***Why are immigrants at increased risk for psychosis? Vitamin D insufficiency, epigenetic mechanisms, or both?***
Schizophrenia is somewhat of a hot topic w/ many therapists. There is liitle thought to physiological alterations and how we could impact this condition w/ functional medicine. To them, it's a hard wired problem that requires meds to control. The research, on the other hand, disagrees with this attitude greatly. This is a thought process as to why we see some of the patterns of schizophrenia in immigrants and raises some very interesting questions as to how to manage/prevent schizophrenia. We already know that Vit D plays a large role in neurologic function and is very important during pregnancy. The thought process is that immigrants may move from an area of heavy sunlight exposure and sufficient Vit D to an area of reduced sunlight exposure and deficient Vit D. Quite frankly, the research is strongly in support of functional medicine approaches to schizophrenia, and yet, disappointingly, this type of approach is shunned by the group of providers that treat it the most. Welcome to medicine... Read More

***High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein and Risk of Nontraumatic Fractures***
As a way of background, an odds ratio gives you an idea of whether an intervention or condition increases or decreases risk of a disease. OR of 1 means no effect, less then 1 protects, more then 1 increases. So an OR of 2 means doubling of risk. With this as background, consider osteoporosis. It is pretty much a lock that inflammation is a major player in bone loss. Higher levels of TNF-alpha, a mediator of inflammation, will end up producing greater numbers of osteoclasts--the cells that break down bone. So, more inflammation = more osteoclasts = more bone loss. But this association seems to have escaped the standard of care for osteopenia or osteoporosis. I just have never had a patient come in that was counseled in anything other then antiresorptive agents like Fosomax and maybe some extra calcium. Back to this study. In the Archives of Internal Medicine, a relatively high level journal, we see that comparing the lowest levels of hs CRP (a lab marker of inflammation) to the highest level produced an OR of 9.3. That's a staggering 9 X risk for osteoporosis of an already high risk disease. This makes inflammation THE major player in bone loss. And yet it is ignored when it comes to prevention and treatment. Inexcusable. Read More

***Two randomized vitamin D trials in ambulatory patients on anticonvulsants***
Gosh...were do I start with this one....Treatment of seizures with anticonvulsants has long been known to be associated with bone loss and osteoporosis. While this may be glossed over, in my experience, physicians rarely make recommendations for osteoprotection when writing prescriptions for anticonvulsants. One such recommendation, in addition to anti-inflammatory approaches, is Vit D. Here's the rub. Vit D is ALSO known to have anticonvulsant activity. So, we have a known side effect of anticonvulsants with a proven aide--and this aide has an added benefit of potentially helping with the seizures!! You'd think it's a no-brainer... Of additional note is the levels of Vit D used. Increased bone density was only seen in the high dose group--4,000 IU/day for adults and 2,000 IU for children--levels strongly recommended by researchers but avoided by clinicians. Keep in mind this is a major neurology journal... Read More

***Infant Acute Leukemia and Maternal Exposures during Pregnancy***
I recently got an email from someone promoting an organization supporting research and "prevention" for childhood cancers. At first glance, who could be against something like this. I looked through their site for how much resource they dedicated to "prevention." The vast majority of their resources are dedicated to a cure and I will not deny that this is needed. But the site mentioned very little about what we know about prevention. In utero chemical exposure has been well established as a risk factor for childhood leukemias. What else could it be? Pure genetics probably play a role. But the reality is that the infant has few exposures of great enough magnatitude to cause cancer. It only leaves in-utero exposure. We have to view pregnancy as a very, very important part of that child's life. The pregnant (and considering pregnancy) women needs to live a life sheltered from chemicals. That means organic foods, no bug spraying, no harsh cleaners, no chemicals in make up or hair products. This study found an increased risk of leukemia in certain drugs (some not used in the US) as well as estrogen use during pregnancy. It boils down to this--ALL drug and chemical exposure during pregnancy should be considered harmful and avoided at all costs unless absolutely necessary. Read More

***Epidemiologic evidence suggests that dietary phytoestrogen intake is associated with reduced risk of breast, endometrial, and prostate cancers***
It amazes me how many anti-soy sentiments there are out there. Thryoid cancer, breast cancer, growing breasts on little boys, thyroid problems, infertility...the list is quite long. However, I have looked at many of the references the "anti-soy" people use. They just don't hold up. I remember letter to the editor I wrote in response to an article damning soy. The journal let the author of this artilce rebut my letter. I checked her references and, out of 7 or so, 5 were in SUPPORT of soy!! She never checked her references!! The vast majority of research articles on soy and phytoestrogens are positive, this one included. And I find it biased that there is concern over the phytates in soy blocking mineral absorption, but tea containing tannins are ok. Soy containing phytoestrogens are of concern, but eat all the lignans in flax you can grind up. You can't have it both ways. That being said, I am in support of soy as being a part of a healthy lifestyle, but that doesn NOT mean processed soy this and processed soy that. Tofu, miso, soy nuts, soy milk, edemame--these are closer to Mother Nature's intent. Textured vegetable protein and veggie burgers are less in Mother Nature's plan... Read More

***Delay of T cell senescence by caloric restriction in aged long-lived nonhuman primates***
Regular readers of Updates know that I consider mitochondrial dysfunction as the root of all evil when it comes to chronic diseases. Anything we can do to protect the mitochondria will have a positive effect on health and longevity. It has been well established that calorie restriction is the ONLY intervention known to extend lifespan in mammals. This means that your 1200 calories / day comes from broccoli, not a Big Mac and supersized fries. It is believed that one of the mechanisms that CR works is by improving the number and efficiency of the mitochondria. This study adds to that, finding that CR in primates leads to reduced immune senesence, or shutting down of the immune system with age. A healthier immune system means persistant cancer surveilance and retained ability to fight off infectious diseases. Definitely a good thing. The research has also played around with the concept of alternate day CR as well as short term fasting coupled w/ aerobic exercise. Some researchers actually disagree with the concept of CR extending lifespan. Rather, they believe that increased caloric intake SHORTENS a normal lifespan... In other words, our calories are killing us. Read More

***Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Risk of Multiple Sclerosis ***
We have known for some time now that Vit D and sun exposure was very protective against multiple sclerosis (not quite as effective for treatment, however). What was surprising about this study, and maybe actually not so surprising given that most chronic diseases start long before onset of symptoms...was that higher levels of serum 25 hydroxyVit D were MOST protective prior to 20 years of age. How much will current recommendations to avoid sun exposure at all costs going to impact future rates of MS? Expect higher rates in the near future, as well as ever increasing rates of certain cancers, diabetes and hypertension (all of which Vit D is very protective for...). Of note is that the protective effect was noted only in whites. Read More

***Obesity increases the risk of UV radiation-induced oxidative stress and activation of MAPK and NF-?B signaling***
Chronic disease from alterations in physiology does not happen in a vacuum. Every alteration impacts all systems. This study, done in mice, finds that obese mice exposed to UV B light experienced greater oxidative damage. Given that obesity generates increased systemic inflammation which drains anti oxidant reserves, the inability to protect against another source of oxidative stress makes complete sense. Take this in the context of the increased rates of melanoma in our kids. Is it from sun exposure as public health officials would have us believe--leading to recommendations for sun avoidance and Vit D deficiency? Or is a part of the picture relating to poor overall health? Read More

***Long-term low-protein, low-calorie diet and endurance exercise modulate metabolic factors associated with cancer risk***
I would be happy going on record that I've never been a fan of the high-protein type diets, feeling that short term weight loss is traded for long term health. These types of diets will kill you if you stay on them long enough. That being said, I'm really sorry to find a study supporting my position. But even more importantly, this is yet another study finding that caloric restriction lowers the risk of chronic disease. It is really at the point now that we can no longer deny that our culture's obsession with larger portion sizes and the accompanying additional calories w/o the additional nutrition are killing us more rapidly then we could imagine. Read More

***Ginseng and Salviae herbs play a role as immune activators and modulate immune responses during influenza virus infection***
What some people may not be aware of is that, in many vaccinations, drug companies use what's called an adjuvant to strengthen the body's immune response. Aluminum is a component of many of these adjuvants. While it would seem like an inherently bad idea to inject a toxic metal directly into the human body, that is exactly what they do to stimulate a stronger response. So, while I am against the idea of forcing an immune response in a route of administration other then what Mother Nature intended, natural compounds might be a better route to try. This study used ginseng and salviae as part of an intranasal injection (which is a natural route of exposure) and found that it may make a good adjuvant for this flu vaccine. Read More

James Bogash, DC and Amy Strock, DC
1830 S. Alma School Rd, Bldg 7, Ste 135, Mesa, AZ 85210
(Alma School Road, just south of the Superstition Freeway/Highway 60)
Chiropractic Health Care Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert & Tempe, Arizona
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