If you watch the nightly news at all here recently, I am sure that you have heard the latest research findings behind the protective benefits of aspirin not only against cardiovascular disease but cancer as well. The findings that various NSAIDs, aspirin included, actually decrease the incidence of cancer have been around in human research for a while now but here recently have just made the national news. Not sure why this is, but it seems that research findings actually take a while to make it the status of public knowledge. A shame actually, as many could have possibly benefited over the past few years. In any case, the question comes as to how aspirin could decrease the incidence of various cancers?
Inflammation is actually thought to be at the root of the aspirin intervention. The concept of inflammation being a major component of many forms of cancer has been known for a while now. It appears that many types of cancer have an up regulation of pro-inflammatory proteins or cytokines, that help to encourage the right conditions that foster cancer promotion and progression. The concept of inflammation is also tied into cardiovascular disease as well as strokes, thus the benefits of aspirin.
This brings up the whole concept of inflammation, how it comes to be and how it impacts us and our animals overall. Inflammation is a very complicated topic and beyond the scope of this blog, but is an ongoing process in our bodes as well as that of our animal companions. Inflammation is the result of exercise, the process of breathing, diet, environmental influences, various medications as well as even the mindset. The overall point is that this process exists to varying degrees in individuals and animals, but needs to be monitored and controlled.
In our veterinary patients, the inflammatory condition is rampant from my point of view and manifests in various problems ranging from repetitive injuries, to skin conditions, diabetes or insulin resistance, arthritis, laminitis as well as ocular problems. Unfortunately, monitoring the process of inflammation is difficult and does not have a parameter that can be monitored routinely. Various research studies have parameters that are measured, but these are not easily tested in the real world of medicine. At our practice, we can monitor oxidative stress levels, lactate levels as well as insulin levels in various patients to gain a better perspective of inflammation.
In the end, we have to assume that inflammation may be present in a chronic form in many of our patients, especially if there is a chronic disease that we are treating. The question of treatment then comes into play, which raises the point about aspirin. Many NSAID medications have shown potential to decrease the incidence of inflammation to varying degrees. The problem with most NSAIDs is that there are potential side effects and they are not for every patient due to interactions with certain exisiting medical conditions. Given this, we must rely more on diet and herbal therapy from my perspective. Research has shown the ability of various herbs; including curcumin, boswellia and ashwaghanda to both reduce inflammation and the incidence of certain cancers, all with minimal to no side effects.
The take home point is that many of today's diseases are linked with chronic inflammation and thus potentially treatable or at least manageable. As the saying goes, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
Food for thought.
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Thoughts
After recently attending a nationally known equine event over the past week, I have become very aware of several things. First, as a veterinarian, one develops an "eye" for horses in terms of overall health as well as lameness. In many instances this past weekend during the event, I was stunned at the obvious stress that these equine competitors were displaying. It was readily noted just in their mannerisms from the eyes to the ears as well as hearing in the background, several horses kicking at their stall walls and vocalizing frequently. I am not sure if this behavior was recognized by the owner, rider or even the groom, but it was obvious that nothing was being done to improve the situation for the animal aside from a brief walk around the premises. Now, you have to realize that I was at this event not as an onsite veterinarian, but one representing our Cur-OST line of products. During many instances of talking with interested riders and owners, I was continually amazed at the amount of, as well as the dependance on usage of various prescription medications. One in particular is a common and well known injectable joint medication. Many of the horses owners had commented to me that this medication was being injected at least once weekly if not twice weekly. This truly blows my mind in more ways than one. This medication, when first introduced, was to the best of my knowledge meant to be injected at the most every other month for in need horses after an induction protocol. To be injected on a weekly or even bi-weekly basis signals a real problem to me with that particular animal. This concerns me as the end result of stress are inflammation, not to mention a deterioration in overall health. Its logical, really. Look at how stress impacts human health, contributing to cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer....the list goes on and on. Everyone experiences the jitters, but the level of stress that these guys were under is unhealthy.
While at this same event, I was a spectator at a laminitis research event, in which the investors were being informed of how research dollars were being invested and what was being accomplished. What was obvious, but not new to me as a veterinarian, was that the research money was not being spent wisely. They were discussing the development of research models and inevitably how there would be patient variation in terms of causes in the real world. They were focusing on models, when in fact they should be studying the patient themselves. As a result of these models, pharmaceuticals are being developed which inevitably impact only a small percentage of patients and really don't change the course of the disease. I have been a veterinarian for over 16 years and the bottom line is that despite this research, the treatment for laminitis has not changed since my days in vet school.
We need a more logical approach to diseases such as laminitis and one that implements what research has already shown us. Inflammation and oxidative stress are huge factors that are being ignored. The inflammatory process is very complex and no one prescription medication can address it completely. Then on the other arm of the problem, we have oxidative stress, which is not evaluated or treated. Stress has been shown in human research to contribute heavily to inflammation, not to mention contributing to oxidative stress. The irony is that no matter how much research is completed, the bottom line is that the solution is not in pharmaceuticals, but more so in nature. Nature, in the form of herbs, addresses both inflammation and oxidative stress with no side effects. Food for thought.
Be healthy and wise,
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
While at this same event, I was a spectator at a laminitis research event, in which the investors were being informed of how research dollars were being invested and what was being accomplished. What was obvious, but not new to me as a veterinarian, was that the research money was not being spent wisely. They were discussing the development of research models and inevitably how there would be patient variation in terms of causes in the real world. They were focusing on models, when in fact they should be studying the patient themselves. As a result of these models, pharmaceuticals are being developed which inevitably impact only a small percentage of patients and really don't change the course of the disease. I have been a veterinarian for over 16 years and the bottom line is that despite this research, the treatment for laminitis has not changed since my days in vet school.
We need a more logical approach to diseases such as laminitis and one that implements what research has already shown us. Inflammation and oxidative stress are huge factors that are being ignored. The inflammatory process is very complex and no one prescription medication can address it completely. Then on the other arm of the problem, we have oxidative stress, which is not evaluated or treated. Stress has been shown in human research to contribute heavily to inflammation, not to mention contributing to oxidative stress. The irony is that no matter how much research is completed, the bottom line is that the solution is not in pharmaceuticals, but more so in nature. Nature, in the form of herbs, addresses both inflammation and oxidative stress with no side effects. Food for thought.
Be healthy and wise,
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Prescription Medications VS Natural Therapies
"What is the difference between prescription pain medications and natural therapies?"
I get this question A LOT from our Cur-OST customers as well as from clients of ours in our veterinary practice. Prescription medications are available to treat almost every known malady affecting human and animal kind. Seems like there is a drug to treat everything on TV from restless leg syndrome to decreased sex drive. It can be overwhelming and a concern that I have is that these types of approaches breed hypochondriacs, stating that they have that disease that was shown in a commercial. I think that pharmaceuticals have a big place in the practice of veterinary medicine as well as human medicine, but there are limitations.
The first thing to keep in mind is that it has been estimated that up to 75% of all prescription medications are derivatives of plant or herbal substances. Seems that mother nature provides a possible answer, but that mankind feels pressed to improve the results. Natural therapies (plant/herbal) have been used for centuries in various cultures to treat anything from intestinal upset to skin conditions to cancer. Everyone has used a natural therapy in some shape or form in their life, just look at sunburns and the use of Aloe in various forms. Or how about those that consume various teas and note results such as relaxation or a soothing effect?
Prescription pain medications are a huge area of interest and usage in both the veterinary and human medical field. The medications come in different classes ranging from NSAIDs (tylenol)to narcotics (morphine). The overall function and mode of action varies between the groups, but overall, they do reduce pain and inflammation but from a limited standpoint. Sometimes, when humans try to enhance the ability of plants/herbs through the creation of a new drug, we tend to overdo it slightly. This can result in negative side effects such as gastric ulcers, bleeding and even kidney problems. On the other side of the coin, plant or herbal extracts that have anti-inflammatory and pain reducing capabilities tend to be more gentler in their actions and not an "all or nothing" type of effect. In the category of pain, plant extracts tend to reduce inflammatory mediators more down to a "normal or basal" level, versus prescription medications that can tend to reduce the mediators well below normal, which then can lead to side effects.
I am not against prescription pain medications or any prescription drug, but actually use them a lot in our veterinary practice. There is a time and place for these medications, but we have to be careful. We also use a tremendous amount of natural therapies such as plant/herbal extracts in our patients. In cases of painful conditions, I try to actually combine the two categories which allows us to reduce the dosage of the prescription medication. This then allows us to reduce potential side effects as well as lower the overall cost to the owner. I also believe that the plant/herbal extracts actually have a more broader reaching effect in terms of inflammation reduction versus prescription medications, resulting in better long term results.
Just my thoughts,
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
I get this question A LOT from our Cur-OST customers as well as from clients of ours in our veterinary practice. Prescription medications are available to treat almost every known malady affecting human and animal kind. Seems like there is a drug to treat everything on TV from restless leg syndrome to decreased sex drive. It can be overwhelming and a concern that I have is that these types of approaches breed hypochondriacs, stating that they have that disease that was shown in a commercial. I think that pharmaceuticals have a big place in the practice of veterinary medicine as well as human medicine, but there are limitations.
The first thing to keep in mind is that it has been estimated that up to 75% of all prescription medications are derivatives of plant or herbal substances. Seems that mother nature provides a possible answer, but that mankind feels pressed to improve the results. Natural therapies (plant/herbal) have been used for centuries in various cultures to treat anything from intestinal upset to skin conditions to cancer. Everyone has used a natural therapy in some shape or form in their life, just look at sunburns and the use of Aloe in various forms. Or how about those that consume various teas and note results such as relaxation or a soothing effect?
Prescription pain medications are a huge area of interest and usage in both the veterinary and human medical field. The medications come in different classes ranging from NSAIDs (tylenol)to narcotics (morphine). The overall function and mode of action varies between the groups, but overall, they do reduce pain and inflammation but from a limited standpoint. Sometimes, when humans try to enhance the ability of plants/herbs through the creation of a new drug, we tend to overdo it slightly. This can result in negative side effects such as gastric ulcers, bleeding and even kidney problems. On the other side of the coin, plant or herbal extracts that have anti-inflammatory and pain reducing capabilities tend to be more gentler in their actions and not an "all or nothing" type of effect. In the category of pain, plant extracts tend to reduce inflammatory mediators more down to a "normal or basal" level, versus prescription medications that can tend to reduce the mediators well below normal, which then can lead to side effects.
I am not against prescription pain medications or any prescription drug, but actually use them a lot in our veterinary practice. There is a time and place for these medications, but we have to be careful. We also use a tremendous amount of natural therapies such as plant/herbal extracts in our patients. In cases of painful conditions, I try to actually combine the two categories which allows us to reduce the dosage of the prescription medication. This then allows us to reduce potential side effects as well as lower the overall cost to the owner. I also believe that the plant/herbal extracts actually have a more broader reaching effect in terms of inflammation reduction versus prescription medications, resulting in better long term results.
Just my thoughts,
Tom Schell, D.V.M.
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