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.
Atrial fibrillation caused by autoimmunity
Autoimmunity can cause or contribute to atrial fibulation (afib) and other cardiac arrhythmias, and should be included for investigation and treatment in case management.
Four factors shown to predict long COVID
There are four PASC (‘long COVID’)-anticipating biological factors that can be measured as early as at initial COVID-19 diagnosis, including pre-existing type 2 diabetes, SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia, EBV viremia, and autoantibodies from patients’ blood. These can help guide the prevention and treatment of long COVID.
Maternal autoimmunity associated with ADHD in children
The biology of autoimmunity during pregnancy can have numerous consequences for the health of both mother and offspring; these include such conditions as childhood tics and OCD, autism, congenital heart block; infertility, miscarriage and preterm birth; placental abruption, numerous consequences of antithyroid antibodies, etc.
Probiotics: use caution with autoimmune disease
Probiotics may promote immune disease in a predisposed host.
Induction of autoimmunity by infection
Autoimmune conditions are on the rise. They can be triggered by infection. We are very likely too see an even steeper increase in autoimmune symptoms in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gut microbiome, SCFAs, mood disorders, ketogenic diet and seizures
SCFA (short-chain fatty acid) production by the gut microbiome has a large effect on autoimmunity, brain inflammation, neuropsychiatric disorders and seizures by Immune system modulation; and this positive effect can be damaged by antibiotics.
Leaky gut: inflammation, chronic fatigue and depression
Leaky gut permits bacterial LPS translocation into the gut lymphoid tissue where it triggers inflammation causing chronic fatigue and depression.
Mood disorders and thyroid autoimmunity
Mood disorders and thyroid autoimmunity are linked by aberrant levels of hematopoietic/neuronal growth factors...even before hypothyroidism has developed, and also in relatives of thyroid autoimmunity subjects, growth factors necessary for healthy brain function are at levels associated with a range of mood disorders including bipolar, depression and psychosis. They also include an important reminder that antibodies can predict clinical disease years in advance.
New autoantibodies recognized for rheumatoid arthritis
New autoantibodies recognized for rheumatoid arthritis, including antibodies to oxidized collagen, can serve as early disease markers and tools for therapeutic monitoring.
Mercury exposure at low levels induces autoimmunity
Methylmercury, at low levels generally considered safe, was associated with subclinical autoimmunity among reproductive-age females. Autoantibodies may predate clinical disease by years, thus methylmercury exposure may be relevant to future autoimmune disease risk.
Women's heart risk lower with exercise 2-3x/week than daily
A large study using data from 1.1 million women recently published in the journal Circulation offers evidence that strenuous physical activity 2-3 times per week significantly lowered their coronary heart disease risk while more frequent strenuous exercise actually increased it.
Schizophrenia risk increased by maternal inflammation
Schizophrenia is well recognized to have a neuroinflammatory component, and a study just published in the American Journal of Psychiatry links maternal inflammation during pregnancy as reflected in elevated CRP (C-reactive protein) levels with a markedly increased irisk of schizophrenia in offspring.
'Chronic' Lyme disease overdiagnosed according to original expert
'Chronic' Lyme disease, according to Dr. Allen Steere who first identified the spirochetal contagion caused by ticks in the town of Lyme, Connecticut, is a seductive but all too often misleading diagnosis that may prevent patients from finding the care that they need.
Gut-Brain connection and autoimmunity
This brief video on the gut-brain connection from Cyrex Laboratories is a succinct introduction to the expanding role of autoimmunity in a wide range of disorders and the importance of predictive antibodies.
Multiple sclerosis, TH17 and vitamin A
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease. Recent studies shed light on its autoimmune component and offer evidence for the use of vitamin A in consideration of the premiere importance of Treg and Th17 or Th40 balance.
Epilepsy as an autoimmune disorder
Epilepsy should be evaluated in case management for neuroinflammation that reduces neuronal thresholds of excitability, and more evidence that this can be due to autoimmunity was just published in JAMA Neurology.
Type 2 diabetes - autoimmune aspects
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) causation is not restricted to metabolic factors but can include loss of immune tolerance for components of the glucose and insulin regulating systems. A paper published recently in the journal Gerontology reminds that interventions that ameliorate autoimmune inflammation can help to lower blood sugar.