Functional and natural medicine live in a world where their angry cousin, conventional medicine, keeps shouting for evidence, for studies, and for proof. Thankfully, the vast majority of what we do has sound evidence to support it directly or indirectly. The moaning and groaning of the grumpy cousin are therefore unwarranted- except for the rare…
In practicing functional medicine, we use the best of both worlds of medicine, and both worlds benefit from quality studies looking at the therapies we recommend to our patients. Regardless of whether we’re recommending an herbal or a pharmaceutical, we want some evidence to back up our plans. Clinical experience always guides our protocols, but…
The methylation cycle shows up in all kinds of disease processes. Researchers had linked high homocysteine levels with NASH, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, in other studies. In this mouse study, they found that the addition of B12 and Folate not only lowered homocysteine levels, but also lowered the frequency of homocysteine being attached to liver proteins and…
Even prior to COVID’s intrusion into the world of immune research, much debate centered around whether we needed more vitamin D or if the standard daily allowance was enough. The exact minimum level continues to be debated, but this study provides further support for our contention that this so-called vitamin plays a role in inflammatory…
Researchers have long noted that male pregnancies seem to suffer more from pregnancy stress than female. Many theories abound for why males have higher rates of neurodevelopmental issues like autism than females. This study looks at both the mechanisms of this effect and a possible therapy to prevent it. In their mouse study, this group…
Our cells undergo a lot of wear and tear in this fallen world of infection, toxins, and inflammation. The proteins take a beating, and sometimes they end up getting unfolded, misfolded, or stuck together. These dysfunctional proteins need to be cleaned up and cleaned out if the cells are going to continue working properly. When…
Forgive me, but I am still a little shell-shocked. After years of mainstream medicine downplaying the role of diet and nutrition in the severity of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, we actually get a study which demonstrates a connection between diet and ADHD symptom. We have known that imbalances in brain neurotransmitters contribute to ADHD. We…
Our world is filled with not only lots of new people to meet and appreciate, but with a vast number of natural therapies which offer relief and restoration to those suffering from a chronic illness. As science advances, many of these new herbal friends attract our attention and gain our interests. New studies by researchers…
Everyone wants to know why almost 1 in 10 children now have been diagnosed with ADHD, affecting their lives and the lives of their families. Numerous theories ask if some exposure or deficiency during pregnancy could be influencing brain development negatively. Toxins, deficiencies, infections, and various forms of inflammation are also implicated. As with autism,…
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…