Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPa5RHQADaY/

Just out. The American College of Cardiology is urging one and all adults and their medical teams to include the test for general body and cardiovascularinflammation in the annual testing battery. That test is the high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein or hsCRP.

The hsCRP test measures low grade body inflammation. Elevated test numbers predict the untimely occurrence of heart attacks, strokes, and death due to cardiovascular disease as predictably as bad cholesterol levels even if your cholesterol numbers are excellent.

The test results are as simple as 1, 2, 3. Less than 1 mg/L indicates low risk, 1-3 mg/L implies an average risk, and greater than 3 bodes ill for you. If your magic number is above 3, you probably already know why. Here’s chart that runs down the list: smoking; overeating with belly bulges; high cholesterol and triglycerides; high blood pressure; gum disease; and infection.

The antidotes to get those hsCRP numbers down: exercise; fruits, veggies, and nuts; oily fish; and moderation of your drinking.

https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/ten-points-to-remember/2016/02/18/14/33/a-test-in-context-high-sensitivity-crp

#inflammation #cardiovascular #hsCRP #screening #heartattack #stroke

ACOG: Cannabis Harms Pregnancies

Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPa3nh4jPE_/

Here’s a warning from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Cannabis use, that is products that contain THC and CBD, during pregnancy or while you’re breastfeeding increases your chances of delivering a baby prematurely with a low birth weight due to in-uteri growth retardation, requiring a NICU admission, and/or raising a baby with long-term neurological, cognitive, and behavioral issues.

Cannabis also impacts you. The smoke and vapors harm lung tissues and lower your oxygen levels. It can increase your risk of falling and trigger auto accidents.

By cannabis I mean smoking, vaping, or munching on cannabis products.

Why the alarm? Over a recent 15 year period, cannabis use by pregnant women has more than doubled. Now that these products are legal in more states, more women are using them to relieve their pregnancy-related issues including morning sickness, headache, back pains, fatigue, and emotional distress.

Your medical teams are so worried about this that ACOG has directed them to ask you about cannabis use and give you practical and safe alternatives. They will not be drug testing you but rather counseling you. They will tell you to avoid cannabis products if you can and to minimize their use if your can’t.

For morning sickness: eat bland foods, keep hydrated with non-caffeinated beverages; eat dry foods such as crackers and cereal in he morning; and eat small meals every 3 hours rather than the traditional 3 meals a day.

For breast pain: wear soft supportive bras and loose-fitting garments; wash your breasts gently; apply ice packs; and absorb leaking fluids with soft pads.

For other body pains: find comfortable positions and change positions often; use a lumbar pillow when sitting; wear comfortable low-heeled shoes; wear support stockings; use heating pads and massage.

For dizziness: move around while standing; if lying down, turn to your side as you rise; rise slowly.

One more thing: Researchers at the University of Toronto testing 1050 egg bathing follicular fluid have shown that cannabis diminishes fertility in women by triggering genetic misfires that lead to non-viable embryos. Men…Cannabis has also been shown to reduce sperm count and viability.

https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2025/09/acog-releases-new-recommendations-cannabis-use-pregnancy-lactation

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/pregnancy-pains

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63011-2

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7385722/

#cannabis #THC #CBD #ACOG #pregnancy #NICU #eggs #sperm

cannabis, THC, CBD, ACOG, pregnancy, NICU, eggs, sperm

Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPa20mdDoub/

University of Cincinnati oncologists have developed a drug that stops pancreatic cancer from suppressing the anti-tumor immunity that threatens to eradicate it. Using a pre-clinical mouse pancreatic cancer model, the researchers pinpointed that the protein Hsp70 is produced by the cancer cells to defuse the anti-cancer immune response.

Their next step was to find an antidote Hp70. That they did by developing the rescue agent SapC-DOPG. This drug adheres to pancreatic cancer cells, inhibits Hsp70, and destroys the tumor’s shield against killer T lymphocytes.

The next step is to bring this rescue compound and others like it into the clinic for an array of trials. Hopefully, they will confirm the effectiveness of this concept and join the fight against this dread disease…..someday soon.

#pancreatic #cancer #immunotherapy #hsp70 #sapCDOPG

pancreatic, cancer, immunotherapy, hsp70, sapCDOP