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September 12, 2002 Research Update |
James Bogash, D.C. Mesa, AZ
info@lifecarechiro.com
www.lifecarechiro.com
Food allergy
This review is truly a beautiful summary on this incredibly important topic. One of the interesting things (among many) is that the author recognizes the validity of elimination diets and oral food challenges; however, I have yet to have a patient come in telling me that there allergist did anything other than skin prick or possibly RAST blood testing. This article is a must read for the background on food allergies.
The Journal : Current Issue
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Maternal Vitamin Use and Reduced Risk of Neuroblastoma
Considering that many prenatal vitamins (preferably the non-pharmaceutical brands...) are high in folic acid, the results of this study are not surprising. Folic acid is essential for proper differentiation of many types of cells. Providing adequate levels of folic acid may help ensure that cells of the developing fetus are well differentiated (i.e. less likely to become tumors).
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Topical caffeine or EGCG inhibit carcinogenesis and selectively increase apoptosis in UVB-induced skin tumors in mice
Quite a long and biochemicalish title, but gets to the point. I would be surprised if anyone out there has not yet heard about this article. This article does address topical application, but it is very possible that high intakes of tea may also have similiar effects. We already know the green tea (which contains high levels of epigallocatechin) has shown to lower many types of cancer risk at levels of 6 to 7 glasses a day.
Lu et al., 10.1073/pnas.182429899
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Effect of Homocysteine-Lowering Therapy With Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, and Vitamin B6 on Clinical Outcome After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Isn't it a little disappointing that, while many clinicians don't even realize that homocysteine is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, we have moved beyond acceptance to clinical outcomes. The fact that an intervention as simple, cheap and safe as specific vitamin supplementation lowering risk of CVD makes this a no-brainer from a clinician's standpoint.
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Inflammatory Biomarkers, HRT, and Incident CHD
I still continue to beat my head against the wall trying to figure out why any woman would use this stuff!! There have been no shortage of studies identifying adverse risk with HRT use (many of which HRT has been touted as benefiting for decades...). What's even more surprising is how adamantly women talking HRT defend their use. Hot flashes and mood swings are the two most common reasons I hear. These can usually be managed very effectively with natural methods which include progesterone and some form of phytoestrogen.
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DNA damage from micronutrient deficiencies is likely to be a major cause of cancer
Before we address the shocking implications of this article, we need to point out who the author is, lest everyone think he is some Joe Schmoe off the street. Dr. Bruce Ames was the developer of the AMES test, THE test for determining the carcinogenic potential of many substances. With that said, this article goes beyond any I've come across pointing to the importance of proper nutrition and vitamin supplementation on health. This article equates vitamin deficiencies (folic acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, niacin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, iron, or zinc) with radiation damage for causing DNA damage leading to cancer. No longer can mainstream medicine say that nutrition is not important in clinical practice. It may actually be the most important and least addressed factor.
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Dose Response of Almonds on Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors
This article yet again confirms the health benefits of raw, whole nuts, but also that the fats within the almond do not work alone. The proteins and fiber within the nut also exhibit beneficial effects. This just points so strongly to the fact that foods, as Mother Nature gave them to us, are infinately better than super concentrated supplements containing what we believe (for this month, anyway...) to be the active constituent.
Circulation -- Abstracts: Jenkins et al. 106 (11): 1327
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Splinting vs Surgery in the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Sorry...couldn't keep my mouth shut on this one. I see CTS frequently in my office and most cases are not difficult to correct. As a brief lesson in anatomy, nine tendons and one soft little nerve (median) run through the carpal tunnel formed by bone on one side and a very tough ligament on the other. When the tendons swell the soft little median nerve takes the brunt of the abuse, leading to symptoms of CTS. Common sense would lead you to figure out why the tendons are swollen. But, as I like to say..."common sense ain't so common in medicine." In general, we put on blinders and stare at only the region 3 inches in width around the wrist, using anti-inflammatories, cortisone injections and finally surgery; never once removing the blinders. However, focusing attention slightly more proximal to the muscles of the forearm (both flexors and extensors) usually yields excellent results.
Splinting vs Surgery in the Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial
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Profiting from Pain: Where Prescription Drugs Dollars Go
While this is a very long report, I can summarize it for you. Contrary to popular belief, most of pharmaceutical companies' budgets do not go towards research and development. Rather, advertising and marketing account for 1.5 to 2x the costs of R and D. Not to mention the salaries of the CEOs. The amount of money that the drug companies spend in advertising is staggerring and is in the billions of dollars PER MONTH. Their profitability has never been in question. Unfortunately, many patients consider the cost of drugs as an inelastic demand and the marketplace will probably never allow for the cost to come down--the insurance companies and the drug companies have ties that are too strong. If you have time, read the article; it is very eye-opening.
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Teratogenicity of Most Recent Drugs Is Not Known
Okay, does anyone out there need me to go into detail on this one? If this does make any pregnant woman nervous, I'm not sure what will. Consider how flippantly many drugs are prescribed to pregnant women and considered "safe" .
Obstet Gynecol 2002;100:465-473
More than 90% of drugs approved since 1980 have not been properly tested to rule out possible teratogenic effects, study findings show. Animal testing is the first step to determine if a drug is a possible teratogen. After drug approval, careful follow-up studies are still needed to confirm the drug's safety. However, Drs. J. M. Friedman and W. Y. Lo, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, found that for the vast majority of new drugs these follow-up studies have not been performed. As such, more than 90% of new drugs are still considered to have an "undetermined" risk of producing birth defects, according to the report in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. "My experience is that many members of the general public, both pregnant women and their partners, are surprised and frustrated about how little we really know about the safety of medications in pregnancy," says Dr. Friedman. The solution, Dr. Friedman said, is simply to keep track of what effects the drugs have in pregnant women who take them. "I would like to see an ongoing effort to obtain information about the effects on the baby of maternal use of prescription medications in human pregnancy," he added. The authors base their findings on a review of information regarding the birth defect risk of 468 drugs approved between 1980 and 2000. They found that 91% of these new drugs were designated as carrying an "undetermined" risk of birth defects if taken by pregnant women. Dr. Friedman said that the companies that manufacture the drugs often have no financial incentive to conduct further studies on birth defects once the drug is FDA-approved. Proper studies cost money, the researcher noted, and there is usually no regulatory requirement that the companies perform these tests. Studies could follow a group of pregnant women and record what medications they take and the subsequent health of their infants, or interview parents of infants with birth defects and determine which medications the mothers took, Dr. Friedman suggested. "The point is that such studies are possible, and I believe that they need to be done on a sufficient scale to learn about the safety of all medications in human pregnancy," he emphasized.