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April 28, 2002 Research Update |
James Bogash, D.C. Mesa, AZ
info@lifecarechiro.com
www.lifecarechiro.com
Why do COX-2 inhibitors increase risk of cardiovascular events?
This article nicely reviews potential mechanisms for the increase in cardiovascular events seen with higher frequency in users of these new "superdrugs." Millions spent developing and advertising for the superior safety profile of Celebrex and Vioxx--only to find an increasing risk of other types of conditions. This is the perfect example of the true guinea pigs of new drugs--the patients taking a new drug for the first decade or so of its use. When a new drug hits the open market this is the first time that particular drug has been used on such a large study and this is when the dangerous side effects often first appear.
The Journal : Current Issue
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**Lactobacillus Strains and Vaginal Ecology
Can't help but to jump up and down over the common sense practicality of this research. Jane has normal flora in the vaginal vault that protect her from other bad infections. Jane takes antibiotics and kills off these protective bacteria. Jane now has yeast and E. coli that are no longer inhibited by the presence of the protective bacteria. Jane gets recurrent yeast infections and urinary tract infections treated with drugs. Jane could easily eliminate any future problem by reinnoculating herself with the protective bacteria. Sound simple?? Apparently not because this concept is virtually unheard of in OB/GYN and urologist circles.
Lactobacillus Strains and Vaginal Ecology
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HRT Falls Out of Favor With Expert Committee
Let me get this straight... Years of prescribing HRT for women in the peri and postmenopausal periods to lower risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and hot flashes based on basically shoddy research; current research showing lack of efficacy and additional studies showing downright increased risk of adverse effects such as cancer... And we need an "expert" committee to say this ain't such a great idea??
Hormone Replacement Therapy Falls Out of Favor With Expert Committee
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Rheumatological, GI symptoms after infection w/ C jejuni/coli, E coli
Mainstream medicine readily accepts the concept that certain bacterial infections in the gut can lead to systemic arthritis symptoms without the bacteria being present in the joint itself. So why do I have such a hard time convincing patients and many doctors that the GI tract can be a potent modulator of immune activity that can lead to systemic effects such as fatigue and joint pain and autoimmune diseases?? Maybe I'll never get my answer on this one but I vow to keep plugging away.
Ann Rheum Dis -- Abstracts: Locht and Krogfelt 61 (5): 448
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Metformin for Weight Loss in Children Taking Psychotropic Drugs
Oh my gosh!! Are we so incredibly far gone that we cannot see just how incredibly studid this is? We give a child a drug designed to influence how his/her brain works, despite the fact that this brain is still developing and we really have no clue how the brain chemisty truly works. Then, since weight gain is a side effect of this class of drugs, we give them ANOTHER drug to reduce risk of this first drugs' side effects!! These are CHILDREN we are talking about--not lab rats that we can alter their physiology and not care how they develop later in life because we're going to dissect them long before than anyway. The picture of a society that contains drugged up children is far too reminiscent of a Brave New World mentality.
American Journal of Psychiatry -- Abstracts: Morrison et al. 159 (4): 655
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Celiac disease in patients with severe liver disease
Is anyone getting tired of hearing me rant and rave about food sensitivities causing systemic problems? Here's another article implicating celiac disease (an allergy to a protein called gluten for in certain grains) in another serious condtion that was previously of unknown origin. An elimination diet is warranted in so many different patient presentations--cerebellar ataxia, Alzheimers and other dementias and now liver failure.
Gastroenterology Online
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Failure to Vaccinate May Explain Measles Outbreak in Germany
If articles like this were not taken so seriously I would actually be amused by the content of this article in light of its title. First of all, "less than five" doctors are apparently responsibly for this massive outbreak. What an accomplishment for these five doctors!! The title of this article would lead one to believe that a large number of doctos in Germany are not giving the measles vaccine and this has singlehandedly led to an outbreak. Reading into the article, one finds that the accuser in this case really has little supporting evidence. Math was never my strongest subject, but somehow 5 doctors in a district in Germany spreading an epidemic seems a little far fetched. And, if the large majority of children are indeed vaccinated, shouldn't they be free of fear and let those who decided not to be immunized suffer? The truth is that a large number of vaccinated children also get the disease.
Doctors opposed to vaccinating children against measles might be at least partly responsible for a measles epidemic in southern Germany, according to a regional division of AOK, one of Germany's largest public health insurance groups. The measles outbreak has struck the district of Coburg in the German state of Bavaria. The district has a population of less than 100,000, but more than 1000 people, mostly children, have contracted measles since November. Markus Braun, a spokesman for the AOK Bavaria, said today that AOK believes there is a link between the measles epidemic and opposition from "a few doctors" in the area to the combined MMR vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella). A number of people with measles have been admitted to hospitals, which is much more costly than immunising with MMR, which costs around 100 euros in Germany for the two-injection vaccine, he said. Braun declined to say how many doctors in the Coburg area were thought to be opposed to giving children the MMR vaccine, saying only that it was "less than five." He held out the possibility that AOK would seek monetary damages from doctors opposed to the MMR vaccine. "That is not ruled out, but at the moment it is not under discussion," he said. AOK has made its concerns known to the KBV, the Bavarian organization that represents physicians accredited with the public health insurance system. Martin Eulitz, spokesman for the KBV, told Reuters Health that leadership of the KBV was strongly in favor of the MMR vaccine, and encouraged all members to use it. However, he said that German law does not require doctors to give the vaccine. Referring to the doctors opposed to using the MMR vaccine, he said: "We can talk to them and try to convince them the vaccine is necessary. But there is nothing else we can do. We can only kick them out [of the KBV] if they do not follow the rules." Eulitz also declined to say how many doctors in the Coburg area are opposed to the MMR vaccine. But he said that none of these doctors have spoken out publicly against the MMR vaccine. They have spoken only "behind closed doors" to the parents of patients. "The only people who speak out publicly against the vaccine are the parents," he said. Eulitz said that since November 1, 2001, some 1140 cases of measles have been reported in the Coburn area, with 90% of those cases in children 14 years old or younger. Children with measles have been admitted to the hospital, but he did not know how many. In the Coburg district, 76% of children have been vaccinated, which compares with a rate of 88% in the whole state of Bavaria, he said. When asked if the lower vaccination rate might have been a trigger for the measles epidemic, Eulitz said: "That might be one of the reasons." Dr. Waltraud Knipping, head of the Bavarian branch of Germany's Professional Association of Pediatricians (BVKJ), told Reuters Health in late February that as the number of opponents to MMR vaccination has risen, the readiness of parents in Bavaria to have their children vaccinated has declined. She said at least 90% of all children need to be immunized to prevent measles epidemics.
DHA Fatty Acids May Reduce Postpartum Depression
With all the hype in the past few months on postpartum depression with the Andrea Yates trial, this article is quite timely. This article cuts across so many issues related to the intake of DHA, an essential fatty acid, in the mother's diet. Improvement of early infant development while nursing, lowered incidence of postpartum depression, heavy metal contamination of seafood and DHA deficiency during pregnancy (especially in light of a standard Western diet). Very important article for anyone dealing with pregnancy and infant development.
ACS Abstract: AGFD 28 (495307). April 8, 2002
Several studies summarized at the 223rd national meeting of the American Chemical Society on April 8 suggest that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fatty acid supplements given to nursing mothers may improve early infant development. DHA supplements may also reduce the incidence of postpartum depression."We believe that the high incidence of postpartum depression in the United States may be triggered by a low dietary intake of DHA," presenter David J. Kyle, PhD, from the Mother and Child Foundation and Advanced BioNutrition Corp in Columbia, Maryland, said in a news release. "The higher the intake of DHA, the lower the incidence of depression."A 1998 study by Joseph Hibbeln of the National Institutes of Health found a significant inverse correlation between DHA intake and incidence of clinical depression, and a more recent study by Hibbeln found the same relationship between DHA levels in breast milk and incidence of postpartum depression. During pregnancy, the placenta pumps DHA from the expectant mother to the fetus, increasing the mother's susceptibility to depression. Maternal diet influences the level of DHA in breast milk. "The DHA content of mother's milk in the United States is among the lowest in the world," Kyle said, noting that daily dietary intake of DHA is about 40-50 mg in US women, 200 mg in European women, and about 600 mg in Japanese women.DHA supplements of 200 mg daily double the DHA content of nursing mothers' milk relative to those who received placebo, according to a study by Craig Jensen from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas."The toddlers who were nursed from the mums getting the extra DHA performed significantly better [on standard neurological motor function tests] than those toddlers nursed from mums who were getting the placebo," Kyle said.Last year, the FDA approved the addition of DHA to infant formulas. Women who want to increase their DHA levels can take dietary supplements or eat more tuna, salmon, algae, and other foods rich in DHA. To avoid mercury contamination, however, current guidelines suggest limiting fish to 12 ounces of cooked fish per week during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and avoiding shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish.