Healthy Aging

Why Alzheimer’s Scientists Are Re-thinking the Amyloid Hypothesis

By Joshua Cohen

(This article was originally published by Undark.org on Jan 7, 2025) For decades, scientists have been trying to develop therapeutics for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by cognitive decline. Given the global rise in cases, the stakes are high. A study published in The Lancet Public Health reports that the number […]

Lemon Balm Improves Sleep Quality In Placebo-Controlled RCT

By Janet Gulland, Contributing Writer

These days, a lot of people could use some help in the sleep department. For many of them, phytosomal extract of Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) could be just the ticket. Data from a recent double-blind crossover study of 30 people with chronic insomnia show that nightly supplementation with 400 mg of Melissa officinalis Phytosome® (Indena), […]

Are Weight-Loss Drugs Contributing to a Fall in the Obesity Rate?

By Joshua Cohen

(This article was originally published by Undark.org on Dec. 9, 2024, and republished here with permission) Earlier this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported data showing that adult obesity rates — long trending upwards — had fallen modestly over the past few years, from 41.9 to 40.3 percent. The decline sparked discussion […]

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 […]

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. […]

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. […]

The Latest Applications of Predictive Genomics in Longevity Medicine

By Erik Goldman

Risk assessment is a foundation of good clinical practice. Accurate and individualized risk prediction allows for informed decision-making, enhanced disease screening and personalized risk-reduction strategies for your patients. We’re all aware of the use of penetrant genes like BRCA1/2 as genomic markers for cancer susceptibility. But there is a lesser-known disease susceptibility indicator known as […]

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 […]

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 […]