October 20, 2004 Research Update

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

Maternal Calcium Intake and Offspring Blood Pressure

Yet another beautiful example of how much the mother's nutrition impacts, not only the immediate health of the newborn, but that her nutritional status is pre-programming that unborn infant for their future health. So, what if increasingly unhealthy generations of mothers have children that then grow up unhealth and have kids? Not a pretty picture, huh?

Maternal Calcium Intake and Offspring Blood Pressure -- Gillman et al. 110 (14): 1990 -- Circulation

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Failing the Public Health — Rofecoxib, Merck, and the FDA

By now everyone has heard that Merck pulled it's blockbuster drug from the market. Not a big surprise, since it was mentioned here at least 3 years ago (October 2001, Research Updates) that there were cardiac issues with the selective COX-2 inhibitors. There was clearly a failure of the FDA to protect the public in this situation. But we have also recently seen the same lack of protection with regards to antidepressants and children. It is the almighty dollar that rules here, but the general public still believes that the FDA is really out there with our best interests at heart. So, they pull ephedra, possibly linked to a handful of deaths when used INAPPROPRIATELY, but take years to pull off drugs, used APPROPRIATELY, off the market.

NEJM -- Failing the Public Health -- Rofecoxib, Merck, and the FDA

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Metformin Administration Versus Laparoscopic Ovarian Diathermy in Clomiphene Citrate-Resistant Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Am I missing something here? The relationship between polycystic ovaries and metabolic syndrome is beyond reproach. Lifestyle changes to manage metabolic syndrome is the first (and, in my opinion, only) line of defense and has proven incredibly effective to eliminate insulin resistance. The few docs aware of the relationship have used metformin successfully as well, but it is not my choice. So why, why, why do we continue to have procedures like ovarian drilling and laproscopic diathermy for PCOS???? I'm not a woman and thus don't have ovaries to deal with, but I could pretty much guess that, if I was, I would prefer not to have my reproductive organ drilled when lifestyle changes and exercise are MORE effective!! If anyone has an answer for this one, please forward it to me...

Metformin Administration Versus Laparoscopic Ovarian Diathermy in Clomiphene Citrate-Resistant Women with Polycystic Ovary Sy..

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Metabolic Syndrome Is Associated w/ Elevated Oxidative Stress and Dysfunctional Dense HDL Particles Displaying Impaired Antioxidative Activity

For those not yet aware, HDL actually has several subtypes, the subtype HDL2 seeming to be the most protective. These subtypes have antioxidant and protective abilities, but, in insulin resistant patients, they lose a large percentage of their protective abilities. So, take the poor woman above who had her ovaries drilled. I now believe that it should be considered malpractice. The OB drills a patient's ovaries, an unnecessary procedure, and remains totally oblivious to the fact that this patient has a major metabolic abnormality that is wreaking havoc on the rest of her body.

Metabolic Syndrome Is Associated with Elevated Oxidative Stress and Dysfunctional Dense High-Density Lipoprotein Particles Di..

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Hyperinsulinemia and risk of Alzheimer disease

So, while you're on the table getting prepped for your ovarian drilling, ask your OB/GYN if your current physiological imbalance may increase your risk of other chronic degenerative conditions. And toss in Alzheimers as well, just to see if he/she is staying current on the medical literature...

Hyperinsulinemia and risk of Alzheimer disease -- Luchsinger et al. 63 (7): 1187 -- Neurology

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Telopeptides as markers of bone turnover in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis

This is an interesting route of attack on a different way to measure disease severity with RA. Using the breakdown products of bone in the urine as a way to check bone status is by no means new. But in this study, these bone turnover markers were used to determine the severity of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, since RA attacks the cartilage of a joint and to a certain extent the underlying bone.

Telopeptides as markers of bone turnover in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis - Intern Med J, Vol 34, Issue 9-10, pp. 5..

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Food allergy and atopic dermatitis in infancy: an epidemiologic study

The connection between the gut and the skin is not well accepted, despite quite a bit of research actually supporting this link. This study further supports the relationship with food allergy (which would be mediated via the GI tract) and eczema. My personal opinion is that, if you can address it very early, food allergies and eczema can be easily handled. As that baby gets older, the pathways of inflammation and allergy get "burned in" and resolution becomes more difficult. In addition to identifying food allergies, research also suggests the use of probiotics to add an additional protective barrier between our environment and the interior of our body.

Food allergy and atopic dermatitis in infancy: an epidemiologic study - Pediatr Allergy Immunol, Vol 15, Issue 5, pp. 421-427..

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Modulation of human dendritic cell phenotype and function by probiotic bacteria

Could I ask for a better segway? There is no longer any question that the bacterial flora present in the GI tract clearly has the ability to modify the actions of the immune system. This can occur in a positive way, with good, healthy flora, or in a negative way. I would love to see a real push towards educating physicians not about the dangers of antibiotic resistant bacteria, but about the dangers of killing off normal bacterial flora that is supposed to be there.

Modulation of human dendritic cell phenotype and function by probiotic bacteria -- Hart et al. 53 (11): 1602 -- Gut

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Gluten sensitivity masquerading as systemic lupus erythematosus

Here we have yet another GI condition that has an effect on the entire body. Allergy to gluten (a protein found primarily in wheat) in these three case studies led to a systemic response that was mistaken for lupus. How's that for a dramatic manifestation of gluten sensitivity? Two intersting tidbits. First, gluten is a nitrogenous storage proteins in grains. Give the growing grain nitrogenous fertilizer and it has no choice but to take in the nitrogen and then has to store it as excess gluten. More gluten = higher exposure and likelihood of allergy. Second, yeast overgrowth with candida shows a cross reactivity between a protein segment in candida and a protein segment in gluten. So, antibiotic use again has potential ramifications that most clinicians are totally unaware of.

Gluten sensitivity masquerading as systemic lupus erythematosus -- Hadjivassiliou et al. 63 (11): 1501 -- Annals of the Rheum..

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Lovastatin exacerbates atypical absence seizures with only minimal effects on brain sterols

I was not aware that one of the side effects of the statin drugs was a certain type of seizure in humans. But, considering that the statins lower the production of CoQ10 along with the cholesterol it was supposed to lower, this really is not a surprise. CoQ10 is an important component of energy production, so in tissues like muscle, brain and liver, a drop in CoQ10 levels can have disastrous results.

Lovastatin exacerbates atypical absence seizures with only minimal effects on brain sterols -- Serbanescu et al. 45 (11): 203..

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