Tag Archives: literature review

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 24

Reading

If you want to spend any amount of time with your child beyond hugs, feeding and basic life duties, I would recommend reading above all else. I find it hard to believe that this is the first article that I have written on reading. I pondered that for a minute and concluded that this, in effect, was me taking this information for granted. That ends today.

When I reflect on my journey on the road to reading literacy, I note that I was not an avid reader. Nay, I hated reading for most of my childhood. My first self chosen pleasure book was The Firm when I was 23 years old. Why would this be? To sit for me was and is akin to mild torture. While other kids loved to dive into a book, that was not for me. Run, play, drum, hike, yes sir. All in….plus a Literature Review and section on Memorial Day.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 22

What are the main preventable etiologies for childhood death under the age of five years?
According to the data compile by UNICEF, we see the following for the world:
1) Prematurity 18%
2) Pneumonia 14%
3) Birth Asphyxia 12%
4) Malaria 9%
5) Diarrhea 9%
6) Congenital anomolies 8%
7) Injuries 5%
8) Blood infections/sepsis 3%
9) Tuberculosis 3%
10) all others
From a global perspective, we are on the right track as deaths have decreased significantly from 12 million in 1990 to less than 5 million annually in 2022. This is a massive improvement in global childhood health. More work to be done as pneumonia and diarrhea based death should be less than 1%. Access to clean water, clean medicines and adequate medical care could crush these issues….plus a literature review as well as an ode to mothers.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

 

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 21

Excess Weight Gain, Obesity and Immune Related Diseases in 2 cases
I want to share a few recent case experiences that shed light on the patient provider experience in the context of a collaborative clinic model based on prevention and the patient first mentality.
In the struggle against the US based disease onslaught that is excess weight gain, longevity with the patient remains the greatest winner for a quality outcome. What do I mean when I say this? Let me tell you a story. I care for a wonderful young man who is about to turn 17 years old. I have known him since birth and his struggle with weight has been profound for most of these 17 years…… Plus an article review about weight loss and a recipe of the week.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 20

“It is your reaction to an adversity not the adversity itself that determines how your life’s story develops.”
Dieter Uchtdorf
WHY?
What are the Underpinnings of Disease?
What have we really learned over the last one to two hundred years of medicine?
We left an era where infections killed the majority of children and adults, especially during childbirth and the first 5 years of life. Science gave us antimicrobial medicines and vaccines that altered this landscape and humans began to live decades longer.
Medicine had conquered disease. However, it was not so. Insidiously, these victories were met with new problems called diseases of aging – heart disease, asthma, autoimmunity, diabetes, cancer, obesity, dementia and others…… and a literature review.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 19

The Book that I never published. It is time for me to take another look at the mother child story in book form. In 2019, I embarked on a project of writing a book about maternal health and WHY it matters tremendously that we address the issues driving offspring dysregulation. The time since has ushered in an era of podcast guests that in some instances have solidified my beliefs on knowns while also shattering some beliefs leading to new ideas. Over the coming weeks, I am going to relook at this topic.
Part of this project is going to be taking a page out of the Derek Sivers’ book writing style, brevity and meaning are paramount. I am naturally hyper verbose and my writing style follows this reality. Thus, I am going to fight my natural style and desires in an effort to make this book shorter, much shorter and still powerful in delivery.
Here goes!
WHY?
The story of normal maternal health and how we are disrupting it in modern America…….Also a Literature review and recipe of the week!
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 17

Literature Review
1) In a first of its kind study in mice, we see concrete evidence for how the mitochondria in obese individuals are a root cause of disease based on nutritional input. This fascinating animal translational study gives us insight into how a high fat diet is also a major component of mitochondrial damage through fission and fragmentation leading to worsened cell bioenergetics. The cells have reduced fatty acid oxidation or fat burning capacity due to a single gene’s actions. The end result is a tilt toward fat cell production, fat storage and fat cell inflammation which are associated with diabetes and insulin resistance and ultimately metabolic syndrome. This starts to explain the paradox that is obesity where the person has a ton of stored energy, but has limited capacity to utilize it. It is like having a gas tank of fuel with a gas line that only allows for 1/10th of the flow required for optimal function. Science Daily has an excellent review of this paper. Link below. 
2) Women’s brains change during pregnancy as per a new study. The authors looked at brain changes before and after birth as well as with or without a vaginal delivery route. Their study findings noted transient changes in some brain regions as well as permanent changes in other brain regions that turn on self-reflection and empathy for others…… and a recipe of the week.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #69 – Stephen Porges, Ph.D. – Polyvagal Theory

This week I sit down with Dr. Stephen Porges,
He is a Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland.
He served as president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences and is a former recipient of a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Development Award. He has published more than 400 peer-reviewed papers across several disciplines including anesthesiology, biomedical engineering, critical care medicine, ergonomics, exercise physiology, gerontology, neurology, neuroscience, obstetrics, pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, psychometrics, space medicine, and substance abuse. In 1994 he proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory is leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders.
He is the author of multiple books on his Polyvagal Theory: including the Neurophysiological foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation, as well as Polyvagal Safety: Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation. His newest book cowritten with his son is called Our Polyvagal World, How Safety and Trauma Change Us. Dr. Porges is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol ™ (SSP), which is used by therapists to improve social engagement, language processing, and state regulation, as well as to reduce hearing sensitivities.
This is such a fascinating conversation. He brings the worlds of psychiatry and anthropological physiology into union for us to understand the why of trauma reactions and the future unwinding that is now possible. This is a must listen to conversation if you know anyone with trauma history.
Please enjoy my conversation with Professor Porges,
Dr. M
His recent paper in Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
Website for Dr. Porges
Newest Book – Our Polyvagal World

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