Research Must Go On

/in /by

This is the final installment of my Memo series illustrating why research funding for basic and clinical trials should never stop unless the approach is obviously misdirected. Delaying research due to the dogma of the day is bad; delaying it because someone believes in a refuted dogma is worse. This is not a debate on whether vaccines can cause autism. The data is clear to me; autism is the direct or indirect result of genetic mutations, most of which have not been fully researched. But many people still have questions, so let’s say that someone were to direct research to examine vaccinations as a potential cause for autism, specifically the mumps, measles, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. How should it be done?

First, every child should have complete genetic testing that includes every suspected gene that’s been associated with autism—specifically, retrograde autism, the most serious form. The children should also have a complete microbiome examination because a weak immune system may be related to the development of autism. The genetics and microbiomes of both parents should also be tested.

Second, the children should be randomly selected throughout the United States covering all geographic areas.

Third, the parent should decide whether they choose to have their children vaccinated or not; the decision should not be influenced by healthcare professionals.

Fourth, the key time for retrograde autism is within two weeks of the vaccinations; the diagnosis process should begin within that time frame.

Finally, it has to be a blinded study. That means that neither the physicians nor the parents can be told of the purpose of the study other than to agree to monitor the development of the child.

There are hundreds of details and other variables that need to be worked out, but that’s the basic idea. We’ve had numerous studies that included over a million children that were retrospective observational studies, and that’s great information, but doing a study before children are vaccinated is the best way to answer whether vaccinations are related to autism. The side benefit is that we will have genetic and microbiome profiles to compare with those who were and were not vaccinated and those who were and were not diagnosed with retrograde autism. Anything less would not answer the question.

One more thing: The scientific board that controls the funding can have no part in selecting where and how the research is conducted.

If we did all that—and it’s absolutely doable if we have the will to do it—we could finally answer the questions about vaccines and autism. Since we’re talking about the lives of children, I think most of us would agree it’s a great use of research funds because we could finally know that vaccines are safe.

The Bottom Line

Research on health and disease has to continue without political influence. I’ve tried to illustrate the problems with research delayed by professional and personal dogma as well as an idea of the timeline of how long it takes to get answers. When you get right down to it, can we afford to delay even one second? The next solution might just impact you or someone you care about.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. N Engl J Med. 2002 Nov 7;347(19):1477-82
2. Ann Intern Med. 2019 Apr 16;170(8):513-520

What Research Delays Can Cost

/in /by

In 1911, a physician named Peyton Rous discovered that a microbe, found in a tumor in chicken, was able to infect other chickens causing the same cancer. His findings were thought to be ridiculous because cancer wasn’t caused by a microbe—so his research stopped. Those microbes were called viruses in later years.

Move forward to the 1950s, when a scientist named Ludwig Gross picked up the research and established that viruses caused cancer in several species of animals. What he did not prove was how that was possible. The problem was that it went against the central dogma: DNA could result in the production of RNA, but RNA could not go backward and interfere with DNA. Without knowing how that could happen, it wasn’t possible to establish that viruses caused cancer in humans.

In the early 1970s, David Baltimore, Renato Dulbecco, and Howard Temin discovered a piece of the virus that could retroactively insert itself into the cell DNA and make it a cancer cell. They called that reverse transcriptase, and it led to the term retroviruses. In 1975, the researchers won Nobel Prizes for that discovery.

Now the science turned to finding a retrovirus in humans. Robert Gallo discovered just such a retrovirus in two different humans and submitted his paper to the Journal of Virology. It was rejected on September 15, 1980.

During the early 1980s, there was a disease that seemed to be impacting primarily gay men; at that time, catching the virus was almost always a death sentence. Dr. Gallo turned his attention to this new virus and co-discovered what became known as the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV for short, the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency disorder, also known as AIDS. That was in 1984—four years after Gallo demonstrated that a retrovirus caused a form of blood cancer, leukemia, in humans.

Those lost years delayed the test for HIV, also discovered by Gallo. By 1995, there was a blend of drugs that could arrest HIV and today, while there is no vaccine yet, HIV is blocked by drugs that stops it from replicating itself.

Four years were lost because science stopped. More correctly stated, science didn’t stop, but those scientists who would have been attracted to the research problem didn’t take up the search because there was limited funding for that type of research. Ryan White, a teenage hemophiliac from Indiana, died on April 8, 1990, from AIDS. If you don’t remember him, you may remember Freddie Mercury who died of AIDS on November 11, 1991. Maybe they would have lived if science hadn’t slowed for four years, as would hundreds of thousands of others.

And imagine how far ahead we might be if 114 years ago, scientists had admitted they didn’t know everything and followed up on the research by Dr. Rous. How many lives could have been saved? What major diseases could have been cured?

That’s the price for delaying research. But what about research that is started based on the dogma of the person who dictates where research dollars are spent? I’ll cover that on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Revisionist History. Malcolm Gladwell. The Obscure Virus Club provided the basis for the HIV and AIDS timeline. Every scientific article and fact were independently verified by the Memo writer.

Why We Need Basic Research

/in /by

Imagine what your life would be like if you washed your face and your skin started to blister and bleed. If you tried to answer an email, typing caused your fingers to bleed so much that blood dripped on the keyboard. Welcome to the world of a young man who has recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, or RDEB. A protein that helps the skin “stick” to the inner layers is missing in people with that genetic disorder, which affects an estimated 3.3 out of every million people. Is he concerned about whether research on basic science continues? You bet, even though he’s not likely to live long enough to see the benefits of that research. If you want to read Shane DiGiovanna’s story, follow this link to the article.

Shane’s story, while uplifting and sad at the same time, is not the point. The point is that with a decrease in funding for basic research—and genetic mutations are basic research—there’s likely to be less research than there was before, and it was already sparse. Add to that RDEB is an “orphan disease” with about three cases per million people, and there’s no incentive for pharmaceutical companies to continue research to find solutions. While the orphan drug program is funded through 2025, solutions could be decades away. The basic research needs to happen on RDEB and other orphan diseases before scientists even know where to look for solutions. Basic research is just that; it’s the base from which all the other research is developed. And you’ll never get anywhere if you never start.

Remember, it took over 50 years from determining what a gene does until GLP-1 agonists were developed. Even what seems like simple delays can set back progress for years, because labs can close and scientists can work on other, more lucrative research. That’s why the lack of research could make pharmaceutical companies more profitable than ever: no more money spent on minor diseases, just the major ones that affect many people and bring the biggest payday.

How much can delays slow down research? I’ll cover that in the next two memos. I’m also working on a segment for my new webinar Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies that focuses on genetics and vitamin B9. I’ll let you know when it’s available for purchase.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://substack.com/home/post/p-158569129

Why Scientific Research Must Never Stop

/in /by

The current U.S. administration has tried to stop or delay basic and clinical research related to human conditions and diseases, and in the next few Memos, I’m going to illustrate why that’s a serious mistake. When I’ve laid it out, you can decide for yourself whether clinical research is a waste of money or critical for human health and well-being.

Example One: Glucagon-like Peptides

Sometime during the last century, chemicals were found in the intestines that seemed to increase the release of insulin in response to glucose. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that a gene was identified that resulted in the manufacture of proglucagon. Continued research found that when the protein was unfolded, it was responsible for the production of six different hormones. While all are important, one in particular has become popular 40 years later: GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1). Depending on where it’s produced, its major function is to increase satiety by delaying digestion in the stomach. The net effect is to reduce food intake; that impacts glucose levels in people with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes, which can lead to weight loss and the possible prevention of every other condition downstream from diabetes such as cardiovascular disease or diabetic neuropathy.

You may recognize GLP-1 agonists, chemicals which will turn the production on, by their brand names such as Ozempic and Trulicity. They are helping millions of people control their type 2 diabetes with a side benefit of weight loss. From the time that the chemical was discovered, through identifying the gene that produces it, and the development of a chemical that could stimulate the gene to produce GLP-1, the process took over 50 years. The scientists began with basic research and ended with clinical trials to prove the efficacy of the medication. And the research is still not done—if research is able to continue to find something that stimulates only GLP-1 receptors in specific locations in the body instead of systemically, side effects could be controlled more effectively.

Another illustration on Saturday. Tomorrow is the March Insider Conference Call. The primary topic will be more detail on how drugs like Ozempic work as well as answering your questions. Maybe it’s time you become an Insider and join the call.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: J Clin Invest. 2017 Dec 1;127(12):4217–4227. doi: 10.1172/JCI97233

Do You Have Sisu?

/in /by

What is sisu? It’s a Finnish word that has no real translation. My interest began with watching a movie of the same name, and once the movie was over, I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get a sense of what the word could mean. The reason is based on Tuesday’s Memo or what we might call the art of postponing the necessary. How can we overcome that?

To several authors, the characteristics of sisu goes along these lines:

Sisu is applied in everyday life to describe perseverance in personal challenges. It is seen as an action-oriented mindset that emphasizes persistence without boasting about it.

If you want an entire book that examines the nuances of sisu, check out Sisu: The Finnish Art of Courage by Joanna Nylund.

Weight loss. Cardiovascular fitness. Pre-diabetes. Hypertension. Mild cognitive impairment. Many more degenerative diseases and conditions. While they have a genetic component, they are primarily diseases of eating too much of the wrong foods while not moving any more than from the recliner to the refrigerator and back. No matter your current physical state, you can be better than you are right now.

This is your life. You know what you have to work on; how many years have you said, “If I could just…”? This is about taking the personal challenge of doing what you need to do, day in, day out, until you’ve got the health and lifestyle you want. Persistence, consistence, courage, resilience, grit, tenacity. Or you could call it stubbornness, which is often considered a negative trait, but one that can be used for good, too. And one more thing: an unwillingness to quit. Ever. Sisu.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Joanna Nylund. Sisu: The Finnish Art of Courage. 2018

Yes, But Not Now

/in /by

As Paula and I were discussing something we should do the other day, I said, “Yes, but not now.” That wasn’t meaningful in the moment, but a little while later, Paula commented that she knew she should cut back on sugar, but not now.

Bam. How many times have you said that? Not something you know you will do later but something related to your health: beginning to exercise, beginning to track your foods, beginning to organize your supplements to ensure you take them on a regular basis, and so on. Pick any lifestyle change you want to make; have you ever said, “but not now”? Look, there’s always something in our lives that makes it challenging to change our lifestyle–I’ll begin after my birthday, or after vacation, or some other event that makes it inconvenient to begin right now.

You know you should do it. You fully intend to do it. There’s no reason you can’t, and still, you tell yourself “but not now.” Procrastination at its finest!

There will always be something that we feel we should finish first. Once you actually begin, that will shift to something that interferes with your plan every day.

If you can’t deal with beginning now, what makes you think it will be any easier later? Maybe getting the right mindset could help. I’ll give you an idea about that on Saturday.

The comments I’ve gotten on the video update to Protecting Your Brain have been great. When there’s something that can benefit your brain, I’ll send out another update to everyone who has purchased the webinar. Have you?

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

“Watching” Your Diet and Workouts

/in /by

While the strategy for eating less I described on Tuesday used no type of tracking, this story is going to be the opposite. I ran into another person who has spent a couple of years focused on getting to a normal body weight. A couple of injuries playing sports set him back a little, but as we talked and I relayed the story from the day before, he said he was just the opposite: he tracks everything on his watch.

He records every meal—including the fast food breakfast sandwich he was eating; a client had brought it in and he felt he needed to explain his food choice to me. Remember, every food is acceptable as long as you track the frequency and amount. He continued that he tracks every workout—two days running, two days swimming, a spinning class, and he tries to run over the weekend. He can chart just about everything to monitor progress. He’s reached his weight-for-height goal and intends to keep up the lifestyle, because now, it’s his lifestyle.

Two different people, two different approaches—both worked. I’ll bet you have a story yourself. If not, you can write yours now, this year in 2025, so you can share it. It may inspire others. If you have one that’s worked for you, let me know how you did if you want me to share it with our group. Science takes you only so far; it’s how you make science work for you that’s important. Eat better. Eat less. Move more. And do it your way.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

“I’ll Have What She’s Having”

/in /by

My philosophy of getting to a normal weight and staying there is to find out what works best for you by trial and error. When you find something that works, stick with it. This week, I’m going to relay the conversations I had with two people within 24 hours and how they approached weight reduction.

I recently saw a physician I hadn’t seen in three or four months, and I noticed he appeared to have lost some weight. I commented that he looked leaner than the last time I saw him. Many people ask how a person lost the weight, but I think that’s a personal thing; if someone wants to share it, great. Evidently he decided he’d share it.

He knew that he was way over his weight for height based on BMI; he also relayed the fact that he didn’t want to track his calories. What he decided to do was to eat the way his wife ate. She’s about 5’ 1” tall and weighs 110 pounds; she’s always maintained that weight with no effort. He decided to eat the food that she ate in the serving size that she ate. I’d never heard that from anyone before, and I thought it was brilliant. The result of following that pattern over a number of months was that he had lost 45 pounds and still had about 15 pounds to go to get to his normal weight for height.

When a couple do things together, it can make things so much easier, but it doesn’t have to be a couple. If you can observe people who appear to be lean and a normal body weight, just watch the amount of food they eat as well as the types of food they eat. It always comes down to eat less, eat better, move more. As I said when I started, we just have to figure out how to do that for ourselves to find out what works best. Next story on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Shield Your Brain!

/in /by

For everyone who has purchased Protecting Your Brain, the first update will be on the way soon. As I stated in the webinar, when there is something important related to your brain I’ll send up an update, and a recent study is worth a follow up: researchers demonstrated that the microbiome in your mouth is beneficial to reducing the risk of mild cognitive impairment.

For the rest of you, don’t miss an opportunity to literally protect your brain and to help retain your memories and skills as well as the ability to learn new skills regardless of age. Isn’t that what’s it all about? Protecting Your Brain is my webinar that provides you with state-of-the-research ways to be able to do that. This webinar will teach you how brains get damaged, what’s normal and what’s not, and which activities, foods, and supplements will help protect it.

This webinar is available for download in my store right now for only $14.95 (Member and Insider discounts apply; be sure to log in first). You’ll learn how to protect your brain whether you’re 25 or 75.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

How Can You Safeguard Your Brainpower?

/in /by

If there’s one thing we all would like, it would be to retain as many of our memories as we can as well as all of the things we’ve learned over our lifetime. We’d also like the ability to learn new things, like how to make a doll house for our granddaughter or how to bake our favorite dessert. In order to do that, we have to do whatever we can to keep our brain functioning properly.

Protecting Your Brain is my webinar that provides you with state-of-the-research ways to be able to do that. This webinar will teach you:

  • The factors that can impact and damage your brain
  • What is normal brain function and what is not
  • What can you do to protect your brain in spite of prior damage?
    • Continual Learning
    • Fitness – functional and body health
    • The best diet to protect your brain
    • Supplementation that supports the brain

This webinar is available for download in my store right now, and includes the questions about brain health I asked for weeks ago with answers based on the most current research.

The cost of the webinar is just $14.95 (Member and Insider discounts apply), but it contains priceless things you can do to protect your brain whether you’re 25 or 75. This webinar is for you. Don’t wait to get your copy. Do it now—you might forget it later!

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet