Finding Solace in Sorrow

The article, Good Grief: How to Make the Best of Painful Loss, delves into the realm of grief and offers strategies for coping with the loss of a loved one. Drawing inspiration from a Japanese "wind phone" that provides solace through one-sided conversations with the departed, the article delves into grief's psychological and physiological impact. Debunking the outdated stages of grief highlights the importance of finding meaning, embracing new identities, adopting rituals, and allowing oneself to experience happiness again. Moreover, it emphasizes the power of listening and being present to support those who are grieving.

A Breath of Fresh Air: Oxygen, Learning, and Stroke Recovery

Boost your brain: a simple 100% normobaric oxygen treatment improves human motor learning processes, published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, revealed that inhaling pure oxygen during motor learning tasks accelerated the learning process and improved performance in healthy individuals. The study indicated that oxygen supplementation could be a low-cost and low-risk approach to expedite stroke recovery. While the precise mechanisms behind the benefits of oxygen remain unclear, several new studies are in the works to learn more about this phenomenon. Pure Oxygen Speeds Up Learning. Can It Help Stroke Survivors Recover?

Britain's National Health Service

Although I believe a single-payer system is the only way out of our current healthcare crisis in the U.S. (exponentially higher costs and mediocre to poorer outcomes than our peers), other healthcare models worldwide suffer their own problems. The NY Times had an interesting article on Britain's National Health Service: A National Treasure, Tarnished: Can Britain Fix Its Health Service? - The New York Times (gift article)

Cancer and Family Dynamics

I Have Cancer. I Can't Put My Kids First Anymore is an interesting piece in the Atlantic on how serious illness affects traditional familial roles and relationships.

Weighing the Risks

Regarding weight loss, injectable medications like Ozempic and Wegovy can pose unique risks for older adults. As muscle loss accelerates aging, frailty and the risk of fractures become more significant concerns for individuals over 65. These drugs, which cause rapid weight loss, often reduce muscle mass, which can negatively impact overall health. Experts emphasize the importance of maintaining muscle mass through strength training exercises and protein consumption to mitigate these risks in older adults. Risks of Ozempic, Wegovy and Other Weight Loss Drugs for People Over 65 - The New York Times (gift article)

Unraveling Earworms

Wired explores the perplexing phenomenon of earworms—those catchy tunes that repeat in our heads. Delving into the science behind these musical intruders, the article examines the triggers of recency, familiarity, and boredom that make songs get stuck in our heads. With insights from experts, it unveils strategies to banish earworms, including completing the song, distracting oneself, diversifying playlists, and even mixing up the lyrics. Why Songs Get Stuck in Your Head—and How to Stop Them.

Privacy and Generative AI

Wired published an informative article on things to consider about privacy while using the new generative AI tools: How to Use Generative AI Tools While Still Protecting Your Privacy | WIRED

Private Equity Firms and Healthcare

Reading this article about equity firms buying physician practices made me feel sick: Who Employs Your Doctor? Increasingly, a Private Equity Firm. (gift article). And we wonder why there's a Moral Crisis of America's Doctors. (gift article).

The Neurophysiology of "I" and Me

Researchers have shed light on how the brain creates our physical sense of self. By stimulating a specific brain region known as the anterior precuneus, scientists caused individuals to experience feelings of floating, dizziness, and detachment from their bodies. This discovery, coupled with understanding the "me" aspect located in the default-mode network, brings us closer to comprehending the complexities of our self-perception. Further investigations may help treat conditions like depression and dissociation while explaining intriguing phenomena like out-of-body experiences. How the Brain Creates Your Physical Sense of Self.

Record-Breaking Temperatures: Climate Change?

The Economist weighs in: Are the current heatwaves evidence that climate change is speeding up?

Your Food and Climate Change

Curious about how the food you eat influences climate change? The NY Times has some answers: Your Questions About Food and Climate Change, Answered

Beyond's Plant-Based Meats and Heart Disease

Michael Gregor discusses plant-based meat and the SWAP Trial: Are Beyond Meat Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Healthy?

Loneliness

Loneliness is a significant problem among older adults. For many, feelings of isolation were amplified by the pandemic. Feelings of loneliness impart risks to immunity, cognition, and general health. I read the article, Mindfulness Training Appears To Improve an Immune Function Marker in Lonely Older Adults The critical question was whether MBSR stimulated production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a measure of the immune system's responsiveness in older, lonely adults (as measured by the UCLA Loneliness Scale). The authors found that MBSR significantly increased IL-6 production in response to challenge, improving responsiveness. The authors pointed out these are only early mechanistic findings-it is unclear whether the results would translate into meaningful health outcomes. An interesting study, nonetheless.

Gut Mucus and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Fugitive gut bacteria can disrupt our immune system. Here's how we can capture them is an intriguing synopsis of the study, The systemic anti-microbiota IgG repertoire can identify gut bacteria that translocate across gut barrier surfaces. The study looked at the activation of the immune system by bacteria that cross the gut barrier into circulation. The study reinforced the importance of maintaining a healthy mucus layer in your gut through food choices and the avoidance of emulsifiers (both in food and soaps). Here is an article that touches on the concept A New Theory of Obesity.. I will write something else on emulsifiers soon.

Facing Covid with a Compromised Immune System

The excellent opinion piece, How to Plan for the Future When COVID Isn't Going Away, written by an immunocompromised author, resonated with me.

The Doctor will Zoom you Now

An interesting opinion piece by a physician telemedicine convert: How I Came Around on Telemedicine. The article touches on the many benefits of remote visits, including some unexpected ones. The report also discusses some of the challenges for telemedicine moving forward.

Mad Honey Redux

Two weeks ago, I learned about Mad Honey for the first time. This week, The Washington Post published a story about a Turkish bear that got so stoned on Mad Honey-he had to be rescued. Here is the story (with a video): Meet Balkiz, a bear cub in Turkey who got high on hallucinogenic honey

Plant-Based "Meat"

I read the article Taste alone won't persuade Americans to swap beef for plant-based burgers and had a pretty strong reaction. The piece focused solely on messaging to improve plant-based meat consumption. Isn't the most essential question "what's best for our bodies?" Although plant-based meats may be better for the environment, the jury is still out on whether these highly processed foods are better for our health: Plant-based Meat versus Beef

Psychedelic Capitalism

As a follow-up to my newsletter a few weeks ago, here is an interesting podcast on the rapidly developing market for psychedelics: The corporatization of psychedelics-audio. or transcript

+More on the psychedelic renaissance. Psychedelics and mental health: What to know.

Fish Oil and Endocannabinoids

I read the article, Fish Oil Is Good! No, Bad! No, Good! No, Wait, that focuses on the drug Vascepa. Vascepa was approved after a published study demonstrated that, among high-risk adults already receiving another type of cholesterol-lowering treatment, the drug decreased the risk of heart failure and other serious cardiovascular events by an eye-popping 25 percent. A recent manuscript, Effects of Randomized Treatment With Icosapent Ethyl and a Mineral Oil Comparator on Interleukin-1β, Interleukin-6, C-Reactive Protein, Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, Homocysteine, Lipoprotein(a), and Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2: A REDUCE-IT Biomarker Substudy calls into question the findings of the original study and raises suspicion it was not the fish oil that made subjects better. Instead, it was the placebo that made control subjects worse. The article is anti-fish oil, but I wouldn't give up on fish oil just yet. Most people don't realize fish oil is a building block for endogenous cannabinoids, the substances your body makes that bind to the same receptors as marijuana. Cannabinoid receptors are everywhere in your body, and we are just beginning to understand what they do. The fact that the receptors are so prevalent tells me they have essential roles to play in physiology. I've touched on some emerging science: Why does running give you a high? A look at the science If you'd like to learn more about the biochemistry: Emerging Class of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Endocannabinoids & Their Derivatives

Medical Gaslighting

A common experience in medicine is having one's concerns dismissed by a provider, often referred to as medical gaslighting. Medical practitioners often quickly ignore symptoms and diseases they don't fully understand. The article, How to Spot 'Medical Gaslighting' and What to Do About It, discusses how to identify these behaviors by medical professionals and how to overcome them.

Love, not Lies

Another great article in the Atlantic's How to Build a Life Series. The latest, Disagreement Can Be an Act of Love, is about the lies we tell ourselves and each other. One of my favorite lines in the article, "Some lies might make life easier, but they don't necessarily make life happier._"

Hyperbarics and Long Covid

An intriguing synopsis of a small study out of Israel, Is Oxygen the Answer to Long Covid?, shows hyperbaric oxygen treatment improves the symptoms of Long Covid. The authors opine on potential mechanisms but do not mention the microbiome. A hyperoxic environment would kill many anaerobic bacteria that typically thrive in the oxygen-poor environment of the gut. The alteration of the gut microbiome through hyperoxic exposure is definitely worth considering.

Daydreaming

I've always enjoyed daydreaming, but not everyone does. Why Daydreaming Is Actually Good For Your Brain is an interesting article on the phenomenon of positive and negative daydreaming. The report includes tips on making your daydreams more positive, productive, and creative.

Are Small Amounts of Alcohol Beneficial to Your Health?

Michael Greger tackles the questions of alcohol use and reverse causation in: Is It Better to Drink Little Alcohol Than None? Do Any Benefits of Alcohol Outweigh the Risks?

Quote of the Week

"You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free." ― Thich Nhat Hanh