by Melissa Blake, ND Immune resilience has never been more important or desired than in the past year. As a result of a global pandemic, patients and practitioners alike are seeking effective solutions to ensure a robust immune defense. Outside of the current COVID-19 concerns, respiratory tract infections (RTIs) pose a significant burden and are, in children, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals, the most prevalent diseases globally.1 A well-balanced gut microbiota is associated with protection against various diseases, including respiratory infections,…

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat, adequate-protein diet that has proven to be effective for the reversal of several chronic conditions including obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type-2 diabetes (T2DM) in trials of up to two years.1 However, the degree of therapeutic response to KD varies across individuals.2,3 For example, some KD dieters lose more weight than others, and, while most of them improve their blood lipids, so-called “high responders” experience abnormal increases in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Many…

by Anu Desai, PhD Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a single-stranded molecule of genetic code found in all living cells. As a chemical intermediary, mRNA carries instructions from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in our chromosomes to cellular machinery in the cytoplasm of the cell to make proteins.1 Over the past decade, research and technological innovations progressed rapidly in the field of vaccine development enabling mRNA as a promising therapeutic tool. There has been research on mRNA vaccines for infectious agents, such as…

by Michael Stanclift, ND Many of us have been using omega-3 fats, such as fish oil, for managing inflammatory conditions. Interestingly, fish oil and special molecules made from them called specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) have big impacts on our immune system and play an important role in the activity of immune cells. The key lies in how fats such as the ones found in fish oil influence the behavior of the white blood cells (WBCs) of our immune system. Our…

by Anu Desai, PhD Pollution and toxic elements Environmental pollution and toxins from plastics, pesticides, smoke, contaminated water, and food have the potential to greatly impact human health.1 These toxic loads cause inflammatory and autoimmune responses, including neurodegenerative conditions including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and multiple sclerosis (MS).2-4 More recently, some efforts have been made to minimize the exposures to pollutants in the long run, such as: using BPA-free plastics, attempting to reduce greenhouse gasses, and incorporating clean-energy…

In this interview, Joan Claria, PhD discusses the discovery that a resolution deficit occurs in obesity. Dr. Claria outlines the important role that specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) play in adipose tissue and metabolic health, and outlines future potential for SPM-based therapies in the management of fatty liver disease. Joan Claria, PhD is Professor at the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the School of Medicine of the University of Barcelona, Spain From the 16th International Conference on Bioactive Lipids in Cancer,…

In this interview, Dipak Panigrahy, MD discusses the emerging impact of specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) on tumor size and growth, highlighting his work with several preclinical models including pancreatic cancer and breast cancer.  Dr. Panigrahy outlines the reduction in metastases seen in preclinical cancer models, including pancreatic cancer, following treatments with various SPMs. Finally, Dr Panigrahy describes results in preclinical models showing that SPM treatment helps to clear tumor debris caused by standard of care cancer treatments. Dipak Panigrahy, MD,…

In this interview, Bruce Levy, MD describes the loss of inflammatory ‘breaking signals’ in the lung of patients with asthma. Dr. Levy highlights how this defective resolution phenotype negatively impacts both adaptive and innate immune responses in individuals with asthma, leaving them more vulnerable to infection. Bruce Levy, MD is the Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, MA and Parker B. Francis Professor at Harvard Medical School From the 16th International…

In this interview, George Kunos, MD, PhD discusses the involvement of endocannabinoid system (ECS) in regulating addiction and reward. Dr. Kunos also describes the role of CB1 receptors in regulating body weight and metabolic control, and highlights the critical differences of blocking CB1 receptors in the periphery versus the brain. George Kunos, MD, PhD is the Scientific Director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism at the National Institutes of Health From the 16th International Conference on Bioactive…

In this interview, Cecilia Hillard, PhD discusses endocannabinoid system (ECS) signaling in depressive disorders. Dr. Hillard describes the effect of exercise on the ECS, and how this may underpin some of the benefits of exercise in patients with depression and other mood disorders. Dr. Hillard discusses emerging results in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which show a different picture, and ends with a discussion on what we know about the role that the endocannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) play…