Bruley Center

09/16/2022

We are having phone difficulties and clients are not able to leave phone messages. This is being worked on and hopefully resolved soon. Please leave any message you may have on our email at BruleyCenter@aol.com. We apologize for any inconvenience.

08/05/2020

I want to share with you a potentially game-changing study published in the October 22, 2019 edition of the European Heart Journal regarding hypertension management. This excellent prospective study - available in full online for free if you are interested-involved more than 19,000 patients in the UK, who were followed an average of 6 years after changing the administration of their same antihypertensive medications from the morning, to at night. With simply this change in time of administration, they found a 49% reduced risk for stroke, a 34% reduced risk of heart attack, a 42% reduced risk of heart failure, and, overall, a 56% (!) reduced risk of dying from heart or vascular problems. If the patient had already had an angioplasty and a stent, this change reduced the risk of needing a re-stenting procedure by 40%.

This actually makes sense. These researchers noted that the mean or average asleep blood pressure is "a significantly more sensitive predictor of cardiovascular risk" than either office daytime blood pressure measurements or even a 24-hour average blood pressure reading. Additionally, statistically the most likely time to have a heart attack is in the morning. Those people who take their blood pressure pills in the morning will have the antihypertensive effects at their lowest level potentially when they need it most, whereas those who take it at bedtime would tend to have a much better serum level and effect. (Perhaps this might minimize daytime symptoms such lightheadedness, as well).

And if you are curious-the morning you are most likely to have a heart attack is Monday, whereas the morning you are least likely to have a heart attack is Saturday. Not too surprising, really...

Yours in good health,
Robert Bruley, MD

07/08/2020

Welcome to the Dog Days of summer my friends!

One of the fun things about my practice is that I am always learning from the folks who come to see me. In discussing glycemic index-basically, how fast and high your blood sugar rises after eating carbohydrates-a gentleman had mentioned how he had seen a report on TV talking about how chilling pasta lowered its glycemic index.

While this sounded too good to be true-since pasta, while often delicious is notorious for spiking your blood glucose-the news was even better than I had dared to hope.

A study in the UK confirmed this to be true. Cooking pasta and then chilling it down actually changed its structure so it became a form of "resistant starch". Resistant starch, in turn, is harder to digest, and so the body ends up treating it more like fiber instead of as carbohydrates. This will cause a smaller peak in your blood sugar, while also helping feed the good probiotic bacteria in your gut; and you will absorb fewer calories in the process.

But, to be honest, most of the time, freshly cooked pasta simply tastes better than cold pasta.

But here is the best news of all: Cooking pasta, then chilling it down, and then subsequently reheating it, worked even better to turn the pasta into a resistant starch, effectively decreasing the rise in blood sugar levels after eating it by 50%!

Such a simple and healthy thing to do, particularly useful now during the pandemic, when many of us are eating more at home, often consuming more readily storeable (and affordable) carbohydrates, all the while being less physically active, too. Bon Appetite!

Yours in good health,
Rob Bruley, MD

06/25/2020

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

06/18/2020

Hi everyone! We hope you are remaining healthy these days, and we remain open, as usual, for your medical needs.

I wanted to share with you some information on dementia that you may not yet be aware of - that common medications can substantially increase dementia risk. A study at the University of Washington found that people over the age of 65 who took any of the following medications for more than 3 years had a 54% greater risk of developing dementia than those who took these medications for 3 months or less. These medications include over-the-counter sleeping medications containing diphenhydramine (Benadryl), antidepressants such as paroxetine (Paxil), the anti-nausea drug scopolamine, the muscle relaxant tizanidine, and the bronchodilator ipratropium, among many others. In fact, an earlier review, from 2014, identified more than 30 studies suggesting confusion and other symptoms of cognitive decline increase with the amount of medications that work as anticholinergics, i.e., that block the important neurotransmitter acetycholine.

If you know anyone that could benefit from this information, please feel free to share it. Also please invite your friends to like our page to help share the information about Bruley Center.

In good health, Dr. Bruley and Mary

04/23/2020

Maintaining your health has never been more important.

At the Bruley Center, we offer a holistic and personalized approach to healthcare. We recognize that finding time or feeling safe going to the doctor is challenging in today's new normal. To continue to serve our community, and anyone seeking medical advice near or far, we are now scheduling Zoom appointments in addition to or as an alternative to our regular in-office appointments.

04/15/2020

COVID-19 Protection Information

This is information that I hope you might find useful in protecting yourself from the Corona 19 virus.

Coronavirus stabilization information from Consumerlabs.com

1. Heating "kills" = deactivates - coronavirus

30 minutes @167 degrees - completely deactivated
60 minutes @158 degrees - completely deactivated
90 minutes @132 degrees - essentially deactivated
Less than that? Not effective

For example - for take out food, and you wish to disinfect the container itself (and keep food warm) - simply place container in a warm (150 degrees) oven for 1 hour, away, of course, from direct contact with any heating element. (Most plastic and paper containers are stable for short periods at 150 degrees).

Heating to disinfect a face mask - i.e., the N95 version - @167 degrees for 30 minutes was shown at Stanford to not compromise the mask, even after 20 cycles. (Cloth masks can be put in washing machine on hot water.)

But - Do NOT directly refrigerate or freeze a recently purchased food container.

Do Not "quarantine" a recently received package in a cold cellar or cold garage - this, according to the WHO, will instead
preserve the coronavirus and keep it infectious for days; and freezing can preserve coronavirus for years.

Another thought on coronavirus and blood pressure medications. There is swirling controversy about whether certain commonly used anti-hypertensives, such as ACE-inhibitors (linisopril) or ARBs - (losartan) can increase the risk of getting coronavirus. Yet others feel that they could improve your resistance to COVID-19. In fact, the University of Minnesota is now doing a study on losartan as treatment for COVID-19.

No medical group/society is recommending that these drugs be discontinued now, in fact.

I personally take losartan, and plan to keep on doing so, for what that is worth.

Yours in good health,
Robert W. Bruley, MD

04/13/2020

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

arcpointtesting.com/edina

04/08/2020

Bruley Center is offering telemedicine appointments through Zoom for New patients and Existing patients who wish to utilize this form of an appointment. Please call the office at 612-455-0444 or email us at BruleyCenter@aol.com to set your appointment. Take care, stay well.

03/25/2020

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!

03/24/2020

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.

08/07/2019

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

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...