Tag Archives: Pediatrics

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 32

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Sleep Part III

Finally, the other elephant in the room related to sleep is STRESS. Stress alters the function of the hormone cortisol and can significantly alter night sleep function. There are three major chemicals that affect sleep: cortisol, adenosine and melatonin.

In normal conditions, adenosine rises during the day making you sleepy, cortisol hits its low point at night and melatonin rises as the sun goes down. This combination puts pressure on you to feel sleepy and want to go to bed. Unfortunately, modern life has made many of us feel stressed and sympathetically fired up which affects cortisol function. Instead of being at its nadir at night, the stress response causes cortisol to rise at inappropriate times disrupting sleep onset and maintenance. Couple this stress with facebook addiction and screen induced melatonin suppression and you have a recipe for insomnia and disrupted sleep. (Hanson et. al. 2010)….Plus, a section on cellphones and driver knowledge.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #77 – Colleen Cutcliffe, PhD – Microbes and Health

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This weeks guest is Dr. Colleen Cutcliffe.

Dr. Colleen Cutcliffe is a researcher and a thinker with persistence. Throughout history, these are the human qualities that lead people to develop amazing products and lead projects for the world to benefit from. Her story is one of discovery, passion and caring.

Dr. Cutcliffe holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in Biochemistry from Wellesley College. Her scientific background is complemented by her experience in managing both research and operations teams in the biotech sector. Before founding Pendulum Therapeutics, she held senior positions at Pacific Biosciences and Elan Pharmaceuticals, where she was instrumental in developing various technological platforms. She is the co-founder and CEO of Pendulum Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative solutions to improve gut health through microbiome-based interventions. With over 20 years of experience in the biotechnology industry, Dr. Cutcliffe has become a recognized leader in microbiome science, applying her expertise to bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical, consumer-facing health solutions. At Pendulum Therapeutics, Dr. Cutcliffe has led the development of novel probiotic formulations specifically designed to address metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes. Her work has been pivotal in the growing recognition of the microbiome’s role in human health, pushing forward the concept of targeted probiotics as a potential therapeutic option. Under her leadership, Pendulum Therapeutics has gained recognition for its scientific rigor and innovative approaches to personalized nutrition.

Today, we discuss the story of her discovery and the fact that her work is the beginning of a hopeful wave of change for humans through gut microbiome manipulation. Dr. Cutcliffe helps us understand the basics of the microbiome, what helps it stay balanced and conversely, what upsets it. How does it support our metabolism and health in general. The main thrust of her work comes into the spotlight with Akkermansia mucinophilia, a keystone species for positive health.

Please Enjoy my conversation with Dr. Cutcliffe,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Audiocast Newsletter Volume 14 Issue 28

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Klotho Part II

Last week we discussed Klotho as a protein that has pleotrophic effects in the body as it relates to cellular aging. This week let us focus specifically on the brain. What are the effects of klotho as it relates to cognition and function over time? Klotho has neuroprotective effects based on studies that show that better cognitive performance in translational models over time occur with the injections of klotho. Klotho is also shown to have neuroprotective effects if naturally elevated, i.e. individuals with host genetics that promote more klotho production over time without being taken or given.

The pivitol research occurred in 2015 in a mouse model of Alzheimers Disease (AD) where Dr. Dena Dubal and colleagues looked at two groups of intervention mice with and without higher levels of Klotho. and a literature review on micro plastics and screentime.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s Women and Children First Podcast #75 – Jeff Kessler, FACHE – Allergies and Therapy

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Jeff Kessler, FACHE

Allergy Choices

This week I sit down with Jeff Kessler to discuss allergies and sublingual immune therapy.

Jeff Kessler is a business leader and a thought leader in the allergy therapy space. His relevant backstory goes back to 1999 when he had the fortunate opportunity to work on a project to select and implement an Electronic Medical Record system for the Allergy Associates of La Crosse (AAOL) clinic in La Crosse WI. Fortuitously for his daughter who at the time suffered profoundly with allergies, asthma and eczema, this opportunity presented a new course of therapy that would eventually be taken for the entire family leading to allergic disease modification. Enthralled with the therapy and company, Jeff dedicated his career in the healthcare industry from that point on to the allergy treatment approach that he witnessed change thousands of lives including his families. The growing AAOL organization became linked to Allergychoices, an education company dedicated to teaching healthcare providers around the U.S. on the protocol (La Crosse Method – LCM) that had been perfected since 1970. Jeff has served as President of Allergychoices since its formation and its services have grown to help providers deliver immunotherapy using the LCM to their patients directly at the primary care level. Bringing together AAOL, the most advanced allergy immunotherapy clinic in the U.S. and Allergychoices, capable of delivering the benefits of disease modifying allergy immunotherapy to anyone, anywhere, the distinctive competencies of these companies continue to help hundreds of thousands of allergy sufferers of all types, including foods.

Jeff earned a bachelors in science from the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse before he received his MBA in Strategic Planning from University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management in 1987.

Please enjoy my conversation with Jeff Kessler,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Audiocast Newsletter Volume 14 Issue 27

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Klotho Part I
Ok, it is time for a potential log step shift in the human understanding of neurological decline with age starting from birth.
Enter the peptide, (C)Klotho, named after the greek goddess of fate who spins the thread of life for all. The Klotho protein was discovered by researchers looking at mice that aged faster than the general mouse population. These mice were noted to have a shortened lifespan, stunted growth, renal disease, blood vessel calcification, cardiac hypertrophy, hypertension, pulmonary disease, cognitive impairment, multi-organ atrophy and fibrosis. (Prud’homme et. al. 2022) When they looked closer, these mice were found to have hypoactive klotho proteins leading to an explosion of research over the past two decades to understand why. The next question was, could the hyperactive state provide an anti aging effect?
The answer was a resounding yes!
and a discussion on fast food.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 26

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Sleep Restriction and Immune Health

It has long been known that sleep is a truth teller of mood. The poorer the sleep quality, the poorer the emotional response. Every parent knows this with a child short on sleep. What are the cellular effects?

From an abstract looking at catch up sleep and human inflammation we find the following: “Despite its prevalence in modern society, little is known about the long-term impact of restricting sleep during the week and ‘catching up’ on weekends. This common sleep pattern was experimentally modeled with three weeks of 5 nights of sleep restricted to 4 h followed by two nights of 8-h recovery sleep. In an intra-individual design, 14 healthy adults completed both the sleep restriction and an 8-h control condition, and the subjective impact and the effects on physiological markers of stress (cortisol, the inflammatory marker IL-6, glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity) were assessed. Sleep restriction was not perceived to be subjectively stressful and some degree of resilience or resistance to the effects of sleep restriction was observed in subjective domains. In contrast, physiological stress response systems remain activated with repeated exposures to sleep restriction and limited recovery opportunity…… and a section on literature review.

Enjoy,

Dr. M

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Audiocast Volume 14 Issue 25

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Reading Part II
Let us follow up on last weeks newsletter on reading as a cultural advantage and a human need in truth. What do we know about the neuroscience of reading dysfunction or weakened ability to achieve the goal of reading proficiency? What is the frequency of concern?
Depending on the study, 5-10% of children have reading issues like dyslexia. This has profound lifelong consequences if these issues are not dealt with in the early years of education.
Let us start again by looking at the neuroanatomy of the human reading interface. The first point of human involvement in reading is visual acceptance of the written word on page. In order to complete this task one must be able to see the word clearly in the order that it is displayed on the page and then send the neuroception to the brain via the optic nerve to the visual cortex. Then the angular gyrus interprets the words leaving the frontal lobes to engage in decoding and comprehending the information. This intricate interplay of neural networks not only facilitates the understanding of written language but also strengthens cognitive functions such as memory in the hippocampus, attention in the prefrontal cortex, and critical thinking in the neocortex…plus a piece on exercise.
Enjoy,
Dr. M

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