Patients with obesity suffer from chronic, low-grade inflammation.1 That’s partly due to dysfunctions in the ability to endogenously create specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs).1 SPMs communicate with immune cells, telling them the inflammatory process is no longer needed and to finish the job.2 However, in many conditions, including obesity, the capability to send these potent signaling molecules can diminish, and so too can their effects.1-3 As a result, inflammation smolders and further perpetuates a vast array of associated conditions such as…

Menopause can be a serious disruption to a woman’s life. For decades, women and their doctors have turned to hormone replacement and nonhormonal therapies to seek relief. Many women prefer not to take hormones, or for various reasons hormones present a specific health risk, taking them off the table for therapy. A plant extract (ERr 731), made from Siberian rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum) has been in use for treating menopause in Europe since the 1990s and is now gaining momentum in…

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a mainstay for treating menopause, but more and more women are searching for non-hormonal therapies. An extract from Siberian Rhubarb (latin name Rheum rhaponticum) has been in use treating menopause for decades, and is now gaining popularity in more markets worldwide. Recently (2021) another clinical trial demonstrated the efficacy and safety of this extract, ERr-731, in treating menopause in Indian women.1 In this Indian trial researchers found a 4 mg once daily dose led to…

by Michael Stanclift, ND Patients with digestive problems aren’t always taken seriously by primary care providers. Often cases are dismissed with the nebulous diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), when the problem hasn’t been adequately worked up and given the proper attention. A recent study in Scientific Reports found that up to half of patients diagnosed with IBS also have a treatable and consequential condition called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). SIBO in and of itself has many underlying causes, and…

Metabolic detoxification (detox)—or biotransformation—is a physiological function that removes toxic substances of endogenous or exogenous origin from the body. Because the function and regulation of this process varies from person to person, different people can have a different sensitivity to toxic substances and their effects on the development of a variety of diseases such as liver conditions, fertility problems, and cancer. Along with sex, age, and lifestyle, genetics play an important role in this variability. But do we actually know…

There is a growing body of research on the use of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) as a key therapy for many different conditions.

Our protective skin is constantly facing environmental insult such as solar UV radiation. Oxidative stress can damage skin components and accelerate skin aging. Learn how we may support our skin by boosting skin’s antioxidant capacity via a phytonutrient-rich diet.

by Michael Stanclift, ND It goes by many names, ubiquinol (“yoo-bik-quin-ol”), ubiquinone (“yoo-bik-quin-ohn”), coenzyme Q10, or everybody’s favorite nickname, CoQ10. It’s found all over the body, in our mitochondria, which gives you an idea of how important it is to our health. CoQ10 is a fat-soluble antioxidant that we get by eating oily fish, organ meats, and whole grains, and CoQ10’s job is to help us make energy and protect our cells from free radicals. A wide range of medical…

by Joseph Lamb, MD “In 1982, while on sabbatical at the Linus Pauling Institute, I became convinced from the discussions I had with Dr. Pauling and many other luminaries that visited the Institute that the only way to really differentiate disease care from health care was through the development of a system that quantified health in terms of function and not the absence of disease.” —Jeffrey Bland, PhD President, Personalized Lifestyle Medicine Institute We all likely agree with Dr. Bland…

by Melissa Blake, ND Metabolic detoxification is a complex set of coordinating systems working together to neutralize and eliminate toxic substances from the body. It is an amazing and intricate design. As suggested by design expert Irene Au, just like any good design, “when it works, no one notices, but when it doesn’t, it sure stinks.” Patients know far too well just how much it does stink. Excess toxic burden (too much in, not enough out) has been associated with…