Readmore: Local, News, Munnsville, Miami, Bath Salts, Drugs, Illegal Drugs, Poison Control, Violence, Pamela Mccarthy Scene in Munnsville where police say a woman was high on bath salts and assaulted her own child before she died following a Taser shock. SYRACUSE -- Bath salts are synthetic drug that users can take just about any way they please eating them, injecting them, snorting or smoking them. But this now-illegal designer drug acts like a dangerous combination of LSD, PCP and cocaine. "Essentially, it's a drug-induced psychosis, said Clinical Toxicologist Dr. Alexander Garrard from SUNY Upstate Medical University. So they're not who they think they are. They're acting very different from themselves. They don't even recollect what happened to them. They blank out or black out, if you will. And that's maybe perhaps related to some of the cannibalistic behavior. It's really reducing them to primal instincts." The cannibalistic behavior resulting from bath salts has been making startling headlines.The firstcame over Memorial Day weekend when a homeless Miami, Florida man had his face devoured by a man high on bath salts.Another incidentin Miami happened on Monday when a half-naked man approached a three-year-old girl on a playground for sex. Police say the … Continue reading →

Dear Pharmacist: Ive recently developed minor numbness and tingling in my hands. Could it be a side effect my medications? Im scared of what else could cause this. S.L., Santa Rosa, Calif. A: Oh boy, l love talking about side effects. Obviously, consult your doctor to rule out other causes, but the simple answer is Yes! Most practitioners today are not aware that side effects are often the result of drug nutrient depletions, what I call the drug mugging effect. Im happy to say this concept has gained traction in the medical community, partly because Ive been hammering it in the media for 13 years and also because I published a book on it called Drug Muggers. Theres another layer to consider. We all have unique genetic SNPs (pronounced snips) in our DNA code that cause us to process medications, foods and nutrients a little differently from one another. For example, most autistic children and 20 percent of the general population are poor methylators and thus, need a nutritional helping hand, usually folic acid; vitamin B6, B12 (methylcobalamin), and SAMe are useful, too. These deficiencies may cause numbness and tingling in your extremities, and a host of other plaguing disorders. … Continue reading →

Cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis will continue to increase unless scientists develop more effective medicines with fewer side effects. This has emerged as one of the key issues at the third South African tuberculosis conference, which opened last night (Tues) in Durban. At present, people with drug-resistant TB face almost two years' of treatment, including a daily injection for the first six months. Despite this punishing regimen, less than half the cases of drug-resistant TB were cured in South Africa last year, according to the World Health Organisation. A number of patients also stop treatment because they cannot tolerate the side effects. "Treatment for drug-resistant TB is ineffective. It is too long, there are significant side-effects and it is expensive," according to Dr Helen Cox of Medicins sans Frontieres. "Aside from the daily injections that are very painful, 30 percent of people with drug-resistant TB develop hearing loss that is irreversible as a side-effect of the drugs," said Cox. "If someone starts going deaf a few weeks into treatment, what do we do? They need to continue with their treatment, but this means they will either be deaf or dead. This highlights the urgent need for new drugs." The Treatment Action … Continue reading →