11/25/15 11/25/15

Antibiotics can adversely alter gut microbiome for a year

The fecal microbiome was severely affected by most antibiotics: for months, health-associated butyrate-producing species became strongly underrepresented...Clearly, even a single antibiotic treatment in healthy individuals contributes to the risk of resistance development and leads to long-lasting detrimental shifts in the gut microbiome.

6/21/14 6/21/14

Antioxidants in excess can increase inflammation and blunt benefits of exercise

Antioxidants, even glutathione, taken in excess can increase rather than ameliorate harmful inflammation...The use of antioxidants must be calibrated with careful consideration of the balance between protective and suppressive effects according to the needs of the individual patient.

10/5/13 10/5/13

Histamine intolerance

Histamine intolerance is a widespread phenomenon that can mimic allergy. It plays a role in many diverse conditions including IBS and inflammatory bowel diseases, asthma, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), complications of pregnancy, drug hypersensitivity, and intestinal permeability (by means of which it contributes to autoimmunity). It can be objectively evaluated with serum DAO activity. HI can be ameliorated by supplementation with DAO. Practitioners need to be astute in its diagnosis and management.

3/4/13 3/4/13

Uncomplicated diverticulitis does not improve with antibiotics

Although acute diverticulitis is typically treated with a course of antibiotics, a randomized controlled trial just published in the journal Evidence Based Medicine examines this practice and finds that uncomplicated diverticulitis is not improved by antibiotic therapy.

11/11/12 11/11/12

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.

10/6/12 10/6/12

Acute gastrointestinal infection can turn on autoimmune disorders

Autoimmune disorders can be promoted by a variety of factors that must be considered in case management.Acute gastrointestinal infection—such as a food-borne illness or viral gastroenteritis—can cause the immune system to lose tolerance for commensal bacteria (the ones that normally live in the intestines), contributing to the development of autoimmune disorders.