Integrative Practitioner’s Top Articles of 2023

By Avery St. Onge

As we launch into the new year, Integrative Practitioner is reflecting on our most popular topics of 2023 to gain insights into the year’s top industry trends and preview what’s to come.

Between advancing wearable technology and the popularization of GLP-1 agonists for weight loss, 2023 was filled with healthcare innovations and controversies. It’s no surprise that diet-related trends like intermittent fasting and Ozempic were the subjects of some of our top articles. However, integrative practitioners also gravitated toward stories concerning medicinal mushrooms, Alzheimer’s prevention, stress reduction, and women’s health.

Read more for a list of our ten most-read articles of 2023.

Lion’s Mane Mushroom Found to Boost Nerve Growth, Memory, Researchers Say

Researchers at The University of Queensland have discovered in pre-clinical trials that lion’s mane mushroom, or Hericium erinaceus, may have a significant impact on the growth of brain cells and improving memory.

Extracts from these so-called ‘lion’s mane’ mushrooms have been used in traditional medicine in Asian countries for centuries, but we wanted to scientifically determine their potential effect on brain cells,” said lead researcher Professor Frederic Meunier from the Queensland Brain Institute in a statement. 

“Laboratory tests measured the neurotrophic effects of compounds isolated from Hericium erinaceus on cultured brain cells, and surprisingly we found that the active compounds promote neuron projections, extending and connecting to other neurons.”

To read more click here.

Key Nutrient Deficiencies Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease Development

The burden of Alzheimer’s disease is staggering. From an economic perspective, healthcare costs are estimated at more than $170 billion per year just in the United States. Worldwide dementia is as high as 24 million, and it’s expected to grow four times higher by the year 2050.

While various models of pathogenesis exist, indicating a multifactorial process, the present theories associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease link oxidative damage to disease progression. Because of this, a recent study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease looked at antioxidant levels, specifically carotenoids and tocopherols. The study featured samples of donor brains with confirmed Alzheimer’s disease and compared them to healthy elderly donor brains. The researchers found that there were substantially lower concentration levels of lutein, zeaxanthin, retinol, lycopene, and alpha-tocopherol compared to healthy brain tissue. The two most deficient antioxidants were lycopene and zeaxanthin.

To read more click here. 

New Research Indicates Cumulative Use of PPIs is Associated with Dementia Development

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most frequently prescribed drugs in the United States and Europe, especially among people over age 65. What’s more, a 2022 analysis reports that PPIs are inappropriately used about 50 percent of the time in both hospital and outpatient settings, with misuse especially prevalent among the elderly. This is troublesome, given that mounting evidence demonstrates that the use of PPIs can contribute to dementia.

To read more click here.

High Dietary Magnesium Intake May Help Prevent Dementia

A diet higher in magnesium may lead to less age-related brain shrinkage, particularly in women, according to a recent study.

Published in the European Journal of Nutrition, the study explored the relationship between magnesium intake through food sources and brain volumes and white matter lesions in middle to older-aged people. The investigation was led by Khawlah Alateeq, a PhD candidate at The Australian National University (ANU), and its findings indicated that magnesium-rich foods like spinach and nuts could help reduce the risk of dementia.

To read more click here.

The Key to Unlocking Optimal Health: David Perlmutter on Uric Acid Levels

We live in a world of metabolism, said David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, at the Integrative Health Symposium in New York City.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), our planet’s leading cause of death is not COVID, war, or trauma, but chronic degenerative conditions. 

“We’ve come to understand that fundamentally these are the downstream manifestations of metabolic dysfunction,” he said. “It’s all about metabolism.” 

Perlmutter said the new player in metabolism is uric acid. He said zeroing in on elevated uric acid states can be considered a new tool in a practitioner’s toolbox for understanding human metabolism. 

To read more click here.

Intermittent Fasting May Slow Alzheimer’s Progression

A new study on mice suggests that time-restricted eating may help correct circadian rhythm disruptions associated with Alzheimer’s disease, improve memory, and reduce accumulation of amyloid proteins in the brain.

The study, published in Cell Metabolism, was conducted by scientists at the University of California (UC) San Diego School of Medicine. Research suggests that circadian disruptions, seen in nearly all Alzheimer’s patients, play a role in the disease’s pathology. For this investigation, researchers aimed to determine whether intermittent fasting could lead to circadian modulation and improved memory.

To read more click here.

Seven Resources on Supporting Women’s Health

For the month of May, Integrative Practitioner is focusing on women’s health. With topics spanning from natural birth control options, to supporting fertility and healthy hormones, to integrative interventions for menopause, this topic has never been more relevant in the healthcare industry. 

To kickstart your women’s health education, we’ve rounded up a collection of resources spanning just about every phase of womanhood. Plus, we’ve included a mix of written and multimedia content to keep things interesting. 

To read more click here.

Live from the Integrative Healthcare Symposium

The Integrative Healthcare Symposium took place February 23-25, 2023, at the Hilton Midtown in New York City. 

Integrative Practitioner reported live from the conference sessions and the exhibit hall floor, bringing you exclusive interviews and an insider look at some of the top presentations.

If you couldn’t make it to New York City, here’s a roundup of our live coverage —consider this your VIP pass to IHSNY23.

To read more click here.

New Research Explores Sleep Disturbances and Dementia Risk

A novel study, reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, uncovered compelling evidence linking three indicators of sleep disruption with the likelihood of developing dementia.

Contributing to a growing body of evidence linking sleep to cognition, these findings reveal that sleep-initiation insomnia (trouble falling asleep in 30 minutes) and the use of sleep medications are correlated with an increased risk of developing dementia. Moreover, the study suggests that people who experience sleep-maintenance insomnia (difficulty falling back to sleep in the middle of the night) have a reduced risk of developing dementia within the same time period.

To read more click here.

Addressing the Ozempic Craze in Clinical Practice

Semaglutide, tradename Ozempic, is an injectable drug that people with type 2 diabetes take weekly to control their blood sugar levels. It also causes weight loss, a key advantage for some people with diabetes. 

“Uncontrolled type 2 diabetes and the relentless damage that unhealthy blood sugar levels can have on the body results in serious consequences,” explained diabetes expert Beverly Yates, ND, the creator of the Yates Protocol to help people thrive with diabetes and the author of the book Heart Health for Black Women. “For these individuals with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes, pharmaceutical interventions such as semaglutide can be a game changer.”

There is no question that semaglutide does in fact lead to weight loss. In a 2022 study that followed more than 300 overweight or obese adults with at least one weight-related comorbidity for two years, semaglutude resulted in 15.3 percent weight loss compared to 2.6 percent in the placebo group. Another 2022 study resulted in a nearly six percent weight loss at three months and nearly 11 percent at six months.

To read more click here.

Vagus Nerve Stimulation in Clinical Practice

The vagus nerve originates in the medulla and is the longest cranial nerve in the human body. It has bidirectional motor and sensory functions that influence many organ systems and regions within the body. Because it is a main component of the parasympathetic nervous system, it is often associated with stress response and mood. 

“The vagus nerve is responsible for not only sensing stress but also affecting many of the symptoms of stress,” explained integrative medicine physician Jeff Hardin, MD. “In the worst-case scenario, patients can have a myriad of symptoms from stress such as heart palpitations, arrhythmias, dyspepsia, ulcers, and others that are mediated via the vagus nerve.” 

While research shows that vagus nerve activation can help reduce acute stress responses, it has further applications in clinical practice. 

To read more click here.