An Integrative and Functional Medicine Resource for Healthcare Professionals
Today’s Practitioner provides integrative and functional medicine practitioners with clinical research, expert insights, emerging science, and practical resources to improve patient care.
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Is Niacin Still an Effective Option for Lipid Management?
Today’s cardiometabolic care is moving beyond a singular focus on LDL cholesterol toward a more comprehensive therapeutic strategy. Properly formulated and prescribed, niacin merits renewed ...
A 30-Year Investigation Into Culprit Biomarker Galectin-3: From Survival to Sepsis—and Beyond
For more than 30 years, Isaac Eliaz, MD, MS, LAc, has investigated Galectin-3 and its role in inflammation, fibrosis, cancer, kidney injury, sepsis, and emerging ...
Why Do Some Respond Better to GLP-1 Drugs? Galectin-3 May Offer a Clue
Why do two patients with similar metabolic profiles sometimes respond so differently to the same GLP-1 medication? Galectin-3 may offer an important clue. This emerging ...
Can L-Theanine and Caffeine Improve Focus in ADHD?
A new study explores whether combining L-theanine and caffeine may help support selective attention and promote a state of calm alertness.
Specific Ultraprocessed Food Ingredients May Raise Hypertension Risk
A new study suggests that specific ingredients in ultraprocessed foods may be linked to a higher risk of developing hypertension.
Beyond the Gut: Finding the Upstream Driver in Complex GI Cases
The gut is often where complex physiology becomes visible—not necessarily where it begins. Explore a structured laboratory and systems-based approach for identifying upstream drivers and ...
Why Niacin Remains Unique for Lipid and Lp(a) Support
Nicotinic acid has a distinctive role in nutritional lipid support. By influencing free-fatty-acid release, hepatic triglyceride production, and VLDL synthesis, niacin works upstream in lipid ...
Can a Small Daily Dose of Vitamin K2 Support Bone Health?
A randomized trial found that 100 mcg of vitamin K2 improved osteocalcin activation in healthy adults. But does that mean stronger bones?
How Essential Oils Support Digestive Health, the Microbiome, and the Gut-Brain Connection
Could essential oils support a healthier gut ecosystem? Learn how aromatic compounds may interact with microbial communities, support relaxation and parasympathetic activity, and contribute to ...
Conquering Seasonal Allergies and Asthma: A Simple Yet Effective Approach
Spring is a difficult time of year for many patients, due to the onset of seasonal allergies. In my clinical practice, I’ve found that employing ...
Comprehensive Protocol for Defending Immunity
Maintaining a healthy immune system is critical to supporting a patient’s overall well-being and productivity in daily life. No one likes to be laid low ...
AHCC: Powerful Immune Support
This concentrated blend of bioactive compounds harnesses the power of medicinal mushrooms, in a natural supplement with proven benefits. Widely recognized for their immunosupportive ...
Eight Evidence-Based Ingredients to Promote Immunity, Prevent Infection and Protect Your Patients
With the start of school, and as colder weather and winter approach, practitioners brace for an increase in colds, flu, respiratory infections and other ailments. ...
Want Effective Immune Support? Then Stop Pigeon-Holing Botanicals
If we want our patients’ immune systems to be robust, we must take a wider view of immune health. After all, immune system support is ...
Surviving Seasonal Allergies
As spring approaches, tree pollen counts soar–and so does the influx of patients with congestion, itching, sneezing and watery, irritated eyes. Inflammation plays a prominent ...
Before the bugs hit: protect your patients with science-backed supplements shown to enhance immunity.
Given the continuing uncertainty about COVID-19 variants and this season’s suspected infection rates, we’re all bracing for winter. Meanwhile, the usual suspects—flu, RSV, the common ...
Is Your Immune System Susceptible or Strong?
Whether or not we contract a virus, bacteria, or other pathogen depends on our individual susceptibility. So what makes someone more susceptible to becoming ill? ...
Obesity Accelerates Loss of Vaccine Protection
The protection offered by Covid-19 vaccinations declines more rapidly in obese people than in those with normal weight, according to a new study in Nature ...
Can Melatonin Treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)?
Melatonin is a sleep hormone that helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm. Intestinal melatonin levels are 400 times higher than in systemic circulation, playing a major role in gut health. It has anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and motility-regulating effects. Human studies have shown ...
Probiotic Metabolite May Help Treat IBS
Science is only beginning to understand the role that the gut microbiome—the collection of bacteria and other microbes that live in our intestines—plays in our overall health. For one thing, these tiny tenants of our digestive system metabolize various components of our ...
Does Fiber Make IBD Worse?
Eat more fiber — patients with irritable bowel disease (IBD) hear it all the time from well-meaning experts. But what if that advice is wrong, or even harmful? According to a new study in Gastroenterology, certain types of fiber can cause inflammation ...
Bacterial Histamine Linked to Abdominal Pain in IBS
Scientists from McMaster University and Queen’s University, both in Ontario, Canada, have identified a gut bacterial ‘super-producer’ of histamine that can trigger pain flare-ups in some irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients. The offender has been named Klebsiella aerogenes, the McMaster-Queen (MQ) strain, ...
Which Diet Is Best for IBS?
Three popular IBS diets went head-to-head in a recent British study from Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology — low-FODMAP (LFD), gluten-free (GFD), and traditional dietary advice (TDA). Researchers were surprised to discover that all three eating plans reduced symptoms by roughly 50% among ...
Leaky Gut and IBS: Is There a Connection?
Leaky gut syndrome might sound like something from a science fiction movie, but it’s a real condition that affects your digestive tract. Leaky gut is another term for intestinal permeability. It’s known to play a role in IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) symptoms ...
What to Eat When You Have IBS or Digestive Issues
We’ve all heard the expression, “You are what you eat.” A healthy diet is one of the pillars of good health. The right foods help every part of your body to work better. They can also make you feel better, and that ...
IBS and Dysbiosis: It’s Time to Tend Your Garden
Your gut is home to an estimated 100 trillion microorganisms. They include bacteria, fungi, viruses, protozoans, amoebas, and their genetic information. Collectively this is known as your microbiome, a type of ecosystem — much like a rainforest with trillions of living creatures. ...
5 Effective Strategies for a Healthier Gut with IBS
Living with digestive challenges due to IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) can significantly impact your quality of life. Over-the-counter solutions like antacids, laxatives, and anti-diarrhea medicines may help relieve symptoms for a time, but they’re a temporary fix. They won’t address the root ...
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