Cat got your brain?

Dr. E. Fuller Torrey posits that cats may carry infectious diseases that could cause schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Torrey thinks they may be passing along Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite in cat feces, that causes brain lesions in humans and, if he's right, schizophrenia.

Torrey first formulated his astounding hypothesis 30 years ago, which made his colleagues think he himself was schizophrenic. But now, he has distinguished company in Johns Hopkins virologist Robert Yolken, who is collaborating with him. Together, they're trying to prove that toxoplasmosis is one of several infectious diseases that cause most cases of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Torrey and Yolken are going to do the unthinkable in their research. They will not use psycho-pharmaceutical drugs to numb their patients into submission and manageability but will treat them as normal patients suffering from an infectious disease-toxoplasmosis-using antibiotics.  

Yolken states their results "would represent a major advance in the treatment of this devastating disease, as well as in understanding its basic etiology." And, he could have added, if proved it will put many of his colleagues out of business.

I will follow the research and keep you posted. Meanwhile, if you have a cat, ask your vet to test kitty for Toxoplasma gondii. If the blood test comes back negative, everything will be fine if your cat remains an inside cat only. 

Ticking your health away

Imagine yourself on a golf course. Now imagine slicing the ball into 6 inches of weeds. You've got more to worry about than bogeying the hole - a bad golf shot could put you at risk for Lyme disease.

Lyme disease is no laughing matter and may lead to permanent disability from arthritis, heart disease, and even brain disease. Ticks, including the tiny deer tick that transmits Lyme disease, like tall grass. On the greens and fairways, you are fairly safe, but tromping around in the weeds is an invitation to disaster.

One expert has recommended that "golf course owners publicize the risk of straying from the green." What red- blooded American duffer is going to take that advice? What is he supposed to do, just leave the ball in the weeds?

Amway has a soap product called Hour Guard that prevents ticks and chiggers from hooking into you. (Hour Guard is available from any Amway distributor. See your local yellow pages for one in your area.) You have to put it on from your ankles to your armpits or you will not stop them-that's how tenacious they are. Hour Guard dries quickly and so isn't as yucky as it sounds. If you have ever had ticks and chiggers, you know this "soaping" is worth the trouble.