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.
TSH elevation associated with pregnancy problems
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) when elevated even within the 'normal' range at preconception, can result in adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Glaucoma neurodegeneration ameliorated by mitochondrial support
...dietary supplementation with a single molecule (vitamin B3/nicotinamide), or Nmnat1 gene therapy, significantly reduces vulnerability to glaucoma by supporting mitochondrial health and metabolism...By providing a new molecular and metabolic link between increased neuronal vulnerability with age and neurodegeneration these findings are of critical importance for glaucoma and possibly other age-related diseases.
Immunotherapy can take 3 years to desensitize to allergens
Immunotherapy can induce tolerance for allergens, but what is a realistic time frame? A study recently published in JAMA demonstrates that 3 years of sublingual desensitizing treatment is effective, but 2 years is no different than placebo. This research helps practitioners working in the larger context of immune plasticity, and patients, to consider pragmatic parameters for case management.
Magnesium mediates insulin resistance, diabetes risk
Low serum magnesium levels are associated with an increased risk of prediabetes, with comparable risk estimates to that of diabetes.
Cytomegalovirus: neglected problem endangers pregnant women, children
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common congenital infection that causes severe disorders but awareness of this and the preventive measures is strikingly low.
Ketone supplementation and the ketogenic diet for cancer
"The emerging role of metabolism in many types of cancers provides a novel target for new therapeutics. A possibility is dietary therapies that are designed to take advantage of the unique energetic needs of tumor cells. One such option is the use of a very high-fat and low-carbohydrate diet (90%:5%, respectively) called the Ketogenic Diet (KD). This diet has been used to treat epilepsy for nearly 90 years, and recently its application as a cancer therapeutic has been explored. Although preclinical studies demonstrate its efficacy and clinical case reports support its feasibility, the KD is difficult to implement due to its stringent nature. Here, we report the development of an sHFLC, which mimics the main physiologic effects of the KD, namely reduced glucose and increased ketones. In addition, the sHFLC diet is able to reduce glioblastoma (GB) tumor cell proliferation and extend lifespan in GB animal models."
Levothyroxine therapy and normal TSH yet hypothyroid symptoms
A significant proportion of patients treated with levothyroxine continue to experience residual symptoms of hypothyroidism, including psychological and metabolic effects, due to inadequate conversion of T4 to T3.
Autoimmune diabetes (type 1): half develops after age 30
Half of autoimmune diabetes occurs in adults. "Physicians shouldn't be complacent when...not bringing A1c down to target when they should."
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.