Revised May 10th, 2020 It is now abundantly clear that COVID-19 affects more than just the respiratory system. While oxygen deprivation from damaged lungs is still a leading cause of death, other manifestations include strokes and pulmonary emboli from blood clots, loss of smell and taste caused by nerve cell infection, vomiting and diarrhea in … Read More →
Ah yes, lactose intolerance…that seminal occurrence of stomach rumbling, gaseous bloat and odoriferous farts strong enough to make a dog vacate the room and that can, with little forewarning, transform into a Rorshach-inspired shart in one’s undergarments or sheets. Magic, pure utter magic! Lactose intolerance is defined by the Mayo Clinic this … Read More →
I haven’t spent much time writing about the oral microbiome on this blog, mainly because most research has until recently focused on the microbial flora of the intestinal tract. It is the colon, after all, where the largest colonies of microbes, both beneficial and pathogenic, reside. But the mouth harbors the second largest quantities … Read More →
Today’s post highlights a research paper out of Italy published this past April. (1) The study compared fasting blood markers for the presence of zonulin, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the inflammatory immune protein CD14 between healthy 100-year-olds and two other groups: those under the age of 40 who had the misfortune of having suffered a heart attack … Read More →
Abbreviations: ASO mice: alpha synuclein over-expressing mice aSyn: alpha-synuclein BBB: Blood Brain Barrier IBD: Inflammatory Bowel Disease IBS: Irritable Bowel Syndrome MSA: multiple system atrophy, Shy–Drager syndrome PD: Parkinson’s Disease SCFAs: Short Chain Fatty Acids SIBO: Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth According to the Merck Manual, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is defined as: “a slowly progressive, degenerative disorder … Read More →
“Chronic low-grade inflammation is now considered to be a critical pathological factor underlying many modern chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases, and is associated with aging. Chronic low-grade inflammation is characterized by elevated circulating levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1, and IL-6. A primary cause … Read More →
“As a people, we have become obsessed with Health. There is something fundamentally, radically unhealthy about all this. We do not seem to be seeking more exuberance in living as much as staving off failure, putting off dying. We have lost all confidence in the human body.” -Lewis Thomas, The Medusa and the Snail … Read More →
This website is now averaging around 9,000 page views per month, which is frankly amazing to me given how sporadic my blogging has been of late. Of that number, a good 75% are first time visitors so let me say welcome to you all. I realize most of you come here for a post … Read More →
If I had a cardboard box for a head I’d be sad too. “Rumination refers to the tendency to repetitively think about the causes, situational factors, and consequences of one’s negative emotional experience. Basically, rumination means that you continuously think about the various aspects of situations that are upsetting. Think about your own tendencies. When … Read More →
Abbreviations: BCM7: beta-casomorphin-7 FODMAP: fermentable Oligo-, Di- and Mono-saccharides and Polyols MCP1: monocyte chemotactic protein 1 MPO: myeloperoxidase NCGS: Non-celiac gluten sensitivity SIBO: small intestinal bacterial overgrowth Today’s post is about an Italian trial confirming that all may not be right with the Western world’s favorite grain. The study is titled Small Amounts of … Read More →
Long-time readers of this blog know that my main emphasis has been on gut bacteria and the substrates those bacteria utilize to grow and thrive. Apart from scattered mention of other organisms like Candida albicans (a yeast we all harbor), fungi have never been a focus of my musings. I thought now was a good … Read More →
Abbreviations: F-HFD: fructose enriched high-fat coconut oil diet F-SO-HFD: fructose enriched high-fat soybean oil diet HFD: high-fat coconut oil diet LPSs: lipopolysaccharides PUFAs: polyunsaturated fatty acids SO-HFD: high-fat soybean oil diet Viv: low-fat, high-fiber rodent diet “Look! It’s moving. It’s sa — it’s… it’s alive. It’s alive… It’s alive, it’s moving, it’s alive! It’s … Read More →
Abbreviations: CFU/mL: colony forming units per milliliter. ESS: euthyroid sick syndrome GI: gastrointestinal PPIs: proton-pump inhibitors SIBO: small intestinal bacterial overgrowth SIFBO: small intestinal fungal and bacterial overgrowth SIFO: small intestinal fungal overgrowth Today I want to revisit two verified risk factors for small intestinal fungal and bacterial overgrowth (SIFBO). A study published in … Read More →
Today’s post will cover a ground-breaking study out of Sweden that examined the interactions between gut flora and the blood-brain barrier (BBB). (1) This definition of the blood-brain barrier from Wikipedia sums up its structure and function quite nicely: “The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a highly selective permeability barrier that separates the circulating blood … Read More →
Cheshire Cat: Where are you going? Alice: Which way should I go? Cheshire Cat: That depends on where you are going. Alice: I don’t know. Cheshire Cat: Then it doesn’t matter which way you go. ― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Dear Dr. Aaron E. Carroll, You don’t know me from Adam, but I feel … Read More →