Re: The story of Daniel Johnston. Its the BVO
Brominated Vegetable Oil, is in various commercial "food stuffs " to include Mt Dew and Gatorade; " is it in you?" nyuk nyuk.
I don't understand the chemistry of how this works in the human body but there is a short list of 'ides (Halides), to include Iodide, Chloride, Flouride and Bromide, and these have a somewhat unique chemcial function inside the human body. The body needs to have some of these, but some of the other ones it doesn't need have a way of tricking the body into thinking it is the kind it needs. I think this is because the molecular structure of each is quite similar, so it makes it easy for the body to be fooled.
When taken into the body, Bromide tends to collect, or pool, in certain places.... like Central Nervous System. Think of all the functions in the human body that are eligible to be impaired by a puddle of nuero toxin that has collected in the central nervous system and then it should not be much of a surprise to find people going crazy as a result.
This info was divulged back when the Iodine Support forum was first starting up. Even though MH favors natural Iodine over manmade, nonetheless, some people have reported success countering the negative effects of BVO poisoning through adding Iodine to their diet.
PS - I seem to recall that on I70 about half way between Pittsburgh and Columbus, there is a smal city on the outskirts where there is (or once was) a big pop factory run by Shasta, and Faygo is one of its products.