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Nearly 15% of the world’s population has migraine, a condition in which moderate-to-severe headache is associated with neurological abnormalities such as visual dysfunction, sensitivity to light, disordered speech, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness. While we now have many options to treat the head pain associated with migraine, we are often helpless in treating these other associated neurological symptoms.
One of the most bothersome neurological symptoms patients report is vertigo or dizziness-associated with migraine, a condition we call vestibular migraine, and in which patients feel as though they, or the environment around them, is spinning. At present, we have no adequate treatment for vestibular migraine.
Vestibular migraine is often diagnosed when vertigo occurs during a migraine headache, or shortly before or after one. It remains unclear precisely what causes vestibular migraine, but one hypothesis is that neural connections between the sensory systems, which process head pain, and the vestibular systems, which establish a sense of spatial awareness and balance, could communicate during a migraine attack.
Treatment options for vestibular migraine are extremely limited, so current treatment is focused primarily on reducing the frequency of migraine attacks.
Emerging research suggests that a new application of an existing treatment may hold some promise. The treatment, called noninvasive VNS (nVNS), involves placing a small handheld device over your neck to deliver a short electrical pulse to activate your vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is a long nerve that descends from your brainstem through your neck and regulates all organs in your body including your heart rate, gut motility, and mood. Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve is used to treat both epilepsy and depression. And there is evidence that nVNS may effectively treat migraine headache, as well as vertigo not associated with migraine.
A recent study published in the journal Neurology tested whether nVNS could be used to treat vertigo symptoms in migraine patients. The study found that 13 of 14 migraine patients who used nVNS reported significant improvement in the vestibular symptoms occurring during a migraine attack. The only side effect noted with this treatment was a slight tugging sensation on the neck during the electrical pulse. These results are consistent with multiple prior studies demonstrating that nVNS is safe.
It is important to note that a control group was not included in this study, so it is unclear to what extent vestibular improvement was due to nVNS itself, or to a combination of nVNS and a placebo effect. Nevertheless, this study provides exciting early data that nVNS may be an effective treatment for vestibular symptoms associated with migraine, and should prompt larger controlled trials in the future.
Because there are few treatment options available for vestibular symptoms associated with migraine, there is great excitement about the possibility of using nVNS to treat these symptoms in a safe, noninvasive way. More research is needed before nVNS can be recommended as an effective treatment for vestibular migraine, but its promising results and absence of worrisome side effects offer new hope to migraine patients.
The post Vestibular migraine: Progress in the search for treatments appeared first on Harvard Health Blog.
Worldwide, we’re seeing strong growth in organics and grass fed farming. More and more Americans are becoming familiarized with the drawbacks of factory farmed beef, and the fact that when herbivores are grazed naturally, without hormones, antibiotics and other drugs, you end up with a healthier — and generally safer, less contaminated — product.
According to a May 23, 2019, report by Bloomberg, grass fed beef sales rose by 15% in the last year.1 Unfortunately, the current food system still leaves a lot to be desired and the largest players still cling to the status quo of large-scale factory farms that produce massive amounts of toxic and disease-causing waste.
For example, at least some of the foodborne outbreaks from romaine lettuce occurring in 2017, 2018 and 2019 appear to be the result of bacterial contamination originating from E. coli-contaminated manure.2
Built around efficiency and profit, inevitable quality and safety deficiencies are par the course. International trade agreements also protect profits over safety and consumer ideals.
While traceability is key for food safety, the U.S. appeal for country of origin labeling was rejected by the World Trade Organization in 2015 for unfairly discriminating against imports.3 In other words, you’re not allowed to know where your food comes from simply because that might influence your purchasing decision.
The ramifications are keenly evident in the beef industry, where tainted beef is being exported around the globe while local ranchers struggle to compete with bottom-priced imports. One piece of good news, though, is that the U.S. recently decided to maintain its ban on Brazilian beef, which in 2017 was found to contain vaccine-induced abscesses and other quality problems.
June 22, 2017, the U.S. suspended imports of fresh beef from Brazil,4 the fifth largest beef exporter to the U.S. The ban came on the heels of an investigation by Brazil’s Federal Police, which revealed Brazilian food inspectors accepted bribes, falsified sanitary permits and allowed expired meats to be sold across the globe.5
Nearly 1,900 politicians also received bribes to the tune of $186 million over the course of a few years, including former presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff.6
Dozens of federal food inspectors were placed under arrest, and J&F Investimentos, the holding company of JBS SA, one of Brazil’s largest meatpackers and a prime suspect in the corruption investigation, agreed to pay $3.2 billion in fines.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture began inspecting 100% of Brazilian meat imports in March 2017, after the scandal made international headlines.7 Among the problems discovered during inspection were abscesses in the meat — a problem Brazilian deputy agriculture minister Eumar Novacki claimed was due to rare adverse reactions in some cattle to vaccines that prevent foot-and-mouth disease.8
According to Novacki, the reactions pose no risk to public health, but their presence still highlighted widespread quality control problems. As reported by Reuters June 26, 2017:9
“The Agricultural Ministry's linkage of the abscesses to vaccines was questioned by some experts. Vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease are the No. 1 vaccines used in animals worldwide, said James Roth, director of the Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University …
Roth said ‘any injection into an animal might rarely produce an abscess’ if the needle is dirty. However, ‘]I]f abscesses are showing up in the meat, there has to be a failure in the slaughter plant because those should be caught and removed’ …”
While several countries banned Brazilian meat in March 2017, the U.S. didn’t suspend imports until June 22 that year,10 after meat inspections resulted in 11% of Brazilian meat imports being sent back. Normally, the rejection rate is around 1%.
March 12, 2019, after a nearly two-year-long ban, Brazil's Minister of Agriculture Tereza Cristina said she was optimistic that upcoming talks with the White House would lift the ban,11,12 but things didn’t turn out as she’d hoped.
In October 2019, the U.S. told Brazil the ban on fresh meat imports will remain in place.13 While it’s heartening to know that the U.S. is insisting on proof of change, there are still plenty of problems in the American beef market that are being overlooked.
For example, while the Tariff Act of 1930 requires imported beef to be labeled with its country-of-origin “unless the beef undergoes substantial transformation” in the U.S.,14 the U.S. Department of Agriculture has argued that imported beef can be treated as U.S. beef if it comes from a country with food safety standards that are equivalent to those in the U.S.
So, as long as it’s processed in a U.S. facility, it can be labeled “Product of USA”15 — even if that processing involves nothing more than unwrapping and rewrapping the package, or cutting a piece of meat into smaller pieces.
This misrepresentation has significant ramifications for American farmers, who have to compete with lower priced imports. According to the American Grassfed Association (AGA), “U.S. cattle producers received higher prices for their cattle when the origins of foreign beef was distinguished in the marketplace.”16
This is particularly true for grass fed beef, about 80% of which is imported into the U.S. from other countries,17 primarily Australia. Considering the steady growth of grass fed ranching in the U.S., why are we still importing the vast majority of it?
One of the main reasons is because Australia can produce it at a lower cost, as their climate allows for year-round grazing. In fact, in Australia, grass fed is the norm; 70% of the cattle there are raised on open pasture.18
Raising grass fed beef in Australia costs 59 cents per pound. In the U.S., that cost is around $1.55 per pound for large-scale producers, and may go as high as $4.26 per pound for a small producer.19
Contamination with pathogens and drugs is another widespread problem plaguing the conventional meat industry. As reported in “Majority of Supermarket Meats Are Still Riddled With Superbugs,” 8 in 10 supermarket meats are contaminated with fecal bacteria, many of which are resistant to antibiotics, and factory farmed meats are three times more likely to contain drug-resistant bacteria than grass fed beef.
This really is no surprise, since overuse of antibiotics in livestock is the primary driver of antibiotic resistance, and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) routinely use antibiotics. They also use a number of other drugs, and they too can end up contaminating the meat.
As reported by Consumer Reports in August 2018,20 drugs such as ketamine (a hallucinogenic anesthetic), phenylbutazone (an anti-inflammatory pain reliever known to cause blood disorders and cancer), nitroimidazole (an antifungal drug with suspected carcinogenic activity) and chloramphenicol (an antibiotic associated with toxic effects in humans) are all found in the U.S. meat supply.
“The data — as well as Consumer Reports’ review of other government documents and interviews with farmers, industry experts, government officials and medical professionals — raise serious concerns about the safeguards put in place to protect the U.S. meat supply,” Consumer Reports states.21
As for how are these drugs enter the meat supply, Consumer Reports lists a number of possible routes, including improper use (such as giving too high a dose or administering too close to slaughter), counterfeit drugs,22 contaminated feed and intentional misuse.
In my view, the factory farm system is indeed a breeding ground for intentional misuse, as profits are tied to the weight of each animal. For example, Consumer Reports notes that:23
“… cattle that can’t stand on their own are not allowed to be used for meat. So … lame cattle are sometimes given phenylbutazone — a painkiller — shortly before slaughter, so they can ‘get the animal through the slaughterhouse gates without anybody looking closer.’”
Contaminants are also found in nonorganic collagen products, which makes sense since they’re a byproduct of the meat industry. Unless certified organic and grass fed, that collagen is most likely a CAFO byproduct.
As reported in “Buyer Beware: Most Collagen Supplements Sourced From CAFOs,” testing of nonorganic bone broth and bone broth protein products in 2017 revealed the presence of contaminants such as:
Other studies have shown CAFO animal bones and hides can also be a source of heavy metals such as lead,25 which is another potential concern when buying nonorganic animal products.
The take-home message here is that if you’re going to use a bovine collagen product (derived from cows), you’ll want to make sure it’s certified grass fed, ideally by the American Grassfed Association, which has the most rigorous standards.
Keep in mind that this applies not only to collagen supplements but also to gelatin, commonly used in cooking and baking. If you’re using a poultry-based collagen supplement, make sure it’s certified organic by the USDA,26 as this is the only organic label that relates directly to food.
Mounting research shows regenerative grazing methods:
• Improve human health by producing healthier meats — Compared to conventional beef, grass fed beef has:
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Significantly better omega-6 to omega-3 ratios |
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Higher concentrations of conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) |
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Higher levels of antioxidants |
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Better taste |
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Lower risk of E. coli infection |
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Lower risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria |
• Improve animal welfare — Grass fed cattle are healthier and require few if any drug treatments
• Protect the environment — Regenerative grazing systems help restore grasslands, build soil and protect water supplies, whereas the concentration of manure in and around feedlots pollute air, soil and water
• Sequester carbon in the soil — This improves soil quality, offsets cattle methane emissions and helps mitigate rising Co2 levels in the atmosphere
As with collagen products, the only way to ensure you’re buying American-raised grass fed beef is to look for the AGA grass fed label. No other grass fed certification offers the same comprehensive assurances as the AGA, and no other grass fed program ensures compliance using third-party audits. Unless the beef has an AGA grass fed label, you really won’t know what you’re getting. Chances are, its imported.
Aspirin has a long history, dating back nearly 4,000 years when Sumerians wrote of using willow bark for pain relief.1 The ancient Egyptians used willow bark to reduce body temperature and inflammation, and the Greek physician Hippocrates used it to help relieve pain and fever. By the early 1800s Europeans were researching the effects of salicylic acid and how to determine a correct dosage of it.2
In 1899, Bayer begin distributing the powder, and it was sold as tablets over the counter in 1915. Doctors gave aspirin to Alexi Nicholaevich Romanov of Russia, who had hemophilia. The aspirin likely made the bleeding worse. When the family’s mystic Grigori Rasputin advised the family to stop modern treatments and rely on spiritual healing, the bleeding improved.
In an article published in 2010 in CNN, one physician from Harvard Medical School recommended reducing the risk of stomach bleeding associated with aspirin by taking a second medication — Prilosec.
By 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reversed their recommendation, concluding data did not support aspirin as a preventive medication for those who had not had a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular problems.3 In this population, not only had benefit not been established, but “dangerous bleeding into the brain or stomach” was a significant risk.
In the same year the FDA withdrew their recommendation for daily aspirin intake to reduce cardiovascular risk, one meta-analysis was published showing a reduction and cancer mortality in those taking daily low-dose aspirin.4 The researchers hypothesized the effect was the result of inhibition “of cox-2 in preneoplastic lesions.”
Their results were supported by a second meta-analysis5 published in the same year finding a reduction in nonvascular deaths and cancer with low dose aspirin. In another study published in 2018,6 researchers found data suggesting aspirin is associated with a lower risk of developing several types of cancer, including colorectal, esophageal, pancreatic, ovarian and endometrial.
As New York Times best seller author and nutrition expert Dr. Michael Greger writes,7 animal products made up 5% or less of their diet before Japanese citizens began adopting a Western diet.8 During the same period, there was a vast difference in cancer deaths between the U.S. and Japan.
The age-adjusted death rates for colon, breast, ovary and prostate were five to 10 times lower in Japan, and leukemia, lymphoma and pancreatic cancer death rates were three to four times lower. In part, this protection may have been the result of phytonutrients found in the plant-based diet, including salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin.
The highest concentrations in plants is found in herbs and spices with the greatest amount in cumin. Researchers have found eating a teaspoon of cumin will spike your blood levels of salicylic acid to the same degree that taking a baby aspirin does. Greger9 quotes one study describing the lower incidence of colorectal cancer in areas where people eat diets rich in salicylic acid:10
“The population of rural India, with an incidence of colorectal cancer which is one of the lowest in the world, has a diet that could be extremely rich in salicylic acid. It contains substantial amounts of fruits, vegetables, and cereals flavored with large quantities of herbs and spices.”
In another analysis11 comparing organic versus nonorganic vegetables, scientists found soup made with organic vegetables contained more salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is produced by plants in response to stress, such as when they’re being bitten by bugs. Plants treated with pesticides do not undergo this type of stress, and studies show they contain six times less salicylic acid than those grown organically.
Evidence supports the assertion that a plant-rich diet offers protection against certain cancers. Aspirin used to be recommended to reduce clotting time and the risk of heart attack and ischemic stroke, triggered by a clot to the brain. However, long-term use of aspirin has been associated with harmful effects, including hemorrhagic stroke, or bleeding in the brain when a clot doesn’t form.
In addition to aspirin side effects, results from a trio of studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated daily low-dose aspirin had no measurably significant health benefits for healthy older adults. Instead, the data demonstrated it did not prolong disability-free survival and contributed to the risk of major bleeding.
In one study the authors found those with helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection who used low dose aspirin had a higher risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding then those who took aspirin without the infection.
In another study12 researchers found those who used aspirin regularly, which they defined as at least once a week for one year, experienced an increased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Results from a separate study13 also point to a connection between frequent aspirin use and AMD, linking increasing frequency of use to higher risk.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death14 in people of most racial and ethnic groups in America. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports one person dies every 37 seconds from heart disease and cardiovascular deaths account for 25% of all deaths reported.
Using aspirin to reduce the risk of clot formation comes with significant risk. A better alternative is nattokinase, produced by the bacteria bacillus subtilis when soybeans are being fermented to produce natto. This is a fermented soybean product that has been a traditional food in Japan for thousands of years.
Without using conventional drugs, nattokinase has demonstrated the ability to reduce chronic rhinosinusitis and dissolve excess fibrin in blood vessels, which improves circulation and reduces the risk of serious clotting. Another benefit is the ability to decrease blood viscosity and improve flow, which consequently lowers blood pressure.
Data also showed consuming nattokinase decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure and demonstrated effectiveness in reducing deep vein thrombosis in those who were on long-haul flights or vehicle travel. Studies have demonstrated administration of a single-dose can enhance clot breakdown and anticoagulation.
Each of these factors affects your long-term cardiovascular health and risk for heart disease. In one study,15 researchers wrote nattokinase is a “unique natural compound that possesses several key cardiovascular beneficial effects for patients with CVD and is therefore an ideal drug candidate for the prevention and treatment of CVD.”
One of the drawbacks of pharmaceutical interventions, including thrombolytics, antiplatelets and anticoagulants, is that they interfere with the anticoagulation system and carry a risk of major bleeding.16 Lumbrokinase is a secondary option that works as a fibrinolytic enzyme, activating the plasminogen system and direct fibrinolysis.
The compound also indirectly achieves anticoagulation through inhibition of platelet function. Additionally, lumbrokinase has an enzyme opposing the coagulation system. Research has demonstrated it promotes fibrinolysis but also fibrinogenesis, meaning it may have a built-in balance system that contributes to the safety record.
Interestingly, this complex enzyme is extracted from earthworms and is sometimes referred to as earthworm powder enzymes. Eastern medicine has used earthworms for thousands of years, and Chinese medicine practitioners believe they possess properties to “invigorate blood, resolve stasis and unblock the body’s meridians and channels.”
They are commonly found in a traditional herbal formula used to treat ischemic or thromboembolic conditions. To date, those producing lumbrokinase cannot make any therapeutic claims. Available studies have demonstrated safety and effectiveness in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke and impressive results in the treatment of coronary arterial disease including those with unstable angina.
Lumbrokinase has also been evaluated as an antimetastatic and antitumor agent, with evidence demonstrating a potential use in anticoagulation to limit cancer growth and metastasis. The authors of two review papers found adverse rates to be 0.7% to 3% with most symptoms being a mild headache, nausea, dizziness and constipation, which resolved when the enzyme was discontinued.
Neither of the reviews found the enzyme triggered bleeding or adverse effects in the kidney or liver. Both nattokinase and lumbrokinase have a lower side effect profile than aspirin and provide much of the same benefits to the cardiovascular system. While aspirin is no longer universally recommended, consider speaking with your physician to include nattokinase or lumbrokinase in your heart health regimen.
1 Which of the following is a precursor to glutathione and will help raise your glutathione level?
NAC is a precursor to and rate-limiting nutrient for the formation of glutathione. Glutathione is poorly absorbed, so in many cases, it's easier to raise your glutathione by taking NAC instead. Learn more.
2 Which U.S. state will be the first to put government vaccine mandates to a popular vote with its "Yes on 1" initiative, up for vote on the March 3, 2020 ballot?
Maine will be the first state to put government vaccine mandates to a popular vote. A people's veto petition has been submitted to overturn LD798, a new law which revokes religious and philosophical/personal belief vaccine exemptions and bars access to education and certain types of employment for people who decline one or more state-mandated vaccines for themselves or their minor children. Learn more.
3 Which of the following supplements has been shown to improve wound healing and connective tissue repair, in addition to improving sleep, normalizing blood pressure and improving glucose tolerance?
Health benefits of collagen include improved sleep, stronger bones, reduced joint pain and stiffness, and improved muscle building, wound healing, connective tissue repair, gut health, digestion, blood pressure and glucose tolerance. An ideal way to supply your body with much-needed collagen is to make homemade broth by boiling down chicken feet or beef bones. Learn more.
4 The greatest risk of stroke comes from a combination of excess sleep at night and this habit during the day:
The greatest risk of all, however, occurred among those who both slept for nine hours or more at night and napped for more than 90 minutes. This excessive sleep combination increased stroke risk by 85% compared to moderate sleepers and nappers. Learn more.
5 Blood flow restriction (BFR) training is a method of strength training involving:
Blood flow restriction (BFR) training involves partially restricting arterial inflow and fully restricting venous outflow while working the muscle, allowing you to significantly enhance strength and muscle mass using as little as 20% of your single-rep max weight. Learn more.
6 New York City's High Line is an example of:
One shining example in the film is New York City's High Line … Now dotted with art and food vendors, it has become an inspiration to all cities that want to transform their industrial infrastructure into walkable public spaces. Learn more.
7 Which of the following types of resistance training prevents delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and allows you to work out most frequently?
Blood flow restriction (BFR) training allows you to use very light weights, or even no weights at all if you move the muscle slowly and with contraction in both the positive and negative directions. Since muscle damage is eliminated, you recover faster than when doing traditional heavy weight training. This allows you to perform BFR every day, if you want. There's also very little or no delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) when doing BFR, as you're not causing inflammation from tearing muscle fiber. Learn more.
