With growing epidemic of Alzheimer’s disease and its potential for impact at both an individual and societal level, great efforts go into research towards prevention and cure. The ability to slow or reverse the disease would make the headlines, yet prevention would be a more worthy goal if at all possible.
Modern medicine claims many victories in the battle against illness yet numerous adversaries like Alzheimer’s disease remain unconquered, steadily stealing life from millions. Scientists are hoping that a newly discovered “kink” in the amyloid protein may lead to a chink in Alzheimer’s armor. Beta amyloid proteins along with tau proteins have been identified years ago as keys in the development of this devastating disease.
CBD garners a lot of attention these days for better AND for worse. On one side, both consumers and researchers are finding that CBD benefits a variety of diseases or symptoms. Anxiety, depression, insomnia, and even seizures appears on the list of disease targets. On the other side, many are sounding alarms at the risks of CBD or its chemical cousin THC (marijuana).
While the world is buzzing about CBD oil and seizure control, little fanfare accompanied University of California-Irvine researchers report explaining the molecular mechanisms underlying cilantro’s anti-seizure activity. Like many folk medicines with long histories, no one could explain the actual molecular mechanism which produced its effects. Rian Manville and Geoffrey Abbott reported in the FASEB Journal this week that they isolated dodecanal as the potassium channel modulator behind the effects.
Functional MD’s like myself often find ourselves in the realm of medical concepts like methylomics, transcriptomics, and genomes when we are researching ways to alleviate our patient’s suffering. In searching for personalized therapy modalities for my patients, I find myself reading the latest research on a variety of issues. One research topic of late has received much attention in part due to the number of sports stars dealing with neurodegenerative symptoms after head injuries.
Each year hundreds of millions of dollars are being poured into Alzheimer’s disease research and countless families are affected as a loved one begins the apparently irreversible downhill trajectory of this degenerative disease. Lives are being lost to this relentless thief. Are we any closer to discerning this thief’s entry points? Have we gained insight into how to contain this enemy?
As a Functional MD who treats mold toxic patients, my middle Tennessee hikes often remind
me of my work with patients in the clinic. I end up pondering what type of mold is growing on the trail markers and rocks around me. Thankfully, I can reassure myself that these outdoor growths are not the toxic molds that we need to avoid.