Autism has reached epidemic proportions and it appears medical science has yet to find a definitive cause. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 88 children suffer from an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the condition is nearly five times more likely to occur in boys than in girls.

Although some believe that genetics and/or environmental factors may play a role, the verdict is still out there.

Now a study published in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, has revealed that toxins in the environment may play a much more significant role in the formation of this neurodevelopmental disorder than previously thought.

Researchers of this study from the University of Chicago examined medical records from more than 100 million people living in the United States.  Their analysis revealed that autism and intellectual disability (ID) rates correlated with incidences of genital malformations in newborn males.

According to these researchers, this association is an indicator of exposure to harmful environmental factors during congenital development.

According to Andrey Rzhetsky, a professor of genetic medicine and human genetics at the University of Chicago, and one of the study's authors, he discovered that during pregnancy there are certain sensitive periods where the fetus is very vulnerable to a range of small molecules. These molecules come from things like plasticizers, prescription drugs and environmental pesticides. Essentially these small molecules alter normal development.

To conduct the research, Rzhetsky and his team carefully studied and analyzed data from insurance claims from individual states and more than 3,100 counties. They basically compared autism rates and cases of congenital malformations of the male reproductive system – such as micropenis, hypospadias (urethra on the underside of the penis), undescended testicles and more.

What was astounding was the fact that the researchers found that autism rates increased by 283 percent for every 1 percent increase in frequency of congenital malformations while intellectual disability rates increased by 94 percent for every 1 percent increase.

Rzhetsky concluded that malformations predict very strongly the rates of autism, and the rate of malformation per person varies significantly across the country.

The association was much stronger in boys, as male children with autism were almost six times more likely to have congenital malformations.

Although the medical community claims that there is no definitive cause for autism, Rzhetsky hopes his study will ignite a shift in the scientific community from researching mostly genetic causes to researching more environmental factors.

According to Rzhetsky, the takeaway is that the environment may play a very significant role in autism, and we should be paying more attention to it.

Reference:

Rzhetsky, Bagley, Wang, Lyttle, Cook, Altman, Gibbons, Environmental and State-Level Regulatory Factors Affect the Incidence of Autism and Intellectual Disability, PLOS Computational Biology, March 13, 2014

The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com to find practitioners thoroughly trained in functional medicine.

Magnesium is probably the greatest predictor of all aspects of heart disease. Approximately more than 50% of Americans are deficient in this mineral. Magnesium plays a key role in more than 350 enzymes and is involved in virtually every metabolic process occurring in the body. 

Studies have suggested an association between low serum magnesium levels and cardiovascular disease. Low magnesium intake has also been associated with future risk of hypertension and stroke. Furthermore, numerous studies have shown that low serum magnesium is associated with vascular calcification, but there have been no studies examining a relationship to coronary artery calcification. 

In a study published in Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, researchers analyzed 34,553 participants who underwent coronary multi-detector computed tomography and serum magnesium level measurement from 2010 to 2012 as part of a health examination program. According to the analysis, low serum magnesium was associated with coronary artery calcification after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, eGFR, serum calcium and phosphorus, hs-CRP, current smoking status, alcohol intake and vigorous exercise frequency.

Low serum magnesium was significantly associated with coronary artery calcification for those at low risk for developing cardiovascular disease. This association was significant after adjustment for various risk factors related to cardiovascular disease and was even withheld in groups without risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.

Keep in mind that serum magnesium only represents only 1% of magnesium stores. Magnesium is homeostatically controlled in the serum and measuring serum magnesium levels provides many false negatives. By the time an individual's serum magnesium is low, they are very deficient in magnesium, as the body cannot maintain the serum magnesium levels. RBC magnesium is definitely a better choice and the most accurate test we have. This can be done by most laboratories.

We have seen decades of increased dietary calcium intake in the American population that has not been balanced with an increase in dietary magnesium intake, and as a result the majority of adults have become magnesium deficient. Dietary calcium-to-magnesium ratios have continued to increase and studies are showing that calcium supplements not balanced with magnesium actually contribute to an increase in the risk of heart disease.

Michael Jurgelewicz, DC, DACBN, DCBCN

​The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com for more information on our training in functional medicine. 

Pesticides could be responsible for Parkinson's, a neurodegenerative disease.

Toxins from such chemicals can increase the risk by up to six times.​

The seven pesticides tested include: dithiocarbamates (e.g., maneb, ziram), two imidazoles (benomyl, triflumizole), two dicarboxymides (captan, folpet), and one organochlorine (dieldrin)
This study was done at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).
The study clearly revealed that these seven toxic pesticides inhibit the aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzyme, which then affects the dopamine cells linked to the development of Parkinson's.
It has been well established in the medical arena that when dopamine levels decrease this results in abnormal brain activity and eventually to the signs of Parkinson's.
Of even greater concern, the scientists of this study reported that the pesticides caused an inhibition of the ALDH enzyme at far lower levels than the allowable current safety standards.
Although one of the pesticides (benomyl) has been banned, the others can still be found in everyday use. They are found in the foods we eat that have been sprayed with these toxic chemicals and found in parks and golf courses. They are also found in common pesticide control agents used in offices and homes.
As a functional medicine practitioner, I recommend that any patient suffering with Parkinson's request that their physician order the Toxic Effects Core test. 
To find a healthcare professional certified in functional medicine, go to www.FunctionalMedicineDoctors.com.These are clinicians who have been trained at Functional Medicine University (www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com)

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S.
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Reference:
Arthur G. Fitzmaurice, PhD*, Shannon L. Rhodes, PhD*, Myles Cockburn, PhD,  Beate Ritz, MD, PhD and Jeff M. Bronstein, MD, PhD. Aldehyde dehydrogenase variation enhances effect of pesticides associated with Parkinson disease. Neurology February 4, 2014 vol. 82 no. 5 419-426
The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com for more information on our training in functional medicine. 

There is a growing population of aging patients suffering from cataracts and many are unaware of a simple solution that may reverse this eye disease.

A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery.

What is the lens?The lens is a clear part of the eye that helps to focus light, or an image, on the retina. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
In a normal eye, light passes through the transparent lens to the retina. Once it reaches the retina, light is changed into nerve signals that are sent to the brain.
The lens must be clear for the retina to receive a sharp image. If the lens is cloudy from a cataract, the image you see will be blurred.
The following are all potential symptoms of cataracts.

• Color vision becomes distorted
• Feel like you're looking through a cloudy piece of glass.
• Increased sensitivity to glare, especially from oncoming headlights
• Blurred vision
• Need for brighter light in order to see clearly
• Double vision when looking out of just one eye
• More difficulty seeing in the dark
• Vision is brighter in one eye than the other eye

Most patients will quickly resort to surgery to replace the eye lens, however, it is important to know that part of the problem may be from a simple nutrient deficiency.
Are you aware that cataracts can be reversed?
I bet you that your ophthalmologist has told you that nothing but surgery is the only answer.
Fortunately that is not what the medical research has to say.
Research has documented that the nutritional product carnosine (not to be confused with carnitine) has been able to prevent and sometimes even reverse cataracts.
When carnosine is acetylated, as in N-acetyl-L-carnosine, it becomes a time-release dipeptide that can move easily both into water-soluble as well as lipid-containing parts of the eye and improves DNA repair, thus bringing vision back to better levels.
In one of the studies people in their 60s suffering with cataracts for 2-21 years used drops of carnosine solution three or four times a day for a few months. Carnosine improved their sight making the lenses became more transparent or clear. Basically, it reversed the effects of cataracts!
In another study, a group of people who were told they would need cataract surgery within two years, one group received the eye drops while another group used placebo drops.
After six months, 90% of the eyes treated with N-acetyl carnosine showed improvements in visual acuity anywhere from 7-100%.
Glare sensitivity improved 27-100% in 88% of people. And there was no worsening of vision, as there should have been with time.
You may want to use Bright Eyes from Life Extension which contains not only N-acetyl-L-carnosine, but vitamins A and E. Use 1-2 drops in each eye 1-3 times a day depending on the severity of your problem.
 
​Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S.
References:

• Babizhayev M, at al, Efficacy of N-acetyl-carnosine in the treatment of cataracts, Drugs Res Devel, 3;2:87-103, 2002
• Rogers Sherry, Total Wellness, Prestige Publishing
• Babizhayev MA, Biomarkers and special features of oxidative stress in the anterior segment of the eye linked to lens cataract and the trabecular meshwork injury in primary open-angle glaucoma: challenges of dual combination therapy with N-acetylcarnosine lubricant eye drops and oral formulation of nonhydrolyzed carnosine, Fundam Clin Pharmacol. 2012 Feb;26(1):86-117.
• Babizhayev MA, Deyev AI, Yermakova VN, Brikman IV, Bours J, Lipid peroxidation and cataracts: N-acetyl-carnosine as a therapeutic tool to manage age-related cataracts in human and in canine eyes, Drugs R D. 2004;5(3):125-39.
• Babizhayev MA, Micans P, Guiotto A, Kasus-Jacobi A, N-acetylcarnosine lubricant eyedrops possess all-in-one universal antioxidant protective effects of L-carnosine in aqueous and lipid membrane environments, aldehyde scavenging, and transglycation activities inherent tocataracts: a clinical study of the new vision-saving drug N-acetylcarnosine eyedrop therapy in a database population of over 50,500 patients, Am J Ther. 2009 Nov-Dec;16(6):517-33
• Quinn PJ, et al, Carnosine: its properties, functions and potential therapeutic applications, Molec Aspects Med, 13; 5:379-444, 1992

The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com for more information on our training in functional medicine.

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A study reveals that chemicals found in cleaning materials, textiles, plastics, paper and some personal-care products can trigger breast cancer.

According to the senior author of the study, William Baldwin, an assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso, the chemical called 4-nonylphenol binds to estrogen receptors in breast tissue which increases the risk for breast cancer.
Part of the problem is that the chemical, which mimics estrogen, may last longer in the body than natural estrogen.
How the Study was Conducted
Baldwin and his team compared the effects of giving differing doses of the chemical, 4-nonylphenol and estrogen to mice. When they followed mice genetically engineered to readily develop breast cancer over 32 weeks, many of those given 4-NP developed breast cancer while those given equivalent doses of estrogen did not.
Baldwin and other experts estimate that established risk factors such as aging, early onset of periods, late menopause, delayed childbearing and genetics explain only about 25 percent to 50 percent of breast cancers, and that environmental exposure plays a big role.
We can now test for this environmental toxin through a test called Toxic Element Core from Genova Diagnostics. The following is a test from one of my patients:



​The good news is you can modify and reduce this toxic chemical. I recommend consulting with someone certified in functional medicine. They will have the training and knowledge to help one reduce this environmental toxin.

References
Acevedo R, Parnell PG, Villanueva H, Chapman LM, Gimenez T, Gray SL, Baldwin WS. The contribution of hepatic steroid metabolism to serum estradiol and estriol concentrations in nonylphenol treated MMTVneu mice and its potential effects on breast cancer incidence and latency. J Appl Toxicol. 2005 Jul 12

The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Grisanti and his functional medicine community. Dr. Grisanti encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Visit www.FunctionalMedicineUniversity.com for more information on our training in functional medicine.