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from Your Nutritional Education Site
"Get Educated and Take Control of Your Health"

1. The link between Gut Flora Disruption in infancy and later diagnosis of Autism and ADHD
2. Vitamin C for Nerve Health, Eye Health and so much more
3. Omega-3, Folate and CoQ10 Help More Than Your Heart
4. Neuralgia or Nerve Pain, what is it?

The link between Gut Flora Disruption in infancy and later diagnosis of Autism and ADHD

Recent research done by the University of Florida and Linkoping University in Sweden found that disturbed gut flora during the first years of life is associated with diagnoses such as autism and ADHD later in life.

The study examined gut flora composition and a large variety of other factors in infants, in relation to the development of the children's nervous system. The researchers found many biological markers that seem to be associated with future neurological development disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, communication disorder and intellectual disability.

"The remarkable aspect of the work is that these biomarkers are found at birth in (umbilical) cord blood or in the child's stool at one year of age over a decade prior to the diagnosis," says Eric W Triplett, professor at the Department of Microbiology and Cell Science at the University of Florida, USA, one of the researchers who led the study.

"We can see in the study that there are clear differences in the intestinal flora already during the first year of life between those who develop autism or ADHD and those who don't. We've found associations with some factors that affect gut bacteria, such as antibiotic treatment during the child's first year, which is linked to an increased risk of these diseases," says Johnny Ludvigsson, senior professor at the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at Linköping University, who led the study together with Eric W. Triplett.

They found that the presence or the absence of different bacteria increased the risk of future diagnosis.

Overall, we saw deficits in these bacteria in children who later received a developmental neurological diagnosis." Angelica Ahrens, Assistant Scientist in Eric Triplett's research group at the University of Florida and first author of the study.

It is not certain that the relationships that the research team found in the Swedish children can be generalized to other populations. These issues need to be studied in other groups as well.

Restoration of the microbiome in infants may decrease the risk of associated diseases.

The research is at an early stage and more studies are needed, but the discovery that many biomarkers for future developmental neurological disorders can be observed at an early age opens up the possibility of developing screening protocols and preventive measures in the long term.

Camel Milk is easy to digest. Many compounds found in camel milk benefit the good bacteria in the gut because they provide a broad spectrum of beneficial probiotics, and prebiotics. They contribute to digestive health by decreasing gut permeability and supporting a healthy microbiome.

Source:
Linköping University - More than 16,000 children born in 1997-1999, representing the general population, have been followed from birth into their twenties. Of these, 1,197 children, corresponding to 7.3 percent, have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, communication disorder or intellectual disability.

Journal reference: Ahrens, A. P., et al. (2024). Infant microbes and metabolites point to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. Cell. doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.02.035.

Vitamin C for Nerve Health, Eye Health and so much more

Sorbitol (a form of sugar) travels to certain parts of the body where it builds up. These parts of the body are the lens of the eye where it forms a white milky film called cataracts, and the sciatic nerve (the big nerve that runs down your leg) where it can cause nerve damage (nerve pain).

Remarkably, consuming 2,000 mg of vitamin C daily has been shown to diminish sorbitol production and assist in its removal from the body.

Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant necessary for the repair and growth of tissues, supporting adrenal gland functions, and maintaining healthy gums, nerves, skin, and blood.

Furthermore, it plays a critical role in producing anti-stress hormones, metabolism, safeguarding against pollution, boosting immunity, and fighting infections.

Among natural sources, Camu Camu emerges as a powerhouse of vitamin C, boasting up to 56 times the vitamin C content of lemons and surpassing oranges by 50 times.

Past research has found that these supplements are associated with improved cardiovascular health these three nutrients have other health benefits. For example:

•Omega-3 — Just some of the health benefits of maintaining an optimal or near optimal balance of omega-3 and omega-6 include reducing your risk of Alzheimer's disease, cognitive decline, autoimmune diabetes (Type 1 diabetes), eczema or psoriasis, tumor growth, major depressive disorder and other psychiatric disorders, and poor weight management.

Balanced omega-3 to omega-6 levels also offer protection for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cognitive aging, and improved recovery after traumatic brain injury.

•Folate — Folate is the natural form of vitamin B9 that's found in food, while folic acid is the synthetic type of B9 found in supplements. Vitamin B9 is essential; your body cannot synthesize it so you must consume it.

Folate is required for DNA synthesis, protein metabolism and red blood cell production. It also supports fetal development, cognitive function during aging, lowering blood pressure and decreasing brain shrinkage. Deficiency can lead to depression, infertility, heart disease, anemia, muscle weakness and dementia.

CoQ10 — Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant your body produces, and the highest levels are found in the pancreas, liver, kidneys and heart. Evidence demonstrates that it is integral to mitochondrial function and thus your metabolic health and energy.

One of the functions of CoQ10 and ubiquinol — the reduced form — is to neutralize the byproducts of cellular metabolism and therefore lower the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Supplementation can help lower the incidence of atrial fibrillation, improve mitochondrial function, and may halt the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

Want to find out more - see MCVitamins.com and the many educational articles on these subjects.

Neuralgia or Nerve Pain, what is it?

Nerve pain (often called “neuralgia”) is defined as pain that follows the path of a nerve.

Nerve damage is defined as a condition that can cause nerve pain. This pain can be located anywhere, but is usually on or near the surface of the body.

Neuralgia (nerve pain) caused by nerve damage:

Neuralgia is frequently caused by nerve damage as a result of the side effect of drugs and medications, chemicals and chemotherapy, medical conditions such as diabetes, as well as damage caused during surgery and physical injury.

Touch or pressure is felt as pain, movement may also be painful. There is increased sensitivity of the skin or numbness. There can be sharp, stabbing pain that comes and goes, or it can be a constant burning pain.

Trigeminal neuralgia is the most common form of neuralgia. A related but uncommon neuralgia affects the glossopharyngeal nerve, which provides feeling to the throat.

There can be an impaired function of the part of the body affected due to pain, and muscle weakness. This is due to motor nerve damage.

Other symptoms include loss of deep tendon reflexes, loss of muscle mass, lack of sweating (sweating is controlled by nerves), tenderness along a nerve, and trigger points where even a slight touch triggers pain.

Causes of neuralgia:

Certain drugs
Chemical irritation
Chronic renal insufficiency
Diabetes
Infections such as shingles, syphilis, and Lyme disease
Porphyria
Pressure on nerves by nearby structures (for instance, tumors)
Swelling and irritation (inflammation)
Trauma (including surgery)

Another name for Neuralgia

Neuropathic pain, also known as neuralgia, is a disease that affects the nervous system. ‘Neuro’ means nerves and ‘pathy’ means disease. It thus affects the nerve pathways running between the central nervous system – the brain and spinal cord – and the peripheral nervous system – motor and sensory neurons.

Neuralgia is dissimilar from the common type of pain that one might experience when bring struck by something as neuropathic pain is steady and constant, characterized by a burning or pricking sensation, which does not result from an obvious stimulus. Whereas common pain influences only the pain nerves, neuropathy triggers both pain and non-pain sensory nerves.

Treatments for Neuralgia

Medical treatment: is to reverse or control the cause of the nerve problem (if found) and to provide pain relief.

If the cause is a tumor or some structure pressing on the nerve, surgery is done to remove whatever is pressing on the nerve. This can be done for some cases of carpel tunnel syndrome and trigeminal neuralgia.

Strict control of blood sugar may speed recovery in people with diabetes who develop neuralgia.

Medications are given to cover up the pain and may include:

Antidepressant medications (amitriptyline, nortriptyline, duloxitine)
Antiseizure medications (carbamazepine, gabapentin, lamotrigine or phenytoin).
Mild over-the-counter analgesics (aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen)
Narcotic analgesics (codeine) for short-term relief of severe pain (however, these do not always work well)
Topical creams containing capsaicin
Local injections of pain-relieving drugs.
Nerve blocks
Surgical procedures, heat, balloon compression or injection of chemicals to reduce feeling in the nerve.

Unfortunately, these procedures do not guarantee improvement and can cause loss of feeling or abnormal sensations.

When other treatment methods fail, medical doctors may try motor cortex stimulation (MCS). An electrode is placed over the sensory cortex of the brain and is hooked to a pulse generator under the skin.

Physical therapy may be helpful for some types of neuralgia.

Natural Neuralgia Pain Treatment:

Fish Oil and Nerve Pain Relief

Building Healthy Nerves*

The many medications given for this problem only attempts to cover up the pain. Sometimes the medications actually make the problem worse due to side effects of the drug given. This can cause more problems instead of correcting the problem.

The body will build healthy nerves if it is given the correct tools to do so. The correct tools are specific nutrition needed. What are they? Read about Building Healthy Nerves

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