Despite the obvious nature of the idea, until recent research, only practitioners of functional medicine had supported the (apparently outrageous) notion that certain nutrients can increase neural connectivity in the brain. Researchers looked at a number of nutrition markers found in high levels of beneficial nutrients in the Mediterranean diet. They include omega 3’s, some…
In functional medicine we utilized a multitude of therapies with proven benefits but without always having clearly defined mechanisms of action. Even conventional medicine has scratched its head about how Tylenol and metformin work while prescribing literal tons of these medicines. For essential oils such as lavender, mystery has shrouded their mechanisms of actions until…
If there weren’t enough controversies in medicine already, CBD (cannabidiol) lights up the presses in both the medical and political news. Meanwhile, various mice and rats in labs across the states get to test run this hemp produced chemical as researchers search for not only its mechanism of effects, but study potential benefits of it…
Okay, don’t be alarmed by the headline. I just used a little marketing gimmick to get you to read something that may save your life. But yes, the headline is true… in certain situations. The article in the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine references the potential for herbal remedy contamination contributing to morbidity, even…
Discoveries come from the oddest places. Having noted a growing number of internet claims for a legal high from liverwort, researchers overturn a long held belief that only marijuana produced a THC type substance that would trigger CB receptors and psychoactive effects. Don’t get too excited as the effect is less than your usual THC…
The science of the gut microbiome exploded in recent years. More and more connections arise from lab experiments at a dizzying pace. This time we learn that certain Bacillus and Staphylococcus aureus don’t get along in the neighborhood. Staph aureus makes headlines as a nasty bug, even at times a superbug resistant to multiple antibiotics,…
As a close cousin of cardiac atherosclerosis, peripheral artery disease simply blocks different arteries in other body areas. While the heart’s arteries lend themselves to good targets for stent placement to keep such blood channels open, those in the legs or arms must leave room for flexibility in bending. Vascular specialists therefore do not have…
Had to pick myself up off the floor with this discovery. I could not believe it that a mainline academic institution would allow an article like this to be printed. I mean, how could the University of Massachusetts publicly admit that functional doctor’s like myself were right about omega 3’s and childhood aggressive behavior. I…
Research studies about turmeric or its derivative, curcumin, frequently catch my eye, especially this one that looked at turmeric and glaucoma. Researchers had apparently been testing systemic administration of turmeric for glaucoma (a disease of high pressure inside the eye that can result in blindness). The poor ability of turmeric to dissolve in water had…
Functional medicine should have seen this one coming. Researchers sat around thinking about how to get the anti-cancer spice, curcumin, into cancer cells to do their work. Why not attach doxorubicin to curcumin and see if they would attack cancer cells? In this article researchers reported finding the administration of this new combination chemical would…