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Current Gallbladder Pain – Blame Your Younger Years
Sure-you remember fondly back on your youth, high school and college days. I remember doing things as a child that, if I saw my son doing them, I would think he’s out of his mind and I was doing a poor job as a father. Then there’s the near-permanent frontal lobe damage so many seem to accomplish in college (which, by the way, is not true–the brain remains plastic long into our adult years). But did you ever think about about what damage is being done to our gallbladders?
Given the state of medicine today, one would think that the gallbladder is near-vestigial and can be taken out on a whim with nary a price to pay.
First, we need to understand some of the basic functions of the gallbladder. The absolute most important job of the gallbladder is to store the bile that is constantly produced in the liver and release bile in response to the hormone CCK in response to a fatty meal. The bile released then helps to emulsify and absorb the fat and fat soluble nutrients of our meal.
So what happens after a cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal)? There are several negative consequences.
- Most common is diarrhea. This is because there is now unabsorbed fat in the intestinal tract (no bile to help with the absorption) which contributes to the osmotic diarrhea commonly seen. Luckily, supplements containing bile acids can very successfully relieve the diarrhea.
- Fat soluble nutrient absorption problems. This includes the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, but also fat soluble phytonutrients like lycopene (the red pigment in tomatoes that are known to protect the prostate and heart) and a long list of others. Supplementation with certain vitamins is essential.
- Increased risk of colorectal cancer. The reasoning is not quite worked out, but it likely has to do with the constant slow release of bile acids from the liver that are no longer stored. Because they aren’t stored and released to bind up with fats as needed, they are free to float down into the intestinal tract and create problems among cells that are not designed to handle the acids. Eating certain foods regularly may help bind up the bile acids and lower the risk of harm.
These little tidbits are rarely shared with patients prior to their surgical removals (which, by the way, is actually required–it’s called informed consent and is grounds for malpractice). All too often, even severe gallbladder attacks are NOT grounds for gallbladder removal, despite popular opinion. Recent studies suggest less than a third of patients with severe symptoms will continue to have problems. This means that more mild symptoms should not even initiate the conversation.
Of course, the real answer is not damaging our gallbladder in the first place. And this, while trying to avoid sounding like a broken record, is almost always a result of being prediabetic. I’ve always told patients that gallbladder problems can occur decades before someone actually becomes diabetic. So, of course, fixing the gallbladder has everything to do with pulling back from a pro-diabetic lifestyle.
This particular article gives us some insight into just how early this process starts. Researchers found that obese preadolescents actually began to have problems with gallbladder motility long before they became an adult.
I do not need to stress to anyone just the life altering importance of raising our children with good lifestyle habits and maintaining an ideal body composition. If your child is NOT in this category, you need to understand fully that the damage to their delicate bodies has already begun.
CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME – (03-06-05)
Chronic fatigue syndrome: assessment of increased oxidative stress and altered muscle excitability in response to incremental exercise
For many years, conditions like chronic fatigue and irritable bowel were considered psychogenic because no physiological alterations could be found. Well, it’s not that they weren’t there–we just didn’t know where to look.
This study just confirms what many of us in manual medicine have known for some time–these patients are very prone to “overtreatment.” Do too much, exercise too much or go too deep and the patient will be very sore the next day.
Following the results of this article, it is logical to assume that these patients would respond very favorable to interventions designed to support the mitochodria and reduce oxidative stress.
CHECK FOR BACTERIAL FLORA IF YOU HAVE SEVERE DIARRHEA – (04-25-05)
Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium in irritable bowel syndrome: Symptom responses and relationship to cytokine profiles
I saw a patient yesterday that I hadn’t seen in about three years. She had pretty severe diarrhea predominant IBS and we ran Great Smokies CDSA. For those of you not familiar with this test, one of the things it checks for is bacterial flora. The sad part for this patient is that she showed this test to numerous providers and specialist she had seen since, and none said it had any value. I apologized to the patient for the lack of current knowledge for her providers.
This article is a perfect example of how far behind clinical practice is. Most clinicians are maybe just catching onto the idea of what probiotics, as a general term, are. But the research moves on and we are now identifying the different physiological effects different strains have on the GI tract. Once we are able to pin this info down, the therapeutic potential will definitely rise.
WHAT ARE PROBIOTIC ORGANISMS GOOD FOR? – (05-16-05)
Lactobacillus and bifidobacterium in irritable bowel syndrome: Symptom responses and relationship to cytokine profiles
Another article in a series of research trying to further elucidate exactly what probiotic organisms are good for what conditions. The difference in efficacy rates in various studies on conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome may be because the specific strain may not have been the best choice for that study. As the specificity of probiotics for a given condition is identified, the therapeutic potential of this method of treatment will skyrocket.
DO YOU KNOW THAT USE OF PROBIOTICS PREVENTS DIARRHEA? – (01-26-08)
Use of probiotic Lactobacillus preparation to prevent diarrhea associated with antibiotics
Geez, sometimes I feel like all I do is rant and rave about how disconnected mainstream medicine is from the research, but it’s hard to see it otherwise. We still view antibiotic overuse as an issue because it can lead to antibiotic resistance. But this concern is greatly overshadowed by what happens to use when we destroy the bacteria that is supposed to be there (our normal flora). Along these same lines, using probiotics therapeutically for certain conditions is well supported in the literature.
In this particular study, even using relatively low levels of probiotics (in the 100 million range, where most good quality supplements have 16 BILLION or more..) had a striking effect on the side effects associated with antibiotic use in the hospital and an even greater effect on eliminating C. diff infections with antibiotic use. And compare these outcomes to the safety and cost of using probiotics. It’s a no brainer.
PROBIOTICS FOR TREATMENT OF ACUTE DIARRHEA IN CHILDREN – (02-11-08)
Probiotics for treatment of acute diarrhea in children: randomised clinical trial of five different preparations
The continued high use of inappropriate antibiotics in children doesn’t seem to show any hint of waning. Some may look at this overuse of antibiotics in the short term and note that there is no harm in prescribing the antibiotics. I would suggest that “no harm” is the farthest thing from the truth. We are continually seeing probiotics being used therapeutically for the prevention and / or treatment of any number of problems.
In this study, we see their use in children with acute diarrhea cutting down the number of hours of diarrhea from 115 to 70. That’s almost 2 days less. However, if you read down to the conclusions of the authors, please refrain from laughing at the comment that “pediatricians should choose bacterial preparations based on effectiveness data.” Heck, first they’ve have to actually admit that probiotics are effective before they’d even be concerned with more specific questions!
TREATMENT OF IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME WITH OSTEOPATHY – (02-11-08)
Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with osteopathy: Results of a randomized controlled pilot study
There has almost been much controversy about whether spinal adjusting has the ability to affect visceral function. Over the years, there has been a surprising number of studies (mostly in osteopathic journals) that do show an effect of manipulation on visceral function.
In this small study we see that osteopathic manipulation was effective in symptom scores for irritable bowel syndrome. Couple manual therapy with some aggressive lifestyle changes and targeted suplementation and you’ve got quite a nice set of tools to drastically help IBS.
USE OF PROBIOTICS FOR TREATMENT OF DIARRHEA – (02-25-08)
An Experimental Study and a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Antisecretory Activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus Strain LB Against Nonrotavirus Diarrhea
By now, we’ve seen more than enough evidence on the viability of using probiotics as a cornerstone for treatment of many types of GI disorders, with diarrhea in children being quite well studied. The bottom line is that these friendly bacteria are supposed to be there. Mother Nature made that quite clear when she decided to put lactobacillus into breast milk.
However, the concept of probiotics for children have been quite slow to catch on in the pediatric community. This is disturbing, especially considering the long term health benefits of having probiotics present in the gut, and the fact that many of these studies are published in pediatric journals. This particular study found a shortening of non-rotavirus diarrhea by one day.
February 25, 2008 Research Update
James Bogash,D.C.Mesa,AZ
info@lifecarechiropractic.com
www.lifecarechiropractic.com
Increased Risk of Childhood Asthma From Antibiotic Use in Early Life.
While the physiology behind this makes perfect sense, this is a relationship that doesn’t seem to gain wings. Some studies have not been able to find an association, but the problem is that antibiotic use does not occur in a vacuum. Probiotics in the gut are needed for healthy development of the immune system, with an emphasis on the importance on creating a strong Th-1 system. This arm of the immune system is needed to battle off bacteria and viruses that enter the body. On the flip side, vaccinations are well know to stimulate the Th-2 profile. So, coupling antibiotic use with immunizations can definitely increase a child’s risk of developing asthma. Read More.
Significant association between leukoaraiosis and metabolic syndrome in healthy subjects.
For those of you not familiar with the term, leukoaraisosis is a finding on MRI that loss of white matter in the brain is occurring. And if that doesn’t sound like a good thing, then you’re right. In this study, those patients with Metabolic Syndrome had triple the risk of having leukoaraiosis. This adds further weight to the concept that neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are actually a form of Type 3 diabetes resulting from insulin resistance. Read More.
Herbal and Dietary Supplements for Treatment of Anxiety Disorders.
Wow. Can’t get much better than an “A” rating when it comes to the use of Kava for anxiety, especially when a meta analysis was done by the Cochrane group and the side effects in all the studies were minimal. Compared this with the use of pharmacological agents with their long list of side effects as well as potential for dependence. Read More.
Coffee drinking induces incorporation of phenolic acids into LDL and increases the resistance of LDL to ex vivo oxidation in humans.
While there is no shortage of controversy about whether lowering cholesterol has any real effect on cardiovascular risk, there is much evidence to support the concept that LDL cholesterol does not do damage to us until it gets damaged itself. This damaged particle is then referred to as an oxidized LDL (oxLDL). So in this study, the authors found that coffee drinking was shown to protect these LDL molecules from becoming damaged. The problem with coffee today is that we load it up with sugar, artificial sweeteners, whip cream and creamers, all of which drastically effects the health balance of the drink. Read More.
Body Composition in Children and Adolescents Born after in Vitro Fertilization or Spontaneous Conception.
This is not the first time I’ve ranted about this. The massive industry that leads to artificially supported reproduction is wreaking havoc on our society’s long term health. While I firmly agree that there is a small, select number of couples that need medical help to conceive, the vast majority of infertility problems are lifestyle in nature. Think on this. If our ONLY reason to be on this planet is to propagate our species, then what exactly does it say if the female is infertile? If Mother Nature is unwilling to follow through with the most basic of goals of an organism, that organism has something very wrong with their physiology and the body deems that pregnancy is not a good idea at that time. But what do WE say? Damn the torpedoes…full speed ahead!! Unfortunately, there is a serious price to be paid in the currency of long term health of the infant growing into an adult. Read More.
Effects of modified alternate-day fasting regimens on adipocyte size, triglyceride metabolism, and plasma adiponectin levels in mice.
While this is a mouse study, it does add weight to the concept of calorie restriction without nutrient restriction as being a viable tool for improving health and lowering risk of chronic disease. This particular study compared calorie restriction with alternate day calorie restriction (50% less calories every other day) and found the impact on markers of CVD risk similar. This is very important, because alternate day calorie restriction is an approach that many people would find acceptable for long term risk management. Read More.
Complications of labor induction among multiparous women in a community-based hospital system.
Not that I’d recommend arguing with a woman in labor, but…. There is quite a bit of evidence that the more we try to intervene in pregnancy, the more problems we create. I just never understand where medicine developed the gall to think we could do it better than Mother Nature. Granted, there are cases where medical intervention can save both the baby’s and mom’s lives. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. In today’s hospitals, the induction of labor is almost a given, and yet, we see in this study that not only does it increase the risk of having a C-section by 37%, but it also extends labor!! So…try to shorten labor with medication and you actually make it worse. Read More.
An Experimental Study and a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Antisecretory Activity of Lactobacillus acidophilus Strain LB Against Nonrotavirus Diarrhea.
By now, we’ve seen more than enough evidence on the viability of using probiotics as a cornerstone for treatment of many types of GI disorders, with diarrhea in children being quite well studied. The bottom line is that these friendly bacteria are supposed to be there. Mother Nature made that quite clear when she decided to put lactobacillus into breast milk. However, the concept of probiotics for children have been quite slow to catch on in the pediatric community. This is disturbing, especially considering the long term health benefits of having probiotics present in the gut, and the fact that many of these studies are published in pediatric journals. This particular study found a shortening of non-rotavirus diarrhea by one day. Read More.
Serum uric acid and brain ischemia in normal elderly adults.
The evidence linking insulin resistance and neurodegenerative disorders continues to accumulate. And, much like every other disease process, this link likely occurs through multiple pathways. From lowered insulin sensitivity in the neurons leading to reduced ability to generate energy for the cell to, as in this case, elevation of uric acid directly affecting the neurons. The bottom line is that the incidence of neurodegerative disorders is going to be increasing dramatically over the next few decades. The only question is…how will our current “health” care system sustain itself with this type of a burden? Read More.
Plasma and erythrocyte biomarkers of dairy fat intake and risk of ischemic heart disease.
I can tell you that there are a few things that I really get drilled hard on because of patients deep seated beliefs based on truly admirable marketing. Top of the list is my aversion to dairy. When you look hard at the research, there just isn’t much positive about dairy, and plenty in the negative column. Linked to pancreatic cancer, triples prostate cancer risk, common allergen, mucous forming, non-organic stuff contains antibiotics and hormones….and, in case that’s not enough, up to 2.36 times the risk of ischemic heart disease. What amazes me is the depth to which the idea that dairy is good for us has permeated every level of health recommendation. While soy milk is a good alternative, just like anything else, too frequent is not good. Our household rotates between soy, almond and rice milk. Read More.
February 11, 2008 Research Update
James Bogash,D.C.Mesa,AZ
info@lifecarechiropractic.com
www.lifecarechiropractic.com
Trends in management of acute otitis media by PCPs.
In 2004, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians release guidelines on the antibiotic management of acute otitis media (your average ear infection). These are trade organizations that have the best interests of their members in mind. So, you would think that physicians would diligently adopt these recommendations because they would be in the best interests of their patients. So how many did in this study? 15%. Fifteen percent. That’s 85% short of full participation. Quite frankly, this is appalling, sickening and unacceptable. As physicians, we have an OBLIGATION to do the best for our patients. And that includes staying current to at least a minor degree with medical literature and guidelines. What makes this all so much more bothersome is that ear infections are not that hard to fix, and use of antibiotics will likely increase risk of future infections by destroying normal, protective flora, not to mention the major negative effect years down the line by destroying a major factor in our overall health!! EESHH!! I feel better now. Read More.
Insulin Sensitivity after Metformin Suspension in Normal Weight Women with PCOS.
I have long asserted that we are handling infertility in a very poor manner. In most cases, infertility is related to poor lifestyle, and not addressing these lifestyle factors opens up an entire Pandora’s Box of potential problems, both with pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes and the long term health of the child. So, the ONLY real answer is lifestyle changes. But alas, many women with PCOS (the main cause of infertility here in the US) are just given Metformin, a drug that increases insulin sensitivity in the liver. This study evaluated what happened when those patients were taken OFF of this drug. Interestingly, the women with PCOS were WORSE OFF after the treatment then before!! It just reinforces the idea that drugs are not the answer for this condition, and any other approach that doesn’t address lifestyle is likely to make the condition worse. Also, consider that Metformin only works in the liver. A few articles back, we saw that insulin resistance in the muscle is a major factor in the development of MetS, and yet Metformin does nothing to address this aspect. Read More.
The Neuroprotective Effects of Caffeine.
Coffee has dealt with a bad rap for many years but this bad rap is not deserved. Much like chiropractic, the minivan and quiche. We have seen studies showing a protective effect of coffee consumption on Parkinson’s risk. The bottom line is that coffee contains polyphenols, just like tea, dark chocolate and red wine. These compounds are well known to protect us from chronic disease. With this in mind, this study was designed to evaluate caffeine intake, but intake was based on “cups per day,” which of course would include tea as well. But caffeine has its own set of benefits, although, like anything else, too much can create problems, in this case by overloading the adrenal glands. So caffeine is known to increase blood flow to the brain, and so increased nutrients to the brain would provide neurons with the ability to stay healthier. Read More.
Maternal Nutrient Supplementation Counteracts Bisphenol A induced DNA Hypomethylation in Early Development.
The average person may not be quite aware of the massive toxic load we are all exposed to on a daily basis (for a good scare, visit, (www.EWG.org). While we cannot eliminate our exposure, we can become cognizant and reduce our exposure as well as use diet and supplementation to mitigate the effects of this toxin exposure. In this mouse study, it was determined that Bisphenol A, a compound routinely found in plastics, damaged DNA. However, this damaged was avoided by folic acid supplementation. So, the best combined effect would be to reduce exposure while taking a good quality prenatal with adequate levels of folic acid. Read More.
DHA supplementation improves fasting and postprandial lipid profiles in hypertriglyceridemic men.
It never ceases to amaze me the bias in medicine today against Mother Nature. We see clinical trials with statin drugs that lower levels of triglycerides maybe 20% and the medical community bows down before the might of the HMG CoA reductase inhibitors. Well, here we see good ‘ole DHA drastically lowering both triglycerides (24%) and lowered large VLDL (the worst of the worst for lipids) and incredible 92%. So why on Earth do we still use the statin class of drugs? Incidentally, this study found that all the changes occurred up to 45 days and not beyond. Read More.
High dose probiotic and prebiotic cotherapy for remission induction of active Crohn’s disease.
While this is a small study, it’s definitely an important one for a variety of reasons. First, much research suggests that altered bacterial flora plays almost the pivotal role in development of inflammatory bowel disease, but that this alteration occurs early in life. All the more reason to avoid antibiotics at all costs, especially in infants. Next, the levels used in this study were substantial, with the average being 45 billion CFUs for the entire 13 months of the study. Lastly, the response was quite strong, with NO side effects noted. Given the litany of problems associated with pharmaceutical treatment of IBD, this lack of side effects is a strong selling point. Read More.
Sulfonylurea and glinide reduce insulin content, functional expression of K ATP channels, and accelerate apoptotic beta-cell death in the chronic phase.
Wow. The biggest fear in most diabetics is the need to go on insulin. I can honestly say that, without exception, I have yet to see a diabetic follow mainstream medicine’s protocols and get better. For all, it is a slow downward spiral of worsening glucose control ending up with insulin use or death from heart disease. Not a pretty picture, huh? If the outcome is not sickening enough, picture this–2 classes of commonly used drugs for diabetes kill off the very cells that make insulin in the pancreas. Read that last line again. That means that if you stay on your medication, it is likely to produce the very outcome most diabetics are trying desperately to avoid. Read More.
Association of Dietary Patterns With Cancer Recurrence and Survival in Patients With Stage III Colon Cancer.
There is an unfortunate attitude among many (if not most) oncologists in this country. Basically, the human body and its own inherent physiology no longer matters in the outcome of the cancer. Along these same lines, any type of supplementation or dietary change will be inconsequential in the total picture. However, this attitude is blatantly false with much research to back it up. That’s all fine and dandy, but the patient’s life is literally hanging in the balance. In today’s day and age, with the amount of research backing it up, it should be considered malpractice for an oncologist NOT to fully integrate physiology-based natural interventions to lower the risk of side effects and increase the outcomes of cancer patients. In this study alone, we see patients adopting a typical Western-type diet having more than TRIPLE the risk of death or recurrence of colon cancer. Triple. Read More.
Probiotics for treatment of acute diarrhoea in children: randomised clinical trial of five different preparations.
The continued high use of inappropriate antibiotics in children doesn’t seem to show any hint of waning. Some may look at this overuse of antibiotics in the short term and note that there is no harm in prescribing the antibiotics. I would suggest that “no harm” is the farthest thing from the truth. We are continually seeing probiotics being used therapeutically for the prevention and / or treatment of any number of problems. In this study, we see their use in children with acute diarrhea cutting down the number of hours of diarrhea from 115 to 70. That’s almost 2 days less. However, if you read down to the conclusions of the authors, please refrain from laughing at the comment that “pediatricians should choose bacterial preparations based on effectiveness data.” Heck, first they’ve have to actually admit that probiotics are effective before they’d even be concerned with more specific questions! Read More.
Treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with osteopathy: Results of a randomized controlled pilot study.
There has almost been much controversy about whether spinal adjusting has the ability to affect visceral function. Over the years, there has been a surprising number of studies (mostly in osteopathic journals) that do show an effect of manipulation on visceral function. In this small study we see that osteopathic manipulation was effective in symptom scores for irritable bowel syndrome. Couple manual therapy with some aggressive lifestyle changes and targeted suplementation and you’ve got quite a nice set of tools to drastically help IBS. Read More.
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