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December 22, 2003 Research Update |
James Bogash, D.C. Mesa, AZ
info@lifecarechiro.com
www.lifecarechiro.com
Coeliac disease and subfertility: association is often neglected
Infertility treatment in today's society usually consists of fertility drugs and the birth control pill. These methods are designed to override normal human physiology and force the body to perform something it is not ready to perform. A more logical approach would be to restore normal physiology and allow the body to perform as it was meant to. This would include managing insulin resistance, use of progesterone cream, lowering estrogen exposure (endogenous and exogenous) and, in the case of this study, evaluating for coelic disease (allergy to the gluten protein found in several grains, most notably wheat).
bmj.com Sanders 327 (7425): 1226-e
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Celecoxib, rofecoxib, and acute temporary visual impairment
Another wonderful example of how little we know of human physiology. Basically, we don't fully begin to grasp the complexity of an enzyme until we begin shutting it down on a grand scale; i.e. FDA approval. We thought we knew what cyclo-oxygenase 2 did until we released the new wonder arthritis drugs Celebrex and Vioxx. Now we are seeing that COX-2 is essential for heart health, bone formation and now maybe some visual impacts as well.
bmj.com Coulter et al. 327 (7425): 1214
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Effect of Magnesium Sulfate Given for Neuroprotection Before Preterm Birth
Funny how life works--just today I was talking to a neighbor who is a nurse practitioner in a neonatal intensive care unit and she mentioned the high risk of cerebral palsy in severely preterm infants. Here we see magnesium given to the mother before birth may lower the risk and damage to the newborn. The impact was not great, but for such a benign and inexpensive intervention like magnesium it is definately worth the effort.
JAMA -- Abstracts: Crowther et al. 290 (20): 2669
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Single-Site Botulinum Toxin Injection for Elimination of Migraine Trigger Points
This issue has come up quite frequently with the increased use of plastic surgery and botulism injections. Essentially, treatment of one facial muscle above the eye, whether paralyzing with injection or cutting with plastic surgery, shows drastic reductions or elimination of migraine headaches. Regular readers of Updates know that I feel a great number of tension headaches are misdiagnosed as migraines. In my years of practice I've seen many headache patients and usually get excellent results. I feel that true migraines are more electrical in nature (a classification of seizures, actually). However, the impact of an intervention on a muscle would suggest one of two things. First, our idea of what a migraine truly is is wrong; or (more likely), many of these migraines are misdiagnosed in the first place and are really tension headaches. Either way, I will now be sure to include treatment to the ocular muscles in any headache patients from now on.
Single-Site Botulinum Toxin Type A Injection for Elimination of Migraine Trigger Points - Headache, Vol 43, Issue 10, pp. 108..
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Caesarean section and risk of unexplained stillbirth in subsequent pregnancy
The rate of C-sections here in the US is much higher than in other developed countries. I used to work in a pathology lab, and the number of placentas from C-sections was always much higher on Fridays and before holidays. Well, anytime man interveres with Mother Nature there is a price to pay. Here we seeing a doubling of the risk of stillbirth in women who had a previous C-section.
The Journal : Back Issues
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Effect of UV germicidal lights installed in office ventilation systems on workers' health and wellbeing
This is an interesting article, especially when one considers the dramatic across-the-board reduction in illness with this, safe, inexpensive intervention. Before your workplace sets up it's next "flu vaccine hysteria" clinic, try running this one by the health and safety department. One thing that I did find surprising in this study, and I would have to stretch to explain it, is the reduction in musculoskeletal complaints in non smokers with the UV light...
The Journal : Back Issues
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The statin wars
This is an enlightening series of letters to the editor in regards to the launch of a new statin. What I find interesting about the whole statin thing is that, when the dust all settles, I believe that statins' benefits will not be related to it's ability to lower cholesterol but by some other mechanism (most likely some type of anti-inflammatory action). The whole issue is reminds me of a circus, with physicians knowledgeble in functional medicine having little problem lower a patient's cholesterol and overall burden of inflammation without drugs.
The Journal : Back Issues
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Imbalance of plasma membrane ion leak and pump relationship as a new aetiological basis of certain disease states
Okay--you can skip this one if you fell asleep in physiology and biochemistry. What is interesting is that we are slowly starting to see the acceptance of disorders at the cellular level leading to a wide variety of downstream disease states. Imbalances or dysfunction at the mitochondrial level can lead to such things as lowered energy production, lowered redox potential, production of toxic byproducts and even apoptosis.
Imbalance of plasma membrane ion leak and pump relationship as a new aetiological basis of certain disease states - J Intern ..
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Does Metformin Improve Clinical Features of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?
This is a Cochrane Collaboration review of the medical literature and the bottom line is that metformin (a drug that increases insulin resistance) is an effective first line approach to anovulation in PCOS. I'm not entirely convinced that managing insulin resistance is being used clinically, however, and the birth control pill is still a common treatment (which, ironically, worsens insulin resistance...). As for these findings, I of course would advocate first using lifestyle changes and functional medicine approaches such as dietary changes, exercise and supplementation such as chromium or CLA.
Cochrane for Clinicains: Putting Evidence into Practice - December 1, 2003 - American Family Physician
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Proneness to psychological distress associated w/ risk of Alzheimer's
With an increasing realization that AD is a chronic disease of lifestyle, I am frequently coming across risk factors and physiological interventions to lower risk of AD. Ginko biloba, exercise (both mental and physical), folic acid/B12, aluminum toxicity, etc... are just a few of the items on the radar screen. The bottom line, however, is that AD is increasingly being looked at as preventable, or at least significantly lowering your risk.
Neurology -- Abstracts: Wilson et al. 61 (11): 1479
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