From: rbetts@questor.org (Robert Betts)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Chronic schizophrenia: quality EFAs
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 92 02:17:18 PST
Organization: Questor|Free Usenet News|Vancouver, BC: +1 604 681 0670

In response <egf48542@ucbeh.san.uc.edu>, Ed Francell, M.S.W. cand.
Univ. of Cincinnati writes regarding lack of: -"replicated scientific
studies (double-blind, placebo controlled, etc.) that support this
theory,"--

Ed was referring to my quoting an article starting with:  "In 1985,
E.P. Heleniak and S.W. Lamola noticed similarities between Pfeiffer's
histamine theory of schizophrenia and Horrobin's prostaglandin theory."

    I believe you are right.  You would probably know better as to whether
 such a study might be funded from a practical standpoint.

    Changing to quality EFAs gradually became the main thrust of our
 strategy in attempting to improve overall health and coping ability with
 a disabling syndrome involving "voices".  In my opinion hydrogenated oils
 represent a colossal experiment in nutrition that was initiated in the
 first part of this century.  Fresh flax oil and meal have been used much
 longer I am sure.
 
    Like white sugar, hydrogenated oils are extremely ubiquitous.  Even
 under isolated circumstances and strong family support I found that
 keeping her away from hydrogenated oils was difficult, at least during
 the initial period around 1983 when she was quite ill.  I don't expect to
 know for certain whether our experience was not simply a lucky
 coincidence.  From a scientific standpoint nutrition and mental health is
 undoubtedly a complicated issue.  Pioneer work in linking criminal
 behavior with nutritional-metabolic disorders still don't seem to get
 much attention.  Until the research community is given the mandate to
 settle nutritional issues in relation to the schizophrenias and other
 mental disorders, I hope that people will have the freedom to seek
 individualized nutritional improvements in efforts to reduce the
 suffering of victims.

    My reading suggests that the schizophrenias are a complex group of
 disorders having in common altered brain chemistry involving the
 "thinking" part of the brain.  Whether these have in common some kind of
 slow virus, auto toxicity or whatever remains to be resolved.  There
 seems to be plenty of circumstantial evidence that this phenomenon
 involves interrelationships with endocrinology and metabolism.  In our
 case the prostaglandin theory seemed the most relevant, but this is only
 speculation.

    The efforts to require clinicians to do more extensive examinations
 and lab work on new schizophrenics, I am sure is a step in the right
 direction, since more intense effort in the beginning should increase the
 cure rate over that of natural remission, let alone reduce suffering in
 cases that become chronic.

    It could be helpful if someone could offer a more up to date
 bibliography in this subject area (nutrition and mental health).  My
 sources include the book: _The Omega=3 Phenomenon_ by Donald O. Rudin,
 M.D. [1987] and health periodicals with lay oriented articles as well as
 self-help newsletters.  I was influenced by _Vitamins and You_ by Robert
 J. Benowicz  (1979). Page 13 has a description of the hydrogenated oil
 process which I found to be a stomach turner.  Similar viewpoints are
 increasingly available in lay periodicals and books.  A common theme is
 the destruction of food quality by high temperature processing.  I am not
 sure, but I suspect the research source of some of this popular
 literature may in part come from a major government study in 1982:
 _Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer_ ($25?) from: National Academy Press  2101
Constitution Avenue N.W.  Washington D.C. 20418. Contract No. N01-CP-05603
with the National Cancer Institute.
  This very difficult to read book showed a positive correlation between
 high temperature food processing and cancer risk according to a review I
 read some years back.  Perhaps a reader can amplify further.


--
  Robert Betts (rbetts@questor.org)
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