Publisher’s Words January – February 2020

The access to bioidentical hormones via compounding pharmacies may be threatened in the near future. For some time now, the FDA has been trying to remove the access to these hormones, especially estriol. To learn more about this issue and how you can help maintain open access to compounded bioidentical hormones for your patients, please visit this website: https://anh-usa.org/whats-at-stake-in-fdas-hormone-attack/

We have known for some time that cholesterols are not simply “bad” or “good.”  Various studies have suggested that levels of LDL do not correlate well with risks in cardiovascular disease. Some studies have shown that about 75% of patients with heart attacks have cholesterol levels that do not indicate a high risk for a cardiovascular event. Researchers from Ohio have now elucidated how the different subclasses of LDL would impact endothelial function differently1, thus leading to different risk of developing heart disease. Specifically, the concentration of subclass B, in relation to the concentrations of subclasses I and A, may be an important ratio for both risk stratification and treatment effectiveness assessment.

Helicobacter pylori infection is the most well known risk factor for developing stomach cancer. However, this infection appears to increase the risk of gastric adenocarcinoma differently between different ethnic groups. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania collected data from the Veterans Health Administration of over 370,000 patients diagnosed with H. Pylori infection and analyzed the risk of gastric cancer2. The data shows that Asians have the highest risk (subhazard ratio of 2.52, P<0.001), followed by African Americans (SHR of 2.00, P<0.001). Women had a decreased risk compared to men (SHR of 0.52, P<0.001), and confirmed H pylori eradication after treatment reduced risk of gastric cancer (SHR, 0.24). 

  1. Hua JZ, et al. Variable Effects Of LDL Subclasses Of Cholesterol On Endothelial Nitric Oxide/Peroxynitrite Balance – The Risks And Clinical Implications For Cardiovascular Disease. Int J Nanomedicine. 2019; 14: 8973–8987.
  2. Kumar S, et al. Risk Factors and Incidence of Gastric Cancer After Detection of Helicobacter pylori Infection: A Large Cohort Study. Gastroenterology. 2020 Feb;158(3):527-536.e7. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2019.10.019. Epub 2019 Oct 22.

Martin Kwok, ND. DrTCM
Editor-in-Chief