Most patients seeking pain relief rely on the following three families of drugs: opioids, gabapentinoids, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs). These widely used drugs are associated with serious side effects.1 During the past decade there has been an increasing interest in cannabis-derived natural products for pain management with a better safety profile and adequate pain relief. However, we still know surprisingly little about the effectiveness on pain of nonintoxicating cannabis-based products—conventionally referred to as “industrial hemp.” To fill this knowledge…

by Michael Stanclift, ND Many of us have been using omega-3 fats, such as fish oil, for managing inflammatory conditions. Interestingly, fish oil and special molecules made from them called specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) have big impacts on our immune system and play an important role in the activity of immune cells. The key lies in how fats such as the ones found in fish oil influence the behavior of the white blood cells (WBCs) of our immune system. Our…

In this interview, Dipak Panigrahy, MD discusses the emerging impact of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) on tumor size and growth, highlighting his work with several preclinical models including pancreatic cancer and breast cancer.  Dr. Panigrahy outlines the reduction in metastases seen in preclinical cancer models, including pancreatic cancer, following treatments with various SPMs. Finally, Dr Panigrahy describes results in preclinical models showing that SPM treatment helps to clear tumor debris caused by standard of care cancer treatments. Dipak Panigrahy, MD,…

In this interview, Professor Charles Serhan, PhD, DSc describes new work highlighting the connection between specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) and the vagus nerve. Dr. Serhan reflects back at his proudest moments of his career, and on the most exciting recent developments. Finally, Dr. Serhan delivers a message on the state of resolution science today, and what is needed to advance SPM-based therapies in the future. Charles Serhan, PhD, DSc is Director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury…

As part of this conversation, Gabrielle Fredman, PhD describes what is meant by the failure of resolution, and the mechanisms that can drive this failure in atherosclerosis. Dr. Fredman ends by outlining the potential for specialized pro-resolving mediator (SPM) therapies in the management of vascular disease. Gabrielle Fredman, PhD is Associate Professor at Albany Medical College, Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology. From the 16th International Conference on Bioactive Lipids in Cancer, Inflammation and Related Diseases, October 2019 in St…

In this Grand Rounds presentation, Niccolò Terrando, PhD shares scientific research on the role of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) in perioperative neurocognitive disorders. Dr. Terrando uses a preclinical mouse model to study postoperative neuroinflammation and elucidate the impact of SPMs in neuroglia activity and modulating memory.

by Kari Hamrick, PhD, RD and Elnaz Karimian-Azari, PhD Introduction Since 2016, the US Department of Health and Human Services has brought a new level of awareness to the opioid crisis in America by declaring it a nationwide Public Health Emergency.1 In the US, it is approximated that 2.5 million people have been diagnosed with an opioid use disorder (OUD), and 4 in 5 new heroin users started out misusing opioid prescription pain medication.2 As part of the efforts aimed…

Terry Wahls, MD challenges the conventional medical view that MS is progressive and degenerative and shares her personal journey with MS, which is a shining example that healing is possible. This riveting story reveals how a once-conservative academic internal medicine doctor came into direct conflict with the very material she was meant to teach her med students and had to find new answers to medically “unsolvable” problems.

by Erik Lundquist, MD Metagenics Institute sat down with family physician Erik Lundquist, MD for a Q&A session to bust some myths about the Cannabis plant and glean current insights for our readers on the clinical utility of phytocannabinoids naturally found in Cannabis, like cannabidiol (CBD). Read on to learn how, based on the scientific literature and in Dr. Lundquist’s clinical experience, these unique bioactives with actions in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) may be relevant to you and your patients.…

Host: Deanna Minich, PhD Guest: Erik Lundquist, MD In this discussion, Erik Lundquist, MD and Deanna Minich, PhD explore thyroid physiology, assessment, and clinical pearls for treating patients with thyroid dysfunction or disorders. The crux of the discussion is treating the individual patient, not the labs. You will learn valuable insights and effective clinical strategies that Dr. Lundquist utilizes every day in his clinic to provide personalized support to patients with thyroid disorders. Dr. Lundquist shares that in his medical school…