Volume 19 • Number 4 • April 2018

I enjoy articles that help us put Humpty-Dumpty back together again. The first two featured this month do just that. One is on cancer survivors being more likely to develop heart problems. If you have been reading this newsletter, then you know why—poor nutrition, stress, environmental toxins, poor detoxification and energy processing in an unhealthy gut (dysbiosis.) All these factors lead to poor immune system function and metabolism, the root of all diseases.

The other article is on the INTERSTITUM, or the lining of all our organs. If the above factors are present, the cells making up our INTERSTITIUM will TOIL—they will be Toxic, Oxidized, Inflamed, and have Less optimal mitochondrial function. TOIL will then lead to LEAKY INTERSTITIUM. Think of Leaky Gut, and how it can lead to problems throughout the body. Well, guess what! We also have Leaky Arteries, Leaky Brain, etc.

BTW, how does our body cope with Leaky Arteries? It produces Cholesterol. I say don’t shoot the messenger.

So, if you spring a leak, plug it up; you will be stronger for it. But, if you don’t do anything about it, and your “craft” continues to take too much water, you will likely sink.

Hugo Rodier, MD

Adult survivors of childhood cancer may develop heart problems sooner

Reuters (3/28, Rapaport) reports a study by German researchers suggests “adult survivors of childhood cancer have a greater risk of heart disease and develop risk factors like high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol earlier in life compared to the general population.” More specifically, “the cancer survivors were 38% more likely to have high blood pressure and 26% more likely to have high cholesterol.” The findings were published in the European Heart Journal.”

Children so affected must avoid sugar, eat a lot of veggies, and nuts, especially walnuts—they improve our microbiome, which is where 2/3 of our immune system is, and in turn optimize cholesterol.[1] Statins you say? They prevent one death in 3 years, but 167 people have to take it.[2] Ask any statistician who does not work for Big Pharma—they are not worth the trouble.

Scientists identify interstitium as an organ

TIME (3/27, Park) reports scientists have proposed there is an organ called the interstitium “that may play a critical role in how many tissues and other organs do their jobs, as well as in some diseases like cancer.” The article explains that the interstitium “is a series of connected, fluid-filled spaces found under skin as well as throughout the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles.” Newsweek (3/27, Gander) reports the study, which was published in Scientific Reports, marks the “first time” that the interstitium “has been identified as an organ.”

CNN (3/27, Howard) reports that Neil Theise, MD, one of the study’s authors, said that the interstitium should be considered an organ, because it has a unitary structure and a unitary function. Dr. Theise said, “This structure is the same wherever you look at it, and so are the functions that we’re starting to elucidate.”

Eating meat cooked at high temperatures may increase a person’s risk of hypertension

TODAY (3/21, Pawlowski, Dunn) reports on its website that research suggests eating “red and white meat” cooked “over an open flame or at high temperatures” may “modestly increase a person’s risk of developing” hypertension. The findings were presented at an American Heart Association meeting.

 HealthDay (3/21, Norton) reports that “the study, of more than 100,000 US adults, found the odds of high blood pressure were a bit higher among people who liked their meat grilled, broiled or roasted, versus those who favored more temperate cooking methods.” Meanwhile, “the same was true of people who were partial to well-done meat.” The data indicated that “compared with fans of rarer meat, they were 15 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure over 12 to 16 years.”

Think of Leaky Arteries.

Losing sleep may make it more difficult to lose excess body fat

Reuters (3/23) reported that research suggests “even when cutting calories helps people lose weight, they may have a harder time getting rid of excess body fat if they don’t get enough sleep.” The findings were published online in Sleep.”

Think of cortisol secreted by adrenal glands when stressed—it drives up TOIL which leads to insulin resistance.

Daytime sleepiness may lead to buildup of amyloid plaque in brain

According to CNN (3/12, Lamotte), research published online March 12 in JAMA Neurology “shows that excessive daytime sleepiness in cognitively normal elderly leads to a buildup of a plaque in the brain called amyloid.” CNN explains, “Depositing amyloid in brain tissue is the first known preclinical stage of Alzheimer’s and happens well before any obvious symptoms of dementia” can be seen.

TIME (3/12, Park) reports that in arriving at these findings, investigators “took advantage of a long-running study of nearly 3,000 older people in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging.” Next, the study authors “selected 283 people without dementia who were over 70, who answered questions about their sleep habits and agreed to have several brain scans for amyloid over the seven-year study period.”

HealthDay (3/12, Reinberg) reports that after comparing “the scans in search of changes in the brain,” investigators “found increased beta-amyloids in key brain areas in participants who reported being very sleepy during the day.” Healio (3/12, Demko) reports the authors of an accompanying editorial wrote that “at present, maintaining healthy sleep and treating clinical sleep disorders must be a current priority for mental health in older adults.”

All the factors discussed in editorial apply here. In fact, poor nutrition begins to affect the brain even before we are born.[3] But, those who have a positive attitude about life have a lower risk of dementia, despite genetic tendencies[4].

Health News for Women

  1. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a problem seldom associated with cysts, but with Pre-Diabetes, may influence diversity of gut microbiome[5] and vice versa.[6] Why? Because we start metabolizing our food in the gut according to what bacteria we carry. The latter is a function of how well we eat, and stay away from chemicals like antibiotics, acid blocking pills, and pesticides.
  2. Supplement vitamin D3 so that your blood levels are between 50-70. Under 30 you are likely to see metabolic problems, especially if you are menopausal.[7]
  3. Probiotics During Pregnancy Tied to Lower Eczema Risk for Kids.[8]
  4. Tai Chi better than aerobic exercise for Fibromyalgia.[9]
  5. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has the same genetics as Parkinson’s. Moral of the story: it’s the pesticides! Have a cup of Joe to detoxify better.[10] See blog on coffee.
  1. Am Heart Association Scientific Session, Anaheim, 2018 (J. Fam Practice News Feb 2018 p9)
  2. Am Coll Card, Orlando, FL 2018
  3. “Prenatal Primary Prevention of Mental Illness by Micronutrient Supplements in Pregnancy,”
    Published online: American J. of Psychiatry March 21, 2018
  4. “Positive age beliefs protect against dementia even among elders with high-risk gene,” J. PLoS One 2018;13:e0191004
  5. JCEM Jan 23 2018
  6. J. PLoS One January 3, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168390
  7. J. Maturitas 2018;107:97–102
  8. Medscape – Mar 15, 2018
  9. “Effect of tai chi versus aerobic exercise for fibromyalgia: comparative effectiveness randomized controlled trial,” BMJ 2018;360:k851
  10. J. Movement Disorders Feb 2018
Hugo Rodier, MD
Hugo Rodier, MD is an integrative physician based in Draper, Utah who specializes in healing chronic disease at the cellular level by blending proper nutrition, lifestyle changes, & allopathic practices when necessary.