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.

Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation relieves depression by reducing brain inflammation
Dr. Jonathan Miller Dr. Jonathan Miller

Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation relieves depression by reducing brain inflammation

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) relieves depression by reducing inflammation in the brain. It is safe and easy to do. This study adds to the growing body of knowledge in the functional/integrative treatment of depression using interventions that promote healthy brain biology and adds to the expanding resources used in the FM model for calming brain inflammation, and taVNS in particular.

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Antigliadin antibodies harmful for brain at low levels

Antigliadin antibodies (AGA), a subset of anti-gluten antibodies, have been shown to be harmful to the brain at levels below the standard reference range in an important study on gluten ataxia (GA) published in the journal Nutrients. Gluten ataxia is a condition characterized by loss of balance due to cerebellar damage due to neuroinflammation provoked by gluten. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) can cause inflammation in the brian and central nervous with antibodies at lower levels than in celiac disease and in the absence of abdominal symptoms.

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Traumatic brain injury and chronic neuroinflammation

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) even in it's milder forms can initiate a process of chronic neuroinflammation that causes a range of chronic neurodegenerative disorders. ..Judicious application of natural anti-inflammatory agents to minimize side-effects along with other measures guided by objective measurements is a standard for treating traumatic brain injury that can be applied to other neurodegenerative disorders as well.

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Nigella sativa, a true 'wonder medicine'?

Nigella sativa, also known as black cumin, produces seeds with a mind-boggling wealth of medicinal virtues. For colleagues and others who may not be familiar with the abundance of scientific evidence for the use of Nigella sativa seed extract in clinical practice, this selection of citations serves as an introduction to its wide range of indications.

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Neuropsychiatric illness in non-celiac gluten sensitivity

Neuropsychiatric illness can result from neuroinflammation due to a variety of causes. Recent studies offer more evidence that depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders can be a manifestation of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. A paper published in Gastroenterology Research and Practice explores the pathophysiologic mechanisms by which gluten sensitivity can present as a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions in the absence of celiac disease.

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