By Stephanie Allmon sallmon@star-telegram.com Whether science bears out Catherine Ruehle's assertion that she is staying well through nutrition and lifestyle changes alone -- without the use of prescription drugs -- depends on which medical and nutrition experts are asked. Those who adhere to the emerging philosophy of healthcare called "functional medicine" believe that chronic illnesses and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis are highly attributable to genetic makeup and environmental and lifestyle factors, and that those things should be taken into account by physicians. Too often, they say, doctors use an acute-care model (say, that of a broken bone or appendicitis) to treat chronic disease; they treat the symptoms rather than the causes. The Institute for Functional Medicine (www.functionalmedicine.org) states, "Most physicians are not adequately trained to assess the underlying causes of complex, chronic disease and to apply strategies such as nutrition, diet and exercise to both treat and prevent these illnesses in their patients."Fort Worth registered dietitian Kim Hogue, a member of the IMF, has not consulted with Ruehle but says she thinks her approach makes perfect sense."Food is medicine," Hogue says, adding that gluten, in particular, is a substance that many people don't know they're sensitive to. One … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Feb. 15, 2012) — For decades, researchers have sought a genetic explanation for idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a weakening and enlargement of the heart that puts an estimated 1.6 million Americans at risk of heart failure each year. Because idiopathic DCM occurs as a familial disorder, researchers have long searched for genetic causes, but for most patients the etiology for their heart disease remained unknown. Now, new work from the lab of Christine Seidman, a Howard Hughes Investigator and the Thomas W. Smith Professor of Medicine and Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Jonathan Seidman, the Henrietta B. and Frederick H. Bugher Foundation Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, has found that mutations in the gene TTN account for 18 percent of sporadic and 25 percent of familial DCM. "Until the development of modern DNA sequencing platforms, the enourmous size of the TTN gene prevented a comprehensive analyses -- but now we know TTN is a major cause of DCM," said Christine Seidman, who reported the findings February 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine. Idiopathic DCM is one of three different types of cardiomyopathy (the term "idiopathic" indicates that acquired causes … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Feb. 15, 2012) — A UCSF stem cell study conducted in mice suggests a novel strategy for treating damaged cardiac tissue in patients following a heart attack. The approach potentially could improve cardiac function, minimize scar size, lead to the development of new blood vessels -- and avoid the risk of tissue rejection. In the investigation, reported online in the journal PLoS ONE, the researchers isolated and characterized a novel type of cardiac stem cell from the heart tissue of middle-aged mice following a heart attack. Then, in one experiment, they placed the cells in the culture dish and showed they had the ability to differentiate into cardiomyocytes, or "beating heart cells," as well as endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, all of which make up the heart. In another, they made copies, or "clones," of the cells and engrafted them in the tissue of other mice of the same genetic background who also had experienced heart attacks. The cells induced angiogenesis, or blood vessel growth, or differentiated, or specialized, into endothelial and smooth muscle cells, improving cardiac function. "These findings are very exciting," said first author Jianqin Ye, PhD, MD, senior scientist at UCSF's Translational Cardiac Stem Cell … Continue reading →

A new study at Johns Hopkins University has shown that stem cells from patients' own cardiac tissue can be used to heal scarred tissue after a heart attack. This is certainly exciting news considering heart failure is still the No. 1 cause of death in men and women. The study included 25 heart attack victims, 17 of whom got the stem cell treatment. Those patients saw a 50% reduction in cardiac scar tissue after one year, while the eight control patients saw no improvement. The procedure involves removing a tiny portion of heart tissue through a needle, cultivating the stem cells from that tissue, and reinserting them in a second minimally invasive procedure, according to Bloomberg. "If we can regenerate the whole heart, then the patient would be completely normal," said Eduardo Marban, director of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute who was the study's lead author. "We haven't fulfilled that yet, but we've gotten rid of half of the injury, and that's a good start." Business section: Investing ideas Interested in investing in the promise that stem cell therapy holds? For a look at the investing landscape, we compiled a list of the 10 largest companies involved in stem cell therapy. Do … Continue reading →

The researchers used gene therapy in rats to stimulate production of somatostatin, a seizure-stopping chemical that naturally occurs in the brain. The study was published in the February issue of the journal Neuroscience Letters. More than 3 million people in the United States have epilepsy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This lifelong disease is characterized by uncontrollable seizures and can keep people from living independently or holding jobs, particularly if they do not respond to seizure-controlling medication. Finding novel ways to prevent these seizures could help people with epilepsy live more normal, symptom-free lives, said Dr. Paul Carney, chief of the division of neurology in the UF College of Medicine department of pediatrics and senior author of the study. “For years people have focused only on treating the disease, not preventing the disease,” Carney said. “The mantra is no seizures, no side effects.” People with epilepsy tend to have lower levels of the hormone somatostatin, as do people with Alzheimer’s disease. Although somatostatin, which belongs to a group of protein-like molecules called neuropeptides, is present in the brains of people with epilepsy, scientists have shown that its levels decrease during seizures, said Rabia Zafar, the lead … Continue reading →

Ramona Puget/Special to the Sun On Feb. 24, the Autism Society Chapter-Kern Autism Network will hold its 17th Annual Autism Awareness Conference at Hodel’s Banquet Room, 5917 Knudsen Drive, in Bakersfield. Our featured speaker is Emily Rubin, MS, CCC-SLP. Emily Rubin is the director of Communication Crossroads, a private practice in Carmel, Calif.  She is a speech-language pathologist specializing in Autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, and related social learning disabilities. As an adjunct faculty member and lecturer at Yale University, she has served as a member of their Autism and Developmental Disabilities Clinic.  She has also served as an instructor for the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department of Emerson College in Boston, Mass. where she has developed courses to prepare graduate level students for addressing the needs of children with autism and their families. She recently participated as a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Ad Hoc Committee on Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), a committee charged with developing guidelines related to the role of speech-language pathologists in the diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of ASD.  She lectures internationally and provides consultation to educational programs serving children and adolescents with autism and related developmental disorders. Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with … Continue reading →

Newswise — The rate of diagnosis for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is the same among all racial groups — one in 110, according to current estimates. However, a study by a Florida State University researcher has found that African-American children tend to be diagnosed later than white children, which results in a longer and more intensive intervention. The reasons for later diagnoses include a lack of access to quality, affordable, culturally competent health care, according to Martell Teasley, an associate professor in Florida State’s College of Social Work who has conducted a comprehensive review of researchliterature on autism and African-American children. In addition, the stigmaattached to mental health conditions within the black community contribute to misdiagnoses of autism, and underuse of available treatment services. “There are no subjective criteria for diagnosing autism. Only brain scans can truly provide appropriate diagnoses, because we are dealing with biological and chemical imbalances in the brain,” Teasley said. “Not every child is going to have access to this kind of medical evaluation, particularly those who are indigent and don’t have health care funding.” Teasley examined ASD diagnosis and treatment strategies, and their effect on African-American families, in “Autism and the African-American Community,” a paper … Continue reading →