What do we know about hormones for menopause? What are the risks and the benefits for women? Erika Schwartz, MD Chief Medical Officer at the Age Management Institute discusses the state of science and uses of hormone therapy for health concerns and improving quality of life. Dr. Schwartz also discusses the importance of preventative and individualized medicine for women. Presented at the Integrative Healthcare Symposium Annual Conference (IHS) in New York City – February 22, 2017 View the slides  …

Hypertension (HTN) affects more than a third (32.6%) of Americans and is a major risk factor for heart disease and mortality.1 Unfortunately, the exact mechanisms as to development and maintenance of this condition are yet to be understood. It has been suggested that HTN is associated with a fundamental defect in the ability for the kidneys to excrete sodium.2 Salt sensitivity of blood pressure (BP) is a measurable, physiological, trait where an increase in dietary sodium intake leads to an increase in…

Clinicians and healthcare practitioners have a unique opportunity in advocating lifestyle medicine because patients see them as a reliable source of advice. However, there are still numerous technical and logistic challenges to overcome before personal “big data” can be translated into actionable and clinically relevant solutions. Clinicians are also facing various issues prior to bringing personalized lifestyle medicine to their practice. Nevertheless, emerging ground-breaking research projects have given us a glimpse of how systems thinking and computational methods may lead…

During periods of over-nutrition, excess energy is stored in white adipose tissue (WAT); continuing expansion of WAT may lead to obesity. Obesity alters the cellular physiology of adipocytes, the cells of WAT. In the context of obesity, adipocytes secrete elevated levels of free fatty acids and adipokines, but decreased levels of adiponectin. These pathophysiologic changes have many effects. Elevated free fatty acids contribute to insulin resistance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and impaired arterial flow regulation Download the PDF

The clinical results of a randomized controlled research study that showed a diabetes-specific nutrition formula for glucose control in combination with a structured dietary plan resulted in significant reduction in HbA1c levels and body weight in overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) compared to an individualized dietary plan alone. The study, conducted by the Joslin Diabetes Center, was presented at the American Diabetes Association’s 76th Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, Louisiana. "Effective management of A1c levels, while challenging, is…

This research review discusses how the combination of undenatured type II collagen and tetrahydro iso-alpha acids help revitalize joint function and support an active lifestyle. Arthritis is not a single condition. In fact, there are more than 100 different forms of arthritis. The 2 most common types of arthritis, whose main feature is joint pain, are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). OA is a degenerative joint disease characterized by active bone remodeling, articular cartilage degradation, and synovial inflammation resulting…

Dyslipidemia is a prominent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and impacts over half of US adults. Lifestyle interventions, particularly those incorporating medical nutrition therapy, are essential in the management of dyslipidemia, to halt progression towards advanced CVD and metabolic disease. The primary objective of this multi-site, prospective case series was to measure changes in the plasma atherogenic lipid profile and metabolic syndrome-related variables in 24 overweight patients with dyslipidemia at baseline, 4 weeks after daily consumption of a…

This paper is entitled, “Supplementation with Specialized Pro-Resolving Mediators Reduces Inflammatory Biomarkers and Improves Reported Clinical Symptomology in Subjects with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions: Results from a Multi-Center Open-Case Series” Highlights: Inflammation has 2 phases: initiation and resolution. Many chronic health issues are linked to unresolved inflammation Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) are endogenous molecules essential for resolution of inflammation but may not be produced in required levels in certain condition Multi-center case study assessed effects of a proprietary SPM supplement (LM-O3)…

Type 2 diabetes is an increasing global health issue, which benefits from ongoing research in medical nutrition therapy. All attempts to introduce a modified diet, reduced caloric intake and physical activity have been shown to assistance patients experiencing glucose toxicity. Impaired glucose tolerance causes many health issues, including cardiovascular disease. This review covers the criteria for diagnosis of diabetes and prediabetes research completed by Osama Hamdy, MD, PhD, Medical Director of the Obesity Clinical Program, at the Joslin Diabetes Center.…

Effects of a novel hops extract & undenatured collagen combination in a case series of subjects with chronic arthritic joint discomfort According to the National Health Interview Survey, 30% of US adults have reported experiencing some type of joint pain during the preceding 30 days. Hops-derived tetrahydroiso-alpha acids (THIAA) –a mixture of co-, n-, and ad-congeners –have been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties in vitro and to reduce bone cartilage degradation in a mouse model of RA. This case series provides…