr. Brudnak pointed out that childhood vaccinations have been implicated in the
onset of autism, and subsequent prognosis has implicated diet. A strong
gut-brain connection is also apparent.
Dr. Brudnak speculates that in early childhood, sensitivity to a vaccine, or a
reaction to a mycobacterial infection, could disrupt pivotal molecular
mechanisms that regulate genetic expression - how specific genes in the body
switch "on" or "off". This may trigger malfunctioning of the
immune and gastrointestinal systems, particularly in gut-associated lymphoid
tissue. As a result, proteins are no longer properly broken down in the
digestive tract and cells in gut tissue die off prematurely as the gut lining
becomes "leaky" and unable to repair itself. Casein, gluten, and other
compounds in the diet may then permeate into the bloodstream. Their activated
by-products, called exorphins, could act directly on the brain to trigger opioid-like
effects associated with autistic symptoms.
Dr. Brudnak's theory could explain why enzyme therapy (which improves the gut's
ability to break down proteins) and probiotics (supplementation with beneficial
gut microbes that help repair the intestinal lining) have both produced positive
clinical results in autistic children, as these therapies restore healthy gut
barrier function.
Whatever the cause, the link is clear, and the researchers recommend that
autistic children undergo gastrointestinal evaluation.
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WILSON'S THYROID SYNDROME LINKED TO MENTAL SYMPTOMS
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As mentioned in earlier e-zine articles, the symptoms of hypothyroidism are
frequently not diagnosed as a thyroid problem, and consequently often go
untreated, or are treated inappropriately. Because the thyroid regulates the
metabolism - all of the body's chemical reactions -its malfunction has wide and
far-reaching effects. Incorrect diagnosis and treatment results not only in
continued physical distress - fatigue, migraines, easy weight gain, dry skin,
dry hair, hair loss, fluid retention, brittle nails, and many others - but
leaves one with mental and emotional symptoms such as depression, irritability,
anxiety, and panic attacks.
Some thyroid problems are relatively easily diagnosed. These include
hyperthyroidism, where the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone;
Grave's disease, which can be thought of as severe hyperthyroidism;
hypothyroidism, where the thyroid gland produces too little thyroid hormone; and
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, where white blood cells infiltrate the thyroid gland
tissue, which sometimes progresses to hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is diagnosed in part with a blood test which checks for T4, the
thyroid hormone produced in the thyroid gland. However, a disorder referred to
as Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome, while otherwise presenting as hypothyroidism,
often shows the T4 to be completely normal. The reason for this is that the T3
hormone, not T4, is primarily responsible for speeding up the metabolism. The
tissues of the body use T4 as raw material to produce T3, but most of the T3 is
actually produced outside the thyroid gland. If the T3 is low, the symptoms
persist despite adequate T4.
If one has the symptoms of hypothyroidism, but thyroid tests are normal or the
symptoms persist despite T4 therapy, it is possible that T3 is the missing
factor and that T3 therapy, sometimes used in conjunction with T4 if tests
indicate it is required, will produce the desired results.
If T3 is suspected as the problem, the average temperature is often well below
98.6. Body temperature is the gauge by which metabolism is measured. As there
are several circumstances under which body temperature is naturally higher or
lower than normal, it is necessary to measure your average temperature. Dr.
Denis Wilson recommends finding your average temperature, with a mercury (not
digital) thermometer, as follows:
"Remember to shake the mercury in the thermometer down below 97 degrees
(36.1 C) each time before you take your temperature. Grab the top of the
thermometer and flick your wrist while holding tightly! (It's easy to fling them
across the room and they can break). I suggest you measure your temperature 3
times a day, 3 hours apart, starting 3 hours after you wake up, for 3 days. For
example, if you wake up at 7am, you can take your temperature at 10am, 1pm, and
4pm. Add your 3 daily temperatures together and divide the sum by 3 to get each
day's average. If you are female, it's best not to take your temperature during
the 3 days prior to your period since it's higher then. The temperature should
be taken under the tongue for around 7 minutes. Do not drink anything hot or
cold for at least 15 minutes before taking your temperatures. If your
temperatures run, on average, less than 98.6 F (37 C), that could easily explain
symptoms of low thyroid system
function. Temperatures of less than 98 F (36.7 C) are particularly consistent
with Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome."
If your temperature still shows normal, but you have the symptoms, your
thermometer may be malfunctioning, so get a new one and check it again before
you rule this out.
For more information on Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome, see Dr. Denis Wilson's
"A Brief Overview of the Thyroid System" at http://www.WilsonsThyroidSyndrome.com.
The article will soon be featured at on the Safe Harbor Site,
AlternativeMentalHealth.com.
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SEROTONIN DEFICIENCY SYNDROME: THE L-TRYPTOPHAN ALTERNATIVE
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The August 2001 issue of Neuropsychopharmacology reports that L-tryptophan,
tested on 98 volunteers in 12-day trials, was found to have a clear impact on
mood, making test subjects more agreeable and less quarrelsome. This is one more
of many studies to show that L-tryptophan boosts serotonin levels.
Serotonin is one of the brain's major neurotransmitters - the biochemicals used
by nerve cells to communicate with each other. Serotonin has been the focus of
many scientific studies to determine its effect on behavior, mood, aggression,
appetite control, pain transmission, sexual behavior, and other activities and
functions. The concept of serotonin deficiency syndrome (SDS) grew out of the
work of researchers headed by Dr. W. Pöldinger of the Psychiatrische
Universitats-klinik in Basel, Switzerland, who observed that a majority of their
subjects who experienced depression, insatiable appetite, obsessive/compulsive
behavior, learning difficulties, and/or any combination of the above, also
suffered from low levels of serotonin.
Serotonin affects the entire body. In the central nervous system, it plays a
role in sleep, appetite, memory, learning, temperature regulation, mood, sexual
behavior, cardiovascular function, muscle contraction, endocrine regulation, and
depression.
In an article in Drug Topics, University of Mississippi researcher Ronald F.
Borne, Ph.D., called serotonin "the Neurotransmitter of the 90's." Of
all the chemical neurotransmitter substances "serotonin may be the most
implicated in the etiology or treatment of various disorders, particularly those
of the central nervous system, including anxiety, depression,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, stroke, obesity, pain,
hypertension, vascular disorders, migraine, and nausea. Evidence suggests that
every one of these disorders can be treated by either (1) mimicking the actions
of serotonin, (2) enhancing its supply, or (3) blocking its action."
Unfortunately, the common treatment today is number (3), blocking its action.
Blocking serotonin is the function of a class of pharmaceuticals known as
selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI's). SSRI's, such as Prozac, are
routinely prescribed to handle the symptoms of these various disorders.
Prozac blocks the normal action of serotonin by interfering with normal brain
metabolism. Serotonin travels from one neuron to another by crossing a gap
between them known as a synapse. Normally, once the receiving neuron is
activated, the brain reabsorbs serotonin. Prozac prevents the brain's
reabsorption of the serotonin, thereby allowing it to remain in the synapse and
interact with its neuron targets for much longer than it otherwise would.
Although SSRI's increase the availability of serotonin in this process, the
well-documented side effects of the drugs demonstrate the body's reactions to
this unnatural act the nerves are forced to perform. As Dr. Borne has pointed
out, other approaches, such as enhancing serotonin supply, can be taken.
What are the other options? One substance that enhances serotonin supply has
been widely tested, and used by doctors in the US and Europe for the last 30
years, is the essential amino acid L-Tryptophan.
L-Tryptophan is critical in the formation of structural proteins, enzymes, and
the neurotransmitters serotonin and melatonin. It is truly a building block and
is considered so vital that it is added to baby formulas, and IV solutions.
However, it is not as widely available in our diet as other nutrients, and
plasma amino-acid profiles of hundreds of patients have shown that L-Tryptophan
may be the amino acid most lacking in the blood of Americans. As SDS is
associated with a deficiency of L-Tryptophan, it is not surprising that it has
been widely recommended as a supplement by doctors in both the US and Europe.
In the late 1980's, Showa Denko, then the major L-Tryptophan producer in the
world, sent a batch to the U.S. that was contaminated with over 60 different
bacteria. Many people who were taking large doses became ill and some died. On
the assumption that the L-Tryptophan itself had caused the illnesses, the FDA
issued a voluntary recall of all L-Tryptophan and announced import restrictions.
When it was later discovered that the batch was contaminated, the FDA stated
that the evidence of the illnesses being caused by the bacteria, rather than the
L-Tryptophan, was inconclusive. For the next decade, the only L-Tryptophan
available was the pharmaceutical-grade used for baby formulas, intravenous
solutions, animal use, and prescribed medical uses.
In a healthy person, L-Tryptophan passes through the blood-brain barrier and is
converted into 5-HTP, a substance very similar to L-Tryptophan. The brain then
converts the 5-HTP to serotonin. Although supplements of 5-HTP are widely
available, and have been somewhat successful in treating the symptoms of SDS,
they cannot replace L-Tryptophan.
L-Tryptophan is available only by prescription in the U.S. Foods high in L-Tryptophan
include turkey, pecans, and bananas. If you take L-Tryptophan as a supplement,
it is recommended that it be taken with carbohydrates (half a potato, for
example) for better absorption. Determining the correct dosage can be
complicated, so seek advice from your doctor or health professional.
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FINDINGS OF THE DEA'S REVIEW OF METHYLPHENIDATE
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The following is taken from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, according to the
website of Dr. Mary Ann Block, author of No More Ritalin and No More ADHD at
http://www.blockcenter.com/Articles2/ritalin_dea.htm
U.S. Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
Drug and Chemical Evaluation Section, 1995
Methylphenidate (Ritalin)
1. Ritalin is a Schedule II stimulant, structurally and pharmacologically
similar to amphetamines and cocaine and has the same dependency profile of
cocaine and other stimulants.
2. Ritalin produces amphetamine and cocaine-like reinforcing effects including
increased rate of euphoria and drug liking. Treatment with Ritalin in childhood
predisposes takers to cocaine's reinforcing effects.
3. In humans, chronic administration of Ritalin produced tolerance and showed
cross-tolerance with cocaine and amphetamines.
4. Ritalin is chosen over cocaine in self-administered preference studies in
non-human primates.
5. Ritalin produces behavioral, physiological and reinforcing effects similar to
amphetamines.
6. Ritalin substitutes for cocaine and amphetamines in scientific studies.
7. Children medicated with Ritalin who tried cocaine reported higher levels of
drug dependence than those who had not used Ritalin.
8. Ritalin abuse is neither benign nor rare in occurrence and is accurately
described as producing severe dependence.
9. Sweden removed Ritalin from its market in 1968 because of widespread abuse.
10. More high school seniors were abusing Ritalin than those taking it medically
prescribed.
11. Side-effects or Ritalin: increased blood pressure, heart rate, respiration
and temperature; appetite suppression, weight loss, growth retardation; facial
tics, muscle twitching, central nervous system stimulation, euphoria,
nervousness, irritability and agitation, psychotic episodes, violent behavior,
paranoid delusions, hallucinations, bizarre behaviors, heart arrhythmias,
palpitations and high blood pressure; tolerance and psychological dependence and
death
12. Ritalin will affect normal children and adults the same as those with
attention and behavior problems. Effectiveness of Ritalin is not diagnostic.
13. CHADD, non-profit organization, which promotes the use of Ritalin, also
receives a great deal of money from the drug manufacturer of Ritalin. CHADD does
not inform its members of the abuse problems of Ritalin. CHADD portrays the drug
as a benign, mild stimulant that is not associated with abuse of serious
side-effects. Statements by CHADD are inconsistent with scientific literature.*
14. The International Narcotics Control Board expressed concern that CHADD is
actively lobbying for the use of Ritalin in children.
15. Ritalin is one of the top ten drugs involved in drug thefts and is being
abused by health professionals as well as street addicts.
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ALUMINUM AND NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS: THE CORRELATION
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A table of "Behavioral, Structural, Functional Abnormalities associated
with various Heavy Metal Toxins" was published in the April 1999 issue of
Townsend Letter for Doctor's & Patients and can be viewed online at http://www.extremehealthusa.com/behavior.html.
For the purposes of this article, we have excerpted those neurological and
mental conditions associated with aluminum toxicity:
1. Chronic fatigue (CFS); weakness, malaise
2. Speech disorders
3. Poor concentration, attention deficits (ADHD), response inhibition
4. Poor memory (short term, verbal, and auditory)
5. Dementia; pre-senile and senile dementia
6. Stupor
7. Decreased locomotor activity
8. Convulsions; seizure
9. Neurofibrillary tangles (Brain and Central Nervous System)
10. Accumulates in CNS structures
Westerners ingest a minimum of 30 to 50 milligrams of aluminum metal per day. An
examination of labels on consumer products will attest to their prevalence in
all phases of preparation and packaging. Beverage cans, aluminum foil in contact
with food, aluminum pots and pans and aluminum in drugs (including most
antacids) boost the cumulative load of aluminum in the human body toward
critical level.
Consumer drugs are another key source. Aspirin is commonly buffered with
aluminum hydroxide, aluminum glycinate and other aluminum compounds. Vaginal
douches contain potassium aluminum sulfate, ammonium aluminum sulfate, and alum.
Antacids contain aluminum hydroxide, magaldrate, dihydroxyaluminum, and aluminum
oxide. Antidiarrheal drugs contain aluminum magnesium silicate and kaolin, an
aluminum salt.
Cake mixes, self-rising flour, processed cheese, baking powder, food starch
modifiers, pickling salts and anti-caking agents provide additional aluminum in
the form of sodium aluminum, sodium aluminum sulfate, aluminum ammonium sulfate,
and sodium aluminum silicate. Aluminum contaminates drinking water, milk and
other products.
Natural alternatives to most of these products are available at any health food
store.
Until 1980 it was accepted practice in Ontario, Canada, to have gold miners
inhale aluminum metal dust as a supposed remedy for silicosis, a lung condition
caused by inhaling the silica dust that the mining process generates. At the
McIntyre Porcupine Gold Mine, someone arrived at the "solution" that
miners should do this to coat their lungs, thinking that when they coughed up
the aluminum they would also expel the silica inhaled during the working day.
The practice lasted until 1980, when officials determined there was no evidence
that the aluminum dust was doing any good against silicosis.
In 1980, an epidemiologist at Clark Institute of Psychiatry in Toronto, Dr.
Sandra Rifat, decided to study the effects of aluminum poisoning on these men.
She eventually tracked down over 1,300 men who had been miners since the 1940s
and 647 agreed to participate in the study. After putting these men through
cognitive tests (examining memory and logical thought), it was apparent that all
the miners tested in the "impaired" range. [The Advocate, "Is
Aluminum Related to Alzheimers Disease?" Dec 11, 1990, p.B-2., Walsh, M.W.]
Unfortunately, aluminum inhalation is not limited to Canadian gold miners. Dust
from talcum powder, cement, asphalt mixes, tobacco smoke, and many other common
substances contain aluminosilicates. Complex ionic aluminosilicates go directly
to the brain through the olfactory system, according to neurobiochemist Eugene
Roberts, Ph.D., a research physician at the City of Hope National Medical
Center. Much of the damage typical of Alzheimers is found in the olfactory
regions of the brain. Metal particulates are typically 1/50 the width of a human
hair, small enough to reach the bloodstream. A darkfield microscopic examination
of your blood will show heavy metals floating around. They also travel through
cell walls
and into the nucleus and directly affect the DNA. A paper by Yale University
researchers in 1978 estimated that 140,000 deaths a year are related to all
forms of metallic air pollution compounds. [Noble, H., "The Air: Unsafe at
Any Site", New York Times Magazine, Nov 4, 1979, p.122.]
Consult your nutritionist if you suspect aluminum toxicity. Toxic conditions are
much easier to prevent than to cure.
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