dementia
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a condition which has increased its reach exponentially, and worldwide, over the last 10 years.1 AD is characterized by the development of two abnormal proteins in the brain known as tau and β-amyloid, which are toxic to nerve cells within the brain.2 Aggregation of said proteins inexorably leads to neuron destruction, degraded…
A toxin is a poisonous substance capable of causing death or serious debilitation, and is often found in air, water, and soil.1,2 In this author’s last post, hepatic phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification pathways were covered as a means of appreciating the primary method of capturing and excreting toxins (via urination and defecation). In…
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a condition accounting for 30% of all cause mortality and 10% disability worldwide (Zhang & Chang, 2019). Underlying causes of CVD can include congenital abnormalities, infectious agents, nutritional, and environmental factors (Reisner & Reisner, 2017; Sears, Kerr, & Bray, 2012). As such, interventions to manage said factors are paramount in maintaining…
Niacin, colloquially known as B3, was discovered via signs and symptoms of its deficiency; a condition known as pellagra. Pellagra was a prominent condition in the United States prior to the discovery of B3(Gropper, Smith, & Carr, 2018). As a means of appreciating niacin and its relationship to pellagra, the following will explore the same,…
Conventional medicine can be thought of as a system in which medical doctors and other healthcare professionals treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery (National Cancer Institute, 2018). Functional medicine (FM) is an emerging model, which considers the underlying cause of disease and symptoms in its effort to restore an individual’s homeostasis (Kresser…
Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a condition defined by a constellation of associated risk factors that increase a person’s chances of contracting stroke, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and diabetes (Chen, Yen, Huang, Lee, Hsia, & Lin, 2012). MS affects 35.1% men and 32.6% women in the United States, and associated risk factors include high levels of blood…
Simpson (2007) stated that the average person spends approximately 20-25 years asleep by age 70, and suggested that sleep quality and duration are essential to the maintenance of neurological function. Conversely, lack of sleep has been correlated to higher levels of inflammatory markers, in addition to compromised immune function, body temperature, renal function, and memory…
It is estimated that almost 8% of the US population has diabetes, with another 57 million having pre-diabetes (Hammaker, 2014). There is also a rise in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and some researchers are exploring its possible relationship to the aforementioned metabolic disease. As a means of appreciating the pathogenesis of AD, the following will explore…