075 - Nature Prescriptions, Nutritional Psychiatry, and Aging Happily - HealthHippieMD Week In Review

Netflix Twin Experiment

I'm enjoying the Netflix mini-documentary You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment | Netflix Official Site. I'm halfway through, so I don't know what they will find in twins exposed to different diets, but I think I can guess.

Keeping Medical Diagnosis Private

There was a kerfuffle over Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III's disclosure (or lack thereof) of his prostate cancer diagnosis. It turns out non-disclosure is a coping mechanism. "I always validate a person's desire for privacy, whatever their reasons," Dr. Fann said. "But I also explain that keeping their diagnosis fully secret, or not being able to talk about it, may make it harder for them to ask for help when it's needed — very concretely, getting a ride to treatment or getting a sympathetic ear when you're stressed." Lloyd Austin's Hidden Diagnosis: Why Some People Keep Serious Illnesses Private - The New York Times (gift article).

Plastic Peril

A groundbreaking study reveals that bottled water contains a staggering 240,000 minuscule plastic particles per liter, far more than previously estimated. These tiny plastic fragments, as small as a virus, pose serious health and environmental concerns. Researchers at Columbia and Rutgers universities employed innovative techniques to identify and count nanoplastics, highlighting their prevalence in bottled water. Surprisingly, most particles were not from the bottle material but from contaminants in the filling and purification. The implications for human health are concerning, as nanoplastics can enter the bloodstream and potentially cause damage. This study calls for further research and heightened awareness of plastic pollution. Bottled Water Contains 240,000 Plastic Particles per Liter, Study Finds – Mother Jones (thanks, Diana).

Feeding Your Calm

In the article 7 foods that can help you reduce anxiety (gift article), the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry explores the powerful connection between what we eat and our mental health. Nutritional psychiatrist Uma Naidoo reveals that an anti-anxiety diet can significantly improve mental well-being, emphasizing the gut-brain connection. Research indicates that specific foods can boost mood, enhance cognition, and alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. To calm the mind, Naidoo recommends a diet rich in whole foods and shares seven anxiety-busting foods, including extra dark chocolate, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, avocados, green tea, omega-3 sources, and fiber-packed legumes. These foods offer a holistic approach to mental health through nutrition.

+And an article on social anxiety and the microbiome: Scientists Identified A Strange Connection Between Our Gut Microbes and Anxiety.

Data Diagnosis: Your Medical Records are Code Blue

In an alarming revelation, it has come to light that millions of individuals have had their medical data exposed due to security breaches at healthcare providers and transcription services. This eye-opening article explores the recent incidents where unauthorized parties gained access to sensitive medical records, including diagnoses, operative reports, and personal information. Despite promises of improved security measures, the healthcare industry grapples with data breaches, leaving patients vulnerable to identity theft and fraud. With medical information becoming a prized target for malicious actors, the need for stricter laws and better security practices is more apparent than ever. Your Medical Data Is Code Blue | WIRED.

Nature's Rx: How Much Green is Good for You?

Most people intuitively know that spending time in nature benefits their well-being, and scientific research supports this notion. Nature enthusiasts experience lower rates of depression, healthier blood pressure, improved eyesight, better pain control, enhanced immune function, and even lower mortality rates. "The healthiest forests are the ones that have the most different types of trees," he says. He likens the health benefits to food: there's evidence that eating diverse foods leads to a healthier gut microbiome. "I think the same thing is true with nature." To harness these health benefits, researchers in the U.S. have developed tracking and assessment technology. The NatureScore app rates the richness of nature in different geographical areas, while NatureDose monitors a person's time spent outdoors and encourages a weekly nature goal. The aim is to help doctors prescribe "nature prescriptions" alongside traditional medications, emphasizing the importance of green spaces for human health. How Much Nature Is Enough? - Nautilus.

Protein Recommendations Through Life's Stages

Protein is a crucial component of our diets, with varying needs at different stages of life. This article explains how protein requirements change as you age. Growing bodies require more protein during childhood and adolescence, while young and middle-aged adults have maintenance-level protein needs. Protein recommendations may increase in older adulthood to support muscle health and recovery. The article also highlights the importance of meeting these protein needs and suggests protein-rich foods for different age groups, emphasizing the significance of protein intake in maintaining overall health throughout life. How Much Protein You Need As You Age - The New York Times (gift article).

The Secrets to Growing Old Happily

"And therein lies the last lesson to help you prepare for your golden years: Start appreciating seniors more for their natural gifts. The practice of seeing yourself as valuing older adults will reprogram the way you think and feel about your aging. That will allay your fears and free you up to get on with the important business of becoming happier.". The author delves into the concept of aging and happiness in the article How to Be Happy Growing Older, . While society often emphasizes youth and fears the passage of time, research shows that growing old can improve happiness. As people age, they experience more positive and less negative emotions. Personality traits like agreeableness, conscientiousness, and kindness improve with age, leading to higher self-esteem. The article encourages individuals to consciously practice these positive traits throughout their lives, making aging a time of personal growth and happiness. Additionally, it suggests appreciating seniors' wisdom and perspective, thus ultimately changing how society views aging.

066 - Time Poverty, Music as an Analgesic, and Ghosts in the Machine - HealthHippieMD Week In Review

A Ghost in the Machine

In a tale of digital resurrection, Joshua Barbeau, a reclusive writer, finds solace in the AI-driven chatbot Project December. Struggling with the loss of his fiancée, Jessica, he crafts a virtual echo of her using GPT-3's uncanny linguistic prowess. While the A.I. mimics Jessica's essence, it's a poignant reminder that technology can offer a shadow of comfort but not the substance of genuine human connection. In this age of A.I., even the ghosts of our past can send texts, blurring the lines between memory and bytes. (One of the most thought-provoking articles I've read this year.) He couldn't get over his fiancee's death. So he brought her back as an A.I. chatbot.

A.I. Not Ready for Medical Advice

Although A.I. can now pass the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam, the models are not (yet) ready to become your go-to source for medical advice. Two articles drove home the point this week: People Are Using ChatGPT for Nutrition Advice — The Results Are Dangerous and Doctors Wrestle With A.I. in Patient Care, Citing Lax Rules - The New York Times (gift article).

The Heavy Price of Slimming Down

Opinion | Are obesity drugs worth it? - The Washington Post (gift article) examines the economic equation of obesity drugs like semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic and Wegovy. It highlights the drug's potential to reduce obesity-related health costs by mitigating the risks of chronic diseases. However, the article implies skepticism about the cost-effectiveness of such medications, considering their high prices, and questions whether long-term healthcare savings justify the upfront expense. I believe they will, but further analysis and breadth of the pharmaceuticals (such as Mounjaro) are needed.

+And more on the need to further evaluate the impact of these blockbuster drugs: Opinion | Open question for obesity drugs: Will they improve people's health? - The Washington Post. (gift article)

NCCIH on Probiotics

Another excellent evidence-based summary on probiotics: Probiotics: What You Need To Know | NCCIH. See, too, my cautionary tale on the indiscriminate use of probiotics: Are Probiotics Making You Fat? probiotics, prebiotics, and fermented food — HealthHippieMD.

Sweet Sound of Pain Relief

Researchers at McGill University have uncovered a noteworthy connection between music and pain management. In their study, patients donned headphones to listen to their favorite tracks while a thermal simulator applied heat to their forearms. The findings strikingly suggest that the pleasure derived from music may alleviate discomfort to a degree comparable with over-the-counter pain relievers. This research adds a new layer to our understanding of pain perception, hinting at the potent therapeutic potential of personal music choices. Listening to favorite songs can reduce pain as much as Advil, study finds - The Washington Post. (gift article)

Music and Mental Health

"When you join other human beings through music, there's no other experience. I think it completely changes how you think of yourself." Scientists are starting to unravel how music improves our mental health: How Music Therapy Can Soothe Anxiety and Improve Mental Health - The New York Times. (gift article)

Towards a Cuffless Era

Emerging cuffless blood pressure monitors are set to revolutionize health tracking by offering non-invasive, on-demand readings. These devices, which forego the traditional arm cuff, utilize sensors and algorithms to estimate blood pressure from physiological signals. While they promise a more integrated and less disruptive health monitoring experience, their clinical adoption is pending further validation. The accuracy and reliability of these innovative devices must match up to the established standards before they can fully integrate into medical practice and personal health regimes. This New Blood Pressure Monitor Could Radically Shift How We Track Diseases.

Navigating the Storm of Social Anxiety

Social anxiety, a condition affecting over 12% of Americans, is often rooted in the fear of rejection, according to research from George Washington University's Fallon Goodman. Goodman's work in the Emotion and Resilience Lab explores how this fear can lead to severe isolation and increased risks of depression and substance abuse. Contrary to the belief that sufferers prefer solitude, they deeply crave social connections. Goodman's research, which includes a popular TED Talk, uses real-time smartphone data to track emotional responses and aims to foster "social courage." Her findings emphasize the importance of understanding and addressing social anxiety in a world where connection is crucial. Fear of Failing: The Secrets Behind Social Anxiety - Neuroscience News.

Starved for Time

"If you have an hour, how would you spend it? On things you COULD do? Or things you SHOULD do?" Just this week, I shared, with a close friend, an article I wrote on time poverty: Time Poverty: a significant threat to wellness — HealthHippieMD. The very next day, I found an Arthur Brooke's podcast episode in my queue: ‎How to Talk to People: How to Spend Time on What You Value. The podcast is well worth a listen.

The Last Purchase You'll Ever Make

In the melting pot of American death practices, individualism doesn't cease to breathe even as the body does. Diana Blaine reveals a trend where traditional communal death rituals give way to personalized post-mortem adventures. From vinyl records made of ashes to space-bound urns, Americans are increasingly opting for unique, consumer-driven final farewells. This shift mirrors a broader cultural move from the collective to the individual, from earth burials to diamonds made from ashes. Ironically, in the quest to escape the mundane finality of death, these choices still cling to a timeless human desire: to immortalize one's essence, albeit in a consumerist afterlife. American individualism lives on after death, as consumers choose new ways to put their remains to rest.

034 - Social Anxiety, Beethoven's DNA, and Tattoos - HealthHippieMD Week In Review

New Year's Anti-Resolutions and To-Don't Lists

"when you don't know the right way forward, you might succeed by focusing on what you know to be wrong instead." I learned quite a bit from Your bad attitude can make you happier.

Galentine's Day-Dinner with Strangers

The Radical Act of Eating With Strangers was an interesting article about friendship and social connection. I wonder how it might work here in North Carolina. (I ran out of gift articles)

How to Combat Loneliness

An article from Harvard Health with suggestions to combat loneliness: 3 ways to create community and counter loneliness

Social Anxiety - Fear of Failing

What is the neuroscience behind social anxiety, an affliction that affects 40 million people in the U.S.? Fear of Failing: The Secrets Behind Social Anxiety

Steven Pinker Interview

Steven Pinker is an influential cognitive psychologist and author. In the interview, The ultimate guide to rationality, , he touches on "topics such as human progress, the tragedy of the commons, Bayesian reasoning, and strategies to curb our most destructive instincts, with the ultimate goal of improving the world for everyone."

Tattoos and Immunity

The skin is the body's first line of defense. For thousands of years, humans have been decorating their bodies with tattoos. Scientists still aren't sure what happens to our immune system when we receive one.Tattoos do odd things to the immune system

Foods that Fight Inflammation

Here is a brief but informative article from Harvard on anti-inflammatory foods: Foods that fight inflammation

GPT-4 AI Scores 85% on USMLE

Microsoft released a paper this week that showed that the latest GPT model could pass the USMLE: GPT-4 on Medical Challenge Problems - Microsoft Research. +Eric Topal breaks down the implications of AI for medicine: Multimodal AI for medicine, simplified - by Eric Topol

Intelligence and (un)Happiness

"Your intelligence is more likely to bring you happiness if you put it to use by chasing better ways to love and serve others rather than elbowing others aside and hoarding worldly rewards." Another interesting article in the Atlantic's How to Build a Life: Intelligence Is More Than a Tool to Get Ahead

Defining "Life" and "Death."

Technology forces us to reexamine what we consider alive and dead. The ideas are far-reaching, including law, medicine, ethics, and morality. Another thought-provoking article in Wired: The End of 'Life' As You Know It

Applying Scarcity to Gym Membership

Years ago, Robert Cialdini wrote a classic book on sales techniques: Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of Persuasion. The rise of pricey, application-only gyms is an exemplar of Cialdini's principles: The Rise of Exclusive, Application-Only Gym Memberships (gift article)

Animal Personality and Scientific Results

Here is an interesting article questioning whether animal personality might alter scientific results. Animal Personalities Can Trip Up Science, But There's a Solution

Cancer and Circadian Rhythm

A study published in Trends in Cell Biology reviewed the influence of circadian rhythms on cancer biology. "The circadian rhythm governs most of the cellular functions implicated in cancer progression, and its exploitation, therefore, opens new promising directions in the fight against metastasis. In this review, we summarize the role of the circadian rhythm in tumor development and progression, with emphasis on the circadian rhythm-regulated elements that control the generation of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and metastasis. We then present data on chronotherapy and discuss how circadian rhythm investigations may open new paths to more effective anticancer treatments." A new time dimension in the fight against metastasis

Beethoven's DNA

An article on how sleuths tracked down and analyzed strands of Beethoven's hair. The findings are fascinating: DNA From Beethoven's Hair Unlocks Medical and Family Secrets (gift article) and Beethoven's Genome Has Been Sequenced for the First Time, Revealing Clues About the Great Composer's Health & Family History

Meat Lobbies

Here is an article on how the meat industry changed the proposed recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report. I learned quite a bit from the article, including that the global beef industry is estimated at around $400 billion and that meat and dairy produce about 14.5% of global greenhouse emissions. The meat industry got the IPCC to edit a climate change report

Using Google Maps to Plan your Vacation

I'm going to try this: How To Use Google Maps Immersive View To Vacation Plan Like a Pro

Who is Most at Risk for Long-Covid?

A meta-analysis revealed the risk factors for long-covid: being female, obese, over 40, a smoker, and having previous medical conditions. Who Is Most At Risk for Long Covid? (gift article)