Journal Club
Last fall, Dr. Madera started a journal club for our office. This allows us to dedicate time every few weeks to sit and discuss relevant research. We strive for expansion and growth, and we often find that we need to carve out time for research as a busy practice can easily distract! We collaborate to decide on journal club topics, then scour PubMed for articles. At the time of this writing, we have done journal clubs on the following topics:
- Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and cooking oils (just say no to seed oils!)
- Ozone
- NAD+ (nicotinamide dinucleotide)
Dr. Madera also finds joy and satisfaction in creating a learning environment and sees Journal club as a way to give back to our small group of undergraduate interns. We talk about the quality of the studies, potential conflicts of interest, animal vs human trials, and other pertinent aspects of scientific scrutiny. It is incredibly rewarding to hear our young students point out salient points from the articles. For example, our article on PUFAs was paid for by the olive oil foundation. Our students are awesome about making connections with their coursework as well as what we are doing here in the practice.
Recently, when we reviewed more expansive topics like NAD+ and longevity, we had some physician colleagues and friends join in remotely via Zoom. It was a fun way to integrate clinical aspects that are pertinent for us to learn with a collaborative learning environment which benefits people far beyond our office walls.
New Offerings
I have included a short summary of some key points about NAD+ that we are providing to patients. We have also expanded our offerings to include IV infusions. We are offering NAD+, our own customized Myers cocktail that focuses on the neurologic system, as well as IV vitamin C, with more to come.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD+, is a coenzyme of Vitamin B3 (niacin) found in every cell in your body. It is involved in hundreds of metabolic processes. As we age, NAD+ is depleted which causes:
- Compromises mitochondrial activity
- Induces stem cell senescence
- Impairs our capacity for tissue maintenance and repair
Decreased NAD+ supply in the tissues has been correlated with metabolic dysfunction and insulin resistance. In simpler terms, declining NAD+ may play a role in aging and obesity. NAD+ is utilized to breakdown the fuel in your body to give energy to your cells for vital functions.
Even though NAD may decrease as we age, we can increase NAD+ in our bodies with infusion therapy. Basic science and animal studies show that if NAD+ is increased, the body reinvigorates muscle, neural, and melanocyte stem cell populations, and enhances mitochondrial function. This means increased NAD+ levels in the body could provide more energy for your cells. It could also improve your body’s ability to combat oxidative stress and inflammation.
There is also some evidence that NAD+ supports oxytocin regulatory pathways which are involved in maintaining a lean body. NAD+ is involved in carbohydrate and alcohol metabolism and circadian rhythms. Replenishing NAD+ is used to decrease cravings, lessen withdrawal and help lessen the stress of these substances on your brain and body.
Pubmed articles for your reference:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32423100
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28718934/