FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE BLOG 

Includes over 800 monographs reporting on emerging studies in the medical and scientific literature of practical clinical importance, easily searched for content.

Iodine deficiency, pregnancy, and autoimmunity

Iodine deficiency is still a serious concern, especially for pregnant women in North America, as reported in a review just published in the journal Thyroid. Despite global improvements since 1990, iodine sufficiency has actually been declining in US adults. Iodine deficiency can be detected with a 24-hour urine collection. Even when supplementation is indicated it must be done cautiously to avoid triggering autoimmune thyroiditis.

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For preschool children at risk for ADHD parent behavioral training beats medications

It might seem counter-intuitive to medicate preschool children at risk for ADHD with drugs like Ritalin®, but a team of investigators tested the assumption and found that parent behavioral training (PBT) yields better outcomes than methylphenidate without risk of side effects by examining the evidence for a variety of treatments in a study just published in the journal Pediatrics.

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Adolescent decline in verbal ability can predict psychosis in adulthood

It's well recognized that cognitive deficits in childhood or adolescence typically precede the onset of psychosis, but the studies done up until now have not determined whether the association is prodromal (an early symptom of psychosis itself) or neurodevelopmental (problems with brain development and maturation that set the stage for later psychosis). A study just published in JAMA Psychiatry offers strong evidence that verbal decline in adolescence reflects neurodevelopmental defects that significantly increase the lifetime risk for psychosis.

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Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with childhood antibiotic exposure

Inflammatory bowel disease includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease where the immune system attacks the large intestine and small intestine respectively. Considering the emerging science on the profound importance of the human micro biome for immune system maturation, regulation and tolerance, a study just published in the journal Pediatrics offering evidence that antibiotic exposure in childhood is associated with inflammatory bowel disease comes as no surprise.

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