Welcome to 2016 My BreakFree Medicine Friends. 2015 Health Aricles, What a Year to Review!

BreakFree Medicine’s 2015 Journey
This year was a bit of a whirlwind for me, in a good way. During 2015, I moved to Connecticut for a new position. I made incredible friends and invaluable professional connections, learned from some of the best in the field on research and development of natural health products and supplements, and was given incredible opportunities to expand my comfort zone as a clinician. Later on this year, I was brought back to my family in New York state to re-start my private wellness consulting and re-focus on my book, writing, essential oil research and webinars, and to study for my functional medicine certification exam coming up. I am also in the process of having my website redesigned, not an easy feat for my designer!

 

My Book News- Finally!
2016 is the year, finally! My book is scheduled to be released next month. I’m busily reviewing the graphics, looking over the proofs, and will soon be posting more information on its release. This book has been in the works for over five years. I continually have been updating it, finding more references, and recovering from a computer going on the fritz. However, now it’s time to let it go, I think I’ve got it to the point where it is both scientific enough and understandable for both patient and practitioner. BreakFree Medicine: A Systematic Guide to Balancing the Body combines the principles of naturopathic, functional, and conventional medicine for comprehensive and solution-based approaches to healing, medicine, and maintaining wellness.

Now, let’s review some of the top news in medicine for the last month of 2015 and the full year.

 

Navigating the Facts in This Long Blog

Warning! This blog may cause some information overload!!

Below is a quick skim so you can “CTRL + F” the topics you are most interested in without causing some headaches. Or, if you are a geek who loves it all, take your precious little time and enjoy reading through all the studies and you can even cross-reference the sources! (Oh, the bravery!)

If you want more of a blog-like flow, or if you just want to learn more about how thoughts, stress, and emotions impact our health, click here. Find out why your positive intentions are just as important as your new New Year’s health habits.

 

BONUS: 2015 Year in Medicine Highlights:

1. The Top Medical Stories of the Year from Health Day (Brief Summary)
2. The Year in Medicine Review from Medscape
3. Policy and Action Highlights for Integrative Medicine with John Weeks
4. Top Medicine Predictions in 20 Years (What’s Coming From Where We Have Been)

 

DECEMBER 2015 Top Health Reads by Category:

HEALTH

• Diabetes Numbers Lowering in US
• C-Sections May Increase Risk of Asthma
• Births in the US
• Sleep Apnea Devices May Lower Blood Pressure
• Gene Editing- It’s Coming, Is It Ethical?
• PCOS and Autism Linked
• Can a Heart Regenerate?
• ADHD on the Rise in Children
• Brain Link in Autism
• A New Gluten Test
• Laser verses Lumpectomy for Breast Cancer
• Most Cancer from Nurture Not Nature?
• Men’s Fertility and Health
• Of Face Mites and Ancestry- News to Make Your Skin Crawl
• Treating the Gut for Heart Disease
• WHO Releases Burden of Food Borne Illness
• Ultrasound May Be Useful for Breast Cancer Detection
• Stress and Alzheimer’s

 

NUTRIGENOMICS

• Monsanto on Trial
• Can Amino Acids Impact Life Span?
• DHA for Health Effects with Babies
• Can Fish Oil Help Burn Fat?
• Detox Diets for Weight Loss
• Coffee for Athletes
• Healthy Gut Food
• Reducing Salt Can Harm Heart Patients, Study
• Levels of Vitamins Shift with Hormonal Cycles
• Curcumin for PMS- Brain Effects

 

MEDICATIONS

• Talk Therapy vs. Antidepressants
• FDA Warnings on SLG2 Inhibitors
• Metformin and Microbiome Changes
• Antidepressants and Autism
• Antidepressants and Bipolar/Mania Risk
• Drug Overdoses of Narcotics Continue

 

2015 Review in Medicine Highlights

 Top Medical Stories of 2015

A simple read from Health Day regarding the new rules on mammograms, tanning beds, the “outbreak in Disneyland”, autism and ADHD rates rising, and more…

 

The Year in Medicine 2015: News That Made a Difference from Medscape

For those who just want the gist, here it is, I clicked through for you…Medscape’s top news includes: the rise in telemedicine, the Dr. Oz controversy, new tests for cancer in pregnancy, skyrocketing medication costs, FDA okays test in 23 and Me, PCSK9 inhibitors for treating high cholesterol, the new breast cancer guidelines, the world of medical apps for a heart health study, the link found between psychotropics & analgesics and homicide, the Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act, the medical response to Paris terrorists, the big study on a new blood sugar drug ((a sodium glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT-2)) inhibitor, the “little progress” in diagnostic errors report, and…

Medscape’s Top 5:

• The ICD-10 Release
• Chronic Fatigue Gets a New Name and Diagnostic Criteria
• Bill Repeals Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) Formula for Physician Reimbursement
• The Sprint Trial for Lowering Blood Pressure
• American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) Considers Dropping 10-year Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Exam

Read the Year in Medicine 2015: 30 events that changed medicine, here.

 

Coming of the Light: The 2015 Integrator Top 10 for Policy and Action in Integrative Health and Medicine

John Weeks posted his top 10 news articles for integrative health in policy and action. These included the Nobel Prize for treatment of malaria which was based in Chinese Medicine, mindfulness leading to less medical utilization, Health Affairs on integrative group visits, the homeopathy attack, biofield science emergenece, the impact of medical homes, the functional forum, and more.

 

Medical Predictions in 20 Years: Highlighting Epigenetics

Here are areas where some of the top experts believe our focus will be shifting to in medicine. I can’t agree more regarding the impact of the microbiome and epigenetics. I excerpted the whole slide on epigenetics for your skimming pleasure!

• Microbiome and Health Connections
• Genome and Pharmocogenomics
• Gene Therapy
• Epigenetics:

Epigenetics, information transmitted during cell division via a means other than the DNA sequence, links genetics and environment through modification of gene expression. External factors, such as diet; viral exposure; and environmental insults, including smoking, all have the potential to alter the normal genome functions of DNA methylation, histone post-translation modifications, and nucleosome remodeling, thus modifying the epigenome. Epigenetic modifications are now recognized to play a key role in the development of disease, and epigenetic marks on the genome have shown promise as biomarkers of environmental exposure, thus providing data that allow improved risk prediction and insights into disease etiology.^[18] Changes to the epigenome can be long-lasting and even inheritable, although in some cases damaging epigenetic marks may be reversible, leading to the possibility of novel epigenetic drugs and other nonpharmacologic lifestyle therapies.^[19]

Current trials are examining the potential for pretreatment of cancer progenitor cells with epigenetic therapies to eliminate resistance to chemotherapeutic agents.^[20] The next few decades are likely to bring multiple new inhibiting agents targeting various epigenetic processes to treat a range of diseases from cancer to cardiovascular disease. Promising early work examining the leptin gene in mice with diet-induced obesity even holds the potential for the development of an epigenetic treatment of obesity, though Joel Dudley, PhD, assistant professor of genetics and genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, cautions that epigenetic therapies are likely to be only one of many tools needed to tackle complex diseases, such as obesity, where the pathogenesis is attributable to genetics, epigenetics, lifestyle, and even the microbiome (eg, gut bacteria).

• Immunotherapy
• Business of Medicine- Finances
• Smartphones
• Virtual Technology for Global
• The Rise of the Patient
• The Rise of Corporations

Find out more here on What Will Healthcare Look Like in 20 Years?

 

HEALTH

 

Diabetes Lowering in US

TUESDAY, Dec. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In a sign that Americans may finally be turning the corner in the fight against diabetes — and possibly obesity — federal health statistics released Tuesday show that the number of new cases of diabetes has dropped for the first time in decades.

The decline wasn’t sudden or dramatic. But, the number of new diabetes cases went from 1.7 million in 2009 to 1.4 million in 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“It seems pretty clear that incidence rates have now actually started to drop. Initially it was a little surprising because I had become so used to seeing increases everywhere we looked,” CDC researcher Edward Gregg told The New York Times.

The proportion of Americans with diabetes is still twice what it was in the early 1990s. And not every racial group has made strides against the blood sugar disease, which is often triggered by obesity and lack of exercise.

Also, another report released Tuesday at the World Diabetes Congress in Vancouver, Canada, shows that the United States still has the highest diabetes rate among 38 developed nations. (Bold emphasis mine)

 

C-Sections May Increase Risk of Asthma

TUESDAY, Dec. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Children born by planned cesarean delivery appear to have a slightly higher chance of developing asthma than those born through vaginal delivery, researchers report.

The difference in risk was small, with 3.73 percent of those born through planned C-section hospitalized by age 5 for asthma, compared to 3.41 percent of kids who were born through vaginal delivery. And those who had a cesarean delivery had a 10.3 percent risk of needing an asthma inhaler at age 5, compared to 9.6 percent for those born vaginally, the researchers found. (Full study: JAMA. 2015;314(21):2271-2279. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.16176.)_

 

Births in the US, CDC New Report

• Nearly 4 million births were registered in the United States in 2014, up 1 percent from 2013. Births rose for whites, blacks and Hispanics.
• The birth rate for 15- to 19-year-old mothers fell 9 percent between 2013 and 2014, to 24.2 births per 1,000 teens, a historic low.
• Birth rates also dropped to a record low for women in their early 20s. Rates rose for women in their late 20s, 30s and early 40s.
• The average age of a first-time mother rose in 2014 to 26.3, up from 26 in 2013.
• The birth rate for unmarried women fell for the sixth straight year, to 43.9 per 1,000 unmarried women aged 15 to 44.
• The cesarean delivery rate dropped for the second straight year to 32.2 percent of all U.S. births.
• The preterm birth rate (less than 37 weeks) was 9.57 percent, down slightly from 2013 and down 8 percent from 2007.
• The rate of low birth weight infants was 8 percent, unchanged from 2013, but 3 percent lower than the 2006 high of 8.26 percent. (Health Day, December 23, 2015)

 

Sleep Apnea Devices May Lower Blood Pressure

Your partners storing may be bad for his/her heart….

TUESDAY, Dec. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For those suffering from sleep apnea, the disrupted sleep and reduction of oxygen getting to the brain can contribute to high blood pressure, but the two common treatments for the condition both lower blood pressure, Swiss researchers report.

A comparison of the treatments — continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and mandibular advancement devices (MADs) — showed that each produces a modest reduction in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure rates, the researchers found.

 

Gene Editing, Is It Ethical?

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) — What if faulty genes in your DNA could be easily corrected, avoiding the ravages of diseases like cystic fibrosis or certain cancers?

That is the promise of gene editing, a new technique being heralded as an enormous advancement in genetic engineering. Scientists say its speed, efficiency and cost-effectiveness make it an excellent tool for replacing rogue genes that cause human suffering and early death.

But worries about the technology’s darker side have mounted ever since Chinese researchers in April reported results of an experiment to edit a defective gene in a human embryo. For ethical reasons, researchers say they used an abnormal embryo.

 

PCOS and Risk for Baby’s Autism Linked

TUESDAY, Dec. 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Children of mothers with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) may have an increased risk for autism, new research from Sweden suggests.

This study is the first to find such a link, the researchers said. And, they added, the findings support the theory that exposure to sex hormones early in life may play an important role in a child’s risk of autism.

 

Can a Heart Regenerate?

FRIDAY, Dec. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Scientists who saved the life of a newborn after a massive heart attack say the case shows that the human heart can fully recover after suffering major damage.

The heart attack suffered by the infant in the first hours of life was caused by a blockage in one of the heart’s main blood vessels.

“The baby’s heart was severely damaged. Astonishingly, the baby recovered very quickly,” study author Bernhard Haubner, from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna, Austria, said in an institute news release.

 

ADHD On the Rise in Children

Twelve percent of U.S. children and teens had a diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in 2011, a number that has jumped by 43 percent since 2003, according to a large national study based on parental reports of an ADHD diagnosis. This analysis suggests that 5.8 million U.S. children ages 5 to 17 now have this diagnosis, which can cause inattention and behavioral difficulties, says lead researcher Sean D. Cleary, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University. (Medical Xpress, December 8 2015)

 

Brain Link to Autism

Using a visual test that is known to prompt different reactions in autistic and normal brains, researchers have shown that those differences were associated with a breakdown in the signaling pathway used by GABA, one of the brain’s chief inhibitory neurotransmitters. (Science Daily, December 17, 2015)

 

Laser Verses Lumpectomy for Breast Cancer

FRIDAY, Dec. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Using a laser to heat and destroy tumors — called laser ablation — may be an effective way to treat small breast cancers, potentially saving some women from a lumpectomy, new research suggests. The laser ablation technique used in this study is called Novilase Breast Therapy. It involves placing small probes in the center of the cancer and then using heat from the laser to destroy the tumors.

 

You Say Your Gluten Free but Your Urine Says Nah

A new urine test may be able to assess if you are gluten free based on gluten immunogenic peptides:

Objective Gluten-free diet (GFD) is the only management for coeliac disease (CD). Available methods to assess GFD compliance are insufficiently sensitive to detect occasional dietary transgressions that may cause gut mucosal damage. We aimed to develop a method to determine gluten intake and monitor GFD compliance in patients with CD and to evaluate its correlation with mucosal damage.

Design Urine samples of 76 healthy subjects and 58 patients with CD subjected to different gluten dietary conditions were collected. A lateral flow test (LFT) with the highly sensitive and specific G12 monoclonal antibody for the most dominant gluten immunogenic peptides (GIP) and a LFT reader were used to quantify GIP in solid-phase extracted urines.

Results GIP were detectable in concentrated urines from healthy individuals previously subjected to GFD as early as 4–6?h after single gluten intake, and remained detectable for 1–2?days. The urine assay revealed infringement of the GFD in about 50% of the patients. Analysis of duodenal biopsies revealed that most of patients with CD (89%) with no villous atrophy had no detectable GIP in urine, while all patients with quantifiable GIP in urine showed incomplete intestinal mucosa recovery.

Conclusion GIP are detected in urine after gluten consumption, enabling a new and non-invasive method to monitor GFD compliance and transgressions. The method was sensitive, specific and simple enough to be convenient for clinical monitoring of patients with CD as well as for basic and clinical research applications including drug development. (Gut doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2015-310148)

 

Men’s Fertility and Health

MONDAY, Dec. 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Infertile men may have a higher risk of developing other health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and substance abuse disorders, compared with fertile men, a new study suggests. “We found that infertile men developed several chronic diseases in the years following an infertility evaluation,” said lead researcher Dr. Michael Eisenberg, director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at Stanford University Medical School, in Palo Alto, California. “What’s interesting is that these are young, healthy men,” he said. “Prior studies suggested a higher risk of [testicular] cancer or even death. But for the first time, we are seeing higher risk of these metabolic diseases.”

 

Face Mites & Ancestry- News to Make Your Skin Crawl

FRIDAY, Dec. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In news that’s sure to make your skin crawl at least a little bit, a new study reports that everyone has microscopic face mites, and the critters may offer clues to each person’s family tree.

These microscopic face mites — known as Demodex folliculorum — live in the hair follicles on the face, and the type of mite varies from population group to population group.

Scientists now know that distinct lineages of face mites follow families through generations. And, these mites don’t easily transfer from one population to another, the new research found.

 

Treating the Gut for Heart Disease

Researchers have demonstrated — for the first time — that targeting microbes in the gut may prevent heart disease brought on by nutrients contained in a diet rich in red meat, eggs and high-fat dairy products…This novel approach centers around the research team’s previous discovery that TMAO — trimethylamine N-oxide, a byproduct formed in the gut during digestion of animal fats — is linked to atherosclerosis and heart disease. Now, the team has identified a naturally occurring inhibitor called DMB — 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol, found in some cold-pressed extra virgin olive oils and grape seed oils — that reduced levels of TMAO and reduced atherosclerosis in mice. (Science Daily, December 17, 2015)

 

WHO Releases Burden of Food Borne Illness

– First ever estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases show almost 1 in 10 people fall ill every year from eating contaminated food and 420 000 die as a result
– Children under 5 years of age are at particularly high risk, with 125 000 children dying from foodborne diseases every year
– WHO African and South-East Asia Regions have the highest burden of foodborne diseases (WHO, December 5, 2015)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ultrasound may be useful supplemental test for breast cancer

(Reuters Health) – A new study adds to the evidence that ultrasonography can help diagnose cancer in women with dense breasts.

Researchers examined data from 2,809 women from across the U.S., Canada and Argentina. All of them had dense breasts, plus at least one other risk factor for breast cancer.

Each woman had three screenings over three years with mammography and ultrasonography, according to a report in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute. (December 28, 2015)

 

Stress and Alzheimer’s

FRIDAY, Dec. 11, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Increased stress could be a risk factor for the kind of thinking difficulties that can lead to Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests. However, the research did not prove that stress caused cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s.

 

NUTRIGENOMICS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monsanto on Trial

PARIS – The Organic Consumers Association (OCA), IFOAM International Organics, Navdanya, Regeneration International (RI), and Millions Against Monsanto, joined by dozens of global food, farming and environmental justice groups announced today that they will put Monsanto MON (NYSE), a US-based transnational corporation, on trial for crimes against nature and humanity, and ecocide, in The Hague, Netherlands, next year on World Food Day, October 16, 2016.

The announcement was made at a press conference held in conjunction with the COP21 United Nations Conference on Climate Change, November 30 – December 11, in Paris. (OCA, December 3, 2015)

 

Can Amino Acids Influence Longevity?

Out of a ‘haystack’ of 40,000 genes from three different organisms, scientists have found genes that are involved in physical aging. If you influence only one of these genes, the healthy lifespan of laboratory animals is extended — and possibly that of humans, too…The researchers were also able to explain how this gene works: the bcat-1 gene carries the code for the enzyme of the same name, which degrades so-called branched-chain amino acids. Naturally occurring in food protein building blocks, these include the amino acids L-leucine, L-isoleucine and L-valine.

When the researchers inhibited the gene activity of bcat-1, the branched-chain amino acids accumulated in the tissue, triggering a molecular signalling cascade that increased longevity in the nematodes. Moreover, the timespan during which the worms remained healthy was extended. As a measure of vitality, the researchers measured the accumulation of aging pigments, the speed at which the creatures moved, and how often the nematodes successfully reproduced. All of these parameters improved when the scientists inhibited the activity of the bcat-1 gene. (Science Daily, December 1 2015)

 

Some Fun and Fishy News:

DHA and Babies- Cost Savings

Recent research emphasized the nutritional benefits of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) during pregnancy. Based on a double-blind randomised controlled trial named “DHA to Optimize Mother and Infant Outcome” (DOMInO), we examined how omega 3 DHA supplementation during pregnancy may affect pregnancy related in-patient hospital costs.

METHOD: We conducted an econometric analysis based on ordinary least square and quantile regressions with bootstrapped standard errors. Using these approaches, we also examined whether smoking, drinking, maternal age and BMI could influence the effect of DHA supplementation during pregnancy on hospital costs.

RESULTS: Our regressions showed that in-patient hospital costs could decrease by AUD92 (P<0.05) on average per singleton pregnancy when DHA supplements were consumed during pregnancy. Our regression results also showed that the cost savings to the Australian public hospital system could be between AUD15 – AUD51 million / year.

CONCLUSION: Given that a simple intervention like DHA-rich fish-oil supplementation could generate savings to the public, it may be worthwhile from a policy perspective to encourage DHA supplementation among pregnant women. (Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2015 Dec;102-103:5-11. doi: 10.1016/j.plefa.2015.08.002)

 

Can Fish Oil Help Burn Fat?

Researchers traced the mechanisms on how fish oil can help burn fat in mice. This was through upregulating brown adipose tissue through the nervous system. If you want to grab your propeller hat and read all the biochemical explanations, click here. (Nature, December 2015; doi:10.1038/srep18013)

 

Detox Diets and Weight Loss

Detox diets are popular dieting strategies that claim to facilitate toxin elimination and weight loss, thereby promoting health and well-being. The present review examines whether detox diets are necessary, what they involve, whether they are effective and whether they present any dangers. Although the detox industry is booming, there is very little clinical evidence to support the use of these diets. A handful of clinical studies have shown that commercial detox diets enhance liver detoxification and eliminate persistent organic pollutants from the body, although these studies are hampered by flawed methodologies and small sample sizes. There is preliminary evidence to suggest that certain foods such as coriander, nori and olestra have detoxification properties, although the majority of these studies have been performed in animals. To the best of our knowledge, no randomised controlled trials have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of commercial detox diets in humans. This is an area that deserves attention so that consumers can be informed of the potential benefits and risks of detox programmes. (J Hum Nutr Diet. 2015 Dec;28(6):675-86. doi: 10.1111/jhn.12286)

Coffee for the Athlete

Endurance athletes commonly ingest caffeine as a means to enhance training intensity and competitive performance. A widely-used source of caffeine is coffee, however conflicting evidence exists regarding the efficacy of coffee in improving endurance performance. In this context, the aims of this evidence-based review were three-fold: 1) to evaluate the effects of pre-exercise coffee on endurance performance, 2) to evaluate the effects of coffee on perceived exertion during endurance performance, and 3) to translate the research into usable information for athletes to make an informed decision regarding the intake of caffeine via coffee as a potential ergogenic aid. Searches of three major databases were performed using terms caffeine, and coffee, or coffee-caffeine, and endurance, or aerobic. Included studies (n=9) evaluated the effects of caffeinated coffee on human subjects, provided the caffeine dose administered, administered caffeine ?45 minutes before testing, and included a measure of endurance performance (e.g., time trial). Significant improvements in endurance performance were observed in five of nine studies, which were on average 24.2% over controls for time to exhaustion trials, and 3.1% for time to completion trials. Three of six studies found that coffee reduced perceived exertion during performance measures significantly more than control conditions (p<0.05). Based on the reviewed studies there is moderate evidence supporting the use of coffee as an ergogenic aid to improve performance in endurance cycling and running. Coffee providing 3–8.1mg/kg (1.36-3.68mg/lb) of caffeine may be used as a safe alternative to anhydrous caffeine to improve endurance performance. (International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2015; DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.2015-0147)

 

Feeding the Gut Good Support

Immunomodulators such as amino acids (glutamine, arginine, tryptophan, and citrulline), fatty acids (short-chain and omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids), and probiotics (Bifidobacterium, Saccharomyces, and Lactobacillus) have been reported in the literature. Here, we review the critical roles of immunomodulatory nutrients in supporting gut barrier integrity and function. (Clin Nutr. 2015 Dec;34(6):1080-7. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2015.01.012)

 

Reducing Salt Might Harm Heart Failure Patients

Patients with moderate heart failure who stuck to a low-sodium diet were 85 percent more likely to die or require hospitalization for heart disease, when compared to similarly ill patients who didn’t restrict their salt intake, the researchers found.

“The conventional wisdom has been that salt is bad for you,” said lead researcher Dr. Rami Doukky, a cardiologist and associate professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. “This study says, not so fast. Maybe we should take that, no pun intended, with a grain of salt.”

However, Doukky and other cardiologists warned that the study findings are very preliminary and should not be interpreted by heart failure patients to mean that it’s OK to reach for the salt shaker. Rigorous clinical trials are needed to further test the safety of this hypothesis, the experts said.

“The study is meant to be an eye-opener, that we need to investigate this matter more. We used to take it [salt consumption] for granted, and now it is time to address it with more definitive trials,” Doukky said (WebMD, December 28, 2015)

 

Healthy Hormone News:

Levels of Vitamins Vary with Menstrual Cycle

I’m going to be incorporating the Biocycle Study results into my practice guidelines. A study with 259 women showed that antioxidant availability shifts with hormonal cycles…. this has many implications, such as an increase or decrease in symptoms: RESULTS: Serum antioxidant concentrations varied across the menstrual cycle. Retinol and ?-tocopherol were associated with higher estradiol [RR: 1.00 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.67, 1.34 pg/mL); RR: 0.02 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.003, 0.03 pg/mL), respectively] and testosterone [RR: 0.61 ng/dL (95% CI: 0.44, 0.78 ng/dL); RR: 0.01 ng/dL (95% CI: 0.001, 0.01 ng/dL), respectively]. Ascorbic acid was associated with higher progesterone (RR: 0.15 ng/mL; 95% CI: 0.05, 0.25 ng/mL) and with lower follicle-stimulating hormone (RR: -0.06 mIU/mL; 95% CI: -0.09, -0.03 mIU/mL). The ratio of ?– to ?-tocopherol was associated with an increased risk of anovulation (RR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.06). CONCLUSIONS: These findings shed new light on the intricate associations between serum antioxidants and endogenous hormones in healthy premenopausal women and support the hypothesis that concentrations of serum vitamins affect steroidogenesis even after adjustment for oxidative stress. (Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, January 2016) LINK to ABSTRACT

 

Curcumin on the Brain for PMS Relief

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a variety of physical, mental, and behavioral symptoms that start during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, and the symptoms disappear after the onset of menses. Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels during luteal phase in women associated with PMS have more alterations than women not suffering from PMS. In this regard, altered luteal BDNF levels in women with PMS might play a role in a set of psychological and somatic symptoms of the PMS. Studies of last decade revealed neuroprotective effects of curcumin and its ability to increase BDNF levels. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of curcumin on serum BDNF level and PMS symptoms severity in women with PMS. Present study is a Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial. Curcumin treatment was given for three successive menstrual cycles and each cycle ran 10 days. After having identified persons with PMS, participants were randomly allocated into placebo (n=35) and curcumin (n=35) groups. Each sample in placebo and curcumin groups received two capsules daily for seven days before menstruation and for three days after menstruation for three successive menstrual cycles. Participants noted the severity of the symptoms mentioned in the daily record questionnaire. Self-report was used to determine menstrual cycle phase of participants. At the fourth day of each menstrual cycle venous blood samples were collected for BDNF measurement by ELISA method. Before intervention, BDNF levels and mean scores of PMS symptoms (mood, behavioral and physical symptoms) between two groups showed no significant differences. But in curcumin group first, second and third cycles after interventions BDNF levels were significantly higher and mean scores of PMS symptoms were significantly less than placebo group. Based on our results part of these beneficial effects of curcumin may be mediated through enhancing serum BDNF levels in women with PMS. (Neuropeptides. 2015 Nov 11. pii: S0143-4179(15)00118-3. doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2015.11.003.)

 

MEDICATIONS

 

Talk Therapy Verses Antidepressants

TUESDAY, Dec. 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Talk therapy and antidepressants could both be equally effective as stand-alone treatments for major depressive disorder, new research indicates. A review of 11 previously conducted studies that collectively tracked treatment outcomes for more than 1,500 patients found no difference in how well patients responded to treatment. “We don’t think this finding is particularly surprising, because each treatment has its own evidence base that shows they’re effective in treating major depressive disorder,” said study lead author Halle Amick, a research associate with the Research Triangle Institute-University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

 

FDA Warns About SGLT2 Inhibitors

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated the labels for sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors to include the risks for ketoacidosis and serious urinary tract infections. Both conditions can require hospitalization. In May 2015, the FDA released a drug safety communication cautioning about the risk for ketoacidosis with SGLT2 inhibitors and saying the FDA would continue to study this issue.

From March 2013 to May 2015, the FDA received reports of 73 cases of ketoacidosis in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who were treated with SGLT2 inhibitors. Ketoacidosis symptoms include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, and difficulty breathing. (Medscape, December 4, 2015)

 

Metformin and Microbiome

Researchers report that the antidiabetic drug may prevent negative shifts in diabetics’ belly bugs. Could this be a potential mechanism of action, probably:

We provide support for microbial mediation of the therapeutic effects of metformin through short-chain fatty acid production, as well as for potential microbiota-mediated mechanisms behind known intestinal adverse effects in the form of a relative increase in abundance of Escherichia species. Controlling for metformin treatment, we report a unified signature of gut microbiome shifts in T2D with a depletion of butyrate-producing taxa^{3, 4}. These in turn cause functional microbiome shifts, in part alleviated by metformin-induced changes. Overall, the present study emphasizes the need to disentangle gut microbiota signatures of specific human diseases from those of medication. (Nature, December 2, 2015)

 

Autism Risk and Antidepressants in Pregnancy Linked

Use of antidepressants, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, during the second and/or third trimester increases the risk of ASD in children, even after considering maternal depression. Further research is needed to specifically assess the risk of ASD associated with antidepressant types and dosages during pregnancy. (JAMA, December 14, 2015)

Read my comment here.

 

Antidepressants and Bipolar/Mania Risk

In people with unipolar depression, antidepressant treatment is associated with an increased risk of subsequent mania/bipolar disorder. These findings highlight the importance of considering risk factors for mania when treating people with depression. (Rashmi Patel et al. Do antidepressants increase the risk of mania and bipolar disorder in people with depression? A retrospective electronic case register cohort study: Table 1, BMJ Open (2015). DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-008341)

 

Overdose of Narcotics Still Common and Still Prescribed

MONDAY, Dec. 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Even as overdoses from narcotic prescription painkiller reach record levels in the United States, a new report finds that most people who survive such events continue to be prescribed the drugs by their doctors.

 

Now you’re all caught up from last year…..