New feline study proves I’m not crazy after all
You may wonder why I even care about having one of my controversial views vindicated by new research. Well, one reason is that it proves that I’m not crazy Back in 2001, I wrote about the dangers of the Toxoplasma gondi parasite that’s found in cat feces, and its potential to cause schizophrenia.
Now, research just published in the American Journal of Psychiatry proves that I’m not off my rocker after all. According to the research, anyone who has been exposed to toxoplasma – which, potentially, might mean anyone who has pet cats – could have a greater chance of developing schizophrenia. Among those studied in the research, those who came in contact with toxoplasma had a 26 percent greater risk. That’s not an insignificant number if you ask me.
While this may be bad news for cat lovers (it gives real credence to the “crazy cat lady” stereotype, doesn’t it?), it’s good news for doctors seeking more information about this terrible and devastating disorder. Each year, there are as many as 2 million reported cases of schizophrenia in the U.S. alone.
This new research could mean that the administration of powerful antiparasitic drugs to battle toxoplasma may actually slow or stop the progression of this wasting mental disorder. The researchers suggested that while schizophrenia is not an automatic result of toxoplasma infection, the infection could trigger the disorder in people who are genetically predisposed to mental disorders.
The tie between toxoplasma infection and schizophrenia has long been suspected, but never proven. “Until now, the only thing we could say is that some people with schizophrenia also had been infected with toxoplasma at some point, but we couldn’t tease out which came first,” said Dr. Robert Yolken, a lead researcher of the study. “With our current study, we were able to show that infection came first.” This is good. Because it’s about time that the medical community approached the topic of mental disorders with some clear-headed thinking.
Suspicious leak of diabetes study
Well, here’s an interesting little tidbit that certainly raised one of my eyebrows. According to the scientific journal Nature, Dr. Steven Haffner of the University of Texas Science Health Center at San Antonio, “leaked” confidential research to the makers of the diabetes drug Avandia WEEKS BEFORE a study was published that linked Avandia to higher heart risks.
Hmmm.
Knowing what we know about Big Pharma and the big cash that they can afford to throw about, this sounded fairly fishy to me. Even though the story states that it’s “not clear” if Avandia’s manufacturer – GlaxoSmithKline – took any action when they received the news that a negative study on one of their top brands was about to break, you’ve just got to wonder. In any case, what IS clear is that Dr. Haffner broke (broke? I’d say “shattered”) the confidentiality rules that are in place for medical peer reviewers by releasing study information prematurely – and to the very subject of the study!
What was the good doctor’s excuse for this flagrant breach of ethics? “Why I sent it is a mystery,” Haffner said. “I don’t really understand it. I wasn’t feeling well. It was bad judgment.” So at least he had a good excuse, right?
Come on! He “wasn’t feeling well?” It’s laughable. Can the medical community really allow this absurdly suspicious act of potential collusion with Big Pharma to slide!? Well, if you’ve been paying attention, I’m sure you know that the answer to that is a resounding “yes.”
In the wake of the study’s release – which tied Avandia to an incredible 43 percent greater risk of heart attack for its users – the company’s stock took a massive hit. The FDA even had to act (shocking!) and issue a warning about the drug. This was inevitable. But it’s more than certain that Haffner’s “mystery” fax allowed Glaxco’s PR machine to get a jump on what was sure to be a Niagra of bad press.
As you know, I’m naturally suspicious by nature, and even more so when it comes to the motives and actions surrounding Big Pharma. But I’m sure I’m not the only one who smells a smoking gun in this report.
