Regrets and hindsight are meant to teach us lessons. When it comes to dumping chemical after chemical into our environment without true evaluation of the health effects, this research reminds us of the negative consequences. The Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health released study findings linking prenatal phthalates exposure to motor development effects on girls…
I have said this before, but we need to consider potentially removable triggers for a patient with autoimmune disease before just condemning them to a life of immune suppressing therapies. Discerning the root cause may avoid a lot of unnecessary therapy and prevent a lot of damage. I just don’t understand why conventional medicine ignores…
In any crime and in any disease, we should start with “who pulled the trigger”? Researchers have long known that not everyone with the HLA DQ2 and DQ8 genetics develop celiac disease, but without one of those genes, true celiac disease is rare. Why do some with the genes develop celiac and some don’t? Even…
Everyone in genetics keeps hunting for the needles in the haystacks. Using data from almost 500 thousand healthy subject and over 230 thousand individuals with one of eight common psychiatric disorders, researchers found 109 genes linked to these mental health conditions. That was a lot of genes to wade through, but today’s computers allow us…
We live in an age of epidemic metabolic disease without clear answers for why. Many point fingers at dietary factors like sugars and trans fats. Others point fingers at lifestyle factors like sedentary life without exercise. While functional MD’s like myself acknowledge these factors, we also look at toxic contributors to diabetes, heart disease, and…
The “Wanted dead or alive?” debate rages on in the world of probiotics and microbiome research. Functional medicine MD’s like myself already apply microbiome principles in the care of our patients. On the other hand, many detractors in conventional medicine claim that the probiotics we swallow in capsules either cross the threshold of our mouths…
Finding clues to the underlying mechanisms of autism would seem easier than finding a lost fish in the ocean at times. It turns out that one clue arises from cellular train tracks laid down early in development. These subcellular microtubular proteins serve as tracks on which the developing brain sends cells to differentiate into different…
Where can we find the metabolic fountain of youth? Centuries are filled with an endless variety of magicians and now scientists searching for that magic potion to help us live forever. While I ultimately know that only heaven will be forever, present world research into the process of aging can lead to very beneficial therapies…
Anyone found to be unaware of the tight connection between inflammation and dementias like Alzheimer’s and Fronto-Temporal Dementia needs remedial neurology classes if they intend to practice medicine in the 21st century. Countless studies underscore the correlations between higher inflammatory states and dementia, but we need more studies like today’s spot-light on the role of…
We live in an age of heart disease and strokes where medicine often focuses solely on a patient’s LDL cholesterol number as the most important factor to prevent these deadly diseases. A functional MD like myself hopes to see that perspective shift as more research like this article comes to light. The researchers from Ohio…