Host: Deanna Minich, PhD, CNS, FACN, IFMCP Guest: Deborah Maragopoulos, MN, FNP "The hypothalamus is like the CEO of your entire body. Everything else are workers." – Deborah Maragopoulos, MN, FNP In this edifying discussion, Deborah Maragopoulos, FNP and Deanna Minich, PhD explore the neuro-immune-endocrine system and how the hypothalamus, specifically, is at the core of many patients’ chronic health issues, from mood and metabolic disorders to insomnia and autoimmunity. Over 30+ years of working in healthcare, Deborah explains that her…

by Sara Gottfried, MD  Introduction Anxiety is on the rise, and it occurs more commonly in women compared with men. Identifying anxiety in patients, performing root cause analysis, and collaborating on natural solutions beyond a pill-for-every-ill requires clinicians to practice both the art and science of medicine. Fortunately, the biological underpinnings of anxiety involving the gene/environment interface, along with a growing evidence base of natural remedies, provide a strong foundation for us to help our patients. One of the most…

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. Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND) encompass complications like postoperative delirium and longer-lasting postoperative cognitive dysfunction, which often negatively impact recovery in older adults. These complications can lead to significant, long-term morbidity for the patient and…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Understanding Lyme disease What do The Platters and Lyme disease have in common? Both, although for totally different reasons, are associated with “The Great Pretender.” The Platters landed their “Great Pretender” connection through the 1955 recording of the song by the same name, which would go on to reach the #1 position on the R&B and pop charts just a year later.1 Lyme disease, on the other hand, is unfortunately connected to the term “The Great Pretender”…

by Bianca Garilli, ND Depression and anxiety are two of the most common mental health disorders across the globe according to the World Health Organization (WHO); both conditions can range from mild to severe and may endure for months to years. Depression affects approximately 300 million people worldwide, or ~ 4.4% of the entire world’s population, and is a major contributor to suicide.1 Anxiety is nearly as prevalent, estimated to affect over 260 million people (3.6% of the global population).1…

by Ashley Jordan Ferira, PhD, RDN Once upon a time, I had a thyroid. Three years ago, to be exact. I had to undergo an emergent total thyroidectomy as a result of a severe, complicated case of Graves’ disease, further exacerbated around the time of diagnosis by another debilitating autoimmune condition, chronic urticaria. My family history for autoimmune thyroid dysfunction was significant, but looking back, I believe that my autoimmune disease trajectory may have been malleable. To what extent, I…

Vitamin D deficiency is a global pandemic, and the clinical impact is far-reaching for pediatric and adult patients. In this video, Dr. Sara Gottfried discusses the US Endocrine Society guidelines for vitamin D sufficiency and explains the differential impact of vitamin D2 vs. D3 supplementation on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels – 25(OH)D. Next, she provides insights on the synergistic role of vitamins D and K in bone and cardiovascular health. Since both of these essential, fat-soluble micronutrients are major nutrient…

by Sara Gottfried, MD and Nilima Desai MPH, RD Dynamic duos exist throughout culture: Batman and Robin. Thelma and Louise. They also exist in lifestyle medicine, because nutrients don’t fly solo. They interact often interdependently, act as cofactors in metabolic pathways, and compete for receptors. One example is how vitamin C helps you absorb more iron, like you find in red pepper hummus. Other examples are zinc and copper, vitamin B12 and folate, or even the combination of berberine and…

Host: Deanna Minich, PhD, CNS, FACN, IFMCP Guest: Karima Hirani, MD, MPH In this cutting edge discussion, Drs. Karima Hirani and Deanna Minich discuss pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS), honing in on its clinical presentation, assessment, and treatment options in both pediatric and adult patients. PANDAS is thought to arise from the development of brain-reactive autoantibodies following infection by a group A streptococcus (GAS). PANDAS is an episodic condition typified by a sudden onset of obsessive compulsive…

by Whitney Crouch, RDN, CLT Women are often educated around the changes they’ll see in their bodies as they journey through pregnancy, however there tends to be a vast knowledge void when it comes to mother’s health and expectations after baby’s arrival. Once the much-anticipated new addition has arrived, moms are followed up within six weeks after childbirth, likely asked about or given a questionnaire assessing postpartum depression symptoms, and physically evaluated by her care provider.1 The American College of…