Archive for the ‘Supplements’ Category

Walgreens & CVS Join the Cannabis Race

https://www.emperorcbd.com/walgreens-and-cvs-join-the-cannabis-race/

Walgreens and CVS Join the Cannabis Race

by | Mar 30, 2019

Walgreens and CVS Join the Cannabis Race

 

Cannabidiol (CBD) has become the new hot product everyone’s talking about. Much like marijuana, you can use CBD to de-stress, reduce inflammation, or treat seizures without getting drowsy, hungry, or having the perception of time slowing down. In other words, consuming CBD won’t get you high.

CBD is extracted from the industrial hemp plant and is therefore considered part of the cannabis family. In 2018, congress passed the Farm Bill which legalized the production of hemp derived CBD. However, not all CBD is legal. Only those products compliant with the Farm Bill and approved by the FDA are considered legal by the federal government.

Nevertheless, the Farm Bill was seen as a huge win by the cannabis industry; a huge win that did not go unnoticed.

Competition has emerged from all corners of the globe. So much so, that the industry is expected to reach $22 billion by 2022. It was only a matter of time before well-known retail stores such as CVS and Wal Greens rushed to grab a piece of the pie.

Walgreens Wants In

WalGreens has announced its plans to sell CBD in almost 1500 of its stores throughout the US. As of now, they plan on selling CBD patches, creams, and sprays. However, the brand for these products has not been specified.

Due to the various state regulations regarding CBD, Walgreens will only sell CBD in nine states:

  • New Mexico
  • Colorado
  • Vermont
  • South Carolina
  • Oregon
  • Illinois
  • Tennessee
  • Indiana
  • Kentucky

Walgreens spokesperson Brian Faith shared with CNBC the reason for introducing CBD in their stores is to increase the accessibility of health and wellbeing products to better meet customer demand.

However, with the recent stocking of CBD products on CVS shelves in early March, we highly doubt meeting customer demand was the only reason Walgreens announced it would sell CBD.

CVS Takes a Leap of Faith

CVS is leading the charge for retail pharmacies by selling CBD. The giant chain store has introduced CBD salves, lotions, spray roll-ons, and creams to its line of products in a strategic move to capture a portion of the growing industry.

At the time of writing, CVS sells CBD in:

  • California
  • Illinois
  • Alabama
  • Kentucky
  • Colorado
  • Indiana
  • Maryland
  • Tennessee

Due to the FDA’s regulations, CVS has stated that it’s not selling any CBD food additives or supplements. Rather, they claimed to have partnered with CBD manufacturers that are complaint with the Farm Bill to deliver only high quality products to customers.

The CEO of Curaleaf has claimed that CVS will soon be selling its products on the CVS website and in over 800 CVS stores throughout ten states.

CVS is yet to confirm any of these claims.

Time will Tell

With the FDA frowning upon the use of CBD (especially as an additive in food or dietary supplement) many retailers are turning to CBD as a beauty product. The challenges for these two giants highly increase with the online competition completely dominating the market.

Only time will tell if consumer demand will allow CBD to become another mainstream product at retail stores.

________________

For more:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/09/28/cbd-for-pain/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/10/the-endocannabinoid-system-and-the-important-role-it-plays-in-human-health/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/16/ldn-cbd/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/11/14/hemp-oil-presentation/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/02/09/webinar-cbd-craze-health-or-hype/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/08/thc-vs-cbd-for-pain-the-differences-interactions/

 

Category:

Hemp Oil, Herbs, Inflammation, Pain Management, Sleep, Supplements, Treatment

FREE LDN Talk in Madison – April 25

iu-8

LDN Talk in Madison, Wisconsin

When:  April 25th, 6:30-8:00pm

Where: Door Creek Church, 6602 Dominion Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 

Who: Linda Elsegood, David Yeazel, Medical Professionals and Patients

Cost:  FREE

Register:  email  

For more on LDN:  https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2016/12/18/ldn/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/10/30/ldn-an-overview-of-clinical-applications/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2017/06/12/ldn-reduced-pro-inflammatory-cytokines-in-fm-after-eight-weeks/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/05/18/bullseye-low-dose-naltrexone-lyme-disease-documentary/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2018/07/16/low-dose-naltrexone-for-lyme-living-with-lyme-podcast/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/03/19/sjogrens-syndrome-clinical-benefits-of-low-dose-naltrexone-therapy/

https://madisonarealymesupportgroup.com/2019/01/16/ldn-cbd/

What is LDN, How LDN Works, Conditions LDN can Treat and Formulations of LDN: https://lnkd.in/gTCgvgC

Information Packs: https://lnkd.in/gFkN2_e

LDN Clinical Trial and Studies – can be sorted by conditions: https://lnkd.in/gjYffHy

Testimonials from Users and Medical Professionals – can be sorted by conditions: https://lnkd.in/gNSiiiC

Free Conference Presentations – 2013, 2014, and 2016: https://lnkd.in/geHGKVc

Much more is on the website: https://lnkd.in/gWfhg4H

Category:

Activism, Inflammation, Supplements, Treatment

Innovative “Alternative” Therapies for Chronic Lyme Disease

https://restorativemedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/4Holtorf_-Lyme-CFS.pdf  (Slides Found in link)

iu-7

Innovative “Alternative” Therapies for Chronic Lyme Disease

Kent Holtorf, M.D.

Holtorf Medical Group National Academy of Hypothyroidism Kholt@holtorfmed.com

 

 

Category:

Inflammation, Lyme, Pain Management, Sleep, Supplements, Treatment

Cochrane Review – Probiotics Reduce C-diff By 70% in High Risk Patients Taking Antibiotics

https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006095.pub4/abstract

Probiotics for the prevention of Clostridium difficile‐associated diarrhea in adults and children

Cochrane Systematic Review – Intervention Version published: 19 December 2017 

Joshua Z GoldenbergChristina YapLyubov LytvynCalvin Ka‐Fung LoJennifer BeardsleyDominik MertzBradley C Johnston

Abstract

Background

Antibiotics can disturb gastrointestinal microbiota which may lead to reduced resistance to pathogens such as Clostridium difficile (C. difficile). Probiotics are live microbial preparations that, when administered in adequate amounts, may confer a health benefit to the host, and are a potential C. difficile prevention strategy. Recent clinical practice guidelines do not recommend probiotic prophylaxis, even though probiotics have the highest quality evidence among cited prophylactic therapies.

Objectives

To assess the efficacy and safety of probiotics for preventing C.difficile‐associated diarrhea (CDAD) in adults and children.

Search methods

We searched PubMed, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and the Cochrane IBD Group Specialized Register from inception to 21 March 2017. Additionally, we conducted an extensive grey literature search.

Selection criteria

Randomized controlled (placebo, alternative prophylaxis, or no treatment control) trials investigating probiotics (any strain, any dose) for prevention of CDAD, or C. difficile infection were considered for inclusion.

Data collection and analysis

Two authors (independently and in duplicate) extracted data and assessed risk of bias. The primary outcome was the incidence of CDAD. Secondary outcomes included detection of C. difficile infection in stool, adverse events, antibiotic‐associated diarrhea (AAD) and length of hospital stay. Dichotomous outcomes (e.g. incidence of CDAD) were pooled using a random‐effects model to calculate the risk ratio (RR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI). We calculated the number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) where appropriate. Continuous outcomes (e.g. length of hospital stay) were pooled using a random‐effects model to calculate the mean difference and corresponding 95% CI. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to explore the impact of missing data on efficacy and safety outcomes. For the sensitivity analyses, we assumed that the event rate for those participants in the control group who had missing data was the same as the event rate for those participants in the control group who were successfully followed. For the probiotic group, we calculated effects using the following assumed ratios of event rates in those with missing data in comparison to those successfully followed: 1.5:1, 2:1, 3:1, and 5:1. To explore possible explanations for heterogeneity, a priori subgroup analyses were conducted on probiotic species, dose, adult versus pediatric population, and risk of bias as well as a post hoc subgroup analysis on baseline risk of CDAD (low 0% to 2%; moderate 3% to 5%; high > 5%). The overall quality of the evidence supporting each outcome was independently assessed using the GRADE criteria.

Main results

Thirty‐nine studies (9955 participants) met the eligibility requirements for our review. Overall, 27 studies were rated as either high or unclear risk of bias. A complete case analysis (i.e. participants who completed the study) among trials investigating CDAD (31 trials, 8672 participants) suggests that probiotics reduce the risk of CDAD by 60%. The incidence of CDAD was 1.5% (70/4525) in the probiotic group compared to 4.0% (164/4147) in the placebo or no treatment control group (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.52; GRADE = moderate). Twenty‐two of 31 trials had missing CDAD data ranging from 2% to 45%. Our complete case CDAD results proved robust to sensitivity analyses of plausible and worst‐plausible assumptions regarding missing outcome data and results were similar whether considering subgroups of trials in adults versus children, inpatients versus outpatients, different probiotic species, lower versus higher doses of probiotics, or studies at high versus low risk of bias. However, in a post hoc analysis, we did observe a subgroup effect with respect to baseline risk of developing CDAD. Trials with a baseline CDAD risk of 0% to 2% and 3% to 5% did not show any difference in risk but trials enrolling participants with a baseline risk of > 5% for developing CDAD demonstrated a large 70% risk reduction (interaction P value = 0.01). Among studies with a baseline risk > 5%, the incidence of CDAD in the probiotic group was 3.1% (43/1370) compared to 11.6% (126/1084) in the control group (13 trials, 2454 participants; RR 0.30, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.42; GRADE = moderate). With respect to detection of C. difficile in the stool pooled complete case results from 15 trials (1214 participants) did not show a reduction in infection rates. C. difficile infection was 15.5% (98/633) in the probiotics group compared to 17.0% (99/581) in the placebo or no treatment control group (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.10; GRADE = moderate). Adverse events were assessed in 32 studies (8305 participants) and our pooled complete case analysis indicates probiotics reduce the risk of adverse events by 17% (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.71 to 0.97; GRADE = very low). In both treatment and control groups the most common adverse events included abdominal cramping, nausea, fever, soft stools, flatulence, and taste disturbance.

Authors’ conclusions

Based on this systematic review and meta‐analysis of 31 randomized controlled trials including 8672 patients, moderate certainty evidence suggests that probiotics are effective for preventing CDAD (NNTB = 42 patients, 95% CI 32 to 58). Our post hoc subgroup analyses to explore heterogeneity indicated that probiotics are effective among trials with a CDAD baseline risk >5% (NNTB = 12; moderate certainty evidence), but not among trials with a baseline risk ≤5% (low to moderate certainty evidence). Although adverse effects were reported among 32 included trials, there were more adverse events among patients in the control groups. The short‐term use of probiotics appears to be safe and effective when used along with antibiotics in patients who are not immunocompromised or severely debilitated. Despite the need for further research, hospitalized patients, particularly those at high risk of CDAD, should be informed of the potential benefits and harms of probiotics.

 

What is Clostridium difficile‐associated diarrhea?

Antibiotics are among the most prescribed medications worldwide. Antibiotic treatment may disturb the balance of organisms that normally populate the gut. This can result in a range of symptoms, most notably, diarrhea. Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a particularly dangerous organism that may colonize the gut if the normal healthy balance has been disturbed. Clostridium difficile‐related disease varies from asymptomatic infection, diarrhea, colitis, and pseudo‐membranous colitis to toxic megacolon and death. The cost of treatment is expensive and the financial burden on the medical system is substantial.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are live organisms (bacteria or yeast) thought to improve the balance of organisms that populate the gut, counteracting potential disturbances to the gut microbial balance that are associated with antibiotic use, and reducing the risk of colonization by pathogenic bacteria. Probiotics can be found in dietary supplements or yogurts and are becoming increasingly available as capsules sold in health food stores and supermarkets. As ‘functional food’ or ‘good bacteria’, probiotics have been suggested as a means of both preventing and treating C. difficile‐associated diarrhea (CDAD).

What did the researchers investigate?

The researchers investigated whether probiotics prevent CDAD in adults and children receiving antibiotic therapy and whether probiotics causes any harms (side effects). The researchers searched the medical literature extensively up to 21 March 2017.

What did the researchers find?

This review includes 39 randomized trials with a total of 9955 participants. Thirty‐one studies (8672 participants) assessed the effectiveness of probiotics for preventing CDAD among participants taking antibiotics. Our results suggest that when probiotics are given with antibiotics the risk of developing CDAD is reduced by 60% on average. Among trials enrolling participants at high risk of developing CDAD (> 5%), the potential benefit of probiotics is more pronounced with a 70% risk reduction on average. Side effects were assessed in 32 studies (8305 participants) and our results suggest that taking probiotics does not increase the risk of developing side effects. The most common side effects reported in these studies include abdominal cramping, nausea, fever, soft stools, flatulence, and taste disturbance. The short‐term use of probiotics appears to be safe and effective when used along with antibiotics in patients who are not immunocompromised or severely debilitated. Despite the need for further research, hospitalized patients, particularly those at high risk of CDAD, should be informed of the potential benefits and harms of probiotics.

Category:

Gut Health, Prevention, research, Supplements, Treatment

Bioidentical Hormone Talk – Brookfield, WI April 17, 2019

Dr. Deb’s First Talk of 2019!
Wednesday, April 17th at MD Custom Rx in Brookfield, WI
If you want to learn more about Hormones & Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy, you’re in luck – Dr. Deb will be speaking at MD Custom Rx, in Brookfield, WI on April 17th! Come join us from 6:30pm to 8:00pm to listen and learn about BHRT! The cost is $10 per person, received as a customer credit the day of the event.
Call (262) 373-1050 to register!
An Update On Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy
Wednesday, April 17 | 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Are you coming to Dr. Deb’s talk!?
LOCATION
MD Custom Rx – 19035 W Capitol Dr. STE 105 Brookfield, WI (In the Sendiks Towne Center)

DATE AND TIME
04/17/19 6:30pm – 04/17/19 8:00pm

Call (262) 373-1050 to register! Spaces are limited! Cost is $10.00 per person – will receive a supplement credit the day of event!
I’ll be there!
Maybe
I can’t make it

 

 

 

Category:

Activism, Supplements, Treatment