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gut-brain axisMood & Microbiome

A Guide for Enhancing Vagus Nerve Tone to Support the Gut-Brain Axis

Optimize Gut-Brain Axis: Enhance Vagus Nerve Tone. Explore evidence-based strategies for improving vagus nerve health and promoting optimal gut-brain axis functioning. Discover deep breathing, exercise, meditation, probiotics, and omega-3 supplementation. Elevate patient well-being.

gut-brain axis

The Vagus Nerve Superhighway: Formation of the Gut Brain Connection

It’s impressive: the wandering 10th cranial, or vagus, nerve is the longest in the human body, stretching from the brainstem to the lowest …

AgingArthritis

Exposure to Hydrocarbons Increases Arthritis Risk

Research published in the journal BMJ Open found that exposure to compounds caused by burning coal, oil, wood, and tobacco can increase risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

AgingCognitive Health

Inhaling Menthol Improves Cognitive Function in Alzheimer’s Patients

A Spanish study published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology found that smelling menthol modulated immunity and improved cognition in an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease.

Botanical MedicineCardiovascular Health

When antihypertensive drugs lose efficacy, rule out interactions with dietary supplements

Anticipating possible interactions between drugs and dietary supplements is a challenging area of integrative practice.  When we think about interactions, …

Cardiovascular HealthLifestyle Medicine

How a High-Fat Diet Promotes Atherosclerosis

A study in the Journal of Lipid Research finds that phospholipids found in high-fat, high-cholesterol diets promote atherosclerosis via gut bacteria interactions with the immune system.

/ Top Articles /

Botanical MedicineCognitive Health

New Active Compounds in Lion’s Mane Enhance Brain Health & Memory

Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) has been prized for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine for its brain- and health-boosting properties. Now researchers from The University of …

Gut MicrobiomeMicrobiome

Research-Backed Ingredients to Support Mood Balance

Love Your Happy Place The human microbiota consists of trillions of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and others. The vast majority, around 70%, of …

Gut MicrobiomeImmune Health

Biofilms — A Contributor to Chronic, Degenerative Disease

From the plaque on our teeth to the mucosal layers in the gut lumen, biofilms are everywhere in our environment — and they are a …

Environmental MedicineGut Microbiome

Zonulin: A Key to Understanding Leaky Gut & Certain Diseases

Over the past 15 years, a growing body of published research supports the hypothesis that the protein zonulin is a key modulator of the tight …

Gut MicrobiomeMicrobiome

Does Akkermansia Hold the Key To Metabolic Health?

Our gut flora has a role in many internal processes, including regulating our immune system, influencing our mood and cognitive function through the gut-brain axis, …

Botanical MedicineCardiovascular Health

The Treatment Protocol I Used to Lower My BP: A Personal Case Report by Robert Lamberton, BSc, FNTP

Recently I decided to check my blood pressure which I had not done for a while. My BP has always been pretty good throughout my …

AgingGlutathione

Glycine & NAC: A Winning Combo for Longevity

Have scientists discovered the fountain of youth? Not quite yet, but there’s some promising new research to report. According to a study from Nutrients, a …

Omega-3 fatty acids clinical guidelines
Gut MicrobiomeMicrobiome

Link Between Gut Bacteria, Estradiol, and Depression Discovered

A potential new cause of depression in premenopausal women has been uncovered. According to a study in the journal Cell Metabolism, women struggling with depression …

/Focus on Sleep/

Sleep Problems Increase Risk of Stroke

A study published in Neurology finds that sleep issues ranging from excessive snoring to prolonged napping can increase the risk of having a stroke.

Sleep: Your Night Job

Any health news junkie can see that the importance of sleep has come to center stage. Our collective interest in this shut-eye time grew when studies started linking a lack of sleep to obesity. Ghrelin, an appetite regulatory hormone, became known as the …

Sleep and Relaxation Support

Eight Supplements for Sleep and Relaxation Support

As mentioned in previous articles, phosphatidylserine, ashwagandha, and melatonin, provide a wide array of nutraceuticals with evidence that backs their use for sleep and relaxation support. In clinical practice however, we often lack the time to do a deep dive into the …

Sleeping with the Lights On Spells Trouble

Sleeping in the dark may make you healthier, according to a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers found that just one night of exposure to moderate room light negatively affects cardiometabolic health.  The sleep study involved 20 subjects, …

Effects of a Bacopa monnieri extract (Bacognize®) on stress, fatigue, quality of life and sleep in adults with self-reported poor sleep: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study

ABSTRACT// In this 28-day, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 100 adults with self-reported poor sleep received either a placebo or a standardised Bacopa monnieri extract (150 mg twice daily). Outcome measures included the Bergen Insomnia Scale (primary outcome measure), Functional Outcomes of Sleep …

Circadian Regulation, Stress and Sleep

Neural Pathway IDed Circadian Regulation, Stress and Sleep

A Nagoya University-led research team in Japan has found a new neural pathway that links the circadian regulation, stress, and sleep in in mammals. The team identified a neuron, called the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neuron, that becomes excessively active when the mammal …

sedatives and sleep

Stimulants and Sedatives: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Stimulants and sedatives, they are a push-pull solution to our stress-packed world that are nothing but trouble. In our go-go-go world, we see not only our patients but also ourselves at times drawn to substances that serve as stimulants to keep us …

Insomnia and Disrupted Sleep

Melatonin: Coping with the Difficulties of Insomnia and Disrupted Sleep

Many a time in life when stress hormones are flying, our patients experience the unfortunate experience of insomnia and disrputed sleep. The experience of insomnia is not uncommon, with about one-third to two-thirds of adults in cross-sectional surveys describing insomnia symptoms of …

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