This protein is key to why more women suffer from migraines
Posted: 26 Jul 2019 06:30 AM PDT
According to data from various countries, women are more likely to suffer from migraine than men. For decades, this statistic has baffled scientists; but early this year, new information has come to light that could explain why women are more susceptible to migraine attacks than men. In a new study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) report that calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a molecule that plays a major role in migraine, has pain-related activities that occur only in females. Their experiments also reveal the specific parts of the body where these migraine-related activities take place.
CGRP has female-specific activities
According to the researchers, the migraine-related activity of CGRP occurs in the meninges – three layers of tissue that surround the brain and the spinal cord. The meninges are comprised of the dura mater, the arachnoid mater, and the pia mater. Their functions are to protect the brain and spinal cord from injury, provide blood to the skull and to the hemispheres, and provide space for the flow of cerebrospinal fluid.
When the researchers introduced CGRP to the meninges, specifically the outermost layer called the dura mater, they observed that it triggered pain responses only in female rats. Different doses of CGRP produced no response in male rats. Injection of CGRP in the paws of the rodents also elicited pain responses from females but no response from males.
The researchers observed a similar pattern when they repeated the experiment using male and female mice. These findings suggest that the hypersensitivity to pain induced by CGRP is female-specific and that the meninges, specifically the dura mater, is a potential site of CGRP activity that results in migraine.
 “CGRP plays a role in migraine, [but] this does not imply that migraine is exclusively a CGRP-based disorder,” he explained.“This is just the beginning of demonstrations showing that CGRP might act differently in women,” said Dr. Gregory Dussor, an associate professor of neuroscience at UTD and one of the study authors. However, Dussor cautioned that despite what their results imply, the reason for migraine being more prevalent in women may involve more than just CGRP having female-specific activity.
Dussor and his team believe that “the female-specific mechanisms downstream of CGRP receptor activation contribute to the higher prevalence of migraine in women” and that more research is needed in order to shed light on these mechanisms and what they entail.
CGRP and CGRP-based medications for migraine
CGRP is a molecule produced by neurons found in the brain and the spinal cord. It is involved in the transmission of pain and also acts as a vasodilator, which relaxes blood vessels. Various forms of CGRP exist in different parts of the body and perform different functions. Because of CGRP’s diversity, CGRP-based medications intended for migraine are specifically designed to target only the neurons or blood vessels involved in migraine. (Related: Migraine headaches – how to cure and prevent them naturally.)
CGRP-based medications for migraine prevent the molecule from being activated at the start of migraines. These CGRP antagonists — substances that block or reduce the molecule’s activity — come in the form of monoclonal antibodies. Antibodies are protective proteins produced by the body in response to infections. They are very specific and work by either binding to their target proteins or by binding to these proteins’ receptors to inhibit any downstream activity. Monoclonal antibodies are made from the same genetic material and are produced over and over in living cell cultures.
Monoclonal antibodies customized to be CGRP antagonists work in two ways: They either block CGRP receptors on blood vessels or bind to CGRP itself so that the molecule cannot fit into its receptor site. Through this inhibition, CGRP antagonists prevent the cascade of signals that eventually leads to migraine. However, while CGRP antagonists can reduce the pain caused by migraines, they have been found to cause serious side effects, such as liver toxicity.
To learn more about migraine and natural remedies for migraine, visit Brain.news.
Sources include:
MedicalNewsToday.com
Health.Harvard.edu
Headaches.org
Interactive-Biology.com
JNeurosci.org
Originally posted: https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-07-25-key-to-why-more-women-suffer-from-migraines.html
Author: Stephanie Diaz
The post This protein is key to why more women suffer from migraines appeared first on Dr. Leonard Coldwell.com.

Heartburn drugs can increase the risk of kidney disease and failure by as much as 20% – study
Posted: 26 Jul 2019 06:26 AM PDT
Millions of people in the United States use medication to manage their heartburn or acid reflux. However, the ubiquity of these drugs, known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), unfortunately, doesn’t their guarantee safety. Startling new research has tied PPI use to an increased risk of kidney disease and, potentially, kidney failure. The scientists say that given how global use of PPI drugs is increasing, the drugs’ relationship to kidney disease poses a substantial burden on the world’s populace.
Indeed, it appears that PPIs, which are available as over-the-counter medications, are poised to be one of the next big threats to global health. Some 13 million prescriptions for PPIs are doled out every year — and that’s not even including all those people who buy lower-strength iterations of these drugs over-the-counter at the corner store. Millions of people take PPIs for heartburn or acid reflux every day, but research shows many of them aren’t taking the drugs properly — and in doing so, are putting their kidney health at serious risk.
Scientists link PPI use to kidney disease, failure
Researchers from the University at Buffalo recently published research tying PPIs to an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and kidney failure. As one of the most commonly prescribed type of drugs, the newfound risk of such an adverse effect is extremely troublesome. The pharmaceutical industry makes billions of dollars on PPIs annually.
After studying health data from more than 190,000 participants over the course of 15 years, the researchers were shocked to see the effects PPIs can potentially have on kidney health. Across the board, the team found that PPI use correlated with a 20-percent increase in risk of CKD. Use of PPI meds was also found to quadruple the risk of kidney failure.
Jacobs noted further that in 2008, 113 million prescriptions for PPIs were filled. Big Pharma made $14 billion off all those prescriptions. Recent reports suggest that at least 15 million Americans take prescription PPIs annually, and millions more are taking over-the-counter versions with no doctor supervision.Speaking about the study, David Jacobs, PharmD, Ph.D., lead investigator and assistant professor at UB, commented, “Given the increasing global use of PPIs, the relationship between PPIs and renal disease could pose a substantial disease and financial burden to the health care system and public health.”
According to Jacobs, up to 70 percent of patients are overusing their PPI medication and are putting their health at risk.
As Jacobs explains, PPIs should only be used for a short period of time — but many people take them long-term, putting Spthem at risk for a variety of health issues.
This is not the only study to link PPIs to horrible side effects.
Heartburn drugs linked to heart disease, death
In spring 2019, scientists from the Washington University School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System conducted a study which also found that PPI use is a major risk to human health. Specifically, the researchers tied long-term use of PPI drugs to fatal cases of heart disease, CKD, and upper gastrointestinal cancer.
The team also found that the risk of mortality increases with length of use — regardless of whether one is using a low-dose PPI or not.
Senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, an assistant professor of medicine at WU School of Medicine, commented on the findings and stated, “Taking PPIs over many months or years is not safe, and now we have a clearer picture of the health conditions associated with long-term PPI use.”
PPI use has been linked to a bevy of other adverse outcomes: Dementia, bone fractures, and pneumonia, just to name a few. Like countless other commonly used pharmaceuticals, it’s clear that PPIs just aren’t safe.
Learn more about dangerous pharmaceuticals at DangerousMedicine.com.
Sources for this article include:
Newswise.com
Medicine.WUSTL.edu
Originally posted: https://www.naturalnews.com/2019-07-25-heartburn-drugs-can-increase-the-risk-of-kidney-disease.html
Author: Vicki Batts
The post Heartburn drugs can increase the risk of kidney disease and failure by as much as 20% – study appeared first on Dr. Leonard Coldwell.com.