I wanted to post some info that I don't recall seeing in this thread. It has to do with the pharmacology of the supplements and testosterone drugs which were found in James Ray's possession when the search warrant was served. Not that those supplements/drugs in any way, shape or form excuse the ceremony or the horrendous outcome afterwards, they might serve to explain his behaviour in the aftermath.
The info comes from the blog of Abel Pharmboy,
Terra Sigillata. The blog is written by a university educator and cancer researcher in North Carolina who holds a PhD in Pharmacology and Therapeutics and BS in Toxicology. The topics he covers relate to natural product drugs and dietary supplements, issues of under-represented groups in the STEMM disciplines, science and medical journalism, the science and culture of North Carolina, Florida, and Colorado.
James Ray’s Sedona sweat lodge stash: lessons in polypharmacy and endocrine pharmacology.Behavioral effects?
As mentioned at the outset, one of the biggest reasons investigators were interested in any drugs that might have been in Ray’s possession was that there may have been psychoactive substances that could have impaired his judgment or that of followers/clients in the sweat lodge at the retreat. Ray was reported by several eyewitnesses as being aggressive and aloof, and even unhelpful when medics arrived at the sweat lodge. Dan Harris at ABC News asked me if I thought that Ray’s pharmacopeia might have contributed to his state of mind.
This is very difficult to do for a plethora of reasons, not the least of which because I am not a physician nor am I privy to what drugs he was actually taking or his basal personality characteristics. However, I am a pharmacologist and did train in endocrinology during my postdoctoral fellowship and can make some general comments.
A person taking any anabolic steroid regimen is prone to mood swings, anxiety, and aggressive behavior. A physician colleague also reminded me that some of the drugs on the search warrant could alone cause electrolyte disturbances that could be exacerbated by being in an enclosed area with hot stones where other people were vomiting and begging to get out after fasting for 36 hours. Specifically, testosterone can cause sodium retention and Diovan/valsartan can cause potassium retention. These ionic imbalances can certainly influence one’s state of mind and one can speculate that these imbalances would be made worse by fasting and dehydration.
