Diabetes causes about 1.5 million deaths worldwide according to the World Health Organization. And a host of other threats—amputations, kidney failure, heart disease, vision problems and depression—await those living with diabetes. Most diabetics weren’t born with faulty blood sugar control. Nearly 90% have Type 2 diabetes or T2DM, a condition resulting from impaired insulin production […]
Clinical Corner
In Two-Thirds of Patients, Meds for Stomach Acids Overused
Just a few decades ago, a nip of baking soda was all you used for annoying stomach acids. Today, a multi-billion dollar industry hawks antacids, histamine (H2) blockers, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) across vast shelves in drugstores, supermarkets and warehouse stores. Snake oil or wonder drugs? Clearly, these popular remedies are effective at neutralizing stomach acids. If acid […]
In Colon Cancer, Probiotics Pay It Forward
Why are rates of colon cancer (CRC) rising across the globe? Much blame goes to the “Western diet” with its red meat, processed foods and low fiber content, a deadly menu now exported into the remotest regions of the earth. Of course, our “Western medicine” via colonoscopy can find polyps and laser them out before […]
WANTED: Probiotics, Dead or Alive
Much is made of the surviving numbers of live bacteria reaching our guts, whether through food or supplements. Yes, live probiotics taking seed and growing into vigorous colonies promise to be good neighbors across the spectrum of health for humans. But much like a life well-lived, good things can follow in the wake of even […]
In Obesity, Prebiotics Put the Complex in Carbohydrates
Obesity and its prime bedfellows (diabetes and heart disease) are epidemic. Obviously a calorie is not always just a calorie. In recent decades, science has been moving fast to discover links to microbes. Enough evidence now shows that the microbiota is different in obese and normal weight people though the details are hazy. Alert the […]
Preventing Eczema by Changing Your Microbes
There may not be an “x” in eczema, but extreme itching and inflammation spell out this painful disease most common in infants and children. Quick review: Eczema is an allergic response to foreign substances, often food; it falls under the medical umbrella of atopic dermatitis, along with asthma. Prevalence of allergic responses is rising globally. […]