Resistance, Resilience and Recovery: New Resources for Functional Approaches to COVID-19
I am deeply impressed with the functional medicine community in taking on multiple, strong leadership roles around the pandemic.
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Maternal Psychological Stress During Pregnancy May Lead to Asthma in Children
Children whose mothers had anxiety and depression during pregnancy may have an increased risk of developing asthma at 10 years of age, according to a new prospective cohort study of over 4000 children. Results showed a 46-91% increased risk of asthma and lower lung function in children whose mothers experienced stress or depression while pregnant. Paternal stress…
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Subway Bread Cannot be Defined as Bread, Irish Court Rules
When is bread not actually bread? When it’s Subway bread, according to a ruling by the Irish Court. The case in question was brought by Bookfinders Ltd, Subway’s Irish Franchise, who sought to make their sandwiches tax exempt under Ireland’s Value-Added Tax Act of 1972 that allows such exemptions for staple foods. The court declined, saying…
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New Diagnostic Test Suggests Chronic Lyme Disease Associated with Altered Gut Microbiome
Over 800,000 Americans suffer from chronic Lyme disease and experience associated symptoms such as malaise, neurological disorders, cardiac complications, and arthritis. Lyme disease is often treated with antibiotics, however 10-20% of Lyme patients develop posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). A study published in the American Society for Microbiology proposes a new way to diagnose PTLDS via gut…
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Poorly-Implemented Gluten-Free Diets Are Potentially Harmful
Is there a dark side to a gluten-free diet (GFD)? With nearly one-third of Americans having tried a gluten-free or gluten-reduced diet in recent years, there is more and more research on both the positive and negative effects of going gluten-free. My friend and colleague, Dr. Tom O’Bryan, recently published an article summarizing this “dark side” of…
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FDA Acknowledges Risk of Mercury-Containing Dental Amalgams for Certain Groups of Individuals
The FDA has updated their recommendations regarding potential risks associated with mercury-containing dental amalgams in high risk individuals. It is unusual for regulatory bodies to acknowledge variable levels of vulnerability in our population. The high-risk groups the FDA recommends avoiding dental amalgams include: Pregnant women and their developing fetuses; Women who are planning to become pregnant; Nursing…
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Lancet Revises Editorial Policy Following Scandal Over Hydroxychloroquine Study
Three months ago, the prestigious medical journal The Lancet published, and then later retracted, a study on the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. The retraction was prompted by questions that were subsequently raised about the integrity of the data used for analysis from a database called Surgisphere, especially when it turned out that none of…
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Natural Interventions to Lower Furin Levels As a Factor in SARS CoV-2 or Role of Furin Proteases in COVID 19 & Therapeutic Interventions
Elevated furin levels are not only associated with Covid-19 but also linked to comorbidities including diabetes, obesity, and hypertension – perhaps one reason why these comorbidities are linked with worse COVID-19 outcomes. In this peer-reviewed publication, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald discusses the role of furin proteases in Covid-19 and how dietary, lifestyle, natural and pharmaceutical interventions aimed…
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Increased Coffee Intake Linked to Survival in Patients with Advanced or Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Coffee may benefit those with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer. A study of over 1100 patients published in JAMA Oncology found significant associations for both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee with decreased cancer progression and increased survival. Researchers found that participants who drank two to three cups of coffee per day had a 18 percent reduced risk of…
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Inflammatory Diet and High BMI Increase Risk of Knee Osteoarthritis
We know that an anti-inflammatory diet is linked to improvements in a variety of symptoms and conditions. A new prospective cohort study of nearly 5,000 individuals, over 1200 of whom developed knee osteoarthritis (OA) during the study period, offers excellent data on the impact of this dietary pattern in knee osteoarthritis (OA). Using the data they…
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Boost your Vitamin D Levels to Reduce COVID-19 Risk
Vitamin D is a superstar nutrient for supporting the immune system and reducing the risk of a cold, flu and acute respiratory tract infection. Researchers are now linking low vitamin D status (less than 20 ng/mL or 18 pg/mL, respectively) to an increased risk of COVID-19 in a study published this week. Vitamin D levels were tested in nearly 500 patients…
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Myocarditis Symptoms in One-Third of Big Ten Athletes Positive for COVID-19
UPDATE: A clarification was issued by Penn State university the doctor was unintentionally citing outdated numbers. “During his discussion with board members, (Sebastianelli) recalled initial preliminary data that had been verbally shared by a colleague on a forthcoming study, which unbeknownst to him at the time had been published at a lower rate,” said Scott Gilbert,…
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FDA Again Flags N-acetylcysteine as a Drug Not a Supplement
While it’s great it’s being studied for COVID, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is again being flagged by FDA as a potential drug not a supplement. Seven companies selling NAC for alcohol hangovers received warning letters from FDA stating NAC is an unapproved new drug that has not been evaluated to be safe and effective for their intended use. This…
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Eating Too Quickly? You’re Increasing Your Risk for Metabolic Syndrome
You’ve likely heard of the many reasons to eat slowly, including improved digestion, increased satiety, decreased overeating, and even weight loss. But did you know that eating too quickly can contribute to a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MetS)? New research indicates that fast easting speed is significantly associated with increased odds of developing MetS independent…
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Natural Fertilizers Tryptophan & Glycine Increase Nutrient Density of Apples
We know that chemical fertilizers are harmful to us and the environment, but are there good alternatives? This new study comes up with an intriguing option! The known effects of chemical fertilizers include an increased risk of cancer, impaired fetal brain development, decreased soil biodiversity, contamination of water sources and contribution to greenhouse gases. In their quest to find healthier fertilizer…
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