Do Allergy Medications Increase Your Alzheimer’s Risk?

The AHA! Team — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 09:04:04 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – I love this time of year. But many of my patients dread springtime… They come to my clinic sneezing and sniffling. They have runny noses, and watery, itchy eyes. They can’t sleep or work. You may have the same problems. You need relief fast to get back to your life. So you might be tempted to pop some OTC remedies or ask your doctor for a prescription. But you may be getting more than you bargained for with those allergy drugs. They may make you lose your mind. Let me explain… Many doctors treat allergies with a class of drugs called anticholinergics (ACs). You know them by names like Benadryl and Dimetapp. In a new study, scientists linked ACs to an increased risk of dementia.1 Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine looked at 451 people, with an average age of 73. Sixty of the patients were taking at least one AC drug. They gave the whole group memory and cognitive tests. They did PET scans to measure brain activity. They did MRI scans to measure changes in brain structure. The results were worrying… The people taking AC drugs did worse on short-term memory tests. They had worse verbal reasoning, planning skills, and problem-solving. They also had lower levels of brain activity, especially in the hippocampus — the region of the brain linked with memory. And they had reduced brain volume and larger cavities or holes inside their brains. In other words, people taking the drugs had more brain atrophy. And AC drugs cause damage quickly. In fact, using these drugs for as few as 60 or 90 days can cause cognitive problems.2 Allergies are your immune system overreacting to normal dust, pollen, and animal fur. Special cells in the blood vessel linings of the inner eyelids, nasal membranes, and lungs release substances called histamine and inflammatory prostaglandins. These are the real culprits behind all the misery. They release fluids to flush out what your body thinks is a viral or bacterial infection. I don’t prescribe those dangerous AC drugs for allergies. Instead, I help my patients relieve the symptoms naturally. 5 Safe, Natural Allergy Busters You Can Use Today Nasal irrigation. This therapy is a safe and easy way to rinse your sinuses. It flushes allergens and irritants out your nasal passages. You can find nasal rinse applicators, including neti pots and sinus-rinse kits, in most drug stores. Just follow the directions on the box. But one caution… Make sure the water is distilled and as sterile as possible. Tap water isn’t safe because it’s not adequately filtered or treated. And it can increase your risk of infection. Pineapple. This tropical fruit contains an enzyme called bromelain. It counteracts the effects of inflammatory prostaglandins. To help lessen inflammation, you’ll need to eat about a cup of fresh pineapple every day. You can also take a supplement. Look for a capsule that is at or near 2,400 GDU (gelatin dissolving units), the highest standardized potency you can get. I recommend you take 500 mg twice a day. Quercetin. This bioflavonoid targets the special cells that make histamine. Studies show it prevents allergies before they start. It can even stop allergic reactions in progress. And it works instantly.3 Quercetin is found naturally in many fruits and vegetables. Try eating more apples, broccoli, cherries, citrus fruit, cranberries, green tea, leafy greens, raspberries, red grapes, onions, shallots, and tomatoes. If you’re prone to allergies, start eating more of these foods a few weeks before spring arrives. Or you can supplement. I recommend taking 500 mg twice a day. Stinging nettle (urtica dioica). This prickly herb is a natural anti-inflammatory. It can prevent hay fever symptoms if taken as soon as they appear.4 It works by balancing histamine levels and preventing the production of prostaglandins. I recommend drinking nettle tea. You can find dried leaves or tea bags in your local health food store or online. Drink one or two cups a day with a meal. Vitamin C. You already know vitamin C boosts the immune system. But it also halts the production of histamine. And it speeds up the breakdown of histamine already in the blood. One study showed that taking 2,000 mg of vitamin C per day lowered histamine levels by 38% in healthy adults — after just one week.5 To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS References: 1. Risacher S, et al. “Association between anticholinergic medication use and cognition, brain metabolism, and brain atrophy in cognitively normal older adults.” JAMA Neurol. 2016;73(6):721-32. 2. Xueya C, et al. “Long-term anticholinergic use and the aging brain.” Alzheimers Dement. 2013;9: 377–385. 3. Middleton, E. et al ” Quercetin: an inhibitor of antigen-induced human basophil histamine release.” J Immunol. 1991;127:546-50. 4. Roschek B Jr, et al. “Nettle extract (Urtica dioica) affects key receptors and enzymes associated with allergic rhinitis.” Phytother Res. 2009;23(7):920-6. 5. Johnston, C. et al ” Antihistamine effect of supplemental ascorbic acid and neutrophil chemotaxis.” J Am Coll Nutr. 1992. II(2):172-76 To read the original article click here.

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Food Allergies Can Be Reversed in Mice by Targeting the Microbiome

AHA Publisher — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 07:00:45 +0000

American Chemical Society (ACS) via Newswise – CHICAGO, Aug. 21, 2022 — Although many people with dietary allergies experience mild symptoms when exposed to triggering foods, some face potentially fatal consequences. A bacterial compound called butyrate that’s made by healthy microbiomes has shown promise against allergic reactions in lab tests, but it’s nasty to take orally. Today, scientists describe a more palatable way to deliver this compound and report that their “polymeric micelles” are effective against peanut allergies in mice. The treatment could someday counteract many types of food allergies and inflammatory diseases. The researchers will present their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Fall 2022 is a hybrid meeting being held virtually and in-person Aug. 21–25, with on-demand access available Aug. 26-Sept. 9. The meeting features nearly 11,000 presentations on a wide range of science topics. Some of the bacteria in the gut microbiome produce metabolites, such as butyrate, that foster the growth of beneficial bacteria and maintain the lining of the gut. If a person’s microbiome is unhealthy and lacks these butyrate-producing bacteria, fragments of partially digested food can leak out of the gut and produce an immune reaction that results in an allergic response. One way to treat those with allergies would be to provide the missing bugs to them orally or with a fecal transplant, but that hasn’t worked well in the clinic, according to Jeffrey Hubbell, Ph.D., one of the project’s principal investigators (PIs). “So we thought, why don’t we just deliver the metabolites — like butyrate — that a healthy microbiome produces?” “But butyrate has a very bad smell, like dog poop and rancid butter, and it also tastes bad, so people wouldn’t want to swallow it,” says Shijie Cao, Ph.D., who is presenting the results at the meeting for the team, which is at the University of Chicago. And even if people could choke it down, butyrate would be digested before reaching its destination in the lower gut. To overcome these challenges, the researchers, including co-PI Cathryn Nagler, Ph.D., and Ruyi Wang, Ph.D., designed a new delivery system. They polymerized butanoyloxyethyl methacrylamide — which has a butyrate group as a side chain — with methacrylic acid or hydroxypropyl methacrylamide. The resulting polymers self-assembled into aggregates, or polymeric micelles, that tucked the butyrate side chains in their core, thus cloaking the compound’s foul smell and taste. The researchers administered these micelles to the digestive systems of mice lacking either healthy gut bacteria or a properly functioning gut lining. After digestive juices released the butyrate in the lower gut, the inert polymers were eliminated in the feces. The treatment restored the gut’s protective barrier and microbiome, in part by increasing production of peptides that kill off harmful bacteria, which made room for butyrate-producing bacteria. Most importantly, dosing allergic mice with the micelles prevented a life-threatening anaphylactic response when they were exposed to peanuts. “This type of therapy is not antigen specific,” Cao notes. “So theoretically, it can be broadly applied to any food allergies through the modulation of gut health.” Next up are trials in larger animals, followed by clinical trials. If those trials succeed and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the oral treatment, the micelles could be marketed in small packets; consumers would tear open a packet and stir the contents into a glass of water or juice. In other work with the micelles, the team is analyzing data on treating inflammatory bowel diseases with the oral therapy. The team is also investigating administration via injection. The researchers have shown that this method allows the micelles and their butyrate cargo to accumulate in lymph nodes, which are part of the immune system. They found that this approach is effective in treating peanut allergies in mice, but it could also be used to suppress immune activation locally — rather than throughout the body. For example, injections could be helpful in patients who have had an organ transplant or who have a localized autoimmune and inflammatory condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis. The researchers acknowledge support and funding from their start-up company, ClostraBio, and the University of Chicago. To read the original article click here.

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Do Allergy Medications Increase Your Alzheimer’s Risk?

Food Allergies Can Be Reversed in Mice by Targeting the Microbiome