After reading and commenting on Cara's great post "I'm a Moron", I started thinking.
I came up (at least I think I came up with it, I'm not sure – I Googled it and I think I am - but again, I'm not sure - and on a personal note, I've had way to much caffeine if you can't already tell) with the term.
MORETIC, which is short for Moron Diabetic, which got me thinking for just one second of Toys R Us, more specifically Moretics R Us, and then I thought, "Yeah, that would apply to many of us in dBlogville – myself included. We’ve all written about our idiotic diabetic moments…we’ve all pushed, when we should have pulled so to speak. Each in every member of the D.O.C is a graduate of “Midvale, School for the Gifted.”
It happens to all of us, as many of us on stated on Cara's blog. From time to time, even with all our hard work, we do moronic things regarding our diabetes – and in life.
I think we should start an official Moretics club with Membership cards- etc.
Tee shirts could be printed – Maybe “Moretics of the world unite!” - And instead of Gerry the Giraffe as our mascot we could have Molly Moretic - Space Cadet Diabetic.
Watch Molly as she tests, boluses, calculates and counts with the best of them, all the while –forgetting to correctly “plug-in” her infusion set. Like us all, she’s human, and mistakes happen – even in diabetes land.
Perhaps we could get sponsorship for our mishaps. For example, for every 10 infusion sets we get caught on doorknobs, our insulin pump company could give us a box free.
I say we get Cold Stone Creamery to give Moretics members a free ice cream for our
D – anniversary – I know we are capable of figuring out the carbs for that prize!
Speaking of carb counting, we could print Carb Counting cheat sheets to all MORETIC members.
We could have contests! You know, who has the funniest pump battery dying at the most inopportune moment story. Winner gets a stuffed Energizer Bunny and a 20 pack of pump batteries.
A year supply of Slinky’s would be given to the member with the most erratic blood sugars for the month.
Who ever is off the most in carb calculations could be given an abacus and "Deal A Meal," The Richard Simmons diet game that was big in the 90's.
Knee & elbow pads and a bike helmet could be awarded to the member who has the worst injury after being clunked in the face with their insulin pump. Just imagine the photo gallery!
Maybe members could have insulin bottles that are in rubber or plastic bottles instead of glass, since insulin bottle clumsiness seems to follow MORETICS wherever we go!
How about Bumper stickers?
“I break for Moretics.”
“I’m a friend of Molly M.”
“Moretically speaking….”
"Moretics - the few, the proud, the Moron Diabetic!"
The possibilities are endless and I could keep going - but I want to hear your moretic moves.
Moretics - It's just another part of the wonderfulness of living with diabetes!
Hay Fever. Why Homeopathy?
Any allergy, including Hay Fever, is a reaction to a substance that your body should routinely be able to cope with, but for some reason is failing to do so. Hay Fever is a sign of imbalance in the immune system, making us vulnerable to ‘harmless’ substances, such as pollen, grass, dust, etc. Allergic reactions like this can significantly disrupt our lives, causing sneezing, stuffy and runny noses, watery eyes, itching, headaches, and even asthma.
CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL TREATMENT.
Conventional medicine treats hay fever mainly with drugs such as Antihistamines, Steroids, or use what they call ‘desensitisation’ treatments. As a last resort, laser surgery may be used to destroy the mucus-forming nasal tissue.
Antihistamine Drugs
The NHS Choices website says that Antihistamine drugs (such as cetirizine, fexofenadine, loratadine) treat hay fever by “blocking the action of the chemical histamine, which the body releases when it thinks it is under attack from an allergen”. This, they say, “prevents the symptoms of the allergic reaction from occurring”.
NHS Choices says that Antihistamines can be used either as a preventative, or as an ‘as-required’ treatment. They are “usually effective at treating itching, sneezing and watery eyes, but they may not help with clearing a blocked nose”.
NHS Choices mentions drowsiness as an adverse reaction, but state that ‘newer’ antihistaines should not do so, but that if they do, you should avoid driving or using tools or machinery.
Yet it is known that Antihistamine drugs cause far far more side effects than this, especially in children and older people.
Some of the most common side-effects caused by Antihistamines include not just sleepiness, but headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, dry mouth, constipation, and difficulty passing urine.
But Antihistamine drugs are also known to worsen conditions, which NHS Choices fail to mention, such as glaucoma, enlarged prostate gland, difficulty in passing urine, or bowel blockage, and amazingly, their safety during pregnancy has not been established. They are also know to increase the risk of liver or kidney disease.
And, as with most conventional drugs, once the effect of the drug has passed, hay fever symptoms usually return.
Steroid Drugs
Steroids (corticosteroids) for hay fever are available as sprays, creams and tablets. The NHS Choices website says that Corticosteroid drugs can reduce the inflammation that causes Hay Fever, and so prevent the symptoms from happening. They tell us that Corticosteroid drugs are more effective than antihistamine tablets at preventing and relieving nasal symptoms, including sneezing and congestion. They can also relieve itchy, watery eyes.
As usual, NHS choices mentions just a few side effects, including irritation and dryness of the nose, nose bleed, an unpleasant taste in your mouth, and itchy skin rash around the nose. They also say that the drugs are not recommended for more than 10 days - because of the “unpleasant side effects” such as weight gain, changes in mood, and acne.
Yet, in fact, Steroid drugs cause more problems than Antihistamine drugs. They are known to cause dangerous adverse reactions, such as high blood pressure, bleeding from the bowels or stomach, reduced healing, poor muscle growth, weight gain, and electrolyte imbalances. And long term use of Steroid drugs (not recommended, but remember that once the effect of the drug wears off Hay Fever return) increases the likelihood of diabetes, glaucoma, and eye damage. They have psychological effects too - they are known to cause not only mood swings, but personality changes, agitation, nervousness, tiredness, lack of energy, and depression.
Immunotherapy or Desensitisation Treatments
This is what NHS Choices says about Immunotherapy:
“If you have persistent hay fever symptoms which are not relieved by the above treatments, your GP may refer you for immunotherapy treatment. This involves gradually introducing you to small amounts of the allergen (the substance that you are allergic to), such as pollen, and monitoring your allergic reaction”.
This treatment is, of course, based on Homeopathy, which works on the basis of ‘Like curing Like’. So Desensitisation treatments are an example of conventional medicine unwittingly making use of homeopathic principles! Even so, NHS Choices says that their treatment can take months, or even years to work, and can be dangerous. But Homeopathy, by using much smaller amounts of allergen, and in potency, can produce faster, safer and better results!
Laser Surgery
NHS Choices says that “Laser surgery is used to vaporise the mucus membranes of the nose to inhibit the symptoms of hay fever. Care has to be taken to prevent burning of the nasal tissue. Success is variable and re-vaporisation is often needed as symptoms will often return over time.
HOMEOPATHIC TREATMENT
Many people have discovered Homeopathy when conventional treatments for Hay Fever fails. Homeopathy seeks to stimulate our body’s natural self-healing processes by matching the specific symptoms of the individual patient with a known symptom picture of a variety of remedy.
Many remedies are required as Homeopathy recognises that Hay-Fever is not one, single condition. Some sufferers suffer most in Spring, others in Summer. Some sneeze regularly and violently, others do not sneeze at all. Some have runny nose, or itchy eyes. Some sufferers are worse indoors, some outdoors. And so on.
There are many remedies known to treat Hay Fever successfully, the task being to match the individual patient with a ‘similar’ remedy. Here are just a few of the most frequently used remedies for acute attacks, with simple descriptions, taken from this excellent ‘Homeopathy Plus’ website.
The article explains some sensible self-help measures that can reduce the frequency and intensity of Hay Fever symptoms, such as drinking plenty of water, knowing and avoiding what you are allergic too, and using food as medicine. But it also gives some common remedies, with simple remedy pictures for each one.
Arsenicum
This is one of the best remedies for hay fever. Burning or itching in the nose, eyes or throat being a strong indication. The discharges from both eyes and nose will be burning (but check to make sure that Allium cepa or Euphrasia are not better indicated – Euphrasia has the opposite symptoms). An improvement of the symptoms in the open air, although sensitive to light, is usually an indication for this remedy.
Euphrasia
A classic remedy for hay fever where, again, there is lots of sneezing with streaming eyes and nose. If the water from the eyes burns the cheeks and the discharge from the nose is not too bad, this remedy is needed. (Allium cepa has the opposite symptoms). The remedy is indicated if the symptoms improve in the open air – obviously away from pollen. Sensitivity to light may be apparent in both Euphrasia and Allium cepa.
Nat Mur
Initially, there is a streaming, bland discharge from both the eyes and nose with lots of sneezing. Later, there is nasal discharge that is thick and clear like the white of an egg with loss of taste and smell. This is not one of the main remedies for hay fever but it can bring great relief to the type who gets easily burned, feel generally miserable, uncomfortable, blotchy and irritated in the sun.
Nux vom
This is one of the best remedies for when there is lots of sneezing, streaming from the eyes and nose, and an irritable, nasty mood. (If they are sweet tempered, it is unlikely to help.) The symptoms are worse in dry air and relieved when the atmosphere is damp.
Pulsatilla
The main indications for this remedy are a weepy, needy, state of mind, together with discharges that are thick, bland (not acrid) and green or yellow. Pulsatilla frequently has one side of the nose blocked or congested.
Sulphur
Watery, burning nasal discharge, or a blocked nose, when outside. Frequent sneezing. Blocking of nose on alternate sides. Burning pain in eyes. Symptoms worsened by warmth and becoming warm in bed. Better for being in open air. May be lazy, opinionated, and desire sweets, alcohol, and spicy food.
And it also describes other helpful, but less commonly indicated remedies such as:
Ambrosia artemisaefolia
Intolerable itching and watering from eyes. Burning of eyes. Sneezing and watery nasal discharge. Nose and head feel stuffy. Nose bleeds.
Arum triphyllum
Irritation or itching in the nose leading to boring, picking, rubbing. May pick at lips and face. Throat, mouth, tongue, and palate may burn, making it difficult to eat or drink despite having a thirst. People who need Arum-t may experience concurrent hoarseness and peeling or chapping of the lips.
Histaminum
Consider this remedy when either no other remedy seems accurate or if other remedies have been tried and haven’t worked.
Kali bich
Consider this remedy when thick, stringy, green or yellowish mucus from the nose or throat is present. There may also be a post-nasal or pain at the root of the nose relieved by hard pressure.
Sabadilla officinarum
Hay fever with frequent, spasmodic sneezing that exhausts the person. Sneezing from tickling inside the nose, and sneezing that causes the eyes to water. Profuse, watery nasal discharge and red and burning eyelid margins. Symptoms worse in the open air, better in a warm room. Dry mouth but little thirst.
Solidago
Burning, stinging eyes. Paroxysms of sneezing with mucus discharge from nose.One of the main remedies for people allergic to house dust mite.
Wyethia helenoides
Tremendous itching of the upper palate of the mouth causing the person to make “clucking” noises in effort to provide some relief. Itching of the nose and throat, along with a constant desire to swallow saliva to relieve the dryness may also be present.
RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TESTS
The information in this section is taken largely from this website, which states that “the homeopathic treatment of allergic rhinitis has been well documented in scientific research”.
A study by Taylor et al, published in the British Medical Journal in 2000, showed a statistically significant improvement in objectively measured nasal air flow for patients treated with homeopathy compared to placebo. The study was carried out by doctors at the Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital who used homeopathy in 50 patients suffering from nasal allergies by giving them either a homeopathic preparation or a placebo. The study concluded that those given the homeopathic treatment were10 times more likely to be cured than those given a dummy pill. It was the fourth trial carried out by this hospital on homeopathy for allergies and all had produced similar results.
Taylor, M. A., Reilly, D., et al: Randomised controlled trial of homoeopathy versus placebo in perennial allergic rhinitis with overview of four trial series. BMJ, 321: 471-476, 2000.
The four studies completed by Taylor and colleagues all looked at the effectiveness of homeopathy for allergic rhinitis treatment (Hay Fever). A meta-analysis review of these and other studies by Jonas et al. for the Annals of Internal Medicine reported that these studies were high-quality, double-blind, placebo controlled trials significantly better than placebo on both subjective (reported) and objective (measurable) outcomes.
Jonas, W.B. et al: A Critical Overview of Homeopathy, Annals of Internal Medicine, 138:5, 393-400, 2003.
Studies testing individual homeopathic remedies for allergic rhinitis include Wiesenauer’s randomized controlled trials of Galphimia for pollinosis which were reported to show significantly more effectiveness of Galphimia than placebo when reviewed in a meta-analysis by Linde in 2001.
Wiesenauer M, Lüdtke R: A meta-analysis of the homeopathic treatment of pollinosis with Galphimia glauca,Forsch Komplementärmed, 3:230-236, 1996.
Linde, K. et al, Systematic reviews of complementary therapies – an annotated bibliography. Part 3: Homeopathy, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 1:4, 2001.
Similarly, Nobel published a placebo controlled randomized trial of Zicam in 2000 that showed a statistically significant better result for the homeopathic treatment when compared to placebo.
Sion Nobel: Daily Application Of The Homeopathic Remedy Zicam Allergy Relief Significantly Improves The Quality Of Life And Impairment In Patients With Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis: The Internet Journal of Family Practice. 1:1,2000.
So, as this article rightly concludes:
“The effect of homeopathic treatment has been demonstrated through repeated controlled trials. While homeopathic remedies were used in all of these trials, in some cases “isopathic” types of homeopathy (medicines made from the allergens) were used”.
The Failure of ConMed. Just how dangerous are Big Pharma drugs?
Evidence for the failure of drug-based conventional medicine (ConMed) comes through thick and fast. The evidence is rarely used in the mainstream media; so pass this blog on to all your friends and family. It may save them from the dangers of the Big Pharma drugs we are regularly told are 'safe' and 'effective' when in fact they are neither.
Indeed, the question can be asked - just what do doctors and GPs know about the dangers of the drug they give us?
Aspirin in one of the oldest ConMed drugs. So look at this advice now being given to GPs. The benefits of Aspirin are heavily outweighed by the dangers! Has you doctor ever told you this before? Have you heard about it in the media? And if they can't get it right about one of the oldest drugs, used for years, how can they possible get it right about newer drugs. And in this the message is reinforced; the value of Aspirin in more in the spin than the science!
And some painkillers are now known to kill over 15,000 people each year - just in the USA
The answer is, of course, that they don't know. Conventional medicine gives us drugs but in reality have no idea what they might be doing to us. We patients appear to be one huge drug trial! Here are some more examples.
Antidepressants. They cause suicide and violence.
And mums who take them risk giving babies high blood pressure.
And Canadian Judge says they can cause children to commit murder.
Antibiotics. The links with Obesity, Diabetes and Stroke. How long have we been told these drugs are entirely safe!
BigPharma drugs to prevent abnormal heart rhythms actually cause them!
Is the epidemic rise in Alzheimers Disease, and Dementia caused by drugs? Well, a common 'side-effect' of many, many drugs is - confusion. See this article, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, about 'common' drugs that cause memory disorders.
Statin Drugs. These dreadful drugs are now thought to cause diabetes! Once, not so very long ago, we were told these drug were 'entirely safe'. They are not! Look here for further information on this.
Not even doctors, our own GPs appear to know about the dangers of drugs. Here, they complain about being kept in the dark about the dangers of Viagra. Some time earlier, doctors were told that Viagra should not be taken more than twice and month. Makes you wonder just how dangerous they are!
So perhaps, when doctors are accused of, and sued for creating Valium addicts, they were not aware of the problem because they were not told(?)
Perhaps you will have noticed that I have said nothing about the dreadfulness, and the horrors of vaccination. Why? Because there is just so much coming out about how dangerous they are, and the devastation they are causing. So this will be the theme next week.
Indeed, the question can be asked - just what do doctors and GPs know about the dangers of the drug they give us?
Aspirin in one of the oldest ConMed drugs. So look at this advice now being given to GPs. The benefits of Aspirin are heavily outweighed by the dangers! Has you doctor ever told you this before? Have you heard about it in the media? And if they can't get it right about one of the oldest drugs, used for years, how can they possible get it right about newer drugs. And in this the message is reinforced; the value of Aspirin in more in the spin than the science!
And some painkillers are now known to kill over 15,000 people each year - just in the USA
The answer is, of course, that they don't know. Conventional medicine gives us drugs but in reality have no idea what they might be doing to us. We patients appear to be one huge drug trial! Here are some more examples.
Antidepressants. They cause suicide and violence.
And mums who take them risk giving babies high blood pressure.
And Canadian Judge says they can cause children to commit murder.
Antibiotics. The links with Obesity, Diabetes and Stroke. How long have we been told these drugs are entirely safe!
BigPharma drugs to prevent abnormal heart rhythms actually cause them!
Is the epidemic rise in Alzheimers Disease, and Dementia caused by drugs? Well, a common 'side-effect' of many, many drugs is - confusion. See this article, published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, about 'common' drugs that cause memory disorders.
Statin Drugs. These dreadful drugs are now thought to cause diabetes! Once, not so very long ago, we were told these drug were 'entirely safe'. They are not! Look here for further information on this.
Not even doctors, our own GPs appear to know about the dangers of drugs. Here, they complain about being kept in the dark about the dangers of Viagra. Some time earlier, doctors were told that Viagra should not be taken more than twice and month. Makes you wonder just how dangerous they are!
So perhaps, when doctors are accused of, and sued for creating Valium addicts, they were not aware of the problem because they were not told(?)
Perhaps you will have noticed that I have said nothing about the dreadfulness, and the horrors of vaccination. Why? Because there is just so much coming out about how dangerous they are, and the devastation they are causing. So this will be the theme next week.
Benzodiazepine Drugs - a life tragedy
This is a response I have received from a colleague of mine, Kevin, who was moved to send in the tragic story about his father. It demonstrates that despite all their claims, ConMed and its awful drugs have so little to contribute to human health.
"I couldn’t avoid replying to your posting on the Benzodiazepines- the mother’s little helpers that were so often seen as a panacea back in the seventies. My father was a former far eastern prisoner of war. Patriotic by nature, he didn’t wait to be called up, but took the King’s shilling and was posted to Singapore as part of the island’s defence force. On Singapore’s fall, my father became a prisoner of war of the Japanese and worked on the construction of the Burma Railway memorialised in the film, ‘Bridge Over the River Kwai’.
My father didn’t speak much about the war. I know that when he arrived back in Liverpool he weighed around five stone. I know also that although he did receive medical attention for the malaria that continued to trouble him for the rest of his life, like most of his surviving comrades, little attention was given to the emotional scars they suffered.
As I see the welfare state rapidly being dismantled only to be replaced by a more ancient and some narrow minded parsimonious system of swim or sink, I remember that many of the reforms that occurred in the late forties were put in place to provide for the service- men and women who had sacrificed so much for this country.
I have always known that it is not just those such as my father who sacrificed much, but many of their families also. Indeed, some still pay the price of our nation’s former colonial engagements. Our family had many of the aspects of the prison camp that housed my father for those long years of his captivity.
Looking back with the hindsight of a sixty year old, I can see that he had major difficulties throughout my childhood. As I left my teens and entered young adulthood, my father found he could no longer cope with his job. He went to his GP who along with the long sicknote, doled out one of the Benzodiazepines that were so prevalent back then in the seventies. Sadly, to these my father added large amounts of home brewed beer.
My dad had always been unpredictable and often resorted to violence. This trait continued, but contrary to what he had been told would happen his occasional aggression alternated with long bouts of depression. I remember writing to his GP warning him of his condition and stating my fears for his wellbeing. One Friday while my mother was at work, he took to their bed and swallowed a large quantity of his capsules, together with a bottle of Sherry. By the time my mother returned home, he was dead.
I remember writing to the local branch of the Far Eastern Prisoner if War Association to inform them of my father’s suicide. Not long afterwards, that former officer who replied so beautifully to my letter went up onto the moors and blew his brains out.
I came to learn that very few of those who gave so much to this country in our country’s war in the east lived to a respectable age. Like my father who was 59, many, many Far Eastern POWs committed suicide.
It is deplorable that the NHS had little that was effective in helping these men mitigate their sufferings; it is all the more so because the drugs that were so routinely trotted out to the likes of my father in the seventies usually contributed to the desperate deterioration that so often followed their prescribing. I suppose our family’s experience of drug prescribing bred a deep suspicion of conventional drugs in me. It is more than likely that my dad’s passing helped me avoid the same fate when I became terminally ill with cancer in January 1999.
Very few from the second world war survive now, but those increasing numbers of mostly young men who end their own lives before reaching the age of thirty are testament to the fact that whatever ails modern society is mirrored in all those new patents for psychotropic drugs. Despite the growing profits of their manufacturers, no-one seems able to reverse the trend. This is a tragic testament to our drug companies’ ineffectiveness.
It is good to receive life stories such as this, that demonstrate how hopeless ConMed is, and well as how dangerous.
62 Before A Meal - What's A Girl To Do?
You and me both, Magic 8-Ball!
The last few days I’ve been waking up low. Not super low, but low nonetheless.
Yesterday my pre breakfast blood sugar was 62, and this morning I woke up with a 65 blood sugar.
Sidebar: I’m slowly working my way off an extended temporary basal rate due to my ongoing sinus issues, so before you say: "Kelly, just cut back on your early morning basal rate,” it’s not so easy. When I cut back from my original Temporary Basal Rate of 1.4 units on Sunday afternoon to 1.3 units. I woke up on Monday morning with a 240 blood sugar. I decided to stick it out until Tuesday in case it was a fluke, but Tuesday’s Breakfast blood sugar was 222. So I increased my temporary basal rate to 1.35 units, and it seemed to be working quite nicely.
Until I woke up yesterday morning and felt low the minute I opened my eyes. Magic 8-Ball in the form of my meter confirmed my suspicion, and flashed the number 62.
No breakfast bolus for me! I had my coffee, 1 slice of Ezekiel toast w/peanut butter & ¼ of a small banana, & a ½ a glass of vanilla soy milk and went I with my morning.
And I felt great. Until I took my blood sugar at 10:30 a.m. and was rocking a blood sugar of 290 - And I was pissed! And not just at the number, but with my self! I knew better! I knew I should have been monitoring more closely, but I had a heavy workload and for one stupid reason or another, the morning slipped away from me and I neglected to test.
I gave myself a correction bolus, and I have to say, for the rest of the day my numbers were perfect. Until this morning, when I woke up with a blood sugar of 65.
Once again, no breakfast bolus for me! I had my coffee, a pear, a ½ a glass of vanilla soymilk and some cheddar cheese. And now, with my meter & test strips next to my laptop, I’ll be monitoring my numbers every hour until lunch.
The whole, low right before a meal & mixed in with a temporary bolus thing does not make Kelly a happy camper!
Oh, Magic 8-Ball, if only you worked in real life! Thank God I have the D-O-C!
How the heck do you guys handle a right before a meal low blood sugar combined with a Temporary Bolus Rate balancing act?
Diabetic @ The Disco
http://www.plaidstallions.com/ has "Old- film looked" the clip and the fromage factor is high, but can you spot the Diabetic at the Disco?
Dementia and Alzheimers. Are they caused by conventional pharmaceutical drugs?
Alzheimer’s disease is the commonest of over 100 forms of dementia, a brain disorder that seriously and progressively restricts the ability to carry out normal daily functions and activities. It affects the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. Alzheimer’s disease was first noted by Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German doctor in about 1906, when it must have been an extremely rare condition.
History of the illness
It is just over 100 years ago that neurologist, Alois Alzheimer first described this disease. His patient was a woman who developed dementia in her 50s and died in 1906. Now Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, and it is estimated that 24 million people around the world suffer it. By 2040 it has been projected by Alzheimer’s Disease International, that there will be some 81 million sufferers throughout the world, with much of the incidence being in the 'developed' world, that is, that part of the world that consumes most conventional medical drugs.
The incidence of Alzheimer’s, and dementia generally, has increased rapidly, particularly over the last 50 to 60 years. A report published in 2006 by the Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), mentioned in the Lancet (17 December 2005), calculated that there was a new case of dementia every seven seconds, and predicted that, worldwide, dementia cases are expected to double every 20 years. They estimated that over 24 million people are living with dementia, and 4.6 million new cases are diagnosed each year. There are 4.8 million in Western Europe and 3.4 million in North America. The ADI chairman is reported as calling the situation "a ticking time bomb”.
The Alzheimer's Society published a major study on the social and economic impact of dementia in the UK in February 2007, and again in November 2014. Both were undertaken by King's College London, and the London School of Economics. They provided the most detailed information about the prevalence and impact of dementia in the UK. These are some of the Dementia UK 2014 findings (the report can be downloaded from here).
- One in every 79 (1.3%) of the entire UK population, and 1 in every 14 of the population aged 65 years and over has dementia.
- At the current estimated rate of prevalence, there will be 850,000 people with dementia in the UK in 2015. (In 2007 the estimate was 700,000).
- The total number of people with dementia in the UK is forecast to increase to over 1 million by 2025 and over 2 million by 2051.
- There are now 42,325 people with early-onset dementia (onset before the age of 65 years) and 773,502 people with late-onset dementia (onset after the age of 65 years) in the UK. (In 2007 the figure given was 15,000 for early onset).
- In total, 311,730 people with dementia in the UK are living in care homes, of whom 180,500 are living in residential care and 131,230 in nursing homes.
- As in 2007, nearly two-thirds (62%) of all people with dementia in the UK, 505,813 in total, have Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), known to be the most common form of dementia.
- For those with dementia aged over 60 years, an estimated 55% have mild dementia, 32% have moderate dementia and 12% have severe dementia.
- Among people with late-onset dementia, 311,730 (38.7%) are living in care homes (either residential care or nursing homes) and 493,639 (61.3%) are living in the community.
- The total cost of dementia to society in the UK is £26.3 billion, with an average cost of £32,250 per person. (The total cost figure in 2007 was £17 billion).
- The majority of people with dementia are women.
- Family carers bear the main cost , and provide the most care for people with dementia.
Drugs used to treat this disease
As NHS Choices says, there is currently no (conventional medical) cure for Alzheimer's disease “although medication is available that can temporarily reduce some symptoms or slow down the progression of the condition in some people”. These medications are named.
Donepezil (Aricept), galantamine (Reminyl) and rivastigmine Exelon (known as AChE inhibitors) can be prescribed for people with early to mid-stage Alzheimer's disease.
When describing these drugs, NHS Choices described their action as follows:
“A number of medications may be prescribed for Alzheimer's disease to help temporarily improve some symptoms and slow down the progression of the condition” (My emphasis).
Most websites do not describe or suggest that these drug have anything but a very minor affect on dementia, or the progress of dementia.
However, in November 2006, NICE ruled these three Alzheimer’s drugs should not be used for new Alzheimer’s patients as they were not good value for money. They are expensive, and have little effect on the disease. NICE said that they should be allowed only for patients with moderate levels of the disease. The drug companies, and some patient support groups supported by the drug companies, put enormous pressure on government ministers to reverse the decision (the drug companies apparently threatened to remove their factories and R&D facilities from Britain). So the decision about the drugs was overturned. (For more information on this event go to this link).
The side effects of these drugs are many and serious. They include
- Diarrhoea
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Nausea and vomiting
- Indigestion
- Swelling of face, lips, tongue, throat
- Breathing problems
- Abdominal pain
- Lack of appetite
- Hives
- Yellowed skin
- Dizziness
- Slow heartbeat
- Sudden or substantial weight loss
- Weakness
Memantine may be prescribed for people with mid-stage disease who cannot take AChE inhibitors, or for those with late-stage disease. The drug has an enormous amount of side effects, listed here as follows:
- Anxiety
- back pain
- bladder pain
- Bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet
- blurred vision
- bloody or cloudy urine
- Burning feeling in the chest or stomach
- burning, numbness, pain, or tingling in all fingers except smallest finger
- change in walking and balance
- chills
- clumsiness or unsteadiness
- cough producing mucus
- coughing
- diarrhoea
- difficult, burning, or painful urination
- difficulty with breathing
- difficulty with moving
- difficulty with swallowing
- discouragement
- dizziness
- dry mouth
- headache
- nervousness, agitation
- pounding in the ears
- rapid weight gain
- slow or fast heartbeat
- tingling of the hands or feet
- unusual weight gain or loss
- Abdominal or stomach pain
- black, tarry stools
- bleeding gums
- blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin
- blood in the urine or stools, dark coloured urine, decreased urine output
- chest pain
- coma
- cold sweats
- cool pale skin
- Confusion!
- constipation
- continuing vomiting
- convulsions
- dark-coloured urine
- decreased interest in sexual intercourse
- depression
- fainting
- fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
- fear
- feeling sad or empty
- fever
- frequent urge to urinate
- general feeling of discomfort, illness, tiredness, weakness
- heartburn
- High fever
- High of low blood pressure
- hyperventilation
- inability to have or keep an erection
- increased hunger
- increased sweating
- indigestion
- infection from breathing foreign substances into the lungs
- insomnia
- irritability
- joint pain
- hostility
- itching
- large amounts of fat in the blood
- lethargy
- light coloured stools
- lip smacking or puckering
- loss of appetite
- loss of bladder control
- loss of interest or pleasure
- loss of consciousness
- loss in sexual ability, desire, drive, or performance
- muscle twitching
- lower back or side pain
- muscle pain or stiffness
- nausea
- nervousness
- nightmares
- no breathing
- no pulse
- numbness or tingling in the face, arms, or legs
- pain in the stomach, side, or abdomen, possibly radiating to the back
- pain in the joints
- pain or swelling in the arms or legs without any injury
- pain, tension, and weakness upon walking that subsides during periods of rest
- pinpoint red spots on the skin
- pounding, slow heartbeat
- puffing of the cheeks
- rapid or worm-like movements of the tongue
- rapid weight gain
- recurrent fainting
- red irritated eyes
- red skin lesions, often with a purple centre
- restlessness
- seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
- shortness of breath
- sleepiness or unusual drowsiness
- seizures
- severe constipation
- severe headache
- severe muscle stiffness
- severe vomiting
- shakiness
- slurred speech
- stomach cramps
- stomach upset
- sore throat
- sores, ulcers, or white spots in the mouth or on the lips
- stupor
- sudden severe weakness
- swelling of the face, ankles, or hands
- tenderness in the stomach area
- tightness in the chest
- tiredness
- trouble with concentrating
- trouble with sleeping
- total body jerking
- trouble with speaking or walking
- troubled breathing
- twitching, twisting, uncontrolled repetitive movements of tongue, lips, face, arms, or legs
- uncontrolled chewing movements
- unusual bleeding or bruising
- unusual tiredness or weakness
- unusually pale skin
- vomiting
- watery or bloody diarrhoea
- wheezing
- yellow eyes and skin
Drugs that may cause dementia
The cause of this epidemic, like so many others, is often said to be ‘unknown’. The common causes given are factors such as an ageing population, genetics and family history, and life style factors such as smoking, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
None of these seem sufficient to explain the extraordinary rise in dementia, from 1 in 1906 to the huge numbers outlined above.
Perhaps the main excuse for the rapid rise of dementia in recent decades has been that ‘people are living longer’, and that dementia is ‘a normal part of ageing’. But even this possible cause is no longer viable as younger people, some in their 30’s, are now developing the condition in increasing numbers.
A more realistic cause may be an increased contact with metals like aluminium and mercury (including dental amalgam, a mercury based compound placed routinely in our teeth, in a wet environment that leeches this poison into our bodies, close to our brain). And both metals can, of course, be found in vaccines.
So this is certainly an epidemic that could have been caused by the increased consumption of conventional medical drugs during the last 100 years. The rise in drug taking is reflected, and has been mirrored by the rise of dementia. And the global incidence of dementia reflects the amount of drugs consumed by different countries.
The connection is, of course, not recognised by the Conventional Medical Establishment, although any cursory examination of the British National Formulary demonstrates that there are a large number of Big Pharma drugs that list 'confusion' as a 'side-effect'. Yet there is evidence to connect dementia with drugs, as the two examples here indicate.
Dr Hugh Fudenberg, MD, one of the world's leading immuno-geneticists, has found that people who have had 5 consecutive ‘flu vaccinations between 1970 and 1980 (the years he studied) the chance of getting Alzheimer's Disease was 10 times higher than if he/she had one, 2 or no shots. Dr. Fudenberg said that this was due to the mercury and aluminum elements in ‘flu vaccinations, and that the gradual mercury and aluminum build-up in the brain causes cognitive dysfunction. (Hugh Fudenberg, MD, is Founder and Director of Research, Neuro lmmuno Therapeutic Research Foundation, and this information came from transcribed notes of his speech at the NVIC International Vaccine Conference, Arlington, VA September, 1997).
There is also evidence that common drugs used to treat depression, Parkinson’s disease and allergies can produce symptoms that can be mistaken for early dementia. An article in the British Medical Journal (Feb 2006; 332: 455 – 459) refers to research that says doctors should be aware that anticholinergic drugs can cause confusion, memory loss and disorientation. Karen Ritchie, the author of the article, told Reuters (London) that
"A large number of elderly people are taking medications that can mimic early dementia and are likely to be classed as having early dementia. A very large number of people with so-called early dementia have these effects due to drug consumption. The drugs they are taking are very common - they include things like antihistamines”
"What we showed is that many of the people who are classified in this way have it due to the medication they are taking, and not because they have early Alzheimer's disease".
"The drugs they are taking are very common they include things like antihistamines"
Anticholinergic drugs are prescribed to relieve tremors, muscle stiffness, weakness, anxiety, incontinence and sleep problems, so contracting Alzheimer’s disease as a result should perhaps be described as something more serious than a ‘side-effect’!
The self-published book by Grace E Jackson, called ‘Drug Induced Dementia - a perfect crime’ takes us through, and catalogues the vast amount of scientific evidence that conventional medical drugs are the primary cause of all forms of dementia, which has certainly become one of the more rampant epidemic conditions of our time.
Anyone who is concerned about contracting Alzheimer’s Disease, and anyone who is caring for someone diagnosed with Alzhiemer’s should read this book.
There are many other links to articles associating dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease with taking conventional pharmaceutical drugs, for example:
- Benzodiazepine drugs, including Valium, associated with dementia.
- Our doctors are told that Benzodiazepine use linked with development of dementia
- Three types of drug cause forgetfulness
- Everyday medications cause dementia - sometimes within 60 days of taking them.
- Dementia risk associated with sleeping pills
- One study associated dementia with prescription drugs for hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease and chronic lung problems, as well as ‘over-the-counter’ drugs for insomnia, poor digestion, and including antihistamines.
- And taking several pharmaceutical drugs, polypharmacy, is also implicated in causing dementia.
- Everyday medications cause dementia-like effects within 60 days (What Doctors Don't Tell You)
“In a study of 3,690 older people taking anticholinergic medication, the researchers discovered that mental functioning began to be affected within 60 days”.
It should not perhaps be a surprise that powerful and toxic pharmaceutical drugs can cause dementia. The brain is the most delicate organ we have, and the most easily damaged. Certainly, anyone who has a relative or friend who has dementia, particularly in the early stages, should examine whether conventional pharmaceutical drugs have been a potential cause of dementia.
