LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

asthma

CONCEPT OF CALORIE RESTRICTION WITHOUT NUTRIENT RESTRICTION – (09-17-07)

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Alternate day calorie restriction improves clinical findings and reduces markers of oxidative stress and inflammation in overweight adults with moderate asthma

The concept of calorie restriction without nutrient restriction really intrigues me. While I have not used it clinically, the research supporting this type of approach is rapidly growing, and almost everything I’ve read is positive.

The problem with calorie restriction is that most patients would not be willing to partake in this as a lifestyle choice. The drug companies are trying to find out how to mimic it with a pharmaceutical compound and the researchers are trying to figure out how to make a CR approach more appealing to the masses. The idea of restricting calories every other day is definitely do-able.

Initial research suggests that calorie restriction increases both the efficiency and number of mitochondria. Basically, the body becomes very effective in utilizing all calories that come into the body and does this by making more and “stronger” mitochondria.

In this particular study, researchers found that alternate day CR in 10 obese patients with asthma had positive effects as soon as 2 weeks. Pretty strong findings for such a safe approach.

Read entire article here

MORE EVIDENCE LINKING INFANT DRUGS AND ASTHMA / ALLERGIES

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“Atopic” is the term used to describe a tendency towards allergy, asthma or just a general predisposition towards sensitivity of the immune system.  And we are seeing much more of it in our children these days.  But is it just heredity, or something more?

It is clear that our bodies have developed a commensal (mutually beneficial) relationship with the bacteria inside and around us. Certainly there are times when this relationship turns sour, but, in general, the list of benefits we received from our normal flora is quite long.  On the flip side, destroying or not developing a healthy normal flora in the first place throws of the balance of our immune system and opens us up to an equally long list of chronic diseases.  As examples:

  1. Babies born via C-section birth have different bacteria than their vaginal birth counterparts.  This increases risk of asthma.
  2. Antibiotic use in children has been shown in multiple studies to increase the risk of asthma.
  3. More evidence linking antibiotic use and asthma.
  4. Just in case the above studies aren’t enough…
  5. Antibiotic use massively increases the likelihood that a child carries MRSA.

 Other factors that have been shown to increase the risk of asthma in our children may actually begin in the womb:

  1. Tylenol use in infants and children increases the risk of asthma.
  2. Healthier fats (especially omega-3s) during pregnancy lowers the risk of asthma.
  3. Tylenol use in pregnancy increases the risk of asthma in the child.

This particular article offers additional insight into the mechanism by which a normal, healthy bacterial flora may protect against the development of atopy beyond the factors mentioned above. 

H. pylori is a bacteria that was pegged in the mid 80’s as the major cause of stomach ulcers.  Much like anything else in medicine, when we peg a disease on a single factor we like to respond with a single approach (in this case antibiotics).  Regular readers of the Rantings will know that I consider H. pylori an opportunistic pathogen at worst, part of our healthy normal flora at best. 

Prior research has shown that, when H. pylori is present early in the lifespan, it plays a strong role in balancing the immune system and keeping us healthy.  On the contrary, when exposure comes later in life, H. pylori has the potential to disrupt the lining of the gut and potentially cause ulcers.

The bottom line is that, if you are pregnant, thinking about becoming pregnant or have a young child, remember that antibiotics are to be avoided in all but life-threatening situations.  And, if absolutely necessary, follow up with a good course of probiotics for at least 2 weeks afterward.

USE OF TOO MUCH ANTIBIOTIC INCREASES CHILDHOOD ASTHMA RISK – (02-25-08)

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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 entire article here

ADVERSE EFFECTS OF INHALED CORTICOSTEROIDS IN FUNDED AND NONFUNDED STUDIES – (03-17-08)

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Adverse Effects of Inhaled Corticosteroids in Funded and Nonfunded Studies

In this study, authors looked at the results and how they were portrayed when the studies on asthma medications were funded by a pharmaceutical company. The funded studies were less likely to find that a side effect was statistically significant, and even more importantly, the authors of the funded studies, when adverse effects were significant, were 3.68 times as likely to describe the drug as “safe” in the conclusions.

The problem is that a busy clinician reading just the abstract without a good idea of what odds ratios or relative risks are may be misled into think the drug is “safe.” Of course, we are assuming that most clinicians actually READ medical literature… The bottom line is that, over the past few years, we have seen that the data supporting medication is flawed in every step of the process, from design to data crunching right down to the wording to describe the data.

Read entire article here

RISK FACTORS FOR ASTHMA AT 3.5 AND 7 YEARS OF AGE – (05-26-08)

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Risk factors for asthma at 3.5 and 7 years of age

Regular readers of Updates know how much I rant and rave about how disconnected pediatricians are from the medical literature, and how inappropriate antibiotic use is devastating the health of our children. It is well established that the bacteria in our gut is a major factor in many processes, from toning a developing immune system to protecting against foreign bugs to detoxifying chemicals in our environment. To destroy this important balance of good vs bad bacteria in our gut without truly understanding the long term ramifications should be malpractice.

In this study we see a relationship between antibiotic use and asthma, again a result of destruction of the bacteria so important in helping the developing immune system stay balanced. Of particular note is that the use of antibiotics quadrupled the risk of wheezing at 7 yrs of age. This is a very large increase in risk. In addition, the use of a used mattress in infancy also increased the risk. The point is that there are many modifiable risk factors to dramatically lower the risk of asthma in our children that are just NOT being addressed.

Read entire article here

INCREASE INTAKE OF HIGH PHYTONUTRIENT FOODS REDUCES ASTHMA – (11-24-08)

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Oral administration of the purple passion fruit peel extract reduces wheeze and cough and improves shortness of breath in adults with asthma

Asthma and allergies are two conditions that can be greatly impacted by lifestyle choices, but these changes need to be rather all encompassing to have a stronger effect. However, sometimes simple but powerful natural products can have significant effects, as we see in this study with a high polyphenol fruit. One thing I always try to impress upon patients is the need to increase our intake of high phytonutrient foods such as dark berries, nuts, dark colored vegetables and spices. These items truly are very easy to add to our diets if we’re just aware of the concept.

Read entire article here

DOES HELICOBACTER PYLORI PROTECT AGAINST ASTHMA AND ALLERGY? – (11-24-08)

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Does Helicobacter pylori protect against asthma and allergy?

Regular readers of updates know that I am strongly against the blanket destruction of H. pylori every time a patient has some type of gastric problem. I firmly believe that the presence, or rather, the pathological behavior of H. pylori is a result of the environment it is in, rather then the bacteria itself.

This article suggests that the presence of H. pylori goes about as far back in time as we could envision, being present at least in our Paleolithic ancestors. Knowing this, does it sound like this might be a bacteria that is independently responsible for many gastric related disorders and needs to be eradicated on sight? Forget the fact that the course of antibiotics to destroy the H. pylori will also wipe out other protective bacteria in our alimentary tract!!

Read entire article here

IS STOMACH ACID ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO GOOD HEALTH? (08-24-09)

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First evidence of a possible association between gastric acid suppression during pregnancy and childhood asthma

I cannot begin to stress enough just how vitally important digestion is. Any attempt to block digestion with acid suppressive drugs (with the exception of those in the middle of a bleeding ulcer episode) is going to have long term, multiple, consequences on health. Stomach acid is absolutely essential to good health.

In this particular study we can see that these effects can even stretch to the unborn baby, increasing the risk for asthma.

Read entire article here