Chronic Disease

Can Curcumin Attenuate Type 2 Diabetes? You Beta!

By Erik Goldman

Daily supplementation with 1,500 mg of curcumin extract reduced fasting blood glucose, lowered hemoglobin A1c, and improved pancreatic β-cell function in obese people with type 2 diabetes. Those are the topline findings from a recent, year-long, placebo-controlled trial, involving 229 participants. Curcumin-treated patients also got a small but significant bonus benefit: weight loss. “We believe […]

Stress and Sleep Supps: Choose Them Wisely

By Erik Goldman

Stress and sleep are two of the most important determinants of overall health. Many people have too much of the former, and not nearly enough of the latter. Add in poor diet and lack of exercise, and you’ve got an equation for chronic disease. People recognize that constant stress and poor sleep are inter-related, and […]

ETAS: Asparagus Extract for Cognitive Health

By Ari Magill, MD, Contributing Writer

Asparagus is a vegetable with a remarkably long history of use going back to ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome.1 In those times, asparagus was not just consumed as a food, it was also utilized for its medicinal properties. Modern scientific researchers are now discovering the potential therapeutic benefits of asparagus, particularly its […]

The Gut-GLP-1 Connection: The role of Akkermansia & other novel probiotic strains in satiety and cravings

By Erik Goldman

Akkermansia muciniphila, a key player in the gut microbiome, has emerged as a significant influencer of GLP-1, a hormone with profound implications for metabolic health. Learn from Adam Perlman, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer of Pendulum Therapeutics, about the latest research uncovering the impact of A. muciniphila, C.butyricum, B.infantis and other novel microbial strains on GLP-1 signaling, satiety, cravings, […]

Folic Acid: Too Much of a Good Thing?

By Gil Winkelman, ND, Contributing Writer

It is time to rethink how we’re using folate, and its derivatives, methylfolate and folinic acid. Recent research suggests that people who routinely take more than 1000 μg of folic acid per day may be at increased risk of cognitive decline, asthma, impaired immune function, and certain types of cancer (Fardous AM, et al. Nutrients. […]

A Good Relationship Gone Bad: Recognizing & Restoring Health in GI Candidiasis

By Erik Goldman

Candida is a commensal microorganism living in the digestive tract of the vast majority of our patients. For most, it causes no harm. But certain common lifestyle factors and medication exposures promote overgrowth of Candida species, leading to a fungal-predominant dysbiosis with sometimes severe systemic symptoms. Candidal overgrowth is often an important piece of the chronic illness […]

Be Alert for Drug-Induced Magnesium Depletions

By Meg Sinclair, Staff Writer

Be on the lookout for drug-induced magnesium depletions. That’s one of the major messages from a comprehensive new paper on the clinical impact of magnesium deficiencies recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Many of the most widely prescribed drugs, including diuretics, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), and certain antibiotics, can cause magnesium wasting. […]

South Park’s Scathing Critique of US Healthcare

By Erik Goldman, Editor

The End of Obesity, a new episode of the viciously satirical cartoon series, South Park, is a merciless excoriation of American healthcare, one that has some physicians commenting that the show is more documentary than parody. Currently running exclusively on Paramount Plus, this latest installment of the long-running show centers on the rotund Eric Cartman, […]

Covid Virus Can Cause Retinal Damage

By Janet Gulland, Contributing Writer

Add retinal damage to the long and growing list of potential sequelae of Covid-19. Researchers at the University of Missouri have shown that the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for triggering the ‘classic’ respiratory and immunologic symptoms of Covid can also pass the blood-retinal barrier, causing retinal damage and visual impairment. Like the blood-brain barrier, the blood-retina […]

Hibiscus & Lemon Verbena: Herbal Allies for BP Regulation

By Jonathan Jones, PhD, Contributing Writer

Hibiscus sabdariffa (hibiscus) and Lippia citriodora (lemon verbena) are two polyphenol-rich botanicals that, when combined, can act synergistically to regulate blood pressure. Oxidative stress, a key factor in the development and progression of hypertension, can lead to vascular damage and atherosclerosis. Mitigating oxidative stress is, therefore, an important aspect of managing hypertension. Natural polyphenols, like […]