Tag Archives: chronic inflammation

Where Our Worlds Collide: The Systemic Storm of Inflammation, Cardiovascular Disease and Psoriasis 

A Partner Blog from Three of the Tarsus Family of Brands: American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, Cardiometabolic Health Congress, and LiVDerm.

A review published in May 2021 in the European Cardiology Review sought to elucidate the various potential factors, mechanisms, or processes linking cardiovascular disease (CVD) and psoriasis. Observational relationships between these two diseases include: an increased independent association between cardiovascular disease and severe psoriasis in younger patients; a higher mortality rate in patients with psoriasis with an overall five-year reduction in life expectancy; a parallel rise in psoriasis severity and CVD risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; a higher rate of both CVD and psoriasis in geographical populations furthest from the equator; and the majority of deaths in patients with psoriasis being attributed to cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events. The authors of the review noted that severe psoriasis was more strongly linked to cardiovascular-related mortality than was mild or moderate psoriasis.

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Inflammaging: Chronic Inflammation and Healthy Aging

In recent years, the scientific community has been increasingly focused on a rarely recognized yet widely prevalent condition that contributes to an array of diseases, including cardiometabolic diseases, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and depression. Chronic inflammation, although it may progress slowly, is the root cause of most chronic diseases and poses a significant threat to public health and longevity.

Trending in many medical specialities chronic, low-grade inflammation associated with changes in stem cell structure and deterioration is being referred to as “inflammaging”. The condition, which often results from an accumulation of health risk factors such as environmental causes, dietary habits, UV exposure, and sleep patterns, is linked to a number of age-related diseases – including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. To delay and support healthy aging while protecting the body from illness, medical experts continue to investigate the prominent role of chronic inflammation and its implications on the development of anti-aging therapies.

Causes of Chronic Inflammation

Current literature has identified several underlying molecular causes of the phenomenon of inflammaging. The condition stems from a failure of the immune system to mitigate responses to illness or injury; factors can include the body’s failure to eliminate bacterium or fungus, exposure to a toxic substance, or the presence of an autoimmune condition. With age, immune responses tend to become less well-regulated and thus, may result in consistently elevated levels of inflammatory agents such as C-reactive protein, chemokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-a.

Further, inflammaging can have a direct impact on skin health and vitality. Chronic oxidative stress can cause accelerated tissue damage, weakening skin structure and leading to the breakdown of elastin and collagen, ultimately impairing the skin’s barrier function. This contributes to the development of many unwanted dermatologic symptoms – wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, uneven skin tone, and textural changes.

Preventative Techniques 

As chronic inflammation is difficult to treat, employing adequate preventative measures is of utmost importance. Improving overall health by maintaining a balanced diet, regular physical activity, and consistent sleep patterns can be beneficial to supporting optimal functioning of stem cells in the body.

Highly processed foods contribute to the inflammatory response, increasing the risk of and worsening existing chronic inflammation. On the other hand, consuming a diet rich with anti-inflammatory foods – high in nutrient–dense vegetables, fruit, and unprocessed foods – can aid the body in regulating the immune response which becomes more challenging with age.

Additionally, experts emphasize the role of the gut microbiome in preventing chronic inflammation; research has found that the gut microbiota of elderly patients often has decreased diversity, leading to weakened barriers against bacteria and thus, increased risk and prevalence of chronic inflammation. To help maintain gut health it is recommended to increase the consumption of probiotic-rich foods – yogurt, kefir, and fermented products – and maintain a well-rounded diet.

Another important preventative measure to consider is the routine and careful use of sunscreen to protect the body against harmful UV exposure, which drives pro-inflammaging factors. To aid this, skincare products with the right ingredients can shield skin stem cells from the negative effects of environmental stressors and break the cycle of inflammaging.

While knowledge in the relatively novel field of inflammaging is continuously expanding, the role of chronic inflammation in the biological aging process and development of age-related disease has become well-known. Clinicians looking to gain a better understanding of current clinical evidence and strategies for targeting inflammatory activity are invited to attend the Inflammaging – Ways to Slow the Clock session taking place during our Longevity, Aging, and Immuno Competency Virtual Event.

InternalMedReview – Inflammation Induced Chronic Fatiguing Illnesses

This is the state of the science regarding genomics and neuro-inflammation due to Lyme and Mold exposure. The premise is that the common presenting symptom of fatigue is caused by chronic inflammation, which can now be objectively measured and treated when due to a biotoxin exposure. This is breakthrough research and links inflammation, brain injury and underlying genomics. We are the only group in the world to publish these findings based on years of careful research. – Andrew Heyman, MD

We hear so much about genetics vs. genomics here at A4M/MMI, but the bottom line is that a huge leap was just made this month in our main mission. One of our leading faculty members, Andrew Heyman, MD who is also the Program Director of our Fellowship at George Washington University, just had his research published in The Internal Medicine Review’s October Issue.

Dr. Heyman along with another one of our expert faculty members, Dr. Richie Shoemaker, partnered in this research initiative and have worked tirelessly to gather this data. They are the only group in the world that has collected this amount of data in the chronic illness arena. As we continue to review the model of genomics, what is causing chronic disease – between genetics, DNA, RNA, etc. we have begun to become aware of an overlap with other conditions that we usually blame on lifestyle like obesity and diabetes, etc.

Is the presence of mold or moisture in our surroundings starting to shift our immune response?

Below we provide a summary on some exciting new insight into chronic diseases.

Inflammation Induced Chronic Fatiguing Illnesses: A steady march towards understanding mechanisms and identifying new biomarkers and therapies.

Ritchie C. Shoemaker1,4*, Andrew Heyman2, Annalaura Mancia3 and James C Ryan4
1Center for Research on Biotoxin-Associated Illnesses, Pocomoke, MD, USA
2Integrative Medicine, George Washington University, Washington DC, USA
3Department of Life Science and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
4ProgeneDX, LLC, Deerfield Beach, FL USA

This breakthrough peer reviewed publication outlines the Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), an evidence-based model of assessment and treatment of Chronic Fatigue utilizing objective biomarkers, structural Brain MRI and transcriptomics, and moves medicine away from a ‘symptom only’ approach to managing the fatigued patient. CIRS is a neuroregulatory-inflammatory disease process found in genetically susceptible patients (20% of US population), initiated by exposure to a biotoxin(s) such as a water damaged building, Lyme disease, ciguatera, pfistera and many more. A final common pathway of immune dysfunction ensues, including abnormal findings such as Transforming Growth Factor Beta (TGFb), Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP), Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone (MSH), split products of complement activation, Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP9) and others now available for use as clinical diagnostics. In cases of cognitive decline, new technology for brain MRI analysis, NeuroQuant, can pick up small changes in brain structures consistently shown in CIRS.

This work is based upon two randomized controlled trials applying a specific series of assessments and treatments designed to restore normal health status by:

1) eliminating the exposure
2) resolving immune dysfunction
3) repairing damage to the central nervous system

The CIRS protocol finally gives the practitioner a clinical roadmap for some of their most complex patients presenting with fatigue, especially those suffering from Lyme disease. This article offers clear, concise guidance on the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to define both an initial infectious process and a subsequent inflammatory illness and outlines how genomic testing can determine predisposition to chronic stages of Lyme after acute illness through use of Next Generation Sequencing to bring transcriptomics to the Lyme community.

The goal of this important scientific work is to help practitioners reduce uncertainty in their management of the CIRS patient and to ensure a rigorous, evidence based assessment and treatment process is applied utilizing both conventional and Integrative treatment strategies. It represents a new era in clinical medicine by applying a novel language of neuroimmune and genomic profiling, in order to guide health providers in their treatment of Lyme disease, mold exposure and other biotoxins.

Future research will focus on refining the treatment protocol, determining the role of transcriptomics in chronic inflammatory processes and exploring the relationship and overlap between CIRS and other common conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity, chronic pain syndromes, concussion and brain injury, and neurodegenerative disorders.

On Friday, December 15, 2017 during our 25th Annual A4M World Congress, Dr. Heyman will be lecturing at our VIP breakfast symposium titled See the Forest through the Trees: Protocols for Lyme Disease, where he will cover what can reduce symptoms, of Lyme, strengthen the immune system, and potentially treat the entire illness.

If you are interested in furthering your coverage of the treatment of Lyme and other chronic illnesses, Dr. Heyman and Dr. Shoemaker have a two part online advance course that we offer.