June 21, 2001 Research Update

James Bogash, D.C. Mesa, AZ
info@lifecarechiropractic.com
www.lifecarechiropractic.com

Markers of bone, cartilage, and synovial tissue w/ knee osteoarthritis

More and more, a new theory of osteoarthritis is emerging--one which views OA as a systemic condition affecting the nutrition of the joints surfaces themselves. This could drastically change the way we treat OA. Current Western therapies focus only on the reduction of overall inflammation in an attempt to control pain in the joint and does absolutely nothing to affect the nutrition of the joint surfaces themselves. Besides nutritional therapies to support health cartilage function, chiropractic physicians for years have known that manipulation increases the exchange of fluids out of and into the avascular joint surfaces. Ann Rheum Dis -- Abstracts: Garnero et al. 60 (6): 619 http://ard.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/60/6/619

Low Circulating Vitamin B6 Is Associated With Elevation of the CRP

Many of the B vitamins have a large impact on our health in a variety of ways. This article suggests that B6 has a direct ability to lower inflammatory markers. And, since inflammation has been tied to so many of today's chronic diseases, a multivitamin complex along with a diet complete with fresh fruits, veggies and whole grains will go a long way in preventative medicine. As an aside, this study used P-5-P...the active form of vitamin B6. When B6 is taken in, it has to go to the liver to be phosphorylated and this puts extra work on the liver. P-5-P is probably the most bioavailable form of B6. Circulation -- Abstracts: Friso et al. 103 (23): 2788 http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/103/23/2788

Flavonoids, Whole Juice From Purple Grapes Inhibit Platelet Function and Enhance Nitric Oxide Release

Many people jumped on the news release over the past few years that red wine is good for our health. Indeed, the research does support this, but it is not the red wine--it is the bioflavonoids found in the grapes (mainly resverotrol) that actually provide the benefit. This study looks at the cardiovascular benefits, but grape seed extract containing pycnogenol has also shown the ability to stabilze cellular membranes, potentially helping with many nervous system disorders. Circulation -- Abstracts: Freedman et al. 103 (23): 2792 http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/103/23/2792

Successful Aging

This is a wonderful title for an article. Right off the bat it generates the idea that aging is not hard wired into our genes, and that heathy aging is a process that can be controlled. This article looks at some of the psycological effects relating to healthy aging. Some of these factors are modifiable, some are not. All could begin to be modified decades before retirement age. American Journal of Psychiatry -- Abstracts: Vaillant and Mukamal 158 (6): 839 http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/158/6/839

DHEA May Be Effective Treatment for Female Sexual Dysfunction

In using salivary analysis to check for hormone levels (saliva checks for the free forms of hormones, not the ineffective protein bound forms that most bloodwork checks for...) as an assay for adrenal gland function, cortisol and DHEA levels are checked. In patients under chronic stress, the body will actually steal the building blocks to make more cortisol, leaving none to make DHEA. Now, considering that DHEA is the precursor to testosterone and estrogen, this creates a problem. This article shows benefits of using DHEA in women with sexual dysfunction. Personally, I would check adrenal function first. By addressing this problem, DHEA levels can rise without ever adminstering DHEA itself.

96th annual meeting of the American Urological Association Dehydroepiandosterone (DHEA) may serve as an effective treatment for women with androgen deficiency syndrome leading to sexual dysfunction, according to a study released at the 96th annual meeting of the American Urological Association in Anaheim, California.Irwin Goldstein, MD, and colleagues from Boston University School of Medicine administered DHEA to 32 patients. After 6-12 months of receiving 50 mg of DHEA daily, all of the women reported improved scores both on the Female Sexual Function Index and the Sexual Distress Scale.Use of the adrenal androgen steroid as therapy for sexual dysfunction remains controversial, however, because there is a lack of specific criteria for diagnosis of female androgen deficiency syndrome.Until now, women with sexual dysfunction and a serum-free testosterone concentration in the lower third of the normal range have been considered for androgen replacement therapy. The syndrome is associated with loss of libido, low motivation, and fatigue, most often occurring in women who have undergone oophorectomy or are postmenopausal. A lack of objective measures for gauging symptoms such as blunted motivation, however, as well as low assay sensitivity in the lower concentrations of androgen seen in women after iatrogenic menopause have hampered clinicians's abilities to reach consensus on the definition and classification of the syndrome.

Groups Urge FDA Not to Recall Abbott Laboratories' Synthroid

It's always interesting to follow a heated debate over what many times appears to be an ineffectual therapy. I have seen many patients whose lab values came back to normal using synthetic hormone replacement, and yet clinically they still had all the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism. The pharmaceuticals get rich and the patient doesn't get any better. Thyroid glandulars, nutrients helping the conversion of thyroid hormone to its active form, and removing all sources of xenoestrogens can be a much more powerful approach to managing thyroid problems.

(article) In response to reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) might force Abbott Laboratories' to recall Synthroid (levothyroxine), three professional and patient advocacy groups urged the agency on Monday to defer any action for the sakes of the millions of Americans on the thyroid drug. The American Thyroid Association, The Endocrine Society and Thyroid Cancer Survivor Association expressed concern that the removal will lead to the unnecessary discontinuation of these patients' prescribed treatment. About two thirds of the 13 million Americans with hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer and other thyroid conditions are on this third most commonly prescribed drug in the US, the organizations noted. Therefore, "Even the threat of an interruption could cause alarm, inconvenience, and cost for patients who are doing well on their current thyroid medication," said Dr. Paul Ladenson, secretary of the American Thyroid Association. Despite this appeal, the future of Synthroid remains uncertain. In April, the FDA told Abbott Laboratories that its thyroid medicine Synthroid has a "history of problems" and cannot be "generally recognized as safe and effective." The FDA's concerns were expressed in a letter, rejecting an Abbott petition to have the compound approved without the filing of a new drug application (NDA) detailing the drugs safety and effectiveness. Abbott, who acquired Synthroid's maker earlier this year, is now expected to submit an application to the agency by the FDA's August deadline. However, the FDA's statements still raise the possibility that the popular 40-year-old drug could be removed from the market. The agency previously has refused to rule out asking for the drug's withdrawal, saying it believes there are two other drugs in Synthroid's class that could fill the void. Earlier this year, King Pharmaceuticals and Watson Pharmaceuticals secured FDA approval for similar products. But Abbott maintains that it is confident the drug will be allowed to stay on the market. The safety and efficacy of Synthroid has been extensively studied and validated, the company said in a prepared statement. The results of these studies have also been published in prominent peer-reviewed journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the drugmaker noted.

Soy Extract Slows Prostate Cancer Growth in Mice

More evidence is accumulating that altered estrogen metabolism in men can lead to prostate problems. This would be the unhealthy conversion of estrogen into a more dangerous by product, potentially irritating the prostate. It makes sense that soy would attunate these effects. Cruciferous vegetables high in indole-3-carbinol (brussel sprouts, broccoli) would also aid the proper metabolism of estrogens.

American Urological Association meeting in Anaheim, California The soy extract, genistein, slows prostate cancer growth in mice, suggesting a possible role as an adjunct to conventional therapy or as a preventive agent, according to Dr. Ralph deVere White, director of the University of California Davis Cancer Center, who presented his findings on Saturday at the American Urological Association meeting in Anaheim, California. Dr. White's team treated PC-3 prostate cancer cells with aglycone isoflavones (GCP), a proprietary form of genistein that functions as a general protein kinase inhibitor, or with AHCC, a non-specific immune modulator found in shiitake mushrooms. The investigators also tested the two compounds in combination. GCP reduced PC-3 cell growth in a dose-dependent fashion. It also reduced vascular endothelial growth factor production, increased p21 production and induced apoptosis. AHCC enhanced GCP's effects, but had no effect on prostate cancer cell growth when used alone. Armed with this information, Dr. White's team subcutaneously inoculated 32 five-week-old nude mice with the treated prostate cancer cells. Some of the mice also received water or water plus genistein daily. "There was a significant drop in the cancer growth of the mice fed genistein in water," Dr. White told Reuters Health. He said his team plans to continue their studies of GCP in a clinical trial of men with prostate cancer who have failed radical prostatectomy or radiation therapy and have a slow rising PSA to see if the extract can lower the PSA. "If it can, it might be used in an adjuvant fashion to make radiation therapy more effective and ultimately as a chemopreventive agent. But that is a long way off," he added.