Physician Pinpoints Missing Evidence in Lindsay Clancy Trial: A Spinal Tap That May Have Found Natural Opiates That Can Cause Postpartum Psychosis

PLYMOUTH, Mass.— Neal D. Barnard, MD, FACC, a noted expert on casomorphins which are naturally occurring opiates that can cause postpartum psychosis, says that in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, a key piece of evidence is missing because it was never gathered. Apparently, she did not have a spinal tap. Natural opiates that originate in breastmilk may have passed into Clancy’s bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid, possibly affecting her brain.

Lindsay Clancy is currently on trial, and her attorneys say she was in the in the grip of postpartum psychosis when she murdered her three children.

“In Clancy’s case, a finding of opiates in a cerebrospinal fluid sample would have been illuminating, perhaps decisive, providing a plausible explanation for altered behavior, and also demonstrating that the toxicity is temporary,” says Dr Barnard, an adjunct professor of medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine, and president of the nonprofit health advocacy organization Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

In 1858, French physician Louis-Victor Marcé noticed that postpartum psychosis does not occur immediately after birth. It starts after onset of breastmilk production. While he was convinced there was a biochemical connection, it was not for more than a century that Swedish researchers examined the cerebrospinal fluid of women with postpartum psychosis. For many, their cerebrospinal fluid was loaded with opiates.

These opiates originated in breastmilk and passed into the bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid, apparently poisoning the brain. We now know that casomorphins, as they are called, are part of the casein protein in milk. Researchers speculate that casomorphins may be Mother Nature’s way of calming both mother and infant, but that, in some cases, they become toxic.

“For the rest of us, the question arises as to the effect of casomorphins on our behavior. All milk products contain them, coded in the casein protein and released during digestion,” continues Dr Barnard. “But they are most concentrated in cheese and may account for the fact that many people regard cheese as an almost addicting substance.”