Simple Treatments for Nausea and Acid Reflux?

Colon Cancer Screening And Bacteria in Gut causing Cancer

It is thought that colon cancer begins, in most instances, by a benign polyp that slowly changes over many years, thus the recommendation for a colonoscopy every 10 years after age 50. Fro those with a strong family history, or certain other conditions, and earlier or more frequent schedule is advised.

However, a colonoscopy reimburses the physician well, and even more when a polyp is found or removed. This can be subjective, though many hospitals now require photos. I still recall many years ago when I was on the quality control committee of my hospital when we questioned a physician about his too frequent procedures. When we required him to take photos of his "lesions" and set a 6 month followup, we discovered that he no longer did colonoscopies at our facility!

In a recent study on the possible overuse of colonoscopies (J Gen Intern Med 2015 Mar 30:277) Boston researchers used medical record data to examine this issue in 1429 patients who had first screening colonoscopies during a 10-year period (2000–2010). Guidelines recommend repeat colonoscopy at 10 years after a colonoscopy with no polyps, 5 years after detecting low-risk findings,and 3 years after detecting higher-risk polyps. They found that about 30% with negative findings and 50% with low risk polyps had premature repeat colonoscopies. And this does not include those with possible questionable polyps. So be careful and discuss a premature repeat with your physician.

In another study, which correlates with many recent findings, (Bullman S et al. Science 2017 Dec 15), investigators found that from more than 500 cases of colon cancer a fusobacterial DNA (DNA from a specific bacteria)was found in nearly 50% of primary tumors. They found that this same bacterial DNA seemed to also induce tumors in mice. And treating these mice with an antibiotic against this germ decreased tumor size.

It is possible that at least some of human colon cancer may be related to a specific bacteria. Stay tuned for possible screening and treatment.. 

How addictive is Social Media

It appears to be common sense these days, when looking at everyone on their devices, to conclude social media is addictive.

In a recent study, PLoS One 2017 Dec 14., researchers determined that greater attention to Facebook is associated with depression, anxiety, narcissism, and stress in university students.

The researchers found that the incidence of Facebook addiction, as well as these other symptoms, increased in a group of Facebook users by a factor of 15 to about 1 in 10 "addicted". And these users had more psychological symptoms above.

We should all limit our use of devices and social media. This trend is not good for anyone.

Can Social Media Shrink Young Brains?

There has been a lot said about decreasing screen time, especially in children. There have been many studies that show adverse effects.

But now, in a recent study, Sci Rep 2018 Feb 1., researchers tested the relationship between WeChat usage and brain morphology, researchers conducted a study of 61 university students (mean age, 22; 40 males) who underwent MRI scans and completed self-report questionnaires on WeChat addiction, depression, and anxiety. WeChat is an app popular in China similar to Facebook but with many additional functions, such as shopping and banking.

They found a correlation with decreases in brain gray matter and the amount of WeChat addiction. This corresponds to data showing that video games change white matter in 6- to 18-year-olds (NEJM JW Psychiatry Mar 2016 and Mol Psychiatry 2016; 21:1781).

Of note, many titans of Silicon Valley anticipated these pernicious effects of social media on children's neurological development and thus sent their children to device-free schools (e.g., Business Insider Nov 7, 2017). Such as Waldorf Schools.

So put down the cell phone now and stop your children from becoming addicted!

https://mojavespringsschool.org/

Gluten? OR Fructan??

It seems that gluten free diets are the fad these days. Many people, with no clinical evidence (blood tests or intestinal changes) of Celiac disease claim to do better on a gluten free diet.

In a recent study, to evaluate this occurrence, researchers evaluated symptoms in such a population to see if they reacted to Fructan, another carbohydrate found in many foods (see below).

They found that Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) scores, both overall and for bloating, were higher with fructans compared with gluten. The fructans group also had worse scores for vitality and weakness compared with the gluten group. Gastroenterology 2018 Feb

It seems that some people may be having Fructan intolerance rather than gluten. If you have symptoms, its worth a try!

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-high-in-fodmaps