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The hidden danger of pill-strike…
15th September 2006
There's a serious health problem that I'd never come across before until yesterday…
It's not something you read about. I'm guessing it's not something most people hear about either…
In fact, unless you have first hand experience of this, it's probably not struck you at all.
Yet I'm sure it's a problem that hundreds… no, thousands of people have to face every day.
And as of yesterday, I'm included in that number.
So what am I talking about…?
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The hidden problem with medication…
You may remember that my Dad has recently been diagnosed with senile dementia.
The condition is in its early stages, so other than a bit of forgetfulness there's not too much difference between the Dad of today and the Dad of yesteryear.
Just a little less hair and a little more weight, a trait I'm delighted to say he's passed onto me.
Besides, he's always been a bit absentminded, so at the moment it's not too distressing for him, or the family.
Besides, although there's no cure for dementia or Alzheimer's, there are ways you can slow it down.
My Dad's been given a course of medication, which is all fine and dandy, except for one thing…
Yesterday he confided in me that he wasn't taking his pills. He's only told me - the rest of the family think he's happily swallowing the drugs every morning and following doctor's orders.
Instead he takes the pills, then flushes them down the toilet.
And it's left me with a bit of a dilemma…
Should I tell my Mum or should I keep quiet?
It's a difficult one.
On one hand he's avoiding a prescribed medication - something his doctor has told him to take that will help slow down his rate of deterioration.
But on the other hand, he's not putting himself at risk. Dementia isn't a killer. And in all honesty, there's no difference in his behaviour. He's an eighty-four year old man, in good spirits and in overall good health.
Okay he forgets where he's put his glasses from time to time, but who doesn't?
So, what to do?
When conventional and complimentary medicines go hand in hand
I think, for now, I'm going to keep quiet. Just for now mind, until I figure out the best course of action.
I don't feel I can tell my Mum yet. I'm sure she'd only tell him off and watch him take his pill every morning, checking his mouth to make sure he'd swallowed.
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And he'd know I told her, which wouldn't make him feel good.
I've tried to talk him into taking the pills, but unless I mash them up and hide them in his food there's no way I can force him to take them.
But if he continues with his pill-strike, I'll go and see his doctor and talk things over with him.
In the meantime, I'm going to look into these brain-boosting natural remedies for my Dad:
Lemon Balm
A study using lemon balm for Alzheimer's disease was carried out in Iran in 2003. Those taking lemon balm achieved better memory test scores than those taking a placebo.
And 2003 seems to be 'Alzheimer's Research Year', because at the same time Dr Andrew Scholey and Dr David Kennedy from Northumbria University in England conducted another test.
They treated 20 people with dried lemon balm, then at intervals of one, three and six hours after the treatment, they carried out memory tests.
The result…? Their patients could absorb more information, and could recall it with greater clarity.
As per usual with a natural remedy, lemon balm has no side effects. Compare that boast with neuroleptics, the anti-psychotic drugs prescribed from mental health problems.
Weight gain, hypertension, impotence, lethargy, seizures… the list of potential downsides is big enough to get its own show.
100 Favourite Side Effects…. hosted by Jimmy Carr. I'll get straight onto Channel 4 after I've finished this letter.
Bright light treatment
This is already an effective treatment for seasonal affective disorder, and now there's a suggestion it could help with dementia too.
The patient is placed in front of a light box that belts out up to 10,000 lux compared with 300 lux that comes from an average light.
Don't ask me what lux is - I thought it was a soap.
But results from a test in Japan showed that bright light is “a powerful synchronizer that can normalize disturbed sleep and substantially reduce the frequency of behavior disorders in elderly people with dementia.”
In short, it could help.
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The Yizhi Capsule
The Yizhi Capsule is a blend of traditional Chinese medicines that's producing some very exciting results…
In a study conducted at the Geriatrics Institute, China Academy of TCM, Beijing, sixty-one vascular dementia patients were randomly divided into 2 groups.
The first were given yizhi, the second were treated with hydergine (a very popular 'smart' drug), over a period of two months.
The results suggested that yizhi could significantly increase mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and Hamilton Depression Scale (HDS) marks of patients.
(That's the layman's version!)
It also looks like it improves balance and cerebral blood flow.
For more information about memory loss, dementia, and Alzheimer's, here's the place to go: www.alzheimers.org.uk
The attack of the Hippy Bees
I know Lara has to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on me practically every time I open the papers, but this time it's not because I'm angry about something I've read…
… it's because I'm amazed.
You see it turns out one of my all time favourite natural remedies has a deadly side.
There's no easy way to break this news to you so I'll come straight out with it:
Honey can kill.
You heard me right… honey has the ability (if that's the right word) to poison you.
But before you go sticking up WANTED posters of your local bee, don't worry… the honey that's most likely to cause you harm comes from Turkey, in a region by the Black Sea.
And it's the flowers that are causing the problem.
Toxins found in local rhododendrons and azaleas are poisonous to us frail humans. These toxins are known as grayanotoxins - and just a spoonful of this stuff can be dangerous.
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Symptoms can include hallucinations; convulsions, low blood pressure and fainting, and can last around a day.
They call it Mad Honey Disease, and it seems to be on the increase.
Now before you get alarmed, these numbers are small. Only 58 cases have ever been reported. But of those 58, 8 were treated in the last year alone.
And here's the ironic thing… the rise in frequency has been put down to an increase in the popularity of natural products!
Still, let's get this in context.
Honey is still one of the most powerful natural remedies in the world. But if you go to Turkey on holiday, perhaps you should think twice about bringing pots of the stuff back as gifts!
That's it for today. Have a great weekend, and I'll be back very soon indeed.
Until then,
Yours as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
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