http://www.guerillahealthreport.com/ How 116 million CAM Patients and Practitioners Took Down the 800 Pound Health Media Gorilla, One Medical Journal Review at a Time Wed, 19 Jun 2013 6:38:55 -0700 en-us http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=475 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=475 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 5:14:06 -0700 With the antimicrobial properties of honey being further established, I fielded an interesting question the other day about whether or not nature\'s gold would inhibit probiotics.  It turns out that honey actually seems to work as a pre-biotic, a food-source for both lactobacillus and bifidobacterium.  Both of these natural flora in the GI tract are found in the guts of vaginally born, breast fed infants and have the best correlation with a healthy immune system.  Here are three articles I was sent for further reading: Shamala TR, Shri Jyoth Y, Saibaba P. "Stimulatory effect of honey on multiplication of lactic acid bacteria under in vitro and in vivo conditions." Lett Appl Microbiol. 2000 Jun;30(6):453-5. Aly M Ezz El-Arab, Shenouda M Girgis,, Eman M Hegazy, and Azzat B Abd El-Khalek. "Effect of dietary honey on intestinal microflora and toxicity of mycotoxins in mice." BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006, 6:6 doi:10.1186/1472-6882-6-6 Honey Traveler "Health Benefits of Honey."  Honeytraveler.com, accessed June 6 2012. http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=474 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=474 Tue, 17 May 2011 7:37:57 -0700 Tired kids are crabby kids, and obviously they don\'t do very well in school.  But a new study in Japan suggests that a tired brain responds differently depending on how old the child is.  Two similar sized groups of 4-6th and 7-9th graders were tested on everything from brain processing speed to memory and attention.  Children who were tired in the younger group scored lower on an item called motor processing, meaning that they responded slower to commands like pointing their finger at a target.  The older children had problems with working memory and two types of attention-  alternating and divided, when they were fatigued.  Working memory is the ability to hold a concept in your head as you\'re working on a problem- like how many days Mary can work and the fact that Bill can\'t work on the same days as Mary when filling out a schedule.  Alternating attention is easy to understand- it\'s the ability to switch from working on a math problem to working on a reading one.  Divided attention is commonly referred to as multi-tasking, the ability to simultaneously pay attention to two things at once.    It seems that as our brains are developing, being tired affects them differently.  We can imagine what this says about our school day if the children haven\'t had a full night\'s sleep.  Younger children will drag their feet, be a little uncoordinated, and have a hard time staying still.  Older kids will be able to physically hide their fatigue better because it doesn\'t impact their brains that way.  However, they\'ll still have a hard time with that broad concept of "focusing."  It\'s interesting to see that several of these tired brain symptoms are also ADHD symptoms- the fidgeting, the poor multi-tasking, the difficulty in switching the brain into different gears for different tasks.  It\'s almost as if the ADHD brain is in a constant state of chronic fatigue. Kei Mizuno, Masaaki Tanaka, Sanae Fukuda, Kyoko Imai-Matsumura, Yasuyoshi Watanabe (2011). "Relationship between cognitive functions and prevalence of fatigue in elementary and junior high school students." Brain & Development 33 (6): 470-479. doi:10.1016/j.braindev.2010.08.012 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=473 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=473 Fri, 13 May 2011 8:10:36 -0700 It\'s been a long winter for many of us in the Midwestern United States, and the sun\'s long-awaited return is certainly welcomed by those of us saddled with cabin fever.  On days like this it\'s fun to do the old "magnifying glass on leaves" experiment, and while I don\'t advocate performing this on living things, I do think you should do this at least a few times in your life.  Most people don\'t really think about the physics behind focusing the sun\'s rays into a beam hot enough to set paper alight, but this video from Science Friday does a really good job of explaining it simply:   An interesting note from the video:  Many commercial magnifying glasses are able to focus the intensity of the sunshine 1000 times.  No wonder it sets paper on fire!  But what\'s more amazing is that the lens in the human eye is able to focus 2 1/2 times more than that.  Does it make sense now what your teacher said about not looking into an eclipse? Magnified Sun Burns:  http://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/watch/10380   http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=472 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=472 Thu, 12 May 2011 8:26:01 -0700 Researchers have looked at the ends of chromosomes for the answer to aging, and they\'re measuring the effect of mediation on the health of the genetic material.  At the end of the chromosomes are long strands of what scientists call "redundant" codes called telomeres.  The telomeres are repeated genetic sequences that tell the proteins that they\'ve reached the end of the line when the genes are being copied.  Telomeres appear to get shorter as we age, and a recent paper suggested that their length may be tied to our stress levels.  The paper discusses the effect of "psychological stress cognitions, particularly appraisals of threat and ruminative thoughts," meaning stress and constantly thinking about it, on the telomere length in comparison to mindful meditation techniques, which shift thinking "from threat to challenge, decrease ruminative thought, and reduce stress arousal."  They point out that several stress hormones, including cortisol, insulin, and oxidative stress have been linked to shortened telomeres, while androgens (building hormones), growth hormone, and proper nervous system tone (vagal, or parasympathetic- basically the opposite of the fight-or-flight response) are linked to preservation of the strands.  Science isn\'t sure exactly why, but shortened telomeres result in chromosomal damage, and that triggers the cells to start dying prematurely.  If something as simple as being conscious of your thoughts can help prevent that, then by all means- take a breather today. Elissa Epel, Jennifer Daubenmier, Judith Tedlie Moskowitz,Susan Folkman, and Elizabeth Blackburn (2009). "Can Meditation Slow Rate of Cellular Aging? Cognitive Stress, Mindfulness, and Telomeres." Longevity, Regeneration, and Optimal Health: Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1172: 34–53 (2009). doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04414.x http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=471 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=471 Wed, 11 May 2011 5:07:06 -0700 Why bother doing animal testing if the results are just going to be ignored?  The FDA has just issued a warning that Topamax (topiramate), an anti-seizure medication that is one of the most widely prescribed migraine drugs, triples the risk of cleft lip and cleft palate birth defects.  Oral clefts, as they are collectively called, are a deformation that happens in the first trimester of pregnancy when many women may not even realize they are pregnant. Even though earlier animal studies had shown that Topamax significantly increases the risk of such birth defects, the FDA had kept the drug in Pregnancy Category C, which is intended to indicate to doctors that “potential benefits may warrant use of the drug in pregnant women despite potential risks.” That category has now been shown to be inadequate to warn women, and their doctors, of the dangers of Topamax use. Based on the evidence, the FDA has been forced to reclassify topiramate as a Pregnancy Category D drug, which means doctors have to carefully weigh the risks and benefits of the drug before prescribing it to treat epilepsy seizures or migraines, because there is a high association with birth defects.  With "safer" anti-seizure and migraine alternatives available, and considering the window where it causes the defect, should Topomax be prescribed to women of child bearing age at all? US FDA (2011). "FDA: Risk of oral birth defects in children born to mothers taking topiramate." FDA Press Release Published Online March 4, 2011. http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=470 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=470 Tue, 10 May 2011 3:10:21 -0700 According to most authorities, if a patient has a clear bill of health after a colonoscopy another isn\'t recommended for 10 years.  But a review of over 24,000 Medicare cases found that over half of the patients with no reason to have a repeat probing are requested to do so well before that decade is up.  The investigation published in Archives of Internal Medicine found that just under half of the patients who had a colonoscopy had another within 7 years, and half of those people had no clear reason to do so. When the researchers looked at the numbers, they found high-volume colonoscopy centers were more likely to recommend the procedure with no indication for it, and that men who were overweight or had other risk factors were more likely to have another unnecessary colonoscopy before the 10 year window. This isn\'t simply a story about the waste in the medical system- at a rate of $362/procedure, the unnecessary colonscopies cost US taxpayers over $2 million for this sample alone.  Colonoscopy isn\'t without risk.  While a rare complication, one in 1700 patients (so at least 14 in this study, 3 of whom didn\'t even need the second procedure) end up with bowel perforation during screening.  Bowel perforation can spiral into a nightmare in a hurry, resulting in blood infections or removal of the colon.  Of course, these can happen at the ten year interval, but exposing an older person to that risk more times than necessary is not only a bad practice, it\'s simply unethical. It\'s a good idea for health care providers to help keep track of the dates of all the health screenings their patients undergo, especially for the elderly, and keep up to date on changes in policy recommendations. James S. Goodwin, Amanpal Singh, Nischita Reddy, Taylor S. Riall, Yong-Fang Kuo (2011). "Overuse of Screening Colonoscopy in the Medicare Population." Arch Intern Med. Published online May 9, 2011. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2011.212  http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=469 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=469 Thu, 05 May 2011 5:21:17 -0700 On the basis of an interstate commerce violation, an FDA sting operation infiltrated a raw milk club in Maryland being supplied by an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania.  While this may look like a story from The Onion, it\'s not.  Agents entered the Maryland homes of several group members and tested twelve samples of the milk to verify that it was not pasteurized, then charged Dan Allgyer with violating a federal prohibition on interstate sales of raw milk by shipping unpasteurized milk to a Maryland buying club\'s members. All absurdity aside, the issue at hand is whether the structure of the club protects both members and farmers from prosecution.  The club argues that members in Maryland already owned the milk produced on Allgyer\'s farm, and he was simply delivering it.  The federal justices will have to determine where and when the ownership of milk takes place- is it by purchasing a share of the cow, the dairy farm, or the end product?- before they will be able to rule about whether a sale occurred, and then crossed state lines.   People interested in finding a source for raw milk within their states can visit sites like Real Milk.com, which offers an index (see link) to local raw milk producers and encourages consumers to contact their local Weston A. Price Foundation chapter.   Gumpert, David (2011).  "FDA agents launch covert ops against D.C.-area raw-milk buying club." Grist.com, Published online 2 May 2011 8:40 AM http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=468 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=468 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 4:48:09 -0700 Medical doctors typically only recognize the people who have gluten sensitivity are those with celiac disease, a chronic inflammation of the bowel that is aggravated by the protein found in breads.  But a growing number of people with irritable-bowel symptoms tell their doctors that eliminating gluten seems to help them out.  An Australian study evaluated patients who tested negative for celiac (by looking for a specific immune system protein in the gut) and gave them all of them 2 slices of bread and a muffin to eat every day.  Half of the group was given the bread with gluten, and the other half was gluten-free. 68% of the gluten group reported symptoms like pain, loose stool, and being tired compared to 40% of the gluten-free group.  Six of the people in the gluten group dropped out of the study because they couldn\'t tolerate the symptoms after an average of 7 days, while 3 people in the gluten free group dropped after an average of 16.  While the study doesn\'t uncover the reason for the increased pain, bloating, stool inconsistency and fatigue associated with the gluten group, it does show that the protein may aggravate the problem for some people who have irritable bowel syndrome.  While not a landmark finding for those who have been advocating gluten awareness for more than a decade, this study should encourage both doctors and patients to experiment with gluten free alternatives, even if they haven\'t been diagnosed with celiac. Biesiekierski JR, Newnham ED, Irving PM, Barrett JS, Haines M, Doecke JD, Shepherd SJ, Muir JG, Gibson PR. (2011). "Gluten causes gastrointestinal symptoms in subjects without celiac disease: a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial."  Am J Gastroenterol. 106(3):508-14.   http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=467 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=467 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 4:20:09 -0700 A study scheduled to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics evaluated the ability of a simple questionnaire to predict autism at the 1 year check-up (download survey for free here).  The survey, which is only 24 questions long and can be completed in 5 minutes, evaluated 10,500 children and flagged 184 as potentially at-risk.  The researchers followed up with those children every 6 months for 3 years and found that 32 of the 184 infants were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, 56 with language delays, 9 with developmental delays, and 36 with "other" delays. However the screening is far from perfect.  For one, the study under-reported the number of children diagnosed with both developmental delay and autism.  There is a currently accepted rate of 1 in 6 children diagnosed with developmental delay in the US, with 1 in 127 children being diagnosed as autistic.  25% of the children who failed the test ended up developing normally, which left the developmental delay rate at 1 in 79 and the autistic rate at 1 in 329.  Also, because these babies were evaluated at 1 year and 25% of ASD diagnoses happen after a child\'s 1st birthday, there\'s no way for this study to pick up these children. There\'s one more important point related to this, though.  If the parents are bringing their babies in for the annual check-up, then there\'s a really high chance that the infant is about to get with 8 vaccinations on that visit.  If the parents have followed the AAP\'s recommendations, that will be on top of the 14 they\'ve already had earlier in the year.  So one possible reason the screening missed so many children is that they\'re developing completely normally, right up until this visit.    Early detection seems to be really helpful in helping children with developmental delay, and any reliable screening tool that can pick up a problem is worth our time.  However, its important for parents and health care providers to keep the results of this survey in the context of the child\'s overall health picture.  Perhaps instead of only using the survey at 1 year, following up at 18 months and 3 years would be a better practice for early detection. Download Wetherby & Prizant\'s CSBS DP Infant-Toddler Checklist here Download instructions here (scoring instructions on page 3)   Roan, S. (2011). "Autism screening test could be offered to 1-year-olds." Los Angeles Times, published online Apr 28, 2011. Update:  The abstract has been published online: Karen Pierce, Cindy Carter, Melanie Weinfeld, Jamie Desmond, Roxana Hazin, Robert Bjork, Nicole Gallagher (2011). "Detecting, Studying, and Treating Autism Early: The One-Year Well-Baby Check-Up Approach." The Journal of Pediatrics. Published ahead of print April 29, 2011.       http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=466 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=466 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 2:46:40 -0700 Who enforces toxicity testing on household products for children and expectant moms?  The answer, it turns out, is no one.  Dr. Jerome Paulson, the incoming chair of the Council on Environmental Health for the American Academy of Pediatrics, recently co-authored a paper that blasted the ineffectual guidelines for safety testing plastics, solvents, and other household chemicals for toxicity.  According to Paulson, since the passage of the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) in 1976, tens of thousands of new chemicals have been developed for widespread use and only 5 (including asbestos and cancer-causing dioxins) have ever been regulated by the law.  He points out that the Bisphenol A controversy, where a chemical known to cause neurological problems in children had been allowed widespread production in plastic water bottles, is just one example of the policy\'s inability to take special populations into consideration. Under the TSCA, companies must disclose any known hazards of chemicals used to make consumer products.  However, unlike drug companies, they are not required to perform pre-market testing or post-market followup.  "In the last couple of years we\'ve had a \'toxicant of the month\' situation," Paulson said. "Why aren\'t these chemicals tested before they\'re in the market so we . . . can know if they\'re unlikely to do harm to the environment or to human beings?"  Among his recommendations are EPA oversight to demand more testing if there are suspicions about the impact of a chemical on reproductive or developmental health. "Many substances we identify as potentially harmful to children mainly because of their developmental effects," says Dr. Megan Schwarzman, a research scientist at UC-Berkeley. "There is increasing science on the childhood, and even potentially lifelong, effects during these critical windows of time and during pregnancy."  Recently, concerns have been raised about the effect of flame retardants in cribs and car seats that have been linked to fertility and hormone problems and VOC\'s (Volatile Organic Compounds) found in paint that may cause neurological damage in children. Maureen Salamon (2011). "Pediatricians Urge Better Protection From Chemicals: Children, pregnant women inadequately safeguarded from hazardous compounds, experts say." HealthDay News, Published online April 25 2011. American Academy of Pediatrics (2011). "Policy Statement—Chemical-Management Policy: Prioritizing Children\'s Health." Pediatrics, Published online April 25, 2011. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-0523.     http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=465 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=465 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 7:16:53 -0700 One of the unfortunate benefits of war is the advances in medicine that grow from treating wounded soldiers.  In Vietnam surgeons experimented with Super Glue to close wounds, and in Desert Storm surgeons from South Central LA taught medics how to quickly mend gunshot wounds.  The Wii fit gained popularity among rehab centers as Walter Reed Army Hospital adapted it to rehab the wounded, and artificial limb technology will undoubtedly advance as the number of amputees return with injuries from IED\'s.  A new focus on traumatic brain injury by the military is actually employing an ancient technology, and the effects have been pretty dramatic. An article published in The Wall Street Journal interviewed medics and Marines who were receiving acupuncture sessions for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, concussions, insomnia, nightmares, anxiety, and headaches.  The Navy put a handful of medics through a 300 hour acupuncture training course and sent them into the field with the expectations that they would be addressing musculoskeletal injuries.  However as the doctors started treating soldiers with concussions, they noticed a drastic improvement.  Now the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs clinical guidelines "recommend acupuncture as a supplementary therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, pain, anxiety and sleeplessness." This news comes in addition to an enormous DOD pilot study of chiropractic for non-musculoskeletal issues like balance, concentration, and reaction time.  Perhaps, if there is something good to come out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it will be the concept that "alternative" therapies can be used for both performance enhancement and for a wider range of health issues than has historically been recognized by the mainstream. Phillips, M. (2011). "Can Needles Soothe Wounded Warriors?  Military doctors in Afghanistan are using acupuncture to treat brain injuries, with promising results." The Wall Street Journal Published online April 23, 2011.   http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=464 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=464 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:05:17 -0700 The Paleo Diet, which consists of eating vegetables, fruits, and lean meat (wild caught, including fish) has been gathering steam in natural health circles for it\'s back-to-basics approach to food.  The theory is that the human body is ill-suited to digest relatively recent innovations such as grains, legumes (beans, peas) and dairy and functions better without them.  Proponents of the Paleolithic era cook-book point to drastic improvements in high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease for patients who stick to the diet.  Skeptics point to the economics of eating like a caveman. Unfortunately for the "con" side, pediatric nutritionist Dr. Keith Ayoob spoiled his very solid point of contention by referencing out of date concepts.  Without a doubt, Ayoob\'s statement that overconsumption is at the root of the issue in the US is right on target.  A quick look at the pasta plate sizes in any given Midwestern restaurant will quickly unravel all the mystery behind the spike in Type 2 diabetes in this country.  However, after insisting that dairy was a good source of calcium (it isn\'t- the bioavailability of calcium is much higher in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli), Ayoob went on to state that "people who eat grains enriched with folic acid have reduced risk of neural tube defects, including spina bifida. Fortified grains \'are cheap and there\'s no downside,\'"  Apparently Dr. Ayoob isn\'t a GHR subscriber.  Back in January 2009 (see trackback) we discussed how naturally occurring folate, found in leafy green vegetables, is related to a decrease in neural tube defects and the chronic intake of folic acid in fortified grains may actually be related to several cancers.  While it may be more expensive to feed a teenager on the Paleo diet, the arguments about leading to poor nutrition and fiber are pretty weak.  Joan Salge Blake, a Boston-based dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, opposed the elimination of legumes by countering, "Americans are only coming in at 14 grams of fiber, and we need 25 to 30...Beans are a great way to add fiber and protein at the salad bar and in pasta dishes."  Hopefully her comments for the article were taken out of context, because suggesting that a diet based on high vegetable intake is low in fiber is a pretty ridiculous critique.  Stein, A. (2011). "Caveman diet draws grunts from nutritionists: Avoiding entire food groups is a mistake, critics say." Chicago Tribune, Published online April 21, 2011. http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=463 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=463 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 9:09:30 -0700 As patents expire, generic medications are rising to the top of the most prescribed pills in America.  They once dominated the industry by mass-marketing remedies for everything from blood pressure to seasonal allergies, but Big Pharma is seeing its share of the prescriptions drop as doctors and pharmacists adopt the less expensive alternatives.  In fact, 2010 marks the first year that the top 10 most popular prescriptions were all cheap generics.   Pfizer\'s best-seller Lipitor, ranked #6 on the list last year, fell to #12 but still remains the most profitable drug in the country.  That success is expected to be short-lived as the Lipitor patent expires next year, too.  The most popular drug, the combination of hydrocodone and acetaminophen better known as Vicodin, has been under the threat of being pulled by the FDA because of the association of acetaminophen to liver damage.  Of the top 15 highest grossing drugs, all of them are for chronic conditions.  A casual glance through the list shows a grim picture of American health:  high blood pressure, reflux, pain, mental illness, and cancer.  Most Popular Drugs in America 2010 Most Profitable Drugs in America 2010 Alexis Madrigal (2011). "Chart of the Day: The Top 15 Prescription Drugs in America." The Atlantic, Published online April 19 2011, 10:48 am ET. Matthew Herper (2011). "America\'s Most Popular Drugs." Forbes, Published online April 19 2011 8:46 am ET. http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=462 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=462 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 5:00:25 -0700 Looks like I need to find another analogy.  Thousands of chiropractors have used the "rust on a car doesn\'t make more paint" analogy when explaining spinal degeneration to patients- you leave rust on a car, and it makes more rust.  You keep a degenerating vertebra in the same condition, it will degenerate further.  But a new study on cadaver spines suggests this may only be half the story. Scientists took spines of people who died in their 50\'s to 90\'s and asked whether the ostephytes (bone spurs) from T5-L4 were there to keep the vertebra from compressing on the discs, or an adaptation to restrict movement in a direction that had been damaged.  They removed the osteophytes to run the tests again, and after analyzing the results came to some surprising conclusions.  Removing the spurs made compressing the spines a little easier- about 17%, but being able to bend forward, backward, and side to side increased from 35-49%.  Those vertebrae with the osteophytes also scored 7-9% lower on bone density tests, suggesting that the calcification was lightening the load on the spine by acting as a bony support for it. The researchers wrote that, since the osteophytes were a signal that the body had reversed the process that lead to their formation, the calcification seemed to be more of an adaptation to instability in bending than a "wearing out."  This subtle, important difference has major implications for chiropractic.  For one, calling something an adaptation signals that the body is intelligently growing and protecting itself from further damage.  It also suggests that if the conditions are changed, the adaptation will, too.  This is a more accurate way of describing what we see in practice- that some of the "degeneration" on an xray seems to disappear after a year (or sometimes less) of chiropractic care not because we\'re tapping into some Fountain of Youth, but because we\'re changing the adaptation to instability.  As we teach the body\'s neurology what the new normal is and improve the spine\'s biomechanics, the vertebrae become more stable and find they need the adaptive osteophytes less and less.  This is also a positive sign for chiropractic\'s role in osteoporosis.  If a vertebrae with osteophytes have a lower bone density, then allowing the body to adapt without the extra calcification means that the vertebral body will gradually take on more load (up to 17%, apparently) and be forced to increase its density.  Al-Rawahi, Maimouna; Luo, Jin; Pollintine, Phillip; Dolan, Patricia; Adams, Michael A. (2011). "Mechanical Function of Vertebral Body Osteophytes, as Revealed by Experiments on Cadaveric Spines." Spine 36(10) pp. 770–777; doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181df1a70   http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=461 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=461 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 6:18:07 -0700 Sometimes a story hooks you and you can\'t stop thinking about it!  After posting yesterday about probiotics, I dug further in to look for the research that points to a boost of the Th1 immune response.  I spent most of the morning reading studies in PubMed on Gram + (Strep, Staph, Lactobaccilli, Bifidobacteria) and Gram - (E coli, Heliobacteria, Enterobacteria) bacteria and probiotics.  I came out of that experience realizing that it\'s not possible to understand a probiotic\'s effect on the immune system by simply looking at its Gram stain.  What\'s a Gram stain?  It\'s a simple process of staining a bacteria under a microscope.  Gram positive (+) bacteria stay stained violet, and Gram negative (-) bacteria are red.  Gram staining helps pathologists classify what kind of cell wall or membrane the bacteria has.  Th1 cells, the surveillance cells that are associated with natural immunity, typically respond to viruses, Gram negative bacteria, cancer, fungi, and parasites.  Th1 cells do a good job of being able to tell which cells are yours and which ones aren\'t (or are under attack or mutation).  Th2 cells produce antibodies in response to an invasion; they are the emergency version of your immune system if something comes directly in without passing through your first line of defenses.  They fight toxins and Gram positive infections, are boosted with vaccinations and are associated with allergies.  Th1 and Th2 have chemical signals they use to "talk" to other cells.  For the most part, these signals (called cytokines) are specific to each cell type.  I was thinking it would be pretty easy: Gram + probiotics to boost Th2, Gram - to boost Th1.  But it doesn\'t work that way.  Let\'s start with this- there are literally billions of bacteria in the gut, and there are bound to be millions of exceptions to the rule.  The way the scientists gave clues as to which system actually got activated in the immune system was by eavesdropping on the cytokines released or suppressed.  It seems that two of the Gram + bacteria classes- Lactobaccilli and Bifidobacteria- are actually good at boosting the Th1 immune response.  Bifidiobacteria make up 90% of the natural flora in breastfed infants (see link).  In contrast, enterobacteria and gram - bacteria dominate (and encourage a Th2 response) in formula fed babies,.  It seems that when reading the research on probiotic bacteria strains, the important thing to keep in mind are the chemical messengers.  IL-2, IL-12, IL-18 TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma are all major ways that Th1 cells talk.  You want to look for an increase in these cytokines if you want to shift an immune system towards a high Th1 ratio.  IL-3 through IL-6, IL-10, IgE and IgA are all ways that Th2 talk (side note:  IL-3 is also a cytokine used by Th1 cells, so careful on making conclusions based on this one).  You\'ll want to see these cytokines lowered OR, if you\'re dealing with an auto-immune disease caused by Th1 cells out of control like Rheumatoid Arthritis, you\'ll want to look for a probiotic bacteria that stimulates these cytokines.  Zeuthen LH, Christensen HR, Frøkiaer H. (2006). "Lactic acid bacteria inducing a weak interleukin-12 and tumor necrosis factor alpha response in human dendritic cells inhibit strongly stimulating lactic acid bacteria but act synergistically with gram-negative bacteria." Clin Vaccine Immunol.13(3):365-75. Cross ML, Ganner A, Teilab D, Fray LM. (2004). "Patterns of cytokine induction by gram-positive and gram-negative probiotic bacteria." FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 42(2):173-80. Kidd P. (2003). "Th1/Th2 balance: the hypothesis, its limitations, and implications for health and disease." Altern Med Rev. 8(3):223-46.       http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=460 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=460 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 4:24:24 -0700 A simple general recommendation for probiotics may not be what the doctor ordered, according to new research on the effects of probiotics on the immune system.  Scientists have discovered that the ratio of two key white blood cell lines- called T-helper Cell 1 (Th1) and T-helper Cell 2 (Th2), are linked to inflammatory diseases ranging from allergies to cancer (see link).  Th1 cells learn about viruses by being naturally exposed to them.  Once a virus has penetrated the mucous membranes of the body, gone through the blood stream and found a cell to inject, the cells give off an advertisement that they\'ve been infected.  Circulating Th1 cells are in charge of identifying what cells belong in the body ("self") and what do not ("non-self) and send in the troops to destroy the non-self or infected cells.  Th2 cells send out antibodies to something that has punctured the skin, like a virus injected through vaccination, and the antibodies surround the virus and prevent it from latching on to a cell.  The Th2 cells also release chemicals that prevent Th1 cells from ever responding to that particular virus.  The antibodies remain in the body\'s memory, but everyone\'s memory is different- some last 3-5 years, some last 30.  In order to keep the Th2 antibodies active, booster shots are needed.  But again, a low Th1/Th2 balance is associated with chronic health issues, so how does a person shift the balance if they\'re Th2 dominant? One method is through probiotics.  Probiotics help boost the levels of good bacteria in the digestive tract, where 80% of the immune system is found, and is associated with a higher level of Th1 surveillance cells.  However, there are some probiotic bacteria that will also boost Th2.  If the goal is to improve the ratio (information that can be analyzed with a blood test), then knowing which probiotics do which is an important step. A study of a probiotic called Bio-Three, containing Bacillus mesentericus, Clostridium butyricum and Enterococcus faecalis, has recently been shown to improve the amount of Th1 cells while decreasing their inflammation messengers and increasing the anti-inflammatory messengers.  While I\'d rather post information that says "this particular bacteria works to boost Th1" without giving a brand name, the truth is that there are literally billions of bacteria in the gut and we need to start somewhere.  This gives practitioners, at the bare minimum, a start in the right direction as the evidence begins to build on probiotic therapy. Hua MC, Lin TY, Lai MW, Kong MS, Chang HJ, Chen CC. (2010). "Probiotic Bio-Three induces Th1 and anti-inflammatory effects in PBMC and dendritic cells." World J Gastroentero 16(28):3529-40.   http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=459 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=459 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 9:06:24 -0700 Throwing years of clinical experience and anectodal evidence aside, a recent analysis of studies that examined the link between emotional stress and in vitro fertilization showed that anxiety and depression have little to no effect on a successful pregnancy.  This study makes a pretty powerful statement.  In previous work, the authors stated that the major neurological and hormonal axis that regulates stress- the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis- adapts over time if the body is presented with the same stressors over and over again.  As a follow up to their work, the authors looked through 14 studies of over 3000 women and looked for the influence of either anxiety or depression on the ability of these women to get pregnant.  Most of the women were given medication to boost their egg count, the eggs were harvested, fertilized, and re-implanted.  The studies the two authors reviewed measured a successful pregnancy as either a confirmed pregnancy test (which looks for the presence of a hormone secreted by an embryo), confirmation of a fetal heartbeat with ultrasound, or a live birth.  Four of the studies that did show a difference between high levels of stress and the women not able to conceive came from the pregnancy test category.  However the authors felt this difference was mainly due to a statistical problem- there weren\'t as many women in these four studies, which impacts the strength of the evidence.  They discussed the why\'s behind their findings, which go against popular opinion in the infertility circle.  For one, the amount of medication given to the women during the in vitro fertilization cycle may be strong enough to counteract the action of the stress hormones in the body.  They point out that, in animal studies, the ones who have a hard time conceiving are usually the ones who aren\'t given these extra fertility drugs.  Secondly, in the majority of the studies the levels of anxiety or depression were fairly mild; had they been moderate or severe, there could have been a different outcome.  This feeds back into their findings regarding the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; they felt that the womens\' bodies may be adapting to the stress in a way that allows it not to be a disrupting factor during the pregnancy.  The researches did offer two other possibilities for where stress might affect a couple struggling with infertility.  They suggested that stressors may be more important during some phases of pregnancy than others (although they couldn\'t find support for this idea for the statistical reasons mentioned above).  Additionally, going through the process of in vitro fertilization is already stressful, and a lot of couples decide to stop the process before the cycle is complete.  While this is an outside factor, it does help reassure those women with infertility issues to know that they don\'t need to worry about being worried during their pregnancy.  Not all scientists agreed with the researcher\'s conclusions.  A response to the article was published in BMJ here. Boivin J et al.(2011).  "Emotional distress in infertile women and failure of assisted reproductive technologies: meta-analysis of prospective psychosocial studies."  BMJ 342:d223 doi: 10.1136/bmj.d223. http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=458 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=458 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 8:21:50 -0700 A perspective piece in the New England Journal of Medicine examined the 50 years of history between Big Pharma, MD\'s and the FDA, and suggested that reforms pushed for since the 1960\'s have widely gone unheeded.  It all began with the Kefauver hearings, the 1961 Congressional debate that took place at a time when the FDA did not have the power to regulate the safety or claims made about prescription medications.  Out of the hearings came 3 key points:  1) The government should act as an independent, even handed agency to educate physicians about drug efficacy; 2) Clear, concise, and user-friendly information should be included with each prescription drug that outlines benefits, risks, and drug interactions;  3) A manual of this information for all drugs should be compiled in an easy-to-read form and widely distributed; 4) An annual list of drugs with a high potential for side effects should be published. While some of these goals have come close to being realized, the author highlights the resistances each step has encountered.  The AMA and Big Pharma lobbied hard against the Kefauver bill to prevent FDA regulatory and educational power.  They had formed their own "Seal of Approval" committee and were doubtful that the federal government could regulate any more effectively.  Both institutions were successful in their lobbying efforts until the thalidomide tragedy unfolded in Europe.  The FDA\'s cautious approach in delaying approval had kept the same from happening in the US, and the Kefauver hearings resulted in a bill that granted the FDA the authority to require evidence of efficacy and safety before a drug could be marketed. Package inserts have been federally mandated, but until recently the content of them was determined by the pharmaceutical manufacturer, not the FDA.  Anyone who has taken the time to read them will tell you that the content is far from the easy-to-read vision of the Kefauver hearings 50 years ago.  Instead they live on as a tangled mess of jargon filled with minimally usable data and liability-averting warnings. One of the most striking failures of physician education happened in the mid 1990\'s.  Writes Avorn, "The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has long tried to provide a public-sector source of evidence-based information on drugs and other interventions. It initially did its job so effectively that in the mid-1990s it was nearly defunded after pressure was exerted by advocates for treatments that were more lucrative than effective."  Political pressure and lobbying money have a long history of preventing health care reform.  Avorn had to subtlety acknowledge the growing incestuous relationship between Big Pharma and the FDA, and in doing so concluded that another profession, the pharmacists, (specifically those with the graduate-level Pharm D) may be able to work closely with physicians to serve as educators instead of pharmaceutical reps.  However, it seems that a more logical solution would be to look for help outside of the drug paradigm itself.  As quickly as new drugs are being invented and marketed, more and more patients are rejecting the status quo and turning to a holistic approach where doctors already work together as a team. A comment on the article by a physician summed up the current situation the best.  Wrote Dr. Madhusree Singh: "One major problem is our philosophical approach to medications- often the thought is that a pill will fix the problem- it almost never does. The other main piece of the problem is direct to consumer advertising which is often very simplistic and raises patient expectations. There is a lot more education needed- both for the physician and the patient. The team approach to healthcare is going to be helpful- having pharmacists, physicians, nurses (Ed note:  and holistic practitioners!) as a part of the team, doing medication reconciliations, looking out for drug side-effects and simpilifying (sic) drug regimens to help with medication compliance is going to be useful in achieving good outcomes." Teamwork.  Education.  Re-evaluating the philosophy of health.  What a novel concept. Jerry Avorn, M.D. (2011). "Teaching Clinicians about Drugs — 50 Years Later, Whose Job Is It?" NEJM published online March 30, 2011.       http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=457 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=457 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 6:26:30 -0700 While there may be several causes of the imbalance that causes indigestion, one of the common bacteria that get out of balance in the stomach is Helicobacter pylori.  Common medical treatments for that imbalance are over-the-counter prescriptions aimed at reducing stomach acid or antibiotics that kill all the natural flora.  The antibiotic route, while effective at reducing the number of H. pylori, also kills all the bacteria that keep digestion going smoothly.  That sort of throws the baby out with the bathwater; natural levels of bacteria are essential for digesting proteins and complicated carbohydrates. Kefir is a pro-biotic rich milk product that has been used for generations as a broad spectrum, nutrient-dense superfood.  A recent study looked at the benefits of kefir when used in conjunction with traditional 3-plex antibiotic treatment for patients with reflux and indigestion.  The researchers took measurements of urea in the participants\' breath and looked for both a drop in urea levels and an improvement of symptoms versus the 3-plex and a placebo. Kefir was overwhelmingly successful.  78% of people given the kefir mixture completely eliminated urea from their breath test as opposed to 50% in the placebo group.  Probably as important, the side effects were much less in the kefir group since it helped establish balance in the natural flora.   Onder Bekar, Yusuf Yilmaz, Macit Gulten (2011). "Kefir Improves the Efficacy and Tolerability of Triple Therapy in Eradicating Helicobacter pylori."  Journal of Medicinal Food 14(4): 344-347. doi:10.1089/jmf.2010.0099.  http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=456 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=456 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 3:38:35 -0700 "What kind of exercise are you doing regularly?"  "Are you concerned about your weight?"  It seems that in today\'s sensitive society, more and more doctors are losing the ability to figure out the polite, politically correct way of telling their patients they need to lose weight.  But according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine, that 2 minute conversation means the difference between a patient attempting to shed the pounds and those that presume everything is fine.  Scientists analyzed 3 years of health screening data and found that people who were medically classified as overweight (Body Mass Index of 25 or greater) or obese (BMI of 30+) were more likely to perceive themselves as too heavy if a doctor had mentioned it to them.  These patients were also more likely to have tried to lose the weight in the last 12 months if their doctor had spoken up.  The unfortunate part?  Slightly under half- 45%- had been told by their physician that their weight had become a health concern. Obesity is linked to so many diseases it\'s impossible to list, but the big ones- heart disease, asthma, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis, are the major reasons why it\'s projected that it will cost $344 BILLION A YEAR to treat these conditions by 2018.  That will represent a full fifth of all health care spending in the United States.  All healthcare providers should be checking BMI and making recommendations if their patients are above 25, regardless of specialty.  Simply mentioning it makes a difference. BMI= (Weight (lbs)x 703)/Height2 (inches) BMI (metric)= Weight (kg)/Height2 (meters) Example:  Doc weighs 185 lbs.  He is 6\'1" tall.  His BMI is (185 x 703)/(73)2= 130,055/5329 = 24.4 Robert E. Post, MD, MS; Arch G. Mainous III, PhD; Seth H. Gregorie, BS; Michele E. Knoll, MA; Vanessa A. Diaz, MD, MS; Sonia K. Saxena, MD (2011). "The Influence of Physician Acknowledgment of Patients\' Weight Status on Patient Perceptions of Overweight and Obesity in the United States." Archives of Internal Medicine 171(4):316-321. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2010.549   http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=455 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=455 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 6:38:40 -0800 Putting a newborn in skin to skin contact within 5 minutes after birth and leaving them there for at least an hour helps relieve stress on the baby\'s body and regulate its heart rate, according to a recent study.  Researchers looked at the heart rates and oxygen levels of newborns who were placed skin to skin with their mothers within 5 minutes and after 5 minutes of birth, and found the early group reached a stable heart rate much earlier than the later group.  In a related study, doctors compared the level of the stress-hormone cortisol (high levels also weaken the immune system) in the baby\'s saliva at 1 minute, 1 hour, and 2 hours after birth.  The researchers discovered that, while all of the babies started with a nearly identical level at 1 minute, those who were in skin to skin contact with their mothers for longer than an hour produced significantly less stress chemical at the 1 and 2 hour marks than those who were separated prior to the 60 minute mark.  The findings of the study suggest that prolonged skin to skin contact may have a lasting benefit on reducing the stress hormone in babies beyond the hour mark, as well. Is this a big surprise?  Smart birthing centers are realizing the flight to home births have more to do with a desire to reconnect with the power of the natural birth experience, and have changed their baby-factory policies to emphasize the maternal-infant connection over mechanical monitoring.  Studies like this are important because they show that skin to skin contact has real physiological, neurological, and immune system benefits, and is more than just a "new-age" preference. Yuki Takahashi, Koji Tamakoshi, Miyoko Matsushima, Tsutomu Kawab (2011). "Comparison of salivary cortisol, heart rate, and oxygen saturation between early skin-to-skin contact with different initiation and duration times in healthy, full-term infants." Early Human Development 87(3):151-157. doi:10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2010.11.012   http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=454 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=454 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 9:26:46 -0800 The New Mexico House Judiciary Committee voted 9-6 to fill a statewide primary care shortage with chiropractors.  While chiropractors are recognized as primary portal of entry doctors and physicians in most states, the move in New Mexico would allow the stratification of the profession into chiropractic physicians and advanced practice chiropractic physicians, who would have the ability to prescribe and inject naturally derived substances.  Chiropractors who do not attain the advanced practice certificate would still have the ability to dispense oral or topical naturally derived substances (like Biofreeze or glucosamine) in their offices, a practice that most chiropractors have an easier time endorsing. The naturally derived substances in the chiropractic formulary are as follows: 16.4.15.11 CHIROPRACTIC FORMULARY: A. Hormones for topical, sublingual, oral use (1) estradiol (2) progesterone (3) testosterone (4) desicated thyroid B. Muscle relaxers; cyclobenzaprine C. NSAIDs - prescription strength (1) ibuprofen (2) naproxen D. Prescription medications for topical use (1) NMDC Ca2 dextromethorphan (2) NSAIDSs (a) ketoprofen (b) piroxicam (c) naproxen (d) ibuprofen (e) diclofenac (3) muscle relaxers; cyclobenzaprine (4) sodium chanel antagonist; lidocaine E. Homeopathics requiring prescription F. Other substances by injection (1) sterile water (2) sterile saline (3) sarapin or its generic (4) caffeine (5) procaine HCL (6) epinephrine (7) homeopathic for injection G. Glutathione for inhalation [16.4.15.11 NMAC - N, 09/11/2009; A, 7/23/2010]   Milan Simonich (2011). "House panel OKs primary care from state chiropractors." Las Cruces Sun-News, Santa Fe Bureau. Posted online: 02/25/2011 11:22:57 PM MST New Mexico Advanced Practice Chiropractic Physician Statute http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=453 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=453 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 10:39:36 -0800   Palmer College of Chiropractic recently announced they are part of the largest research project ever undertaken by the profession.  While a portion of the grant is for musculoskeletal complaints, several aspects of the study address performance measures such as concentration, balance, reaction time, and smoking cessation.  From the press release: "Scientists at the Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research (PCCR), the RAND Corporation and the Samueli Institute have been awarded a $7.4 million grant by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. The grant will fund a four-year research project to assess chiropractic treatment for military readiness in active duty personnel. This is the largest single award for a chiropractic research project in the history of the profession and will be used to conduct the largest clinical trial evaluating chiropractic to date. ...The study will assess the efficacy of chiropractic treatment for active duty military personnel in a number of areas. Through three clinical trials, the study will assess chiropractic’s effectiveness in: Relieving low back pain and improving function in active duty service members Evaluating the effects of chiropractic treatment on reflexes and reaction times for Special Operations forces; Determining the effect of chiropractic treatment on strength, balance and injury prevention for members of the Armed Forces with combat specialties; and   Assessing the impact of a chiropractic intervention on smoking cessation in military service members." http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=452 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=452 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 11:35:18 -0800 Grape Seed Extract, which has been used as a potent anti-inflammatory for generations of men who suffer from prostate cancer, works in a startling way against the cancer cells by preventing them from reproducing at a genetic level.  The effect is epigenetic, meaning it is an outside factor that can influence gene expression.  One marker scientists use to identify tumor cells is a change in a process called histone acetylation, and special proteins that assist the process are called histone acetyltransferases (or HATs, for short).  Grape Seed Extract was able to interrupt the activity of the HATs in prostate cancer cells by 30-80%, and slowed down the amount of hormone-sensitive growth within the cell by decreasing the number of protein messengers in it.  So not only did the Grape Seed Extract slow down the tumor cells, it actually kept them from growing.  Unfortunately, if something like Grape Seed Extract can work on an epigenetic level to shut down cancer cells, that means there are plenty of chemicals out there that can switch them on the same way.  But as the editors of Journal of Medicinal Food wrote in response to the findings, this study is a good case in point of the failure to make genotype (the set of genes you\'re born with) automatically determine phenotype.  Put another way- we\'re more than just our genetic code, and we have the ability to alter what gets switched on or off through our interaction with the environment. S.Y. Park, Y.-H. Lee, K.-C. Choi, A.-R. Seong, H.-K. Choi, O.-H. Lee, H.-J. Hwang, and H.-G. Yoon (2011). "Grape Seed Extract Regulates Androgen Receptor-Mediated Transcription in Prostate Cancer Cells Through Potent Anti–Histone Acetyltransferase Activity." Journal of Medicinal Food 14 (1/2) 2011, 9–16.   http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=451 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=451 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 7:50:56 -0800 A study presented at the American Stroke Association meeting found that at-home rehab works just as well for stroke patients as an expensive, weight-supporting treadmill.  The researchers compared three groups of patients who had problems walking after a major stroke.  One group started rehab with the treadmill at two months, one group started at 6 months, and the last group did exercises at home under the direction of a physical therapist.  At the end of a year, the scientists checked in with all three groups and found that they had all returned to the same level of walking ability.  This is important for several reasons.  For one, the thinking has been that after 6 months, not much improvement could be made in stroke victims through rehab.  The group that started late showed this isn\'t the case.  Secondly, the number of visits usually allowed by insurance maxes out at 20.  This study showed that, between 20 and 36 visits, further improvement can be made.  Finally (and most importantly), the group who did the low tech rehab had the same level of improvement AND had a lower rate of re-hospitalization than the two treadmill groups.  Something about requiring full body weight seems to have been important for the body\'s position-sensors to work properly, which resulted in less falls or relapses.  Balance and stability work can be done at home with such simple exercises as standing on a soft, changing surface like a couch cushion or a pillow.  To make the exercise more challenging, all you need to do is either stand on one leg or close your eyes.  Even with the cost of 36 home visits, the savings involved with this low tech approach could save insurance companies and Medicare millions every year. Associated Press (2011). "Stroke rehab doesn\'t have to be high-tech to help." USAToday, published online Feb 11, 2011. http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=450 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=450 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 9:56:25 -0800 The mailbag was full this week- another member of the Rilla Nation asked a question about the benefits of chiropractic treatment for cancer patients.  Again I had to go back to the PubMed archives and look for studies that investigated the reaction of the immune system cells and inflammatory markers to the adjustments.  I didn\'t find any direct "cancer and chiropractic" papers, but I did find a couple of studies that were related.  An older study (see link) by one of the pioneers in chiropractic research, Dr. John Triano, confirmed that the number of Natural Killer cells in patients with chronic low back pain is lower than the standard norm.  They also found that a course of adjustments (11 visits over 14 days) significantly changed the number of T-Helper cells in the bloodstream.  Natural Killer cells are the cells that attack tumors and other cells infected by viruses.  T-Helper cells either help kill infected cells or kickstart the body\'s natural antibody production.  They can also produce Tumor Necrosis Factor beta, a chemical the body uses to fight cancer cells.  The study showed no change in the number of Natural Killer cells during the treatment, which suggests that A second study (see link) found that for 2 hours after an adjustment to the middle back, inflammatory chemicals such as Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha decrease when compared to a sham manipulation or to a control group where nothing was done.  This paper suggests that the adjustments somehow effect an inflammatory pathway that no one really knows about; in fact the authors use the term "down-regulation," which implies a decreasing of the inflammatory chemical, to describe what they were seeing. I think the term "regulation" in this case is the important thing to focus on.  Studies are appearing that interpret a regulation of blood pressure related to a chiropractic adjustment as "Chiropractic helps decrease blood pressure."  I don\'t think that\'s the whole story.  I think the adjustments may restore the body back to balance, and as a result decrease the pressure in the system, but I\'ve also seen patients fainting from low blood pressure regain the normal vascular tone after adjustments as well.  I\'m not doing anything different to "turn" the blood pressure up or down- in fact I\'m just removing the interference and letting the body react appropriately.  Hopefully when we\'re reading studies about the positive systemic effects of natural interventions, we can keep this point in mind. Brennan PC, Graham MA, Triano JJ, Hondras MA, Anderson RJ. (1994). "Lymphocyte profiles in patients with chronic low back pain enrolled in a clinical trial." J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1994 May;17(4):219-27.   Teodorczyk-Injeyan JA, Injeyan HS, Ruegg R. (2006). "Spinal manipulative therapy reduces inflammatory cytokines but not substance P production in normal subjects." J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2006 Jan;29(1):14-21.   http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=449 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=449 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:48:26 -0800 Occasionally I\'ll get a request from the Rilla Nation to follow up on a remedy or treatment they\'ve heard about to see what we can come up with.  Recently a member wrote me a story about her neighbor who swore that by taking 8 rum-soaked raisins a day, he\'d found relief from his arthritis symptoms.  The first thing I did was google for "rum raisin arthritis," and I found one page called "Grandma\'s Wisdom" (see link) that described the dosage as 9 raisins soaked in gin.  Her grandfather ate them daily for his swollen knee, and after several weeks he told the blogger that his knee felt and moved better.  He switched the alcohol from gin to rum because he preferred the taste, which told me that it wasn\'t a specific alcohol-based remedy; there had to be something that the alcohol was doing to the raisins in order for him to experience this kind of relief. I followed this up with PubMed, and two research articles articles may be helpful in explaining what is going on.  The first discussed the ability of grape seed extract to relief inflammation in mice.  Scientists used an oil to irritate the ears and paws of mice and treated an experimental group with a chemical called proanthocyanidin, which they distilled from grape seeds, and the rest with an anti-inflammatory.  They found that the extract reduced all the markers of inflammation better than the anti-inflammatory did.  The second study isolated a phytoestrogen found in grapes and wine and examined the effect the compound had on intervertebral disc repair and regeneration.  They found that the compound, called resveratrol, both prevented the insides of the discs from breaking down and increased the rebuilding of the sturdy structures inside the disc that keep it firm and full.    In both cases, an alcohol-soluble compound needed to be isolated from the grapes.  I suppose it\'s plausible that the combination of digestion and chewing up of raisins, combined with a solvent like alcohol, could create a reaction that releases these chemicals in a way that simply eating raisins by themselves doesn\'t do.  And here I was thinking rum raisin icecream was just a sneaky way for Grandma to steal a nip in front of the kids! Li WG, Zhang XY, Wu YJ, Tian X. (2001). "Anti-inflammatory effect and mechanism of proanthocyanidins from grape seeds." Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2001 Dec;22(12):1117-20. Li X, Phillips FM, An HS, Ellman M, Thonar EJ, Wu W, Park D, Im HJ. (2008).  "The action of resveratrol, a phytoestrogen found in grapes, on the intervertebral disc."  Spine 33(24):2586-95.     http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=448 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=448 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 7:26:42 -0800 Phantom limb pain- the itching, pain, or cramping that an amputee feels in a missing body part, has largely remained an unsolvable mystery to the medical profession.  Surgery to pare back the nerves has often been temporarily successful, but in the majority of the cases the people find the pain returns.  Often they will describe the sensation like they are clenching their fist so hard that their nails are digging into the skin but they can\'t "move" the hand to release it.  However, two low tech ways of tricking the brain appear to offer a solution for these patients. Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran told listeners of two exciting breakthroughs on the Fresh Air radio program on NPR.  The first relies on the close physical relationship between the neurons in the brain that pick up sensory information for both the hand and the face.  This strip of tissue follows a fairly logical order- sensory location for the foot is near the one for the leg, the one for the hip is near the one for the trunk, etc.  However, for some reason the region for the face sits next to the area for the hand.  Ramachandran says there is evidence that the region for the hand is so starved for neurological input in amputees that the nerves from the face actually grow over to stimulate it, and blindfolded participants would report feeling relief in their phantom hand when parts of their faces were touched.  In another low-tech break-through, amputees sat at a table with a $5 mirror propped up in front of them so it faced to the right if the patient still had their right arm or to the left if the left arm was still there.  When the participants leaned over to look in the mirror, they were able to fool their brains into thinking they were looking through a glass pane at their "phantom" limb.  This mirror trick allowed them to "relax" or "move" the phantom clenched fist by controlling the reflection of the intact one, and often relieved their pain.  "V.S. Ramachandran\'s Tales Of The \'Tell-Tale Brain." Interview, Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Feb 14 2011. http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=447 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=447 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 4:21:53 -0800 Pointing to the possibility of an immune system connection in ADHD, a two-part study on food restriction diets show that they can work.  However, picking the foods to avoid through blood tests has proved trickier than expected.  A recent study compared the ADHD testing scores of 50 children placed on restrictive diets with 50 children (and their parents) who were educated about healthy eating.  The restricted group improved their ADHD scores by an average 23 points more than the children who were taught about nutrition.  This was a pretty impressive number- the minimum score on this test to qualify for ADHD was 24, suggesting that those kids who were on the low end of the diagnosis almost had their symptoms completely eliminated. In the second phase, children from the restricted group whose scores improved by 40% were re-introduced to foods that they either reacted to on a low level (low IgG) or high level (high IgG).  This is where the testing got confusing.  IgG is the most common antibody in the bloodstream.  IgG is responsible for fighting off foreign invaders once they\'ve reached the blood, which means that food proteins have to pass through the digestive system (and be okayed by a different set of antibodies that line the gut AND another set commonly associated with allergies) in order to cause a reaction.  There is a theory of low-level, delayed food allergy that says it\'s the IgG antibodies that may be responsible for common neurological disorders like ADHD.  The researchers sort of- this is where it gets confusing- confirmed this theory by discovering that 63% of the children who were re-introduced to the foods ended up losing almost all the ground they gained during the food elimination process.  The problem is that it didn\'t matter if the foods were the ones that caused the low level reaction or the high level reaction- both groups were fairly close in the number of children whose behaviors reverted to their original baseline. Taken as a whole, it seems that any level of IgG reaction to a food can agitate the neurological system to the degree seen in children with ADHD.  Being able to point to specific foods that cause the problem (gluten, food dyes, dairy, corn syrup) isn\'t going to be as easy as a simple blood test. Lidy M Pelsser, Klaas Frankena, Jan Toorman, Huub F Savelkoul, Anthony E Dubois, Rob Rodrigues Pereira, Ton A Haagen, Nanda N Rommelse, Jan K Buitelaa (2011). "Effects of a restricted elimination diet on the behaviour of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (INCA study): a randomised controlled trial." The Lancet 377 (9764) pp. 494 - 503. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62227-1   http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=446 http://blog.guerillahealthreport.com/blog_view.php?bid=446 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 8:09:16 -0800 Confounded by the reasons they seem to be failing early, the FDA has ordered "postmarket surveillance" on the 3 companies responsible for making TMJ (temporomandibular joint) implants.  The implants, which are surgically installed to help with TMD (temporomandibular joint disorder), have been removed early at an substantial rate.  According to the manufacturers, the implants are supposed to last for 5 years, but when the FDA investigated the adverse event reporting statistics for the devices they found that most of the removals came at 3 years or earlier because of extreme pain. The FDA states that  "A person may have an implant to replace the socket in the temporal bone or the rounded edge of the lower jaw that glides in the temporal bone socket because of an injury, arthritis, physical abnormality, or lost mobility...  TMJ implants can be used to treat TMD that has not responded to more conservative treatments such as limiting jaw movement, soft diet, jaw splint or adjustments, medicine to reduce pain, or physical therapy. The muscles in the jaw, specifically the major one on the side of the face called the masseter, are among the most powerful muscles in the body per square inch.  The joint itself is one of the richest sites for nerves that tell the brain about positioning; think of a time when you\'ve had a raspberry seed stuck in your teeth.  It feels like someone parked a Buick back there!  But the joint\'s movement can also be effected by neck injuries.  In 1998 (see link), a paper was published in Journal of Oral Rehabilitation that said that, in order for a car accident to cause TMD the way most doctors were suggesting, "the laws of physics and biology would have to be suspended."  There had to be another reason besides direct jaw trauma.  So a follow-up study in 2004 (see link), researchers measured the bites of people who had been diagnosed with whiplash and compared them to people who hadn\'t been in car accidents.  This study suggested that TMD wasn\'t simply a case of the jaw joint not working- these people also had neurological and physiological damage to their necks, and this was influencing their lack of jaw movement and pain. Many dentists and orthodontists don\'t realize what a major impact professions like chiropractic can have on TMD, and they resort to surgery when their efforts of focusing solely on the jaw joint don\'t fix the problem.  Unfortunately from the FDA\'s actions, it seems that the appliances still don\'t fix the problem, either.  What about getting these professions together to investigate potential causes outside of the face for jaw pain?  Reductionism vs (W)Holism- radical concept, I know. FDA (2011).  "FDA orders postmarket surveillance of certain TMJ implants: Agency wants data on length of time before removal, replacement."  FDA News Release, published online Feb 7, 2011.