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September 2, 2001 Research Update |
James Bogash, D.C. Mesa, AZ
info@lifecarechiro.com
www.lifecarechiro.com
Influence of anti-Helicobacter triple-therapy on intestinal microflora
The question posed in this article is interesting. However, the results of this study may fuel debate between traditional gastroenterologists and functional medicine practitioners. I have had discussion with a few specialists who believe in the GI tracts's ability to restore to homeostasis after an insult. This article supports this concept. Unfortunately, I think this article will prove to be misleading. Antibiotics unquestionably alter the flora of the GI tract, usually in adverse ways. The Updates have repeatedly outlined the damages to overall health with disturbed GI microflora. The data on this article do point to changes that occurred that will adversely affect the health of the GI tract (increase in Candida, Klebsiella...), although the abstract does not touch on it. Synergy : Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 15 (9), 1445-1452 http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/Journals/content/abstracts/apt/2001/15/9/abstract_apt1033.asp?journal=apt&issueid=6835&artid=126185&cid=apt.2001.10& ftype=abstracts
Taurine Prevents the Decrease of SOD Induced by Homocysteine
This article suggests several other tools to be used in patients with elevated homocysteine. Of course, folic acid, B12 and B6 are primary agents, but this article can also add taurine to the list. It appears that homocysteine lowers the amounts of superoxide dismutase (an enzyme that strongly protects against free radical damage) in vascular cells, and that taurine blocks this event. High doses of Vit C, zinc and glutathione are also known to increase SOD levels. Taurine has long been known to have beneficial effects on both the heart and nervous system. Circulation -- Abstracts: Nonaka et al. 104 (10): 1165 http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/104/10/1165
Pharmaceutical Branding of Resident Physicians
Maybe I'm just jealous that the nutriceutical company reps do not have $100K in their expense accounts (I am very appreciative of the occasional issue of Clinical Pearls...), but this concept bothers me. Despite everyone denying that it has an effect, studies show that it does. And drug companies would not do it if it didn't work, plain and simple. This kind of relationship removes much of the objectiveness of the doctor. Pharmaceuticals should be the LAST place physicians get their information from, and yet, quite frequently for many busy doctors, it is the only place. Pharmaceutical Branding of Resident Physicians http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v286n9/ffull/jlt0905-7.html
AMA Warns Docs on Ethics of Drug Company Gifts
The AMA is using $650,000 to "remind" doctors that gifts in excess of $100 is unethical. $600,000 comes from drug companies. HUH? Does anyone not see a problem here?
Is that study really necessary?
This is an topic that I joke about on occasion. There are things that those of us in the natural field have been talking about for years (avoiding refined carbs, increase fruits and veggies...) that come out in research studies and come to incredibly obvious solutions. Personally, I feel that the money spent on these studies would be better off spent on other, less obvious conclusions. This is a nice commentary on this topic. Is that study really necessary? http://www.nature.com/nsu/010906/010906-3.html
Easily Treatable Condition Often Unrecognized in IBS Patients
This article refers to lactose intolerance being misdiagnosed as IBS. This gives more support to alternative practioners' treatment methods because avoidance of dairy is always at the top of the list for almost any condition; especially so with any GI related compaints.
European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology 2001;13:941-944 Prospectively, the effect of a lactose-restricted diet was evaluated among irritable bowel syndrome patients with lactose malabsorption. Lactose malabsorption was defined by a positive hydrogen breath test and a positive blood-glucose test. An analysis of symptoms was completed before, during, 6 weeks after and 5 years after starting the diet. In addition, the number of visits made by the patients to the outpatient clinic was scored during 6 years. Conclusions In a large majority of irritable bowel syndrome patients with lactose malabsorption, which was previously clinically unrecognized, a lactose-restricted diet improved symptoms markedly both in the short term and the long term. Furthermore, visits by all patients to the outpatient clinic were reduced by 75%. We conclude that diet therapy is extremely cost- and time-saving. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that lactose malabsorption, which is easily treatable, is excluded before diagnosing irritable bowel syndrome.
Corticosteroids May Protect Against Asthma-Related Irritable Bowel
A few things to consider here. The link between asthma and IBS is not all that surprising, except that I personally think they may have it backwards. This and previous studies suggest that patients with asthma are at increased risk of IBS. I would venture to say that it's the opposite. Patients with GI dysfunction, whether noticed by the patient YET or not, would be more likely to develop asthma. Here's my scenerio...patient has something happen early in life to disrupt the functional status of the GI tract (antibiotics, bottle feeding...). This ends up leading to a hyperresponsive immune system which in turn can lead to asthma. Then, later in life, the functional changes in the GI tract become noticable by the patient. As for the corticosteroids reducing risk of IBS in asthmatic patients, this gives me concern. Anti-inflammatories and steroids disrupt the integrity of the GI tract, and if the idea of using steroids to cut the risk of IBS gets out, we may be looking at a much larger problem. As the why these researchers found a reduced risk...I would like to see follow up studies confirming the results.
17th annual meeting of the International Conference on Pharmacoepidemiology Asthmatics may have a slightly increased risk of developing irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) compared with the general population. However, those who use oral corticosteroids appear to have slight protection against developing the latter disease, researchers reported here Monday. The finding comes from a study using data from the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) in the UK. The GPRD is a national computerized database of patient records from general practice. It contains more than 35 million patient-years of data and contains long-term information that can be used by researchers. In short, the study findings suggest that asthmatics are 1.3 times more likely to develop IBS than non-asthmatics. A link between the two diseases has been suggested in studies in the past. The results were presented in a poster by researchers from the Centro Español Investigación Farmacoepidemiológica in Madrid, Spain, at the 17th annual meeting of the International Conference on Pharmacoepidemiology here. The prinicipal investigator was Dr. Consuela Huerta. The researchers used information from a random sample of 50,000 database subjects who had a diagnostic code for asthma on January 1, 1994. Patients were included if they were between the ages of 10 and 79 years old. Data for a similar number of age- and sex-matched non-asthmatics were used for comparison. People who had diagnostic codes for IBS, peptic ulcers, cancer, or other confounding conditions were excluded. Both groups of patients were followed until November 1998. Subjects were excluded if during the study period they became pregnant, turned 80 years of age, developed conditions that met the initial exclusion criteria, or were diagnosed with IBS (the endpoint being sought). However, asthmatics who were regularly taking oral corticosteroids at the start of the study were slightly less likely to develop IBS during the study period, compared with other asthmatics. Other asthmatic medications were not associated with any change in IBS risk. However, the data are not strong enough to show whether or not the steroids offer any protective effect, and did not show a difference between long and short-term use of the drugs, Dr. Huerta and colleagues cautioned. Further studies in the general population are necessary to confirm whether the use of corticosteroids, regardless asthma status, has a protective effect against IBS, researchers said.
ations for prevention, given the increasing prevalence of obesity and the morbidity and mortality association with heart defects," Drs. Watkins and Botto conclude.