Naturopathic management of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (i.e., “Long COVID”): A retrospective chart review
Principal Investigators: Ryan Bradley, ND, MPH (NUNM), Logan Rost, ND, MPH, CHES (My Family Health Centers).
Co-Investigators: Brendan Smith, ND (My Family Health Centers), Michelle Simon, ND, PhD (Institute of Natural Medicine), Jamie Corroon, ND, MPH (NUNM)
This study is a single-center retrospective case-series (n=15) performed at a rural, community clinic designed to characterize naturopathic treatments of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (i.e., “Long COVID”) and measure effect on symptom frequency, severity, and quality of life.
International Cohort on Lifestyle Determinants of Health
Principal Investigator: Ryan Bradley, ND, MPH
Students of complementary and alternative medicine have a unique set of lifestyle behaviors and health exposures. These behaviors and exposures have not been studied but represent a valuable source of data on health practices that are often outside the mainstream or may be in disagreement with conventional recommendations. The INCLD Health Study seeks to investigate associations between dietary, lifestyle, and educational exposures on health outcomes among adults exposed to complementary medicine education. Outcome measures include biometric measurements, cardiovascular markers, nutritional analysis, physical function, mood, sleep, and optional microbiome genomic sequencing.
Multi-Biomarker Exploration of SIBO: an Observational Study
Principal Investigator: Laurie Menk Otto, ND, MPH
Co-investigator: Diane Saunders, ND
Small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a syndrome in which one or more bacterial species exceed normal population levels, or bacteria that are not normally present in the small intestine colonize in large numbers. Common symptoms include diarrhea, flatulence, abdominal bloating and pain. The prevalence of SIBO in the general population has not been established, but it has been associated with a number of common conditions including irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, lactose intolerance, restless leg syndrome, acne rosacea, hypochlorhydria, hypothyroidism, Crohns disease and systemic sclerosis.
This study is the first to investigate the relationship between three factors that may contribute to SIBO: sensitivity to wide array of foods, gastrointestinal permeability and autoimmune conditions. The study measured and evaluated biomarkers specific to these factors from both SIBO positive and negative participants. The resulting data may improve future testing, treatment and resolution of SIBO. The study also evaluated how biomarkers correlate to participant diet, symptom severity, and previous history for known risk factors and associated diseases.
Investigating Microbial Determinants of Polyphenol Metabolism in Adults with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis
Principal Investigator: Alexandra Vita (NUNM)
Co-Investigator: Tiffany Weir (Colorado State University)
This study will investigate microbial determinants of polyphenol metabolism in adults with early rheumatoid arthritis and examine the relationship between these microbial determinants and disease activity. To achieve this, we will use microbial metagenomic data to characterize the abundance and diversity of microbial polyphenol-metabolizing enzyme genes in a sample of adults with early RA compared to healthy controls and construct possible polyphenol biotransformation pathways represented in each group. Then, we will examine correlations between this genetic diversity and abundance and disease activity in the sample with early RA.
Exploring Relationships between Habitual Polyphenol Consumption and Gut Microbiota in the INCLD Health Cohort
Principal Investigator: Alexandra Vita (NUNM)
Co-Investigators: Heather Zwickey PhD (NUNM), Ryan Bradley ND, MPH (NUNM), Tiffany Weir (Colorado State University)
This secondary analysis of the INCLD Health cohort uses dietary questionnaire data and 16s microbiome data to examine relationships between habitual polyphenol consumption and gut microbial communities in healthy adults (n=96).