Dr. Hellen Greenblatt

HIV-The Battle is Not Over

HIV, or the human immunodeficiency virus is a virus that left untreated may lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. Unlike some other viruses, even with treatment some people infected with HIV may never eliminate the virus. In an animal model of HIV, within 24 hours of infection, the virus hitches a ride on immune cells and travels …
Read more →

anti-inflammatory, antibodies, balance, chronic disease, cytokines, HIV/AIDS, immune homeostasis, immune system, infection, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory

Lyme Disease and Inflammation

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector-borne, infectious disease in the United States with a 25 fold increase in the number of cases since surveillance of the disease began in 1982. World-wide, there are over 300 strains of these bacteria, many of which tolerate antibiotics and are …
Read more →

anti-inflammatory, arthritis, autoimmune, autoinflammatory, fatigue, immune homeostasis, immune system, infection, joint pain, joints, Lyme, nervous system, Tick-borne, Ticks

Stress

From the time of the ancient Greeks, it has been clear that the mind-gut-body connection influences one’s health; however, only during the last century have we begun to understand why this is the case. With new tools, scientists can show that there is cross-talk between the brain, the gut and the immune system. Immune molecules …
Read more →

anti-inflammatory, balance, cytokines, exercise, fatigue, genes, gut, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, pro-inflammatory, stress

Lupus and the Inflammatory Process

What is the Role of Inflammation? When the body is injured or recognizes the presence of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, molds, parasites or cancerous cells, its immune system is triggered to respond with inflammation to “burn” the threat out of the body. Balance is Essential Once the challenge has been met, a person in …
Read more →

anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, autoinflammatory, balance, chronic disease, cytokines, depression, exercise, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, lupus, SLE

Inflammation and Stress

Given all the current social, political and economic uncertainties, this year may be even more anxiety-producing and stressful than in the past. Past surveys have shown that 30-50% of people (and because of all of their responsibilities, especially women) experience heightened stresses. STRESS AND INFLAMMATION Stress alters immune responses affecting our ability to fight infection …
Read more →

anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, chronic disease, depression, fatigue, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory

Depression, Anhedonia and Run-Away Inflammation

Without the ability to produce inflammation we die. The inflammatory response is the main weapon that the immune system uses to protect us from infection, keep cancer cells from growing out of control, and help tissues heal when they are damaged. However, one has to have the right balance of inflammation to be healthy. We need enough …
Read more →

autoimmune, autoinflammatory, balance, chronic disease, cytokines, depression, exercise, fatigue, immune homeostasis, pro-inflammatory

Imbalances of Inflammatory Responses May Lead to Parkinson’s Disease.

Parkinson’s is a disease of the nervous system that affects mobility, memory, and cognition. Individuals may eventually experience rigid muscles, tremors of the limbs and head, loss of muscle control, monotonous speech levels, and a slow, shuffling gait. Individuals tend to develop the disease as they age. Having a close relative with Parkinson’s disease (PD) …
Read more →

autoimmune, autoinflammatory, balance, chronic disease, cytokines, depression, dopamine, fatigue, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, microglia, neurodegenerative, neurological, neurons, Parkinson's, pro-inflammatory

9/11 WTC Responders Still Being Ignored

This month was the 13th anniversary of the haunting September 11 event that has changed us, our Nation, and the world we thought we knew. It seems like yesterday that these events happened. Three years ago, I posted my frustration of my inability to get First Responders, and/or their health practitioners, to consider addressing the issue …
Read more →

9/11, balance, C-reactive protein, cancer, chronic disease, depression, fatigue, immune homeostasis, inflammation, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory, PTSD, pulmonary, respiratory, World Trade Center, WTC

THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION: INFLAMMATION AND DEPRESSION

Exposure to chronic constant emotional or physical stress triggers a vicious cycle of inflammation. The stress increases the amount of inflammation that the body generates, and the additional inflammation “feeds” more stress. Depressed individuals report that they experience high levels of tension and anxiety, fatigue, muscle discomfort, and/or gastrointestinal problems. Often they have a feeling …
Read more →

anti-inflammatory, balance, C-reactive protein, chronic disease, cytokines, depression, exercise, fat cells, fatigue, gut, healing, hyperimmune egg, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory

Endometriosis, Inflammation, and Immune Homeostasis (Balance)

Endometriosis* is a painful, hormonal and immune system disease in which tissues similar to the mucous membranes lining the uterus (endometrium), end up in “strange” locations, places that these sorts of tissues are not typically found. The pockets of tissue react to monthly surges of estrogen and progesterone just like the uterus. These cells can …
Read more →

anti-inflammatory, autoantibodies, autoimmune, balance, cancer, chronic disease, cytokines, dioxin, endometriosis, exercise, fat cells, fatigue, hyperimmune egg, immune homeostasis, infertility, inflammation, inflammatory responses, menstruation

A PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM DR. HELLEN GREENBLATT

| Posted by in Fatigue | Inflammation | Joints | Materials Authored by Dr. Hellen - (0 Comments)

TheseI grew up in a poor neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. During the summers I spent most of my days sitting on the stoop, the front steps, reading piles of books that I carried home weekly from my local library, and watched people go by. It hurt me, even at a young age, to see how …
Read more →

gastrointestinal, Greenblatt, joints

Inflammation, Celiac Disease, and Immune Balance/Homeostasis

Gut-associated lymphoid tissues are found in the walls of the intestine and contain billions of immune cells. The white blood cells control the levels and types of bacteria that naturally populate the intestines. The bacteria help to digest food that provides energy to the body, and are part of the immune/bacterial ecosystem of the intestine. …
Read more →

antibodies, autoimmune, autoinflammatory, balance, cancer, celiac, chronic disease, corticosteroids, cross talk, cytokines, diarrhea, GALT, gluten, gut, gut associated lymphoid tissue, hyperimmune egg, immune homeostasis, immune system, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, intestines, pro-inflammatory

Fibromyalgia, Inflammation, and the Inflammatory Response

| Posted by in Chronic Disease | Fatigue | Immune Homeostasis (Immune Balance) | Inflammation - (0 Comments)

Through the years, I have spoken with many individuals, usually, women, who have now been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a condition in which individuals suffer from chronic pain, and have tenderness in about a dozen different spots in the body, and have “brain fog”. They suffer from unremitting fatigue, bowel problems, difficulty in sleeping …
Read more →

balance, chronic disease, cytokines, fibromyalgia, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, inflammatory responses, pain

Hot Flashes, Menopause, and Inflammation

Recently a woman going through menopause, pleaded with me for suggestions as to her dealing with hot flashes, mood swings, sudden tears, fatigue, inability to sleep soundly, difficulty in concentrating, mental blocks, and “always forgetting things”. She had tried many different physicians and approaches, without success. She was “at her wit’s end”. About 75-85% of …
Read more →

Inflammation, Immune Homeostasis, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

| Posted by in Chronic Disease | Fatigue | Immune Homeostasis (Immune Balance) | Inflammation - (0 Comments)

For years, physicians told their (overwhelmingly female) patients, that patient complaints of skeletal and muscle pains, sleep disorders, overwhelming fatigue not improved by bed rest, brain “fog”, and lack of stamina, were “all in their mind”. However once pharmaceutical medications were introduced into the market place to help decrease some of these symptoms, health practitioners …
Read more →

autoimmune, balance, cytokines, fatigue, gut, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory

Inflammatory Homeostasis, Cancer and Fatigue

| Posted by in Cancer | Fatigue | Immune Homeostasis (Immune Balance) - (Comments Off)

In today’s Wall Street Journal*, Jonathan Rockoff reports on new cancer treatments that are “personalized” depending on whether one is carrying a certain mutated gene. When individuals with specific types of cancer carry the mutated gene, and are treated with these new medications, the results are impressive. Almost 50% of cancer patients taking these medications …
Read more →

balance, cancer, chemotherapy, fatigue, immune homeostasis, inflammatory responses, joint pain, mutated gene, side effects, WSJ