Bruley Center

Hello everyone and Happy Summer!

Breast cancer risk unfortunately is increased in women who are overweight or obese. A (hopeful) paper published in December 2019 by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, looking at 180,000 subjects, found that weight loss could substantially reduce a woman's risk for developing this disease, which is way too common (1 out of 8 postmenopausal woman). The study looked at women over 50.

Overweight/obese women who lost 4, 4-10 pounds decreased their breast cancer risk by 13%.

Overweight/obese women who lost 10-20 pounds decreased their risk by 16%.

Overweight/obese women who lost 20 pounds or more decreased their breast cancer risk by 26%.

Additionally, there was even decreased breast cancer risk in women who had lost weight, and then gained some of it back.

Food for thought, no pun intended.

Yours in good health and happiness,
Robert Bruley, Jr, MD

COVID-19 Antibody testing.
As of 4/8/20, testing for the COVID-19 antibody-which determines not the presence of the disease, but whether you have mounted an immune response against it, implying functional immunity-is available at arcpointlabs.com/edina. This checks both the development of IgM and IgG (older) antibody responses. I went today. The cost is $95.00, cash pay, no insurance, no doctor's order needed, just a finger stick, and the results are available in 10 minutes, while you wait. You schedule online. It is my understanding, however, that the lab director was on the news recently, and now they are booked into May. But this is a start.
Robert Bruley, MD

ARCpoint Labs of Edina arcpointtesting.com/edina

My thoughts on the Coronavirus-19.

Listen to Michael Osterholm. I learned decades ago that when Mike Osterholm speaks, one listens. Our Minnesota governor, Governor Waltz, and his staff, are doing a fantastic job. Listen to them, do what they say.

In general, pay attention to your overall health behaviors, diet, and sleep (especially, sleep), to maximize your innate resistance. Floss your teeth before you go to bed, as the association between dental inflammation and systemic inflammation is huge. Drink adequate filtered water. Eat enough vegetables-frozen and canned are more than acceptable these days-so that you have regular bowel movements, maybe twice daily. Keep informed, but only to a point, as it is equally important to give yourself a break from news media, because you can only worry so much. Experience joy, welcome laughter, scritch a pet, watch spring unfold. For heaven's sake do not smoke cigarettes-or you well may be the first to go.

Basic nutritional supplementation would seem prudent, also. Adequate vitamin D would be an important start, with most people safe at 5000 units daily, I personally alternate 500 units one day, and 10,000 units the next, taking the supplements with food, but I also know exactly where my blood level of vitamin D is, because there are a few people for whom this could be too much. Beta glucan (technically called beta 1,3/1,6 glucan) 250-500 mg daily in any number of various supplements is a good preventative, and has been extensively studied by both the US and Canadian Department of Defense. One pill daily would be all you would need. Food-wise, this can be found in mushrooms such as shiitake and maitake,
which are quite tasty too.

I believe daily probiotics, 2-3 g daily of EPA plus DHA from fish oils, and vitamin C 500-100 mg 4 times daily, could also be helpful. Combination adrenal products containing herbs such as ashwaganda or Rhodiola can help your resiliency and improve your levels of secretory IgA, the antibody that is your first line of defense in both the lining of your upper airways and your GI tract against foreign invaders. Increasing glutathione is also important. The cheapest way to do this is with N-acetylcysteine (NAC), approximately 500 mg twice daily, best away from food. If you are not dairy sensitive, whey protein can do the same thing. You can also take glutathione itself as reduced or liposomal glutathione, but this tends to be significantly more expensive to do.

Selenium 200-400 mcg daily can be beneficial; think of selenium as a birth control pill for viruses.

There are numerous other recommendations out there. Garlic, turmeric/curcumin, quercetin, colloidal silver at 10-20 ppm, olive extract, and zinc, all have been recommended, among others.

As many are so appropriately saying, this is an unfolding situation, with no true precedents, with more information sure to follow. In the meantime, enjoy what you have, whom you are, and hold dear those whom you love and cherish. Persist!

The clinic will be open for follow up patients and new patients by appointment; and we will continue to supply supplements as per our normal practice.

We have implemented safety features as suggested, such as social distancing except when clinical necessity requires otherwise.

Before and after every patient, all surfaces are wiped down appropriately, and only 1 patient is allowed to enter the clinic at any time.

Remember that our practice has never been one for acute care; so if you are acutely ill, please follow-up for evaluation and/or testing as recommended by your health plan, or county health department.

Please check Dr. Bruley's newest blog for information on gut health. I think you will find it interesting and hope you do.

Some Thoughts on Gut Health Today | Medicine | Robert W. Bruley, Jr., MD: Bruley Center | United States Diverticulitis is an inflammation or infection of abnormal outpouchings in the colonic wall, called diverticula. With wear, time, genetics, diet and sometimes just chance, you can get these tiny herniations in the colon where blood vessels (essential to you) enter but which in the process produces a...