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Is ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CAUSED BY PARACETAMOL? ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE CAUSED PARACETAMOL? Within two decades of the introduction of the analgesic drugs phenacetin and paracetamol in the 1880s, the first cases of Alzheimer's were described, and subsequently the disease rate rose sharply. Fortunately, natural medicine offers a solution. t first glance, it sounds far out to link Alzheimer's disease (AD) to an apparently harmless over-the-counter analgesic (pain reliever) and antipyretic (fever reducer). Paracetamol is called acetaminophen in the United States and Canada, and is often sold under the brand name Tylenol®. In Australasia, Africa, Asia, Europe and Central America, Panadol® is the most widely available brand. As opposed to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen, which reduce pain and inflammation mainly by local action, paracetamol has recently been shown to work mainly by affecting the brain, where it blocks the reuptake of analgesic cannabis chemicals or endocannabinoids. This only reduces pain without improving inflammation. It also gives us an indication as to why paracetamol is more ikely to be associated with a degenerative brain disease than are NSAIDs with their mainly local mode of action and anti-inflammatory properties. That paracetamol is far from harmless can be seen in its tendency to cause idney and liver damage. Overdosing with paracetamol/acetaminophen is the most common cause of acute liver failure in the United States and other western countries. Paracetamol has a very narrow therapeutic index (ratio of he toxic to the therapeutic dose). Therefore it is easy to overdose with paracetamol, and most liver damage results from unintentional overdoses, although intentional overdosing (suicides) is also common. The maximum recommended daily intake is four grams, but this amount already tends to cause liver damage. Since 2009, the US FDA has been contemplating reducing the recommended maximum dose. Paracetamol overdose results in more calls to poison control centres in the United States than does overdose of any other pharmacological substance. Paracetamol is especially toxic to the liver if taken together with alcohol, and then it can easily be fatal. If taken during pregnancy, paracetamol can cause infertility in boys. Untreated, overdose can lead to liver failure and death within days. The antidote for paracetamol overdose is acetylcysteine (also called N-acetylcysteine or NAC). It is a precursor for the antioxidant glutathione which helps the body to prevent liver damage. Paracetamol is also lethal to cats and snakes.' However, until the 1970s, phenacetin was the preferred analgesic; it was converted in the body to paracetamol as its active ingredient. In the 1940s, there was a sharp increase in gastric ulcers in young women in Australia, especially in Queensland and New South Wales, followed in the 1960s by an epidemic of kidney failure. At that time it was also recognised that these events were related and were induced by analgesics, in particular by the addictive consumption of Bex® Powder. Originally, Bex contained aspirin, phenacetin and caffeine but in 1976 phenacetin was replaced with paracetamol. It was addictively used by women of all ages—especially housewives, who were encouraged to have "a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down"—and it was also the mood-altering drug of choice for young women.’ Website: www.health-science-spirit.com NEXUS ° 41 by Walter Last © 2011 FEBRUARY - MARCH 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com