Integrative medicine最新文献

Background: Persistent accumulation and hindered clearance of toxins from tissues over time may promote the development and exacerbation of several diseases. Hepatic metabolic detoxification is a key physiological process responsible for the clearance of toxic substances from the body. A healthy diet with nutritional dietary supplementation may support metabolic detoxification and help mitigate the negative effects of toxin burden.

Methods: A multicenter, randomized, single-blind, controlled trial was conducted to test the effects of a dietary detoxification product (detox; n = 20) versus an active dietary control product (active control; n = 20) on selected biomarkers of metabolic detoxification, general health, and well-being following 28 days of dietary supplementation. Study participants displayed multiple symptoms commonly associated with elevated toxin burden, but otherwise healthy.

Results: The detox group displayed significantly decreased levels of red blood cell total toxic metals, decreased urine total porphyrins, and decreased urine mutagenicity potency compared with baseline. Both the detox and active control groups showed improvements in the symptoms attributed to elevated toxin burden. Fatigue and sleep disruption scores were significantly reduced in the detox group compared with baseline. No significant differences in anthropometric measures and vital signs, and no adverse events or side effects were detected in either group over the study period.

Conclusions: This study demonstrates the benefit of nutritional intervention for supporting metabolic detoxification, evidenced by significant changes in multiple detoxification biomarkers and improvement in questionnaire scores related to quality of life, general health, and well-being.

An elderly obese male patient (60 yrs.) diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) presented to our clinic. He was on 94 units of insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents during his initial consultation visit. After obtaining informed consent, he was enrolled into intense lifestyle modification program for a duration of six months, with a three-year follow-up after the intervention. The patient underwent complete remission losing 13 kg of body weight and also successfully clearing oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) for three consecutive years. We present three unique features in the current case report: (1) Elderly age of the patient (2) OGTT clearance along with normalisation of HbA_1c, and (3) High initial insulin dosage at baseline. A few of the common positive predictors of T2D remission documented in earlier studies include younger age and minimal or low doses of insulin. The current case study shows that older age and higher dosage of insulin, it is possible to undergo complete T2D remission along with OGTT clearance through intense holistic lifestyle modification. Future experimental studies with adequate sample sizes would help substantiate our observation.

Introduction: Vitamin C has been previously studied for use with acute and chronic Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) and hepatitis C. However, it has never been evaluated for its impact on EBV induced hepatitis. In this case report, we present a patient's history with EBV induced hepatitis treated with high dose vitamin C.

Methods: A 36-year-old female presented to the National University of Natural Medicine Health Center with reactivated EBV-induced viral hepatitis. She reported severe fatigue, brain fog, maintenance and initiation insomnia, periocular hyperpigmentation, blurry vision, and decreased concentration. The patient's diagnosis was confirmed with a diagnostic evaluation of her EBV titers and liver enzymes, all of which were elevated. After assessing for contraindications, the patient was treated with intravenous (IV) vitamin C starting at a 10g dose and increasing weekly for 3 weeks to a dose of 25g.

Results: After 12 weeks of treatment with high dose IV vitamin C, as well as other immune-supportive nutrient therapy, the patient reported a decrease in fatigue severity, brain fog, vision disturbances, exercise limitations, and insomnia severity.

Discussion: We recommend that physicians consider the administration of high-dose IV vitamin C for all concurrent cases of EBV and hepatitis in both acute and chronic conditions. As recognition of reactivated viral infections grows, high-dose IV vitamin C for other latent viral infections such as COVID-19, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex, varicella zoster, and HIV should be considered.

Introduction: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common psychiatric disorder that can cause significant functional impairment to a patient's life. Mind body therapies (MBT) have increasingly been used as an intervention to manage symptoms of anxiety. Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback is a specific MBT that utilizes real-time feedback on autonomic functioning to train the physiological stress response through diaphragmatic breathing.

Case presentation: A 39-year-old female was referred for a seven-week HRV biofeedback training protocol at Bastyr University Clinic for adjunctive treatment of GAD and depression. She had been taking citalopram for approximately four months prior to the first visit.

Discussion/conclusion: After completing the seven-week protocol, the patient's anxiety improved from severe to mild, and her depression improved from mild to minimal. This improvement was maintained at a four-week follow-up, and eight weeks after the final visit she reported that her anxiety was no longer a concern to her. HRV biofeedback demonstrated to be an effective adjunctive treatment for GAD in this patient's case; however further research is needed to elucidate the effects of HRV biofeedback in patients with GAD.

In Parts 1 and 2 of my editorials on "Unimportant Molecules," I reviewed the research on how modern agriculture has seriously distorted the food supply. In this editorial I showed how this oversimplification and lack of recognition of the importance of whole food molecules also illustrates the deep conceptual differences between the reductionistic medical interventionist model and the probabilistic nurturing model of health medicine. I believe we need both approaches, and by understanding the differences we can better integrate perspectives for the best patient outcomes.

Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is only a recently recognized, multisystem disorder that has been historically underrecognized due its estimated high prevalence. Recognition, testing, and treatment all pose unique challenges to condition management. The condition warrants more concern due to its prevalence and under recognition. Of equal importance in this case is the overlap seen between conditions such as MCAS, gastric dysmotility often manifesting as small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), dysautonomia, joint hypermobility disorders such as hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (h-EDS) or other hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), and autoimmunity. This case involves a 42 year-old female who initially presented to the clinic for chronic SIBO and associated gastrointestinal complaints. Upon further examination into the patient's history and unique presentation as visits progressed, important factors affecting treatment considerations were discovered. The patient was ultimately deemed to have other associated conditions including a mast cell-mediated disorder as well as joint hypermobility due to her response to antihistamine and mast cell stabilizing agents. Final outcomes include immense improvement upon mast cell stabilization with ketotifen, and remission of SIBO with low-dose naltrexone (LDN). Although the patient did not undergo testing beyond a serum tryptase test, this case represents the importance of careful history taking and the role of clinical suspicion on patient outcomes.