by Noelle Patno, PhD The common cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. Viruses that cause colds include more than a hundred different kinds of rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and many more. No wonder adults get colds 2-3 times a year on average and with even higher frequency for children and college students. As the most common human illness that leads to missed work and school, colds stay prevalent due to the many variants…

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 Melissa Blake, ND Immune resilience has never been more important or desired than in the past year. As a result of a global pandemic, patients and practitioners alike are seeking effective solutions to ensure a robust immune defense. Outside of the current COVID-19 concerns, respiratory tract infections (RTIs) pose a significant burden and are, in children, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals, the most prevalent diseases globally.1 A well-balanced gut microbiota is associated with protection against various diseases, including respiratory infections,…

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, adequate-protein diet that has proven to be effective for the reversal of several chronic conditions including obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type-2 diabetes (T2DM) in trials of up to two years.1 However, the degree of therapeutic response to KD varies across individuals.2,3 For example, some KD dieters lose more weight than others, and, while most of them improve their blood lipids, so-called “high responders” experience abnormal increases in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Many…

by Anu Desai, PhD Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a single-stranded molecule of genetic code found in all living cells. As a chemical intermediary, mRNA carries instructions from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in our chromosomes to cellular machinery in the cytoplasm of the cell to make proteins.1 Over the past decade, research and technological innovations progressed rapidly in the field of vaccine development enabling mRNA as a promising therapeutic tool. There has been research on mRNA vaccines for infectious agents, such as…

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…

by Anu Desai, PhD Pollution and toxic elements Environmental pollution and toxins from plastics, pesticides, smoke, contaminated water, and food have the potential to greatly impact human health.1 These toxic loads cause inflammatory and autoimmune responses, including neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and multiple sclerosis (MS).2-4 More recently, some efforts have been made to minimize the exposures to pollutants in the long run, such as: using BPA-free plastics, attempting to reduce greenhouse gasses, and incorporating clean-energy…