Traditional Medicine
Episodes
Traditional medicine focuses on treating rather than preventing diseases — a model that Dr. Snyder describes as "broken."
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Traditional medicine focuses on treating rather than preventing diseases — a model that Dr. Snyder describes as "broken."
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News & Publications
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Medieval remedy kills biofilm-forming pathogens. www.nature.com
Antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections are a growing threat, as researchers estimate a high probability of them killing an estimated 10 million people per year by 2050. Of particular concern are infections with bacteria that form biofilms, which require 100 - 1,000 times more antibiotics than other bacteria, and being significantly more likely to become multidrug resistant. A team of researchers recently uncovered a surprisingly effective treatment - one that dates back as far as 1,000 years.
Biofilms are like cities for microbes - large deposits containing high concentrations of multiple microorganisms that work in coordination to produce and share resources. These microorganisms produce a variety of polymer substances that form an extracellular matrix that has a sticky texture and protects the inside layers of the biofilm from the external environment, including antibiotic treatments. Before the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century, remedies such as Bald’s eyesalve (a combination of onion or leek, garlic, wine, and bile salts) were used to treat infection. Given recent evidence of its efficacy in killing Staphylcoccus aureus biofilms, and the current lack of success in creating novel antibiotics, researchers are now turning to the question of whether ancient remedies may guide the development of new treatments.
The researchers prepared the Bald’s eyesalve according to instructions from a 10th century Anglo-Saxon leechbook - an Old English medical text. The ingredients were mixed and left to brew for nine days. Then the researchers prepared cultures of non-biofilm bacteria and mature biofilms of eight strains of bacteria that commonly cause chronic wound infections. The biofilms were deposited in a synthetic soft-tissue wound model made to mimic bodily infection. The researchers then measured the number of live bacteria remaining after 24 hours of exposure to Bald’s eyesalve. They found that the medieval treatment eradicated six of the eight non-biofilm cultures, while the two species that were not eradicated, (Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus maltophilia), were exponentially reduced. The treatment’s success was similar in treating biofilm-producing cultures, with five of eight of them being exponentially reduced. There was, however, no consistent killing of biofilms containing Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia cloacae, or Staphylococcus maltophilia.
Having documented the effectiveness of the remedy in a variety of bacterial strains, the researchers then repeated their experiment with various preparations of the salve that omitted one ingredient at a time, in order to determine whether any one of them was responsible for any antimicrobial effects. They found that garlic, which contains the antimicrobial compound allicin, was independently effective in killing non-biofilm cultures. However, all four ingredients were necessary to produce the anti-biofilm effects.
These results indicate that ancient remedies containing multiple coordinating ingredients may have a crucial role in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
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Garlic alleviates symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder characterized by pain, swelling, and loss of function in the joints. The condition affects as many as 2 percent of people worldwide and is two to three times more common in women than in men. Findings from a new study demonstrate that garlic alleviates clinical symptoms and inflammatory markers associated with rheumatoid arthritis.
Garlic is a bulbous plant used in cooking and traditional medicine practices. It exerts antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. The primary bioactive compound in garlic, allicin, is widely recognized for its capacity to lower blood pressure, prevent atherosclerosis, reduce serum cholesterol and triglycerides, inhibit platelet aggregation, and increase fibrinolytic activity (breaking down blood clots).
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involved 70 women (average age, 51 years) who had rheumatoid arthritis. Half of the women took 1,000 milligrams of garlic daily for eight weeks, and the other half took a placebo. The authors assessed the women’s clinical symptoms, fatigue, C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were determined.
At the end of the study, the women who took garlic showed marked improvements in their clinical symptoms, pain intensity, tender joint count, and fatigue, and their serum levels of CRP and TNF-alpha decreased. Their swollen joint count decreased as well, but not in the placebo group.
These findings demonstrate that garlic improves clinical symptoms and modulates inflammatory markers associated with rheumatoid arthritis and may be useful as an adjunct therapy in treating the condition.
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Seasonal variation in Nrf2 antioxidant pathway influence winter depression-like behavior in fish. neurosciencenews.com
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression that is influenced by seasonal changes in weather and daylight. It commonly occurs in the dark, cool days of winter but can occur during other times of the year, as well. Approximately 10 percent of people worldwide experience SAD. A new study suggests that seasonal variation in the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway regulates winter depression-like behavior in fish.
Nrf2 (short for nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2) is a cellular protein that regulates the expression of antioxidant and stress response proteins. Nrf2 functions within a biological pathway called Keap1-Nrf2-ARE, where it switches on the transcription of various cytoprotective proteins that protect against oxidative damage triggered by injury and inflammation.
The authors of the study exposed medaka, a type of fish that exhibits seasonal SAD-like differences in its behavior to either summer- or winter-like conditions. Then they examined the metabolites produced in their brains. They found evidence that winter-like conditions altered levels of 68 metabolites, some of which are associated with depression. In particular, winter-like conditions reduced levels of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant compound produced by the body’s cells. Glutathione helps prevent inflammation, a key driver in depression.
Then the study authors analyzed gene expression in the fish and found that winter-like conditions altered signaling pathways that are implicated in depression, including Nrf2. Results of a chemical screen indicated that celastrol, a plant-based compound commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, activated Nrf2 signaling, which in turn induced the activity of Nrf2 target genes, including glutathione.
These findings demonstrate that celastrol could be beneficial in treating some of the symptoms associated with seasonal depression by switching on the activity of antioxidant pathways such as Nrf2. Interestingly, sulforaphane, an isothiocyanate compound derived from broccoli, is the most potent naturally occurring inducer of Nrf2 activity. Watch this clip featuring sulforaphane expert Dr. Jed Fahey in which he describes the importance of the Nrf2 pathway.