035 - Dumb Questions, Gallows Humor, and Synesthesia - HealthHippieMD Week In Review

In Pursuit of the Perfect Shot of Espresso

Understanding Espresso: A Six-Part Series Explaining What It Takes to Pull the Ideal Shot includes videos on "how to choose the right dose of coffee, ratio between the amount of ground and liquid coffee, brew time, grind size, brew temperature, and pressure."

The Wisdom of Dumb Questions

"Can you explain this to me like I barely know anything about this subject?" Asking "dumb" questions is an effective way to bring out the knowledge of experts: Stop Trying to Ask 'Smart Questions'

Exercise May Counteract the Negative Effects of Too Little Sleep

"a new study suggests that exercise could potentially help counteract the health consequences of not getting a proper amount of sleep." Exercise May Help Counteract the Toll of Poor Sleep, Study Suggests(gift article)

The Science of Habits

Are you trying to develop a good habit or break a bad one? Here are some science-backed tips to help: The science of habits. See also Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones.

Bad Actors of Health Insurance

Here's an article from ProPublica on how commercial health insurers automatically deny claims and how Cigna developed an incentive system that encourages the behavior. How Cigna Saves Millions by Having Its Doctors Reject Claims Without Reading Them

The Strange Benefits of Gallows Humor

"The most surprising result is that subjects which show the highest values with respect to black humor preference … show the lowest values regarding mood disturbance and aggression." Gallows humor: The surprising benefits of dark laughter

Cockroaches Diminishing Sweet-Tooth

Here is an interesting article about the cat-and-mouse game of cockroaches and human endeavors to eliminate them: Cockroaches have outsmarted us again

Aging and Microgravity

Microgravitational environments have all sorts of effects on the body. These scientists are trying to unravel the impact of space travel on aging: New Study Suggests One Aspect of Space Travel Can Accelerate Aging

Science-Backed Approaches to Depression

The incidence of depression increased during the pandemic. Here are some science-backed tips for combatting the blues: These Science-Backed Strategies Can Help "Hard to Treat" Depression

Measuring Fitness Minimizing Attention to Weight

Here are some factors to focus on instead of the scale: How Fit Are You? 3 Ways to Measure Without Focusing on Weight - The New York Times

Multiple Sclerosis: What the Science says about Complementary Approaches

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health published a great resource : Multiple Sclerosis and Complementary Health Approaches: What the Science Says

Friendship Recession

Americans without friends have increased by 250% in recent years. Lacking friends is as bad as smoking more than a dozen cigarettes daily. BigThink tackles the phenomenon: The friendship recession - Big Think

A Doctor's Experience with Ozempic

I read an interesting article by a physician who hopped on the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist train--the weight loss drug taking the world by storm: What's It Like to Take Ozempic? A Doctor's Own Story

American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8

The AMA published a study looking at eight lifestyle factors and their association with life expectancy and chronic disease: Life's Essential 8: Higher Scores Extend Health Span

Ultra-processed Food and Cancer Risk

"A new analysis suggests that replacing even a small amount of ultra-processed foods with an equal amount of minimally processed options may reduce certain cancer risks." Ultraprocessed Foods and Cancer: Small Changes May Lower Risk

The Power of Walking

The NY Times had an ode to walking: Opinion | Whatever the Problem, It's Probably Solved by Walking (gift article)

How to Tell If Your Brain Needs a Break

We all suffer from brain slumps that impact our ability to do quality work. This is what to do when you're in one: How a Brain Break Can Increase Focus and Productivity

Synesthesia

What do Billy Joel, Billie Eilish, and Vincent van Gogh have in common?-They all experience(d) music in colors. Big Think explores the phenomenon of synesthesia: Billie Eilish, van Gogh, and the trippy science of synesthesia

025 - Chronobiology, Anticipation, Cancer Dietary Choices - HealthHippieMD Week In Review

One Question to Boost Your Longevity and Well-being

Having something to look forward to has many health benefits: Asking yourself one fun question could help boost your well-being and longevity.

A Simple Dietary Swap to Improve Health

The new year is a time to examine our habits. If you've resolved to improve your diet, here is a simple yet effective way to improve the quality of your food: For weight loss, replace processed foods with healthy, fiber-rich carbs. (gift article)

Chrononutrition

Another article from WaPo on why you should front-load your calories early in the day: Why timing big meals early in the day is better for your health. (gift article)

Chronobiology and Chronotherapy

Scientists are slowly learning the importance of timing of oral medications: Timing matters for medications – your circadian rhythm influences how well treatments work and how much they might harm you. Yet, the FDA recognizes the importance of timing in only a few medications: Dosing time matters | Science.

New Study Demonstrates Association between Healthy Eating and Reduced Mortality

JAMA published a study demonstrating the association between healthy eating and decreased mortality this week. Although the investigation suffers from the traditional caveats of nutrition research (food diaries, etc.), it differentiates itself by the size of the cohort and the length of follow-up (36 years). Healthy Eating Patterns and Risk of Total and Cause-Specific Mortality.

The Psychology of Procrastination

If one of your resolutions is to procrastinate less, here is an article to help you understand how to overcome inertia: What causes your brain to procrastinate and how to face it. (gift article). One of my favorite internet sites, Wait but Why, also has a series on procrastination:

• Why Procrastinators Procrastinate — Wait But Why
• How to Beat Procrastination — Wait But Why
• The Procrastination Matrix — Wait But Why^a26c07

ZOE Nutrition

Tim Spector founded a personalized nutrition company and wants you to know why: Go with your gut: scientist Tim Spector on why food is not just fuel. The test is a bit expensive but is likely a harbinger of nutritional trends to come.

The Daily Habits of Happiness Experts

The people that study happiness have some valuable habits we can all learn from The Daily Habits of Happiness Experts.

England Bans Single-Use Cutlery

In an attempt to reduce pollution, England has banned single-use items such as plastic cutlery, plates, and trays. England Will Ban Single-Use Cutlery and Plates.

Scientific Stagnation

This year, a new study, Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time, reported any given paper today is much less likely to become influential than a paper in the same field from several decades ago. Science Has a Crummy-Paper Problem - The Atlantic

Hearing Aids and Cognition

Restoring hearing was linked with less long-term cognitive decline, a recent systematic review and meta-analysis showed: Use It, or Lose It: Hearing Aids Linked to Cognitive Benefit.

Cancer and Diet

Michael Greger has a great series of videos on food and cancer. In the latest, he offers his thoughts on what you should (and shouldn't) eat if you've already been diagnosed with cancer: The Best Diet for Cancer Patients.

How Music Casts its Spell on Us

Another excerpt from the book, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life. The article The Neurophysiology of Enchantment: How Music Casts Its Spell on Us, discusses the neurophysiology of music appreciation. +Jeff Beck, one of the greatest guitarists of all time, passed away this week. The NY Times published a list of his ten essential songs: Jeff Beck's 10 Essential Songs (gift article)

Covid and the Immunocompromised

Although most Americans seem done with Covid and Covid precautions, the risk is still high for those of us that are immunocompromised. Here is an opinion piece on how society could protect its vulnerable citizens: Opinion | We need to do more to assist the immunocompromised. (gift article)

023 - Aspartame Anxiety, Psychedelic Spirituality, and Hopewashing - HealthHippieMD Week In Review

Nutritional Psychiatry

An emerging body of literature shows that what we eat impacts our mood. The Economist published an article on the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry: How food affects the mind, as well as the body.

Aspartame and Anxiety

A pre-clinical study (in rodents) demonstrated that the non-nutritive sweetener, Aspartame, at a fraction of the maximum allowable amount suggested by the FDA, may raise the risk of anxiety: Transgenerational transmission of aspartame-induced anxiety and changes in glutamate-GABA signaling and gene expression in the amygdala. The food industry has pitched non-nutritive sweeteners as being inert. But recent studies show a link between artificial sweeteners and diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Can a Common Artificial Sweetener Fuel Anxiety?

Silicon Valley Focuses on Gut Health

Silicon Valley is always looking for the next investment opportunity. Silicon Valley is coming for your gut biome, discusses the burgeoning investment opportunities focused on gut health, supplements, and the microbiome.

+Another article about the future use of microbial therapeutics: Prescription poop could be the future of medicine

Sleep, Phases of Life, and Cognition

A study of 730,000 adults recently published in Nature Communications titled "Reported sleep duration reveals segmentation of the adult life-course into three phases" demonstrated a link between sleep duration and cognitive performance later in life. Sleep duration divides adult lifespan into 3 phases discusses the findings.

Psychedelics and Spirituality

A recent study, Belief changes associated with psychedelic use, found that using psychedelics increased belief in God and the afterlife and altered people's understanding of consciousness. Psychedelics alter beliefs about God, reality, superstition discusses the findings.

Thinking about the future

As each year ends, we spend more time contemplating the future. The Case Against Hopewashing and How to Live on the Precipice of Tomorrow are the first two of three featured articles in Wired Magazine.

Synthetic Brain Cells Taught to Play Pong

Earlier this year, an Australian neuroscientist taught lab-grown neurons to play the video game Pong. The article This neuroscientist taught brain cells to play Pong — and shifted how we view human intelligence forever discusses the implications.

You Can't Unsee This

Public restrooms are just as dirty as you imagine. I've seen many articles about "fecal patinas" caused by aerosolizing toilet water. Of course, scientists had to capture the process on film: Toilets spew invisible aerosol plumes with every flush – here's the proof, captured by high-powered lasers

Toxic Self-Talk Toolkit

We constantly talk to ourselves, and most self-talk is negative. Here is a toolkit to combat the negativity: How to stop toxic self-talk, explained in 6 minutes

Drugs to Fight Aging

Scientists are looking for ways to slow aging and age-related combat diseases like cancer and neurodegeneration. Wired had a short article on new pharmaceuticals based upon the biology of aging: A Drug to Treat Aging May Not Be a Pipe Dream.

The Most Important Thing About Exercise

Slate has a new column, Good Fit, focused on exercise. The first article of the series, Fitness Goals: In 2023, weight loss and even health aren't the most important things about exercise, describes society's movement toward "healthism," and the mixed messages we receive.

New Year's Seven-Day Relationship Challenge

One of the most potent predictors of happiness is the quality of one's relationships. To this end, How to Have a Happier New Year, (gift article) describes a seven-day program to bolster your relationships.

Step-By-Step Guide to Breaking Bad Habits and Starting New Ones

The beginning of the year is a time to reflect on our behavior. Do you have a habit you want to break but have struggled to do so? Wired has a step-by-step guide to aid in your success: How to (Finally) Break That Bad Habit | WIRED +On setting goals: You've Been Choosing Your Goals All Wrong | WIRED

Happy New Year!