Antibiotics are potent medications that are most commonly used to treat (or in some cases prevent) serious bacterial infections that would otherwise cripple our body’s defenses and prove fatal. One potential issue associated with using antibiotics, particularly if used for a long-term, is significant weight gain. It is known that antibiotics have been used as …
A subset of LPR patients may exhibit underlying abnormalities in autonomic nervous system (ANS) function and/or brain activation – which causes and/or sustains the LPR condition. Another subset of “LPR patients” may actually have a functional esophageal disorder or a somatic symptom disorder wherein either: connections in the brain are erroneous (functional) or anxiety is …
There is a considerable amount of evidence suggesting that pepsin, a common digestive enzyme, is involved in the pathogenesis/pathophysiology of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) disease. (R) Specifically, it is thought that pepsin ends up refluxed into the laryngopharynx from the stomach whereafter it causes damage, inflammation, and dysfunction of the: cells, tissue, mucosal membranes, nerves, and/or …
Research by Pratt et al. (2017) suggests that 7.8% of individuals between ages 12 and 19 used antidepressants from 2011-2014. (R) Jack et al. (2020) report a continuous rise in the prescribing of antidepressants to adolescents in England; antidepressant prescriptions more than doubled from 2005-2017 among 12-17 year olds. (R) Between April 2015-2021 the number …
I thought about whether it’s possible to counteract (i.e. offset) the effects of caffeine. Many people enjoy caffeine, but dislike the fact that it causes insomnia and/or interferes with sleep quality/duration. For this reason, many people want to know whether it’s possible to offset caffeine’s effect – and if it is possible, the most effective …
NAC has been suggested as a treatment for OCD. It’s likely that NAC can improve OCD symptoms in a subset of persons with OCD – but not everyone. This is because individuals differ in gene expression, brain morphology, neurochemistry, hormones, and general physiology (influencing OCD and reactions to NAC). What is NAC? N-acetylcysteine – or …