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Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication: A Functional Biomarker to Assess Adverse Effects of Toxicants and Toxins, and Health Benefits of Natural Products
05:27

Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication: A Functional Biomarker to Assess Adverse Effects of Toxicants and Toxins, and Health Benefits of Natural Products

Published on: December 25, 2016

Systems biology, toxins, obesity, and functional medicine

Mark Hyman1

  • 1Faculty of Food as Medicine, Center for Mind Body Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine, USA.

Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine
|April 5, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Toxins contribute to obesity and disrupt key bodily systems. A comprehensive detoxification strategy may improve treatment resistance in obesity, requiring further research into clinical methods.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Metabolic Disorders
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Obesity is a complex chronic disease with increasing prevalence.
  • Treatment resistance is a significant challenge in managing obesity.
  • Emerging evidence suggests environmental toxins play a role in metabolic dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the hypothesis that toxins contribute to obesity and treatment resistance.
  • To propose a comprehensive strategy for toxin reduction and elimination in obesity management.
  • To highlight the role of functional medicine in addressing complex chronic diseases like obesity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on toxins, obesity, and related physiological systems.
  • Conceptual framework integrating detoxification strategies with functional medicine principles.
  • Identification of areas for future clinical research on detoxification methods.

Main Results:

  • Toxins can negatively impact neuro-endocrine-immune, mitochondrial, and redox systems, contributing to obesity.
  • A multi-faceted approach involving exposure reduction, toxin elimination, and clinical interventions is proposed.
  • Functional medicine offers a framework for personalized treatment of obesity and related conditions.

Conclusions:

  • Addressing toxin exposure and implementing detoxification strategies may enhance obesity treatment outcomes.
  • Further clinical research is necessary to validate these approaches and elucidate underlying mechanisms.
  • Functional medicine provides a valuable context for managing treatment-resistant obesity and complex chronic diseases.

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