Weight loss balloon ‘pill’
Have you heard about swallowable gastric balloon/ weight loss balloon “pill”? Intragastric balloons are not new. They have been used since 1985 to treat obesity, helping patients feeling more full and eat less. Original models were rapidly abandoned because they were ineffective and potentially harmful. Nowadays, different kinds of intragastric balloons are available which are […]
Balancing Microbiome
The human body contains a community of microbial cells and genetic material, called microbiome. There is a growing knowledge that the microbiome plays a vital role in the development and function of important physiological processes as digestion, growth, immune-defense, and brain development. Microbiome is very sensitive to diet, stress, infection, pharmacological intervention. Intestinal dysbiosis is […]
Vagus Nerve as Modulator of the Brain–Gut Axis in Psychiatric and Inflammatory Disorders
Vagus nerve has direct connections between your brain and organs (e.g. stomach, lungs, heart, spleen, intestines, liver and kidneys). It is vital for keeping our bodies healthy by regulating our immune system, controlling stress and reducing inflammation. The vagus nerve is an essential part of the brain–gut axis and plays an important role in the […]
Do you know that there are different variants of Hashimoto thyroiditis?
For long Hashimoto’s thyroiditis has been characterized as a well-defined clinicopathologic entity. Though nowadays it is considered a heterogeneous disease (has several etiologies). There are different variants of Hashimoto thyroiditis: – fibrous, fibrous atrophic (Ord’s disease), or goitrous forms – IgG4 thyroiditis Thyroid autoantibody levels differ between goitrous and atrophic thyroiditis in that inhibitory TSH […]
Depression associated with a significantly increased risk of autoimmune disease
The etiology of autoimmune disease is still a debate and unclear. A population-based study including approximately 1.1 million people was conducted using linked Danish registries to investigate the association between depression and the risk of autoimmune disease. The findings show that depression to be associated with a significantly increased risk of autoimmune disease, compared to […]
Nicotine
Smoking habit is a possible environmental trigger for several autoimmune diseases (e.g. inflammatory bowel diseases), by increasing production of free radicals which provoke DNA alterations leading to autoimmunity, or even triggering protein citrullination with subsequent production of autoantibodies. Though the role of nicotine has been controversial. Some studies claim its protective and anti-inflammatory effect. Others […]
Liquid or tablet Levothyroxine
The liquid and soft gel formulations of levothyroxine allowing better L-T4 absorption in comparison to the traditional tablet form. Recent study compared the effects of thyroid replacement therapy with either liquid or tablet formulation of levothyroxine on mood states, self-perceived mental well-being and thyroid hormone profile in recently thyroidectomized patients. The results, after 2 months […]
Thyroid medication intake
Levothyroxine sodium is widely prescribed to treat hypothyroidism. For long there is an agreement that levothyroxine should be taken before breakfast in order to prevent its interference with food or other medications. Some hypothyroid patients, despite taking thyroid medication, still report unbalanced thyroid hormone levels. A Randomized Double-blind study shows that Levothyroxine when taken at […]
The immune system is sensitive to pH and temperature changes
The immune system seems to be sensitive to pH and temperature changes as well as vice versa. More acidic environment is necessary in order of the immune system to do its job: destroy foreign invasion as infection and/or for removal of nonviable tissue damaged by trauma. Some confirmation of the relationship between pH and immune […]
Humans are social animals. Social connection is essential for our happiness and health.
Living in groups is essential for the survival and re-productive success of social species. Social isolation, loneliness are powerful chronic emotional stressors. They are weakening the neuroendocrine and the immune systems and disrupting the neuro-immuno-endocrine communication and as a consequence pathologies can occur. Research shows that social isolation impairs several immunological functions which may cause […]