Dr. Hellen Greenblatt

Influenza– It is Not Over Yet

| Posted by in Infections | Inflammation - (0 Comments)

The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia reports that estimated 6-7 million people have been, or are currently sick with viral flu during the current flu season. Half of these individuals saw a health practitioner for their illness but nevertheless approximately 69,00-84,000 people were hospitalized. Much of the illness and deaths from the flu …
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balance, cytokines, Flu, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, influenza

WHO and CDC Caution Pregnant Women about Zika

As of this writing, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta is strongly recommending that pregnant woman postpone travel to many countries across the world, including the popular Caribbean islands. The CDC is taking these steps due to the possibility that these women may become are infected with a mosquito borne virus called Zika. …
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anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, chronic disease, cytokines, Ebola, Guillain-Barre, immune system, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, MERS, pro-inflammatory, SARS, Zika

Lyme Disease: The Importance of Inflammatory Balance

Borrelia burgdorferi, is a bacterial infection that results from an infected tick, originally from mammals or birds, biting and injecting the microorganism into a human host. Individuals treated early in infection are likely to recover completely; however, delaying treatment may result in long recovery times, or result in disease that will last for years, or …
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anti-inflammatory, arthritis, autoimmune, B. burgdorferi, Borrelia burgdorferi, chronic disease, cytokines, fatigue, IL-6, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, joint pain, Lyme, Lyme disease, neurological, pro-inflammatory, TGF, TGF-beta, TNF-alpha, transforming growth factor, tumor necrosis factor

Ebola Virus: Immune Imbalances and Inflammation May Be Major Factors

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. As of this post, the virus has spread through many African nations, and is the worst Ebola outbreak every recorded. The virus has infected over 1200 people and abuot 60% of these individuals have died from the …
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anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, autoinflammatory, balance, cytokines, Ebola, immune homeostasis, immune system, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory

The Role of Inflammation in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs in some individuals that are exposed to emotionally disturbing events such as combat, rocket, and terrorist attacks. Individuals that have suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI) or experienced natural disasters and sexual assault are also at higher risk of having this disorder. Symptoms may include quality of life issues such as …
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Afghanistan, aggression, anger, anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, balance, C-reactive protein, chronic disease, combat, cytokines, depression, fat cells, Gulf War, healing, IL-6, immune homeostasis, immune system, infection, inflammation, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, inflammatory responses, injuries, Iraq, metabolic syndrome, military, Obesity, post-traumatic stress disorder, pro-inflammatory, PTSD, QOL, terrorist, veterans, visceral fat

Obesity and the Inflammatory State

People who are heavy and are not physically active, are at greater risk for conditions such as: increased blood sugar, higher pressures on their artery walls (high blood pressure), increased rate and workload on the heart, stroke, joint problems, sleep disorders, difficulty breathing, and even certain types of cancer. There are other posts on this …
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anti-inflammatory, antibodies, autoimmune, balance, chronic disease, cytokines, fat cells, immune homeostasis, immune system, immunoglobulins, infection, inflammatory responses, Obesity, overweight, pro-inflammatory

Sickle Cell Anemia: The Role of Inflammation

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

In a previous post, I discussed the role of excessive inflamation in thalassemia, a blood disorder in which individuals suffer from low numbers of red blood cells and hemoglobulin levels. This post focuses on another blood disorder that results in low hemoglobulin levels, sickle cell anemia. Abnormal Red Blood Cells Normally, blood cells are rounded, …
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anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, balance, chronic disease, cytokines, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, pro-inflammatory, sickle cell anemia

The Role of Inflammation in Enteroviruses and Paralysis

Over the last 18 months, at least 25 children have been affected in the California area by a “polio-like” illness resulting in partial paralysis of five of the children. As of this week, two out of five of these children have tested positive for enterovirus. According to the news media, Australia and Asia have also …
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anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, autoinflammatory, balance, chronic disease, cytokines, enteroviruses, immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammatory responses, microbes, nervous system, paralysis, polio, post-polio syndrome, pro-inflammatory

The Role of Inflammation in the Blood Disorder Thalassemia

Blood disorders are diseases that affect blood components: 1) red blood cells, 2) white blood cells, and/or 3) platelets. Red blood cells are disc-shaped cells that carry oxygen from the lungs to all the cells in the body White blood cells are immune cells that help the body heal, and protect itself from infections and …
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and aplastic anemia., anemia, anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, balance, blood clots, blood disorders, cancer, chronic disease, cytokines, deep vein thrombosis, hemoglobulin, hemolytic anemia, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), immune homeostasis, immune system, inflammation, inflammatory responses, injuries, pain, pernicious anemia, platelets, pulmonary embolism, red blood cells, sickle cell anemia, thalassemia, thromboembolism

Microbes, Gluten, Celiac Disease, Diabetes, and Inflammation

We humans exist in sea of microorganisms. According to the American Society for Microbiology, there are 10 fold the number of bacteria living in and on our bodies as cells that make up our bodies. Wherever our bodies are exposed to the outside world, for example our digestive tracts, skin, mouth, vagina, etc. we find …
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anti-inflammatory, autoimmune, balance, C-reactive protein, celiac, chronic disease, Crohn's, cytokines, diabetes, gluten, gut, immune, immune homeostasis, immune system, immunoglobulins, infection, inflammation, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, inflammatory responses, insulin, microbes, microbiome, pro-inflammatory

Inflammation, Infections, and Statins

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI), nosocomial infections, are caused by a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. One bacterium that commonly causes illness is Clostridium difficile, or C. difficile. Hospitalized children and elderly people are at special risk of acquiring these bacteria, infections that result in severe diarrhea. Individuals infected with C. difficile are more likely …
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atherosclerosis, balance, C-reactive protein, C. difficile, cancer, chronic disease, exercise, fat cells, healthcare-associated, hyperimmune egg, immune homeostasis, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, lungs, multiple sclerosis, nosocomial, pro-inflammatory, statins

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. …
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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

Inflammation, Alzheimer’s, and Immune Homeostasis

Alzheimer’s and IVIG Rx Last week John Gever, Senior Editor, MedPage Today brought attention to the results of a small study presented at the 2012 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference held in Vancouver, British Columbia. In this study, patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s were given antibody preparations, immunoglobulin preparations, which were obtained by pooling plasma …
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Alzheimer's, antibodies, autoimmune, balance, brain, cytokines, dementia, immune homeostasis, immune system, immunoglobulins, immunological, inflammation, inflammatory responses, intravenous, IVIG, multiple sclerosis, neurological, Parkinson's, pro-inflammatory, traumatic brain injury

Hangovers, Inflammation, Cytokines— It All Adds Up to Misery

Alcohol hangovers occur when blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) return to zero. The event is characterized by pounding headache, sensitivity to lights and loud noises, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, sweating, concentration problems, hyper-excitability, and anxiety and/or depression. The biology of hangovers is complex and surprisingly, has not been well-researched. Dehydration and sleep deprivation may …
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cytokines, hangovers, headache, immune homeostasis, immune system, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory

Inflammation Can Kill … Listeria Food Poisoning

| Posted by in Immune Homeostasis (Immune Balance) | Infections | Infections and Inflammatory Responses | Inflammation - (0 Comments)

The Centers for Disease Control is investigating at least 100 reports of food poisoning, and 18 deaths, due to contaminated cantaloupes. DNA isolated from infected individuals has determined that Listeria is the responsible bacteria. Ninety-eight percent of 93 individuals contacted by monitoring agencies were hospitalized due to their infections. Because of lag times between consumption …
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anti-inflammatory, antibodies, balance, cancer, chronic disease, cytokines, food-poisoning, HIV/AIDS, immune disorders, immune homeostasis, immune system, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, Listeria, pro-inflammatory, white blood cells

Nobel Prize and Immune Inflammatory Homeostasis

Today, three immunologists, Drs. Ralph Steinman*, Jules Hoffman, and Bruce Beutler, won the Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology for adding to our scant knowledge of immune system responses to pathogenic microorganisms and cancer cells. Their studies should also provide a better understanding as to how excessive inflammation leads to autoimmunity, attacks on the body’s own healthy tissues. …
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autoimmune, balance, cancer, chronic disease, immune homeostasis, immune system, infection, inflammation, inflammatory responses, pro-inflammatory