LifeCare Chiropractic

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inflammation

Impaired Nighttime Sleep in Healthy Old vs Young Adults – (05-20-03)

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Impaired Nighttime Sleep in Healthy Old vs Young Adults Associated with Elevated IL-6 and Cortisol Levels

Wow!! The implications of this study are quite exciting. Basically, a marker of inflammation (interleukin-6) and cortisol levels (the body’s stress hormone) are associated with poor sleep quality and duration. This article does not differentiate whether the lack of sleep causes elevated values (which we already know that lack of sleep is a stress to the body and produces stress hormones), or whether the elevated levels interfere with sleep. Knowing the human body, it’s probably both. An important clinical note here–this article would strongly work against the common usage of valium derivatives to help patients sleep. Based on this article, any patient with problems sleeping needs to be fully evaluated for cortisol levels (best done with saliva) and markers of inflammation and treated appropriately.

JCEM — Abstracts: Vgontzas et al. 88 (5): 2087

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Dietary (n-3)/(n-6) Fatty Acid Ratio – (05-20-03)

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Dietary (n-3)/(n-6) Fatty Acid Ratio: Possible Relationship to Premenopausal Breast Cancer Risk

Many researchers believe that the healthiest ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids is one to one, one to two (twice as many omega-6) at the most. Traditional standard American diet (read: SAD) is closer to 1 to 20 (twenty times omega-6) which leads to a pro-inflammatory profile of cytokines. This will lead to increased inflammation, and since inflammation has been tied to just about every chronic disease known to man, the results of this study are not a surprise.

nutrition.org — Abstracts: Goodstine et al. 133 (5): 1409

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Probiotics, microbial flora, inflammation and tumour development – (07-30-01)

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Probiotics, microbial flora, inflammation and tumour development

Lactobacillus in this study was shown to have a myriad of beneficial effects, none of which are a big surprise for those of us following this therapy for years. What does amaze me is that, as beneficial as probiotics have been shown to be for numerous GI conditions, probiotics are still relatively unheard of in mainstream medicine.

Synergy : Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics 15 (8), 1219-1225

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Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation in Overweight Children – (01-08-01)

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Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation in Overweight Children

Inflammation is a causative or contributing factor in almost all chronic diseases in man. With many of today’s children overweight, eating poor diets and not getting enough exercise, this finding of chronic low grade inflammation is a very poor prognostic factor in their health.

Pediatrics — Abstracts: Visser et al. 107 (1): e13

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Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Hypertension – (12-14-00)

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Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Hypertension

It seems that we can now add elevation of BP to the list of side effects of NSAIDs use. This list also contains gastric erosions/ulcers, disruption of intestinal permeability, kidney damage and liver damage. I could accept the harm vs benefit logic for NSAIDs if there were not tens if not hundreds of natural options to curb inflammation without these side effects. Remember…NSAIDs do not fix whatever caused the underlying inflammation.

J Clin Hypertens 2(5):319-323, 2000 Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are among the most widely prescribed medications. Their effect on blood pressure has been monitored, and many small studies have determined a potential relationship between their use and elevation of blood pressure. These drugs may affect blood pressure by inhibiting prostaglandin synthesis, which may affect arteriolar smooth muscle tone and natriuresis. Since many patients with conditions such as osteoarthritis require treatment and also have hypertension, even modest elevations in blood pressure or inhibition of antihypertensive medication efficacy resulting from non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can be of significant clinical and public health importance. This review finds that certain drugs (e.g., indomethicin, piroxicam, and naproxen) may cause clinically relevant elevations in blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Aspirin and sulindac do not appear to elevate blood pressure significantly, even in hypertensive patients. Ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs appear to have an intermediate blood pressure effect. Cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors such as refecoxib and celecoxib have been shown to cause mild elevations in blood pressure, but further studies are needed to evaluate the full magnitude and population distribution of this effect.

Bacterial Regulation of Epithelial Responses – (10-05-00)

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Bacterial Regulation of Epithelial Responses

This is another article presenting evidence that beneficial bacteria can help reduce inflammation in the GI tract. It’s a little technical, but the take home message is that this is a separate route or method of reducing inflammation. Different bacteria have different routes, and when working in concert, can have a significant effect on reducing inflammation in the GI tract and the rest of the body.

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CRP, Interleukin 6, and Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus – (07-23-01)

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CRP, Interleukin 6, and Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Inflammation plays a key role in many of today’s chronic diseases and lifestyle changes to lower overall inflammatory burden will cut across disease risk for a variety of diseases. Identifying and avoiding food allergies, choosing a more plant based diet over animal based, adequate fruit and veggie intake and exercise are just a few of the ways to lower inflammation. Of interesting note is that insulin is generally considered a proinflammatory hormone (with the exception of a few studies that suggest an anti-inflammatory action in certain instances)…it is possible that increasing inflammation is one way in which high insulin promotes diabetes.

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Weight Loss Increases Adipose-Derived Anti-Inflammatory Adiponectin – (08-20-01)

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Weight Loss Increases Adipose-Derived Anti-Inflammatory Adiponectin

Two things here. First, keep your ears open for adiponectin. It is a newly identified protein that may play a key role in hormone modulation of obesity and inflammation. Second, we see the tangled web that is woven in health and disease. As we gain adipose tissue, levels of adiponectin are reduced and inflammation may rise, leading to many other disease states. Once the dominoes of bad health begin to fall, the pieces are set in motion. On the other hand, on the road back to health, once these factors start working in our favor, many aspects of biochemistry fall back into place.

JCEM — Abstracts: Yang et al. 86 (8): 3815

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