Latest news with #IcahnSchoolofMedicineat
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Problematic' MAHA report minimizes success of lifesaving asthma medicines, doctors say
Teens play basketball outside on a hot day in summer 2023 in New York City after the state issued an air quality health advisory recommending active children and those with asthma limit time outside. Experts worry that a new federal report minimizes how millions of kids in the U.S. rely on asthma medications to breathe normally. (Photo by) Medical experts are dismayed over a federal report's claim that kids are overprescribed asthma medications, saying it minimizes how many lives the drugs save. Safe treatment protocols for asthma management have been carefully studied over the years, said Dr. Perry Sheffield, a pediatrician and professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. 'The federal government actually has some really beautiful and clear guidelines and strategies, and things that are vetted by and carefully edited by many experts in the field,' said Sheffield, who co-directs a region of the federally funded Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units that serves New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Asthma affects more than 4.6 million American children, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's one of the most common long-term diseases in U.S. children. The Make America Healthy Again Commission report released in late May, parts of which have been widely criticized, alleges that American children are on too much medication of various kinds, including asthma treatments. Experts worry that the administration will set policy based on the assessment, dissuading insurers from covering asthma prescriptions. They also say that the report's assertions could worsen disparities that affect children's access to those medications and undermine years of research around the drugs. Blue Cross Blue Shield now requires prior approval for severe asthma drugs in some states The MAHA commission has until August to release a strategy based on the findings in the report. Black and Indigenous children as well as those living in inner cities or in lower-income households are among those with the highest rates of asthma. Pollution disproportionately shrouds communities of color and can be a trigger that exacerbates the disease. The report's message could heighten those disparities, said Dr. Elizabeth Matsui, a University of Texas at Austin professor and a past chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Section on Allergy and Immunology. 'One thing that has been very clear is that kids of color are less likely to be appropriately managed in terms of their asthma medication management,' she said. 'So a message of overprescription that is simply not supported by the evidence also could potentially exacerbate already-existing racial and ethnic disparities in asthma that we have really not made much headway on.' The report touches on childhood prediabetes, obesity and mental health. However, firearm injuries — the leading cause of death for children and teens in 2020 and 2021, according to the CDC — weren't mentioned. The 70-page report from the commission, chaired by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., claims four main issues are the drivers behind childhood chronic disease: poor diet, aggregation of environmental chemicals, lack of physical activity and chronic stress, and 'overmedicalization.' Matsui and other experts said the report's use of that word is 'problematic.' 'The implication could be, unfortunately, that when a child has asthma — so, they have coughing, chest tightness, wheezing — that that is not really a disease,' said Matsui. 'We know for a fact that that's a disease, and we know that it is quite treatable, quite controllable, and that it has profound impacts on the child's day-to-day life.' Other scientists have similarly criticized the report, saying it makes sweeping and misleading generalizations about children's health without sufficient evidence. The White House corrected the report after nonprofit news outlet NOTUS found that it cited studies that didn't exist. The implication could be, unfortunately, that when a child has asthma … that that is not really a disease. We know for a fact that that's a disease. – Dr. Elizabeth Matsui, University of Texas at Austin professor When it comes to asthma, the report says, 'Asthma controller prescriptions increased 30% from 1999-2008.' That sentence originally cited a broken link to a study from 2011; the link was later replaced. Controller meds include inhalers. The MAHA report also claims that 'There is evidence of overprescription of oral corticosteroids for mild cases of asthma.' The original version of the report listed estimated percentages of oral corticosteroids overuse, citing a nonexistent study. The wording was changed and the citation was later replaced with a link to a 2017 study by pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Harold Farber. The study was not a randomized controlled trial, which increases reliability. Farber told NOTUS that the report made an 'overgeneralization' of his research. Stateline also reached out to Farber, whose public relations team declined an interview request. Oral corticosteroids are liquid or tablet medications used to reduce inflammation for conditions including allergies, asthma, arthritis and Crohn's disease. For asthma, they're used to treat severe flare-up episodes. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says the medications have been shown to reduce emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and that while they do come with risk of side effects, they're mostly used in acute flare-ups. And while rare, asthma-related deaths in kids do occur, and are often preventable. 'Asthma medications, including oral steroids, are lifesaving,' said Dr. Elizabeth Friedman, a pediatrician at Children's Mercy Kansas City. 'I believe that physicians, not politicians, are best equipped and most effectively trained to make the determination of whether or not these medications are needed for our patients.' Friedman worries that federal characterizations of asthma meds will affect how state Medicaid agencies cover the drugs. When Medicaid coverage changed for a common prescribed inhaler last year, many of her Missouri Medicaid patients were suddenly without the drug. They ended up hospitalized, she said. Friedman directs Region 7 of the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units, a network of experts that works to address reproductive and children's environmental health issues. Region 7 provides outreach and education in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. She also said she's concerned that the report is 'making a broad, sweeping statement based on one epidemiologic study from one state.' An increase in inhaler prescriptions is not necessarily a bad thing, experts say. It's a sign that kids are getting their medication. There has been an increase in inhaler prescriptions, along with a corresponding decrease in the oral corticosteroids, which is what experts would want to see, said Chelsea Langer, bureau chief of the New Mexico Department of Health's Environmental Health Epidemiology Bureau. She said that means kids are 'following their asthma action plans and taking the controller medications to prevent needing the relief or treatment [oral] meds.' Trump has canceled environmental justice grants. Here's what communities are losing. Asthma prevalence has increased over the years, meaning more people need medication, noted Dr. Alan Baptist, division head of Allergy and Clinical Immunology at Henry Ford Health in Michigan. He said that because steroid tablets come with risk of side effects, it is best to limit them. But for kids without access to a regular pediatric provider or to health insurance that covers an inhaler, cost can be an obstacle, he said. Fluticasone propionate, an FDA-approved medicine for people 4 and older, costs on average $200 or more for one inhaler without insurance. 'What often happens with kids, and especially kids who are in Medicaid, or who are in an underserved or disadvantaged population, they are not given appropriate asthma controller medication,' said Baptist, who helped write federal guidelines for asthma treatment best practices as part of a National Institutes of Health committee. Baptist noted that while he was glad to see pollution mentioned in the report as a danger for kids, it's at odds with the recent cuts to environmental health grants that aimed to address such asthma triggers. 'They're somewhat cherry-picking some of the data that they're putting down,' he said. 'It says the U.S. government is 'committed to fostering radical transparency and gold-standard science' to better understand the potential cumulative impacts of environmental exposure. If that's what they're saying, then they should be funding even greater studies that look at the effects.' Dr. Priya Bansal, an Illinois pediatrician and past president of the Illinois Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, said she's concerned the report doesn't define mild, moderate or severe asthma to differentiate the different best-practice treatment plans. Bansal also said she worries that federal officials' characterization of an FDA-approved drug will lead to insurance companies refusing to cover inhalers or oral steroids for her patients who rely on them. 'I'm going to be worried about coverage for my asthmatics,' she said. 'The question is, what's the next move that they're going to make? If they think that, are they going to now say, 'Hey, we're not going to cover inhalers for mild asthmatics'?' Stateline reporter Nada Hassanein can be reached at nhassanein@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mount Sinai Health System to Honor Dennis S. Charney, MD, Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, for 18 Years of Leadership and Service at Annual Crystal Party
Will retire at the end of his current term on June 30; Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, appointed interim dean New York, NY, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mount Sinai Health System announced today that it will recognize Dennis S. Charney, MD, the outgoing Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, for 18 years of leadership and service at its 40th annual Crystal Party, Tuesday, May 20, at Pier Sixty, 60 Chelsea Piers. Dr. Charney is one of the longest-serving deans of any medical school nationwide and will step down as Dean on Monday, June 30. He will remain on the faculty at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to continue his research and teaching. Dr. Charney, a preeminent expert in neurobiology who has made fundamental contributions to the understanding of human anxiety, fear, depression, and resilience, has played a key role in the discovery of new treatments for mood and anxiety disorders. He was recently named one of the 2025 TIME 100 Health Most Influential People in Health for his breakthrough treatments for depression. 'It has been my immense pleasure to lead this school and to be entrusted with shaping the vision and mission that has elevated Mount Sinai's standing in academic medicine,' said Dr. Charney. 'None of that would have been possible without the contributions of our faculty, staff, and students, all of whom have made serving the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai the greatest joy of my professional life. I look forward to seeing how the School will build on what we have created together.' Under Dr. Charney's leadership, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has advanced its reputation as an international leader in biomedical, scientific, and public health education, research, and clinical care. He recruited brilliant faculty members across the biomedical sciences, computational biology, and information technology, fostering a culture of innovation and scientific risk-taking. He also established more than two dozen interdisciplinary research institutions, fueling collaborations and investigations that have resulted in life-changing breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, heart disease, gastrointestinal disease, and psychiatric illness. In addition to these achievements, Dr. Charney achieved dramatic growth in funding from the National Institutes of Health, which reached half a billion dollars in annual support in 2024, placing the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai No. 11 among medical schools and in the 99th percentile among U.S. private medical schools for research funding per principal investigator. He built the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai into the largest graduate medical program in the country, with more than 2,600 residents and clinical fellows. He also established partnerships with the Hasso Plattner Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook to develop digital health products that are advancing precision medicine for the benefit of patients around the world. Dr. Charney was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2000 and has been honored with every major award in his field for his scientific research. He received the Colvin Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Mood Disorder Research in 2019 and the Rhoda & Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health from the National Academy of Medicine in 2023. He is a co-inventor of Ketamine, a rapidly acting US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antidepressant marketed as SPRAVATO™, has been hailed as one of the most exciting developments in antidepressant therapy in more than half a century. He is also the co-inventor of the first prescription digital therapeutic, marketed as Rejoyn, and approved by FDA for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). 'Dennis Charney's legacy as one of the greatest transformational leaders in the history of academic medicine is well established and impressive. Through his efforts, he has put in place the people and resources that will ensure that the Icahn School of Medicine continues to excel in our mission to educate and train the physicians and scientists who will develop cutting-edge medical approaches to the greatest health challenges we face. We are grateful for all he has done for the School and the Health System,' said Brendan G. Carr, MD, MA, MS, Chief Executive Officer and Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Distinguished Chair of the Mount Sinai Health System. 'I always knew Dennis Charney would be a transformative leader,' said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Executive Vice Chairman, Boards of Trustees, and former President and CEO, Mount Sinai Health System. 'His outside-the-box thinking, not restricted by tradition or a traditional leadership philosophy, and his thoughtfulness and strength would make him a steady leader to guide the School to greatness. He created a unique place of learning, teaching, and research, and I have been proud to be his partner and friend on this journey.' 'Dennis Charney is a visionary leader who has transformed the Icahn School of Medicine by creating an entrepreneurial capability inside our school where clinical and basic science research innovation thrive,' said Richard A. Friedman and James S. Tisch, Co-Chairs of the Mount Sinai Health System Boards of Trustees. 'He will be remembered as a pioneer who found a new bold and successful strategy for our school.' Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, has been appointed Interim Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. One of the world's leading experts on the molecular mechanisms of drug addiction and depression, Dr. Nestler has been Dean for Academic Affairs of the Icahn School of Medicine and Chief Scientific Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System since 2016. He has authored more than 750 publications and five books, and his work has been recognized with the Wilbur Cross Distinguished Alumnus Medal from Yale University and the Peter Seeburg Prize in Integrative Neuroscience from the Society for Neuroscience. He has been a member of the National Academy of Medicine since 1998 and was recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors that a scientist can achieve, recognizing individuals for their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. About the Mount Sinai Health System Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it. Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients' medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek's® 'The World's Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals' and by U.S. News & World Report's® 'Best Hospitals' and 'Best Children's Hospitals.' The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® 'Best Hospitals' Honor Roll for 2024-2025. For more information, visit or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and YouTube. CONTACT: Mount Sinai Press Office Mount Sinai Press Office newsmedia@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Forbes
02-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
The 13 Best Products To Improve Both Your Air Quality And Sleep
For many, spring brings with it seasonal allergies and difficulty breathing, which can impact your sleep. The changes in air quality and the sleep issues that can result affect health and energy levels in general, in addition to breathing and sinus issues. Depending on what is affecting your air and which allergens are most prevalent, there are a variety of products that can improve both your air quality and your sleep. For bedroom air purification, we recommend the Levoit Core 400S, which uses a three-stage filtration system and can improve your overall air quality in less than ten minutes. The best products that can improve your air quality and sleep include hypoallergenic bedding, ... More dehumidifiers and smart air purifying devices like this AirTulip Headboard. Even if you don't suffer from seasonal allergies, there can still be allergens in the air or bedding where you sleep. 'Recent studies have drawn links between people who are house dust mite allergic and sleep problems. Additionally, a study from this year found that elevated allergens in the bedroom—such as pet and fungal allergens—were associated with self-reported sleep issues,' says Sonali Bose, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine (pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine) and pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Ahead, shop our curated list for top product recommendations and expert tips on how to improve your air quality, clean your bedding and reduce allergens in your home to achieve deep, restful sleep. If you're shopping for an air purifier to improve the air quality in your bedroom, make sure it has a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. 'A HEPA filter is a mechanical air filter that removes particles of various sources that are of a particular size: 0.3 microns,' says Bose. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that size is the 'worst case,' and larger and smaller particles are 'trapped with even higher efficiency.' Amazon We tested the Levoit Core 400S and chose it as our best air purifier for allergies overall. Forbes Vetted's supervising deals and coupons editor Kara Cuzzone prefers it to a more expensive model she used to use. 'It does a better job of clearing smoke and smells from my apartment than the pricier option did,' she says, noting that she usually observes a difference in air quality in less than ten minutes. Improving the air quality in your bedroom can help you breathe better and improve your sleep quality. This model features three filters, including a HEPA filter, and an auto mode that responds to changes in levels of smoke, allergens or dust in the air. 'A HEPA purifier has been shown to improve indoor air quality, but it must be obtained with an understanding of the room volume and size to ensure that it matches the capability of the purifier,' says Bose. The Levoit Core 400S purifies air in an up to 1,980-foot coverage area. Amazon Using air conditioning in your house is one way to keep your indoor air clean and fight seasonal allergies, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Windmill Whispertech 8,000 BTU Window Air Conditioner is our pick for the best designed window air conditioner. In addition to its sleek looks and smart controls, it also features two separate filters—one mesh and one activated carbon—to keep your air clean. The LED display automatically dims, which is another way it can help you sleep better. This easy-to-install model can cool and filter 350 square feet. To maintain the best air quality in your home, follow the manufacturer's instructions for any maintenance and cleaning or changing of filters. Amazon Experts recommend using a dehumidifier to keep your indoor air dry, which will discourage mold, mildew and the breeding of dust mites. The Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier is efficient and nicely sized for an average bedroom, with a coverage area of 250 square feet. It's our pick for the best small dehumidifier because it's quiet, lightweight at about 3 pounds and has an auto-shutoff feature. AirTulip The AirTulip is a chic, modern-looking smart headboard designed by a Dutch aerospace engineer and featured on Shark Tank. It secretly harbors a discreet and quiet air purification system that creates layers of clean air over and around your body while you sleep. AirTulip claims that it produces air that is 1,000% cleaner—the equivalent of using 10 air purifiers concurrently—and scrubs your breathing zone of allergens and asthma triggers. It's already an established name in creating air purifiers for medical offices and homes, but the innovative headboard build is new. It works using three filters—pre-filters, industrial-grade HEPA and active carbon—and offers a subscription so you'll always replace them on time. The company enables you to book a consultation to ensure it's right for you, and also offers a 30-night trial. If you suffer from skin allergies, hypoallergenic bedding can help you sleep more comfortably. And if you're sensitive to breathing in such allergens as dust or dust mites, experts recommend using covers on your mattress and pillows. According to Bose, 'Dust mite pillow and mattress covers, for those patients who are dust allergic, are clinically advised, in addition to other dust mite-reduction strategies such as washing sheets weekly with hot water.' Lily Silk An easy way to ensure your bedding is not contributing to your allergies is to sleep on silk. Silk is naturally hypoallergenic, repels bacteria and is generally recommended for those with skin irritations such as eczema. A silk weave also discourages dust mites and is inhospitable to mold and mildew, all of which can be allergens. We think the Lily Silk 22 Momme are the best silk sheets overall because they're a medium-weight, high quality set made from 100% mulberry silk and the pieces of the set are also available to purchase separately. Sheets & Giggles Eucalyptus, or lyocell derived from eucalyptus, is another hypoallergenic material, as is Tencel (a brand sourced from lyocell). Sheets made of these materials are not only hypoallergenic, but also moisture wicking, breathable and cooling. The Sheets & Giggles Eucalyptus Sheets are our recommendation for the best Tencel sheets overall because of their impressive moisture-wicking capabilities, deep pockets and anti-static nature which repels dust and pet hair. Mattress Safe One of the worst offenders of bedroom air quality could be your mattress. Over time, your mattress can accumulate dust, dust mites and dust mite droppings, all of which can be irritating and debilitating for air and sleep quality. 'Dust mite-reduction strategies for those that are dust mite allergic can also help improve symptoms, and in turn, help sleep quality,' says Bose. An easy way to reduce exposure is to use a mattress protector, which can prevent buildup of these irritants and stop them from passing into or out of your mattress. The Mattress Safe Ultimate Mattress Encasement fits securely on mattresses of multiple sizes and depths and is breathable so you don't overheat. It's also waterproof and not only protects against dust and dust mites, but also mold, bacteria, pollen, dander and bed bugs. Amazon The same mattress allergens that can affect your air quality can also be harbored in your pillow. A quality pillow protector can reduce those irritants that can be a detriment to your sleep. We picked the Protect-A-Bed Allerzip Pillow Protector as our best pillow protector for allergies. Not only will it physically shield your pillow, but it's also certified by both the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and the Allergy Standards Limit, which ensures its efficacy against allergens. It's also easy to care for, and be machine washed and dried. No one wants to hear this, but according to the Cleveland Clinic, you're most likely sharing your bed with many thousands of invisible dust mites that feast on your dead skin. One way to halt this banquet is to launder your bedding regularly, in hot water. If you don't shower before bed, you may also be bringing pollen in from outside. Seasonal pollen can get into your sheets if you hang them to dry outside, too. Instead, dry your sheets on a hot setting in your dryer. The detergent you use can also be an issue—if your skin is sensitive, the detergent itself may be an allergen. To keep your bedding as clean and allergen-free as possible, you can start by washing your bedding often and with hypoallergenic products. Amazon If you're reactive to some laundry detergents, we recommend the Biokleen Free & Clear formula as the best nontoxic laundry detergent for sensitive skin. The unscented formula is hypoallergenic, and is also without dyes, phosphates, chlorine, ammonia, butyl, glycol ether, metasilicate or petroleum solvents. It's plant-based, not tested on animals and relies on mineral-based sodium chloride to get the job done. If you do prefer a scented laundry detergent, Biokleen is also available in citrus and lavender. This detergent works in both high efficiency (HE) and standard washing machines. Walmart If you use dryer sheets and are prone to skin flare-ups, we recommend a hypoallergenic and plant-based formula like Seventh Generation. They don't contain any dyes or fragrances but still soften your clothing and bedding and reduce static electricity. These are dermatologist-tested and made to be gentle on sensitive skin. Amazon When sheets get tangled, knotted and wadded up in the washer or dryer, it means they don't get as clean, or as dry. Wad-Free for Bed Sheets aims to keep your laundry untwisted, which means that dirt, dust and potential allergens are more fully removed from your bedding. Simply pushing the cloth through the holes in the device keeps your bed sheets untangled. Forbes Vetted senior mattress and sleep editor Bridget Chapman has tested Wad-Free and says, 'Along with taking out the hassle of trying to untangle your sheets, the Wad-Free helps them get cleaner in the washer. I found it very easy to use.' The company doesn't recommend using Wad-Free with sheets that contain silk or rayon, which includes bamboo, eucalyptus and beechwood. No matter how much we love them, it can't be denied that hair and dander from pets can be irritants that affect our air quality and sleep. If you don't want to kick your fur babies out of your bedroom, there are a couple of strategies to cut down on the allergens. Amazon Allertech Anti-Allergen Pet Shampoo is top-rated and specially formulated to remove animal dander, neutralize allergens and provide allergy and asthma relief. It's also safe for Rover and Fluffy, as it doesn't include any artificial fragrances or dyes and is hypoallergenic. The company claims that one bath will keep your pet free of allergens that can affect your breathing for 30 days. As a bonus, the shampoo also offers some protection against fleas and ticks. Note that some reviewers don't care for the shampoo's tea tree oil smell, but your mileage may vary. Dyson The upright Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra is our recommendation for the best vacuum for pet hair overall. Pet owners will love that it comes with targeted tools like a tangle-free turbine and a grooming tool—which lets you vacuum your pet. It has suction strong enough to work on even deep-pile carpets and a self-cleaning brush roll. Whole machine HEPA filtration works to keep your air as free from allergens like pet hair and dander as possible while it cleans your carpets. The Forbes Vetted team of experts has produced a vast library of tested, curated and deeply researched stories about everything mattress and sleep. In order to recommend products to help improve both your air quality and sleep, we relied on the knowledge of our team of sleep experts, consulted a medical expert and dove deep into research. Effective air purifiers will reduce irritants and allergens in the air which can interfere with breathing and sleep quality. Additionally, according to Bose, sleepers who suffer with allergic rhinitis, which is 'inflammation of the nose or upper airway triggered by allergens' can snore and experience other sleep disturbances. Removing irritants from the air that you breathe overnight can lead to a more peaceful night's sleep. Yes, air purifiers are designed to run all night long. They work best at improving your air quality and helping you to breathe easier when they are running continuously. Yes, if your air quality is negatively affecting your breathing, stirring up allergies or exacerbating asthma, it can definitely affect your sleep. There are multiple strategies to improve your air quality and sleep, including using an air purifier, sleeping on hypoallergenic bedding, running a dehumidifier and keeping your sleeping area free of pet hair and dander.
New York Post
01-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
NAD+ supplements are beloved by biohackers, celebs — do they work?
You know about DNA, but you may not have heard of NAD. You wouldn't be alive without it. NAD — short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide — is critical for energy production, DNA repair and cell survival. Scientists are investigating the potential for NAD+, the active form of NAD, to slow aging, boost brain health and increase disease resilience. 6 NAD+, the active form of NAD, is being studied for its potential to slow aging, boost brain health and increase disease resilience. New Africa – 'It's not new, but the research around the longevity, health span of it has really exploded,' functional medicine practitioner Will Cole, who advises Gwyneth Paltrow and other celebs, told The Post about NAD. 'I think that's why you're hearing more and more of it.' Because levels naturally decline with age, NAD+ tests, supplements and infusions have become big business. Here's the 411 on NAD as it sweeps Hollywood, finding fans in Jennifer Aniston and Hailey Bieber. What's NAD? NAD is a coenzyme, which means that it helps other enzymes function. 'It is vital for activating enzymes called sirtuins and PARPs — classes of enzymes involved in DNA repair, longevity and inflammation,' Daniel Puleston, an assistant professor of oncological sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told The Post. 'For these reasons, NAD plays a fundamental role in humans and all other living organisms.' 6 NAD is critical for energy production, DNA repair and cell survival. You wouldn't be alive without it. thatinchan – It's essential for the production of cellular energy in the form of ATP. Longevity biomarker scientist Jin-Xiong She likens ATP to cellular gasoline. ATP is primarily produced in mitochondria, the 'powerhouses' of cells. 'If you don't have enough NAD, your mitochondria don't function efficiently,' She told the audience at a recent biohackers conference. 'You don't produce enough ATP, but you produce more free radicals that can damage your DNA, damage your cell membrane — and that's one of the major causes of disease.' Where do we get NAD? 'Our two big sources of NAD are tryptophan, a protein product we can find in foods like red meat, dairy, poultry, nuts and beans, and some B vitamins,' Dr. Ayodele Oyeyemi, a Northwell Health geriatrician, told The Post. 'We also recycle it in our bodies.' 6 Turkey is a good source of tryptophan, which the body can convert into niacin, a precursor for NAD. Alamy Supplements are another route. You can take NAD+, but the tablets are poorly absorbed by the body. Instead, the focus is on precursors like NMN (nicotinamide mononucleotide) and NR (nicotinamide riboside), which convert into NAD+ in the body. NMN is produced from nicotinamide, a form of vitamin B 3 . NMN can be found in small amounts in broccoli, edamame, avocados and cabbage. NR is also a form of B 3 — it can be in milk, fermented beverages and yeast-containing foods. 6 NMN, an NAD+ precursor, can be found in small amounts in broccoli, edamame, avocados and cabbage. bukhta79 – 'Oral supplementation of NAD precursors in humans, such as with nicotinamide riboside and nicotinamide mononucleotide, has shown to be safe over shorter periods (months) and successfully raise blood NAD levels,' Puleston said. 'However, results have been mixed, with many studies reporting no benefit for NAD treatment in areas such as metabolic performance, while others have reported modest improvements in muscle performance.' How can we tell if we're low on NAD+? Research suggests that NAD+ levels can significantly decrease with age, but this process isn't well understood. Naturopathic doctor Sogol Ash said fatigue, neurological decline and brain fog are key symptoms of deficiency. 'We get an increase in that oxidative stress, those ugly cells, immune dysfunction, inflammaging — that's like chronic low-grade inflammation that leads to disease,' Ash said at the biohackers conference. Ash and other longevity enthusiasts recommend testing to figure out your NAD+ levels and experimenting with supplementation to improve those numbers. Jin-Xiong She, for one, sells a $198 finger-prick test designed to 'reveal your deficiency and provide actionable data to effectively enhance your NAD levels.' 6 NAD+ IVs have become very popular, especially among celebrities. Seventyfour – Before you get out your credit card, Puleston and Oyeyemi cautioned that at-home NAD+ testing kits aren't worth your time or money. Puleston pointed out that there's no universal consensus on what constitutes 'high,' 'adequate' or 'low' NAD+ levels. 'And although levels decline in some tissues when comparing young versus old, we don't quite yet understand if those decreases are meaningful or have a consequential impact on health,' he said. How can we boost NAD+ levels? Besides capsules, there are also NAD+ IVs, injections, nasal sprays and topical creams, but the research is limited there too. 'IV administration of NR and NMN has been shown to safely increase NAD levels in blood,' Puleston said. 'There is a lack of trials assessing the capacity of IV NAD therapy to positively impact overall health, but a small study did report improvements in cognition and neurological function.' 6 Hailey Bieber at the 3rd Annual Academy Museum Gala on Dec. 3, 2023. The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images Aniston, 56, and Bieber, 28, have endorsed NAD+ IV therapy, with Bieber declaring that she's going to 'NAD for the rest of my life, and I'm never gonna age.' Ash — an adviser for Niagen Bioscience, which sells NAD+ products — is also a fan. She takes 1,000 milligrams of NR in the morning and does IV therapy with 1,000 mg of NR twice a month. 'NAD isn't something that just builds up and stays in your body. You're constantly using it. You're constantly turning over mitochondria,' Ash said. 'You're constantly using energy, so you have to keep taking NR.' Cole, the functional medicine practitioner, prefers oral supplementation to IVs. When he consistently consumes an NAD precursor, he 'definitely can notice a difference in increased energy.' Still, he suggests supporting NAD+ levels through weight training, better nutrition and inflammation reduction. 'There's not going to be one magic pill where it's like, 'This is it. This is the holy grail of supplements,' and it's going to solve all your woes,' he said.
CBC
21-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Beyond long COVID — how reinfections could be causing silent long-term organ damage
COVID may no longer be considered an official global emergency, but mounting scientific evidence suggests every COVID infection a person gets increases their risk of developing long-term health issues. "There is no such thing as a COVID infection without consequence," says long COVID researcher, David Putrino, from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. The long-term effects can show up as long COVID, with symptoms such as shortness of breath, digestive problems, fast or irregular heartbeats, extreme fatigue and brain fog, or as silently accumulating cellular or organ damage. Putrino has been studying the lingering effects of COVID since early in the pandemic five years ago. Here is part of his conversation with Quirks & Quarks host Bob McDonald. What kind of cumulative, silent damage can a COVID infection cause, beyond long COVID? There is more and more literature emerging to show that, beyond long COVID, there are also effects that SARS-CoV-2 infections are having on the bodies of the general public that manifest in a way that might be viewed as silent. So what I mean by that is no one's going to their doctor and saying "I feel different" or "I feel as though my functional status has changed," but what's happening is, silently in the background, things are changing. For the longest time in the field of immunology, there was the sort of adage that your immune system needs to be tested every now and again to stay strong. That's an old-fashioned idea. A good example of that is the effect that SARS-CoV-2 infections can have on cognition. There was a recent 2024 study that showed us that individuals who survive an acute COVID-19 infection — these are not individuals who are getting diagnosed with long COVID — on average will lose somewhere in the neighbourhood of two to six IQ points per infection. Really, with each infection? According to the most recent study, yes. So there is a cumulative effect that can be occurring with each infection. Early in the pandemic, we actually published a paper where we showed that, even in animal models — when we infected mice with a very, very mild case of SARS-CoV-2 infection — which only caused lung inflammation, we still saw these inflammatory chemicals called chemokines emerging from the infected lungs and starting to attack central nervous system structures such as the spinal cord and the brain. Wow. So in other words, COVID is doing more than just infecting the lungs; it's going to other parts of the body. Exactly. You know, this is a virus that, once it enters the body, is very capable of entering the bloodstream, creating immune responses that travel all over the body. COVID is largely known as a respiratory disease. Can you walk me through the range of other body systems that might be vulnerable to long-term damage? Well, in all of the peer-reviewed literature that has emerged on long COVID, we've seen that it is a very diffuse clinical syndrome where every single organ system can be affected. And at last count, over 200 symptoms have been catalogued as potential symptoms of long COVID. When we actually dig into the science of why long COVID is causing the symptoms that it's causing, we see that there are problems such as what we call " viral persistence." Meaning the SARS-CoV-2 virus is not being effectively cleared by the body and it's sticking around. It's hiding out in different areas of the body in what we typically call "immune privileged sites," which mean that immune cells don't actually go there and can't sort of seek out and destroy the virus. So that can happen in a number of different locations in the body, which leads to a wide array of symptoms. We also see that the virus can cause prolonged chronic inflammation that can be whole-body wide. So it can affect every single organ and so often, many of the symptoms that people are experiencing are more related to which organ is most susceptible to them given their past medical history. So we see things that are quite insidious. People who were pre-diabetic are suddenly diabetic. People who were having a few issues with gallbladder, suddenly can't digest fat anymore. Well, what is it about the coronavirus that enables it to spread throughout the body like that? In 2021, two colleagues of mine published a really wonderful paper that I think is very prescient and it spoke about why SARS-CoV-2 presents such an increased threat to cause persistent symptoms. The reality of that situation is that this virus has a lot of very unique qualities that specifically cause immune damage to the host. So it's not just about infecting you and causing respiratory illness and fever and all of the things that we usually get with the viral infection. This virus also specifically causes your immune system to become weaker. It disrupts what we call "interferon signalling," which is part of the immune system that helps you to fight off infections or latent infections, such as Epstein Barr virus. Typically our immune system can keep these things suppressed, but when SARS-CoV-2 enters the picture, it starts to cause altered interferon signalling. It causes immune damage and dysregulation. Although your immune system can take on [a COVID] infection, you want to avoid testing it as much as possible because your body is sustaining damage with each infection that it survives. And suddenly, not only does your body have trouble clearing the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself, but it also starts to have trouble keeping some of these other viruses that have been latent from reactivating and causing problems. In addition to SARS-CoV-2's ability to dysregulate the immune system and suppress the immune system, the spike protein itself is very damaging to blood vessel structures as well as red blood cells and platelets themselves. And so between those two features, the ability to dysregulate the immune system and the ability to cause systemic damage throughout the bloodstream, you have a very dangerous novel virus on your hands. Well, if it has the ability to suppress the immune system, how does that affect our ability to fight off other external pathogens that we might be susceptible to? It's something that we worry about a lot. In 2023, we published a paper in Nature where we showed that individuals with long COVID were much more likely than a cohort of healthy controls to express signs of what we call "T-cell exhaustion." Meaning that their T cells, which are parts of the immune system that are typically used to fight off infections, are starting to present as exhausted — that there has been a persistent stimulation of these T cells for long enough that their responses over time are starting to weaken. As a result, in this study we saw immune dysregulation, we saw hormonal dysregulation, we saw reactivation of herpes viruses that were previously thought to be latent. And as we have made leaps and bounds in our ability to understand the role of these persistent pathogens, these things that we used to think, "Everybody's got Epstein-Barr virus, but don't worry, it sort of just lays dormant in your body and it doesn't cause any trouble." What we're learning is that, well, it very much can cause trouble. If it's mixed with another pathogen and that pathogen causes the reactivation, then people can get very, very sick. For the longest time in the field of immunology, there was the sort of adage that your immune system needs to be tested every now and again to stay strong. That's an old-fashioned idea.
