FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE BLOG
Includes over 800 monographs reporting on emerging studies in the medical and scientific literature of practical clinical importance, easily searched for content.
Systemic thyroid hormone effects with levothyroxine can fall short
Systemic thyroid hormone status—the systemic effects of thyroid hormone activity—has been further confirmed to be insufficient with levothyroxine therapy in a significant percentage of cases, even though laboratory levels of TSH and T4 are normalized...
Gut microbiome, SCFAs, mood disorders, ketogenic diet and seizures
SCFA (short-chain fatty acid) production by the gut microbiome has a large effect on autoimmunity, brain inflammation, neuropsychiatric disorders and seizures by Immune system modulation; and this positive effect can be damaged by antibiotics.
Hypoglycemia increases inflammatory reactions, cardiovascular risk
"These data provide novel mechanistic insights into how hypoglycemia could increase CV risk through upregulation of inflammatory responses."
Fish oil omega-3 fatty acids do not increase bleeding risk
"...our findings on the safe use of n-3 LC-PUFAs are applicable to a diverse clinical population including those on concomitant anticoagulant medications as used here."
Osteoarthritis: auto-inflammation, IL-17 and the microbiome
Osteoarthritis is an autoinflammatory condition characterized by a more aggressive inflammatory response to stressed or damaged tissue, with a subset exhibiting high IL-17 activity, a hallmark of autoimmunity. This may be ameliorated by regulating the autoinflammatory response through manipulation of the gut microbiome.
Iron supplementation - better with intermittent low doses
These findings...advocate the hypothesis that low-dose iron given on alternate days may maximize fractional iron absorption, increase dosage efficacy.
TSH elevation associated with pregnancy problems
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) when elevated even within the 'normal' range at preconception, can result in adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Glaucoma neurodegeneration ameliorated by mitochondrial support
...dietary supplementation with a single molecule (vitamin B3/nicotinamide), or Nmnat1 gene therapy, significantly reduces vulnerability to glaucoma by supporting mitochondrial health and metabolism...By providing a new molecular and metabolic link between increased neuronal vulnerability with age and neurodegeneration these findings are of critical importance for glaucoma and possibly other age-related diseases.
Immunotherapy can take 3 years to desensitize to allergens
Immunotherapy can induce tolerance for allergens, but what is a realistic time frame? A study recently published in JAMA demonstrates that 3 years of sublingual desensitizing treatment is effective, but 2 years is no different than placebo. This research helps practitioners working in the larger context of immune plasticity, and patients, to consider pragmatic parameters for case management.