by John D. Young, MD

It is always fun to read how drug companies make a new drug, get it approved for treatment for a condition like pulmonary hypertension, and then after it has been on the market for a while, you find out it causes erection in the penis, meaning it treats erectile dysfunction. This is called an off-label use of a drug. Here, I am speaking of Viagra.

There is another well-known drug advertised on TV that treats certain autoimmune conditions. By accident, a group of doctors discovered that if they gave the drug in a very unique manner, it could reverse the physical problems of a stroke such as blindness, dementia, inability to walk and neuropathy. In the treatment of Parkinson’s, it can give a sense of balance and mental clarity. In certain genetic diseases like Down syndrome, it can make the mind work faster, causing increased alertness, improved speech and better retention of information.

My daughter Katherine is 9-years-old and was born with Down syndrome. We have really worked to help her be healthy and have looked for ways to raise her mental abilities. The health aspect has been easy. One thing we did was raise her vitamin D level over 100 and she has never been so healthy; we have not needed to give her antibiotics for an illness since raising her vitamin D. It should be noted that some providers believe vitamin D levels over 100 are toxic. This is a myth, per the physician’s head of the presidential commission on vitamin D.

Improving my daughter’s mental abilities has been more difficult. I was reading recently about a certain biological drug, if given in a very unique way, it stops inflammation within minutes and seems to last from months to years. The drug is usually only given once or twice. Looking at the side effects, the only thing we could find negative was with its long-term use, nothing about one or two doses. It’s kind of like taking a steroid such as prednisone—taken for three to five days to calm a rash is not a problem—but taking it for years, every day, can cause tremendous weight gain and push a patient into diabetes. So, we gave my daughter this biological drug. That evening, she used words we never knew were in her vocabulary and she showed abstract thinking. It has been three months since her treatment and every day we see changes in her mentally. People have also noticed a change.

I had a patient who was abusing drugs. In communicating, he was very slow in his ability to talk and think. Knowing this drug had been shown to make a difference in dementia, I treated him. He told me, after a few minutes, his brain felt on fire. His speech sped up. His wife said he was talking very fast but making complete sense. It has been nearly four months now and he says he has never had more mental clarity in his life. This drug has made big differences in stroke patients within minutes to hours. A gentleman had a stroke two years ago and could not walk because of severe numbness in his right leg and on the right side of his body, and could barely make a fist. An hour after receiving treatment, he was able to walk and began to move his hand.

It is exciting to see and learn about drugs which we have known and been using for years for certain purposes, and by knowing the drug’s properties, deducing ways to now use the drug for other disease conditions. If you are interested in learning more and if you are a candidate, call to schedule a consultation.