News
Proton Pump Inhibiters Promote Acid Rebound Effects
Diagram depicting the major determinants of gastric acid secretion, with inclusion of drug targets for peptic ulcer disease (PUD) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
Many millions of people are currently prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s) to manage excess acid production in the stomach. There are many disease and adverse health related outcomes linked to people taking PPI’s.
The associations of fractures of hip, wrist, forearm and other sites appear weak and only slightly higher than the risks in control populations matched for age. They may increase with drug exposure, but probably do so only in individuals in whom other risk factors are also operational (smoking, alcohol, poor nutrition, steroids, etc.).
Read the rest of this page »
Metabolic Syndrome/Homeostasis Illustrated
Every now and again Nature, the eponymous journal of science and discovery – or one of its many offshoots delivers a real treat to their readers in the form of images and slides. This month (August 2011) Nature Medicine is offering a series of diagrams looking at metabolic homeostasis and metabolic syndrome.[1]
Thank you Nature – we appreciate your efforts – we really do!
Read the rest of this page »
Exercise And The Heart – What Can We Gain?
Even the most entrenched couch potato will grudgingly agree that exercise confers some benefits in terms of heart health and other structures. Nutritional Therapists and virtually all health care providers include a few suggestions as to the need to exercise for multiple systems benefit and in particular to reduce cardiovascular disease.
A paper in the Journal Circulation based on a meta-analysis has made a valiant effort to attempt to quantify this for us.[1]
Read the rest of this page »
Thyroid Health Requires Nutrient Sufficiency
When a patient or client presents with thyroid challenges, it is worth remembering that the thyroid is a dynamically affected tissue which means that it may spontaneously revert to normal. The natural history of sub-clinical hypothyroidism is variable; thyroid function normalises spontaneously in some subjects, whereas it progresses to overt hypothyroidism in others[1],[2]
The clinical evidence is clear that prior to offering thyroid replacement, identifying underlying triggers for thyroid dysfunction is a must.
Read the rest of this page »
Chronic Fatigue – XMRV?
Back in In the issue of 23 October 2009, Science published a study by Lombardi et al. purporting to show that a retrovirus called XMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus) was present in the blood of 67% of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) compared with 3.7% of healthy controls.[1]
This as everyone will recall, attracted a great deal of scientific and patient derived interest, but there has been considerable lack of success in the replication of these findings by other investigative groups.
Read the rest of this page »
Dietary supplement use by cardiologists, dermatologists and orthopaedistsents
A recent paper entitled ‘use of dietary supplements by (USA based) cardiologists, dermatologists and orthopaedists’: produced a report of a survey that found that 57% of cardiologists said they use dietary supplements at least occasionally, as did 75% of dermatologists and 73% of orthopaedists.[1]
Regular dietary supplement use was reported by 37% of cardiologists, 59% of dermatologists, and 50% of orthopaedists. In addition, 72% of cardiologists, 66% of dermatologists, and 91% of orthopaedists reported recommending dietary supplements to their patients. Should we be surprised, and is it the same in the UK and Europe?
Read the rest of this page »
New Study Suggests UK is now Iodine-Deficient!
New research suggests the UK population is now iodine-deficient and a full review and evidence-based recommendations are needed to safeguard public health. The findings, presented on Tuesday the 12th April 2011 at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference, provide the only current data on the UK’s iodine status and demonstrate iodine-deficiency in a large sample population. Iodine-deficiency is the most common cause of preventable mental impairment worldwide.
In the study, which was funded by the Clinical Endocrinology Trust and is the first of its kind in the UK, Dr Mark Vanderpump (Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust) and colleagues on behalf of the British Thyroid Association measured urinary iodine levels in samples from 737 14-15 year old girls from nine UK centres. Factors that might skew the results (e.g. diet, ethnicity) were assessed using a questionnaire. Variations due to season and location were corrected for via measurements taken in Summer 2009 and Winter 2009/2010 and water samples from each area were measured for iodine content.
Read the rest of this page »
Vitamin D and Children
Suggestions for Vitamin D supplementation and children
The need for oral vitamin D supplementation depends on the latitude of the child’s place of residence and the frequency of sunlight exposure as well as the time and timing. This summary chart makes suggestions concerning weight, rather than age to assist with making a clinical decision.
Read the rest of this page »
Dogs and Cats Early Exposure Reduces Allergy by 50%
Dogs and Cats confer immune tolerance to children
Of course the concept that early exposure to environmentally challenging agents will reduce risk of allergy is not a new concept, nor is outside of general knowledge, in terms of the hygiene theory. However, each subsequent supportive study continues to support the notion that we can programme our immune system at an early age (but not exclusively) to protect us from overly enthusiastic immune responses later in life.
Read the rest of this page »
The Future of Stool Analysis?
The Scatalog
Most Nutritional Therapists look to comprehensive digestive stool analysis as an integral part of their clinical work up in patients with symptoms that indicate gastro-intestinal dysfunction.
These have been in use for some years, and I thought it might be interesting to look ahead and see what type of investigation tests we may all be using in 2020.
Read the rest of this page »
