Chronic Disease

Microplastics: A New Cardiovascular Risk Factor

By Erik Goldman, Editor

The presence of micro- or nano-plastic particles in carotid atheromas significantly raises the risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from any cause within 3 years. That’s the blunt conclusion of a new multi-center study headed by researchers at the Department of Advanced Medical & Surgical Science, University of Campania, Naples, and involving more than […]

Natural Alternatives to Ozempic

By Erik Goldman

GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic and Wegovy have rapidly become some of the most widely prescribed drugs for weight loss and metabolic disorders. While they can sometimes be valuable aids in helping people normalize their weight and their glucose metabolism, the mechanism of action for these drugs can have some unhealthy consequences. Many people are […]

Eczema: A Holistic Approach

By Janet Gulland, Contributing Writer

Eczema is seldom life-threatening, but it can have profoundly detrimental impact on the people it affects. Clinicians who can bring a holistic, root-cause approach to this common condition can make a big difference in the lives of their patients. “Roughly 20 million Americans have eczema. It’s a huge population. Patients are desperate for help, and […]

IBS & Osteoporosis – The BMP Connection

By Erik Goldman

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Osteoporosis are two of the most common conditions that integrative practitioners see among their patients. These disorders are actually related. The common factor? Bone Morphogenic Proteins (BMPs)—a group of cytokines that play important roles in bone and joint homeostasis as well as in GI mucosal integrity. In this free webinar, […]

For Disease Risk Reduction, Broc Rocks!

By Meg Sinclair, Staff Writer

Imagine if there were a drug that could reduce risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease by roughly 40%, without any adverse effects. Even better, people would only need to take it 2 or 3 times per week to obtain these preventive benefits. It turns out there is such a thing. It’s called broccoli. People who […]

The Gut-Lung Axis: Implications for Asthma Care

By Erik Goldman

Research on the Gut-Lung Axis, which encompasses the complex interrelationship between the gut microbiome, the immune system, and the respiratory tract, has opened a portal to entirely new ways of caring for patients with asthma and other respiratory disorders. Supplementation with probiotics that shift microbiome production of key short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) is showing promise […]

UPShots Clinical Research Roundup

By Janet Gulland, Contributing Writer

Research on diet, nutraceuticals, and herbal medicine continues to grow worldwide. Here are summaries of a few recent studies that have grabbed our attention at Holistic Primary Care. Cinnamon Fosters Weight Loss in Type 2 Diabetes A gram of cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia), thrice daily, promoted weight loss and lowered hemoglobin A1c levels in a small […]

Aspartame Lingers, Triggers Insulin Secretion

By Janet Gulland, Contributing Writer

Aspartame from artificially-sweetened soft drinks can linger in saliva, triggering insulin secretion long after the sweetener is swallowed. This, in turn, can cause blood glucose to drop resulting in appetite surges that nullify the alleged weight management benefits of the widely popular artificial sweetener. That’s the logical conclusion of a new study by Brasilian researchers […]

Clearing Psoriasis With High-Dose Vitamin D

By Erik Goldman

A small but compelling case series published last year suggests that mega-doses of vitamin D can yield dramatic improvement in the severity of longstanding psoriasis. And by “mega,” we mean doses as high as 60,000 IU per day. Renu Mahtani, a physician at the Autoimmunity Treatment Centre, Pune, India, together with Pradeep M.K. Nair of […]

Curcumin is Comparable to Omeprazole for Dyspepsia

By August West, Contributing Writer

Supplementation with 500 mg of curcumin, four times daily, is comparable to the drug omeprazole (Prilosec) for reducing symptoms of dyspepsia, according to a recent double-blind, head-to-head study published in the British Medical Journal’s Evidence-Based Medicine. Pradermchai Kongkam and colleagues at the Department of Internal Medicine, Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine, Bangkok, randomized 209 patients […]