Re: Fw: Possessed by Parasites

[Guest guest]

OK, so most of us are infected...now what?

Possessed by Parasites

Possessed by Parasites: a Twilight Zone Story

Schor, ND, FABNO

www.DenverNaturopathic.com

July 7, 2012

The news reports from early July that tell us infection with a common

parasite increases risk of suicide in women sound more like a science

fiction plot than science. After all, the idea that a microorganism can

take over our minds and control what we do is only half a step removed from

zombies and vampires. Yet the science is good and this story is for real:

infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii changes our thoughts, and for

the worse.

The July issue of the Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease reported that

women infected with this parasite are more likely to hurt themselves or

attempt suicide. Researchers had analyzed data from a group of 45,000

Danish mothers who were part of an earlier study that had screened their

newborns for this infection. About one quarter had tested positive. Over

the next 11 to 14 years, the infected women were about 50% more likely to

cut, burn, or otherwise hurt themselves than uninfected women. They were

80% more likely to attempt suicide.

The disease called toxoplamosis, caused by this parasite Toxoplasma gondii,

is quite common; it is estimated that about one third of the world’s human

population is infected.

Toxoplasma gondii lives an odd life; it spends the first portion of its life

living in rats but to complete its lifecycle and reproduce it must live

inside a cat. In fact the cat needs to eat the rat. This presents a

challenge as rats instinctively avoid cats, making the interspecies jump a

challenge. Yet according to researchers, although healthy rats shy away from

even the odor of cats, infected rats not only lose their wariness but are

actually attracted to cat fragrance.

Back in 2007 Stanford University researchers writing in the Proceedings of

the National Academy of Sciences explained how the parasite achieves this.

When the time is right, the parasites migrate into the rat’s brain, in

particular the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls conditioned

responses and fear. The parasites are able to damage the amydala in such a

way that all fear of cats is erased, but other fears are left intact. The

rats still avoid other hazards, but not this particular feline one.

While Toxoplasmosis infection is generally thought to be asymptomatic in

humans there have been numerous reports going back all the way to the 1940s

that it impacts psychology. This current study on suicide rates in infected

women is only one of a growing list.

If Toxoplasma can make a cat look attractive to a rat, how much could our

own thinking be the result of an infection influencing our thoughts?

People infected with toxoplasmosis score themselves differently on

self-administered personality profiles than non-infected people do.

Infected men seem more dogmatic, less trusting of others, less respectful of

rules and more jealous. Some say they are more macho. In contrast,

infected women are likely to be warm-hearted, easy going, conscientious,

persistent insecure and moralistic, have many friends and more romantic

partners as well as like to shop for clothes more than non-infected women.

Infection reduces ability to focus on a task, for example driving.

The strongest association is between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia and

suggests that infection may trigger schizophrenia in predisposed individuals

Then add in suicides. A 2011 study in Schizophrenia Research associated

suicide attempts with infection, increasing risk in younger patients by 59%.

Four separate studies have shown infection increases risk of traffic

accidents. Infected people are nearly three times more likely to crash their

cars. The statistics in these studies suggest infections may indirectly

contribute to about one million deaths from traffic accidents a year.

Estimates suggest an equal number of occupational injuries may also be

caused. This bug may be having a bigger impact on our health than we might

have guessed.

Infection is associated with a number of other problems. Mother’s of

children with Down’s syndrome are 2 ½ times as likely to be infected as

women with normal children. Infection also appears to change sex ratios in

populations increasing the women to men ratio. The percentage of people

infected decreases with increasing age. One troubling explanation for this

is that it is caused by the premature death of infected subjects.

While the effects of infection on mice and rats are spectacular, in humans

they are often more subtle. In humans personality shifts occur and they

increase in intensity the longer the person has been infected. Over time

people actually change in other ways. Infected men are taller. Their

fingers get longer, particularly their fourth fingers of their left hands [i’m

not making this up].

The number of people infected by Toxoplasma varies widely in different parts

of the world. In some areas, it is rare and in others almost everyone is

infected. One researcher in particular, Lafferty, a scientist working

with the US Geological Survey, has reviewed and compared published data on

culture and personality from countries where data on Toxoplasma incidence is

available. He has concluded that this microorganism has helped shape

human culture. In a paper he presented in 2006 at the Royal Society in

London, Lafferty wrote,

“In populations where this parasite is very common, mass personality

modification could result in cultural change. The geographic variation in

the latent prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii may explain a substantial

proportion of human population differences we see in cultural aspects that

relate to ego, money, material possessions, work, and rules. "

Comparing the data, Lafferty concluded that, “….the parasite's subtle effect

on individual personality appears to alter the aggregate personality at the

population level.â€

Countries with high Toxoplasma levels have a higher aggregate neuroticism

score, and Western nations with high prevalence also scored higher in the

" neurotic " cultural dimensions of " masculine " sex roles and uncertainty

avoidance.

" There could be a lot more to this story. Different responses to the

parasite by men and women could lead to many additional cultural effects

that are, as yet, difficult to analyze, "

The February 2012 issue of Biology Letters reported an association between

infection and adult brain tumors, infected adults have an 80% higher risk.

Rates of mortality due to brain cancer are higher in areas with higher

incidence of Toxoplasma infection.

Climate affects how long Toxoplasma lasts in the environment and how many

people get infected. The parasite's eggs live longer in humid, low-altitude

regions, especially at mid latitudes where they do not freeze. Rates of

infection vary with cultural sanitation practices but especially with how

many cats are around.

In many Mediterranean countries, feral cats are everywhere. As I write

this, memories come back to me of watching cats with my daughter from an

apartment window in Jerusalem many years ago. At the time she was just

learning to count and we stood there counting cats out loud. They were

everywhere. I recall my daughter counted upwards of 27 cats prowling the

refuse cans in the back courtyard. A fair percentage of those cats were

probably infected. Not surprisingly human rates of infection vary by where

people live. An study published in the Israeli Journal of Medical Science

compared infection rates between Arab villagers and Jewish kibbutzim. On

average, 22% of the kibbutz members were infected compared to 58% of the

villagers. Infection rates of both groups increased with age so that 43% of

the kibbutz members over 60 years old were infected and over 74% of the Arab

villagers were infected by age 40.

How does this stack up to the rest of the world? About one quarter of the

US population tests positive for infection. In northern Iran, infections

rates typically run at about 78-80%. In Croatia they average about 36%.

In Iceland, the infection rate is about 10%. It can go as high as 50% in

parts of Sweden where evidence suggests that infection increases risk of

developing asthma. In Mexico, 29% of schizophrenic patients in a

psychiatric hospital were infected compared to just 9% of a control group of

blood donors from the same area.

The seemingly suicidal feline attraction that infected rats experience can

be treated one of two ways. Feeding the rat antibiotics that kill off the

parasite stop the behavior. So do anti-psychotic drugs. Gnaw on that

thought for a while.

How much of the seemingly irrational behavior we see in the nightly news is

due to a little parasite nibbling away at people’s brains? One has to

wonder.

Technically we have always been outnumbered in our own bodies. If we count

ourselves as the being comprised of cells sharing similar DNA from our

parents, then there are far more parasites, bacteria, fungi, and viruses

that live within our body than there are cells that belong to us. In fact,

they outnumber ‘us’ nine to one. We do not really want our bodies to

operate as a democracy where each entity gets a vote. We would prefer to

limit decision-making power to cells that share our genes and share our own

goal for survival.

That doesn’t seem to always be the case though and Toxoplasma may be a case

in point.

How much of the way we see the world results from a microscopic parasite

bending our thoughts to its own needs? How many of our views and

perceptions are some other organism’s agenda masquerading as our own

thoughts. Perhaps most importantly, how much of what appears to be

irrational human behavior is the result of these distorted thought

processes?

Thinking along these lines, one must wonder how many of the difficulties in

human interactions on both an individual, national and international level

might be better addressed through reducing parasitic infection rates? While

we assume that the conflicts we see result from political, religious and

nationalist ideologies, perhaps what we are really seeing are the end

results of too many Toxoplasma eroding the amygdala of too many people?

.................................................................

We are posting most of these newsletters in our 'NEWS' section of the

website. The website versions contain more complete references and often

abstracts of the references quoted and links to the full text of many of the

journal articles mentioned. You don't have to be a patient to sign up and we

encourage you to get your friends on our mailing list so you don't have to

keep forwarding the newsletters that you find interesting.

[Guest guest]

you get a Bob Beck blood pulser and a Bob Beck high amplitude magnetic pulser

and you literally electrocute the beggars out of your system. simple.

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On Jul 8, 2012, at 4:55 PM, B. Monier- wrote:

OK, so most of us are infected...now what?

Possessed by Parasites

Possessed by Parasites: a Twilight Zone Story

Schor, ND, FABNO

www.DenverNaturopathic.com

July 7, 2012

The news reports from early July that tell us infection with a common

parasite increases risk of suicide in women sound more like a science

fiction plot than science. After all, the idea that a microorganism can

take over our minds and control what we do is only half a step removed from

zombies and vampires. Yet the science is good and this story is for real:

infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii changes our thoughts, and for

the worse.

The July issue of the Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease reported that

women infected with this parasite are more likely to hurt themselves or

attempt suicide. Researchers had analyzed data from a group of 45,000

Danish mothers who were part of an earlier study that had screened their

newborns for this infection. About one quarter had tested positive. Over

the next 11 to 14 years, the infected women were about 50% more likely to

cut, burn, or otherwise hurt themselves than uninfected women. They were

80% more likely to attempt suicide.

The disease called toxoplamosis, caused by this parasite Toxoplasma gondii,

is quite common; it is estimated that about one third of the world’s human

population is infected.

Toxoplasma gondii lives an odd life; it spends the first portion of its life

living in rats but to complete its lifecycle and reproduce it must live

inside a cat. In fact the cat needs to eat the rat. This presents a

challenge as rats instinctively avoid cats, making the interspecies jump a

challenge. Yet according to researchers, although healthy rats shy away from

even the odor of cats, infected rats not only lose their wariness but are

actually attracted to cat fragrance.

Back in 2007 Stanford University researchers writing in the Proceedings of

the National Academy of Sciences explained how the parasite achieves this.

When the time is right, the parasites migrate into the rat’s brain, in

particular the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls conditioned

responses and fear. The parasites are able to damage the amydala in such a

way that all fear of cats is erased, but other fears are left intact. The

rats still avoid other hazards, but not this particular feline one.

While Toxoplasmosis infection is generally thought to be asymptomatic in

humans there have been numerous reports going back all the way to the 1940s

that it impacts psychology. This current study on suicide rates in infected

women is only one of a growing list.

If Toxoplasma can make a cat look attractive to a rat, how much could our

own thinking be the result of an infection influencing our thoughts?

People infected with toxoplasmosis score themselves differently on

self-administered personality profiles than non-infected people do.

Infected men seem more dogmatic, less trusting of others, less respectful of

rules and more jealous. Some say they are more macho. In contrast,

infected women are likely to be warm-hearted, easy going, conscientious,

persistent insecure and moralistic, have many friends and more romantic

partners as well as like to shop for clothes more than non-infected women.

Infection reduces ability to focus on a task, for example driving.

The strongest association is between toxoplasmosis and schizophrenia and

suggests that infection may trigger schizophrenia in predisposed individuals

Then add in suicides. A 2011 study in Schizophrenia Research associated

suicide attempts with infection, increasing risk in younger patients by 59%.

Four separate studies have shown infection increases risk of traffic

accidents. Infected people are nearly three times more likely to crash their

cars. The statistics in these studies suggest infections may indirectly

contribute to about one million deaths from traffic accidents a year.

Estimates suggest an equal number of occupational injuries may also be

caused. This bug may be having a bigger impact on our health than we might

have guessed.

Infection is associated with a number of other problems. Mother’s of

children with Down’s syndrome are 2 ½ times as likely to be infected as

women with normal children. Infection also appears to change sex ratios in

populations increasing the women to men ratio. The percentage of people

infected decreases with increasing age. One troubling explanation for this

is that it is caused by the premature death of infected subjects.

While the effects of infection on mice and rats are spectacular, in humans

they are often more subtle. In humans personality shifts occur and they

increase in intensity the longer the person has been infected. Over time

people actually change in other ways. Infected men are taller. Their

fingers get longer, particularly their fourth fingers of their left hands [i’m

not making this up].

The number of people infected by Toxoplasma varies widely in different parts

of the world. In some areas, it is rare and in others almost everyone is

infected. One researcher in particular, Lafferty, a scientist working

with the US Geological Survey, has reviewed and compared published data on

culture and personality from countries where data on Toxoplasma incidence is

available. He has concluded that this microorganism has helped shape

human culture. In a paper he presented in 2006 at the Royal Society in

London, Lafferty wrote,

“In populations where this parasite is very common, mass personality

modification could result in cultural change. The geographic variation in

the latent prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii may explain a substantial

proportion of human population differences we see in cultural aspects that

relate to ego, money, material possessions, work, and rules. "

Comparing the data, Lafferty concluded that, “….the parasite's subtle effect

on individual personality appears to alter the aggregate personality at the

population level.”

Countries with high Toxoplasma levels have a higher aggregate neuroticism

score, and Western nations with high prevalence also scored higher in the

" neurotic " cultural dimensions of " masculine " sex roles and uncertainty

avoidance.

" There could be a lot more to this story. Different responses to the

parasite by men and women could lead to many additional cultural effects

that are, as yet, difficult to analyze, "

The February 2012 issue of Biology Letters reported an association between

infection and adult brain tumors, infected adults have an 80% higher risk.

Rates of mortality due to brain cancer are higher in areas with higher

incidence of Toxoplasma infection.

Climate affects how long Toxoplasma lasts in the environment and how many

people get infected. The parasite's eggs live longer in humid, low-altitude

regions, especially at mid latitudes where they do not freeze. Rates of

infection vary with cultural sanitation practices but especially with how

many cats are around.

In many Mediterranean countries, feral cats are everywhere. As I write

this, memories come back to me of watching cats with my daughter from an

apartment window in Jerusalem many years ago. At the time she was just

learning to count and we stood there counting cats out loud. They were

everywhere. I recall my daughter counted upwards of 27 cats prowling the

refuse cans in the back courtyard. A fair percentage of those cats were

probably infected. Not surprisingly human rates of infection vary by where

people live. An study published in the Israeli Journal of Medical Science

compared infection rates between Arab villagers and Jewish kibbutzim. On

average, 22% of the kibbutz members were infected compared to 58% of the

villagers. Infection rates of both groups increased with age so that 43% of

the kibbutz members over 60 years old were infected and over 74% of the Arab

villagers were infected by age 40.

How does this stack up to the rest of the world? About one quarter of the

US population tests positive for infection. In northern Iran, infections

rates typically run at about 78-80%. In Croatia they average about 36%.

In Iceland, the infection rate is about 10%. It can go as high as 50% in

parts of Sweden where evidence suggests that infection increases risk of

developing asthma. In Mexico, 29% of schizophrenic patients in a

psychiatric hospital were infected compared to just 9% of a control group of

blood donors from the same area.

The seemingly suicidal feline attraction that infected rats experience can

be treated one of two ways. Feeding the rat antibiotics that kill off the

parasite stop the behavior. So do anti-psychotic drugs. Gnaw on that

thought for a while.

How much of the seemingly irrational behavior we see in the nightly news is

due to a little parasite nibbling away at people’s brains? One has to

wonder.

Technically we have always been outnumbered in our own bodies. If we count

ourselves as the being comprised of cells sharing similar DNA from our

parents, then there are far more parasites, bacteria, fungi, and viruses

that live within our body than there are cells that belong to us. In fact,

they outnumber ‘us’ nine to one. We do not really want our bodies to

operate as a democracy where each entity gets a vote. We would prefer to

limit decision-making power to cells that share our genes and share our own

goal for survival.

That doesn’t seem to always be the case though and Toxoplasma may be a case

in point.

How much of the way we see the world results from a microscopic parasite

bending our thoughts to its own needs? How many of our views and

perceptions are some other organism’s agenda masquerading as our own

thoughts. Perhaps most importantly, how much of what appears to be

irrational human behavior is the result of these distorted thought

processes?

Thinking along these lines, one must wonder how many of the difficulties in

human interactions on both an individual, national and international level

might be better addressed through reducing parasitic infection rates? While

we assume that the conflicts we see result from political, religious and

nationalist ideologies, perhaps what we are really seeing are the end

results of too many Toxoplasma eroding the amygdala of too many people?

.................................................................

We are posting most of these newsletters in our 'NEWS' section of the

website. The website versions contain more complete references and often

abstracts of the references quoted and links to the full text of many of the

journal articles mentioned. You don't have to be a patient to sign up and we

encourage you to get your friends on our mailing list so you don't have to

keep forwarding the newsletters that you find interesting.