With the increasing prevalence of autism and developmental delays in children, would you stop to read a headline like ‘54% of Pregnancies at Risk for Autism’? Most parents would at least read the first few lines of such a striking claim. Uppsala University researchers should have gotten everyone’s attention when they published their results earlier…
In functional medicine, we are trained to think about root causes and this requires thinking about the upstream. For example, according to this study Vitamin D can be traced far upstream in the development of ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Rather than simply waiting until a disease or symptom occurs and then responding with a…
Most people know that their best chance at triggering an unwanted yeast infection would be to take some good old-fashioned antibiotics. These yeast infections caused by a particular type of fungus may manifest in various bodily locations but they all seem to share a common mechanism. Antibiotics, by their very design, kill off bacteria that…
Parents of children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) search for anything that will help their children overcome the hindrances of this condition. They watch their children struggle with school and relationships. The parents struggle with the stress of ADHD on their own relationship with the affected child. Arguments and frustrations can abound. With this…
We live in a toxic world. Yes, the stress of our times burdens us, but here I am talking about the toxins literally flowing through our water supply. We have industrial pollutants. We have countless medications pouring into our toilets. Some of these are filtered out in treatment plants and some are not. Among the…
Our brains don’t like being shaken, rattled, or given a thud. Growing recognition of this fact of biology has given rise to more and more research into the effects of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS). In addition to a range of adults in contact sports (boxing, football, soccer, and others), children…
We live in a world seemingly obsessed with either industrialization or with greenification. While our cities are expanding, we hear the battle cries for keeping our planet green on the news and social media. While many strive for climate change, in functional medicine we are urging our patients to move towards nature and away from…
Snotty noses may protect from COVID infections. Scientists in the Imperial College of London report on the benefits of T-cells primed by prior coronaviruses in lowering the risk of COVID 19 infections. Building on prior knowledge of cross-reactivity in the immune system and the genomic functioning of other coronaviruses, this team searched for more answers. …
The tool of “Metabolomics” looks to revolutionize how we view children’s chronic diseases. The basic lab markers of yesterday revealed shadows of underlying dysfunction. Metabolomics works to shine clearer light deeper into the actual mechanisms of our next generation’s growing chronic illness epidemic. Today’s article of interest shares insights into how this developing tool has…
Parents, doctors, and researchers have long wondered how children who have greater exposure to potential pathogens seem to have less infections and less allergies. Living on a farm, playing in the dirt, and hand-washing dishes seem to strengthen kids’ immunity in a variety of immune studies. The idea that ongoing infectious or antigen stimulation keeps…