A recent study reported online in BMC Endocrine Disorders looked at exercise and diabetes parameter in healthy volunteers. Specifically, researchers wanted to find out the impact of short high intensity workouts on insulin sensitivity. Over time and with poor diet and sedentary lifestyles, we become more resistant to insulin, a hormone designed to lower our blood sugar. Resistance to insulin can produce type II diabetes. On the other hand, having high insulin sensitivity is seen as protective... Read Full Story

We all know how important sleep is for energy and mood, however a recent study conducted in Japan connects sleep deprivation with an increase in heart disease. These researchers monitored the sleep of 1,255 individuals with hypertension and tracked them for an average of 50 months.Researchers noted patients' sleep duration, daytime and nighttime blood pressure, and events such as stroke, heart attack, and sudden cardiac death. They noted that sleeping less than 7.5 hours was associated wi... Read Full Story

A recent article in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women who consume more fish during pregnancy had children with significantly higher developmental scores. This study included pregnant women enrolled from 1997 to 2002 and used information to gauge the scores of the 25,446 children born to them. The highest developmental scores were found in those consuming an average of 2 oz of fish daily.Researchers credit the higher scoring to docosahexaenoic acid, an essential fatt... Read Full Story

At ALETRIS Center of Integrative Medicine, we believe there are many factors involved in obesity other than laziness. We see patients with hormone imbalance; past use of corticosteroids, fentramine, and other medications; low functioning thyroid; and toxicity as individuals that may have trouble losing weight. Simply put, however, the only way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories and move more. We’ve always been skeptical of the theory that obesity is genetic, and a new study is showin... Read Full Story

A recent article published in Neurology has linked brain size to B12 status. Researchers used MRI methods to determine brain weight in patients and tracked it over the course several years. Those with the lowest B12 levels had the largest brain shrinkage. Decreased brain mass is linked to cognitive impairment, and researchers speculate that it may play a role in diseases such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.Hydroxycobalamin, or B12, is the largest vitamin. It is extremely hard to absorb orally, a... Read Full Story

For us at ALETRIS, the problem with mammograms has always been that the imaging form that screens for cancer, X-ray, actually causes cancer. In an attempt to find other screening techniques, a group of researchers at the Medical College of Georgia is investigating a new technology developed by Z-tech: bio-impedence. The theory is that breast cancer tissue has a different density than normal breast tissue. The Z-Tech scan works by placing a grouping of electrodes over each breast and sendi... Read Full Story

A recent study conducted by Margaret Pearle, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and reported online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences predicts an increase in the incidence of kidney stones as global temperatures continue to rise. Kidney stones result from minerals that precipitate out of urine. Passing a kidney stone through the ureter, bladder, and out the urethra has been noted as one of the most intense and acute pains experienced b... Read Full Story

Recent study by Chinese researchers at Shanghai Medical College investigated the link between estrogen and dioxin and endometriosis. Endometriosis is a painful pelvic condition in women characterized by the growth of endometrial (uterine) tissue outside of the uterus. Often, endometrial tissue can be found lodged on the ovaries and in the pelvic cavity. Symptoms include pain with sex and progressively painful periods. Dioxins are absorbed in the fatty tissues of the body and can persist the... Read Full Story

Clean air is vital to our health, and researchers are beginning to chronicle the many ways that pollution directly affects our bodies. In a recent study, researchers found a link between levels of particulate matter in the air and increases in ischemic strokes in a southeast Texas community. Led by University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, researchers identified strokes and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) that occurred between 2001 and 2005. Daily historical air pollution levels... Read Full Story

Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. This remains true despite the fact that Americans consume increasing amounts of cardiovascular medications like statins and blood pressure-lowering drugs. One way to measure atherosclerosis is to conduct an ultrasound on the carotid arteries. This measures the amount of narrowing that has occurred in these arteries due to excess amounts of plaque and cholesterol blocking the vessel. This test is also known as ... Read Full Story