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

Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPa18dGjnAy/

Ibuprofen and aspirin are narcotic-free NSAIDs that provide excellent pain relief, but many cannot take them as they irritate your stomach linings leaking to gastritis and ulcers. Researchers at New York University’s Pain Research Institute have discovered an approach to uncoupling the pain killing from the negative effects of these popular over-the-counter medications.

What’s the trick? NSAIDs block the production of prostaglandin molecules that both trigger pain but also the body’s healing inflammatory response. Prostaglandins attach to four receptors or switches on nerve and other cells, and the pain switch, EP2, is different from the healing switch, EP4. Using a preclinical mouse model, the investigators selectively blocked the EP2 receptor and silenced pain while allowing the animals to maintain normal healing.

This critical finding opens the door for the development of ibuprofen and aspirin versions that selectively block production of EP2-bearing prostaglandins leaving the EP4 prostaglandins to maintain healing and stomach lining integrity. It will be awhile before we see this on your pharmacy shelf, but the research suggests it could be …..someday soon..

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-63782-8

#pain #ibuprofen, #aspirin #gastritis p#rostaglandins

Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPa1V02jlle/

Taking the pill form of Vitamin B3, nicotinamide, can cut a risk of skin cancer by more than half. Vanderbilt University dermatologists report this finding following their study of nearly 34,000 subjects in the VA health system and was recently published in JAMA Dermatology.

Those in the treatment group of 12,000 plus took nicotinamine 500 mg twice daily for 30 days or more. The benefit was greatest for those who experienced one previous bout of skin cancer.

For this group, the risk reduction was 53% for squamous cell skin cancers and 49% for basal cell skin cancers. The protective benefit diminished after each successive bout of skin cancer.

Those who have experienced at least one bout of skin cancer should confer with their dermatologists about the advisability of taking prophylactic Vitamin B3 nicotinamide. It also can’t hurt to eat Vitamin B3-rich foods

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/2838591?utm_campaign=articlePDF&utm_medium=articlePDFlink&utm_source=articlePDF&utm_content=jamadermatol.2025.3238

#skincancer #nicotinamide #squamouscell #basalcell

Vidcast: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPa0nyEDeLQ/

The drug is orforglipron, and it comes as a pill you swallow daily rather than as a shot you give yourself weekly. Researchers at Canada’s McMaster University tested the pill in a phase 3 gold standard randomized, double-blinded multinational study of 3127 subjects reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The data at week 72 revealed that, for those taking the largest daily dose of 36 mg, 55% lost 10% or more of their body weight, 36% lost 15% or more, and 18% lost 20% or more. Those on orforglipron also enjoyed better body composition stats, improved blood pressures, as well as better triglyceride and non-HDL cholesterol numbers.

The drug did have the same side effects as other peptide GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide. Those included bloating, heartburn, nausea, constipation, and diarrhea. The drug is convenient and a likely god-send for needle haters.

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2511774

#glp1 #orforglipron #oral #dieting #weightloss

https://www.instagram.com/p/DPazwlnDJbs/

There is actually an excellent book by Dr. Annie Zimmerman with that titled, but that is not today’s subject. What is? Your phone and the right app can help you fight anxiety, stress, and even insomnia. This the conclusion of research psychologists at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie-Mellon University after reviewing the available studies and personal trials of apps including Calm and Headspace.

These apps provide 10-21 minute guided sessions anytime, anywhere. Using them at least three times a week can measurably improve not only your psyche but the relaxation they trigger can lower blood pressure and even produce measurable improvements in measurements of harmful inflammation.

Problem is that 95% of users continue with the apps consistently for ONLY 30 days or less. In addition, if you have a something on your mind that continues to interfere with your relationships, your sleep, your work, and your health, you need to make an appointment with a licensed mental health professional.

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/amp0001576

#smartphone #app #psychology #anxiety #insomnia #hypertension #CarnegieMellon

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

If you have a problem with alcohol, so-called alcohol use disorder, you are at a more than 50% higher risk of developing dementia. Epidemiologists from Britain’s University of Oxford and Yale studied adults with data in the UK Biobank and the US Million Veteran Program.

The tabulated case data revealed that heavy drinkers consuming more than 40 alcoholic drinks/week have 41% higher risk of dementia compared with non-drinkers and those with alcohol use disorder have a 41% higher risk. A genetic analysis shows that every standard deviation increase in the log transformed number of drinks/week is associated with 15% higher dementia risk.

The researchers emphasize that those having an occasional drink need not worry about this dementia risk. Again, moderation is the best policy.

https://ebm.bmj.com/content/early/2025/09/16/bmjebm-2025-113913

#alcohol #dementia