Concern is growing about the doping of elderly rest home residents with anti-psychotic drugs. British research shows the practice – soon to be the subject of a New Zealand study – can result in premature death. Researchers from King’s College in Britain compared the life expectancy of people with dementia and prescribed anti-psychotic medication with those not on the drugs. They found those given anti-psychotic drugs, not designed to treat dementia but sometimes used to control aggression, died much earlier.

After 24 months on the study, more than 45 per cent of those taking anti-psychotic medication had died compared with 22% of people in the other group. It is unknown exactly how many elderly New Zealanders with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease are prescribed the psychiatric medications. However, a group of North Island researchers will soon publish a study looking at the use of anti-psychotic medication in rest homes. (more…)

Marijuana is considered by many to be a benign drug, not deserving of concern or prohibition. Two recent reports are worth knowing about.

In Leipzig, Germany, 29 patients were admitted to the hospital with classic symptoms of lead poisoning. They had abdominal pain, nausea, anemia and fatigue. One patient had hallucinations and peripheral neuropathy. All had high blood levels of lead. The source of lead was initially unknown, but eventually the patients divulged that they regularly smoked marihuana. Samples of marijuana were evaluated and found to be heavily laden with lead crystals. The sellers had laced their product with lead, gray in color and inconspicuous, to increase their profits. (more…)

Dr. Sosin will be speaking on oral and intravenous nutritional therapies in Autism at the LIA Foundation Conference on Saturday June 28, 2008. If you would like to learn more about this conference, please visit www.liafoundation.org

PSA measured in men 44-50 years of age is a strong predictor of future prostate cancer.  In general, a PSA over 4 is considered abnormal and suspicious for the presence of prostate cancer.  However, PSA levels are age related, and older men on average have higher PSA levels than younger men.  In a study involving Swedish men 44-50 years of age who were followed for nearly two decades, most of the men who developed advanced prostate cancer had higher than average PSA levels at baseline.

For the men who developed cancer, average PSA at baseline was 1.22 ng/ml, compared with 0.54 ng/ml in men who did not develop cancer. The risk of prostate cancer rose further as the PSA increased, so that men with initial PSA above 3 had a 120-fold higher incidence of prostate cancer compared to men in the average range.

Based on this study, early determination of a low PSA should be reassuring, and allow for less frequent determination of PSA.  Men with higher levels, and therefore at greater risk, should take early precautions with effective lifestyle changes:  low animal protein diet, avoidance of herbicides, pesticides and other organic pollutants that may be carcinogenic. A high intake of vitamin D and lycopene has also been shown to be helpful in studies. These nutrients are available in pharmaceutical grade preparations in our supplement store.