021 - Freudenfreude, Covert Consciousness, and Friend Recessions - HealthHippieMD Week In Review

The Neuroscience of Music Appreciation

"When we listen to music, the greatest amount of pleasure stems from events predicted with only a moderate level of accuracy." The article, Why Certain Types of Music Make Our Brains Sing, and Others Don't, was my favorite of the week. If you like this article, you will also like Oliver Sack's Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

Who Knew? Zebra Stripes Repel Flies

Science is fascinating. Here is an article that made me say, "Huh." Scientists Reexamine Why Zebra Stripes Mysteriously Repel Flies

A Mandatory Retirement Age for Physicians?

Many high-risk professions require individuals to retire at a certain age (airline pilots, air traffic controllers, etc.). Opinion | How Would You Feel About a 100-Year-Old Doctor? - The New York Times (gift article) discusses the controversy of forced retirement for physicians.

Friendship Recessions

Americans, especially American men, are facing a "friendship recession." The article Why Is It So Hard for Men to Make Close Friends offers tips on how to overcome this worrisome trend.

Freudenfreude and Schadenfreude

Finding joy in another person's good fortune is what social scientists call "freudenfreude." Freudenfreude is a social glue, making relationships more enjoyable. The article What is Freudenfreude? And How to Cultivate It discusses how to have more of it, and less schadenfreude: the pleasure we feel when witnessing someone's misfortune.

Stutz on Netflix

Is It Toxic to Tell Everyone to Get Therapy? is a quick overview of Stutz, a new Jonah Hill documentary on Netflix. I'm going to check it out....

Doctors Spreading Misinformation

Is Spreading Medical Misinformation a Doctor's Free Speech Right?(gift article) discusses a recent California law, slated to begin January 1, written to combat the spread of false information by healthcare professionals. The law is being challenged.

Viruses and Alzheimer's Disease

Is Herpes Simplex 1 involved in the development of Alzheimer's Disease? The article's author, The link between viruses and Alzheimer's disease, thinks so. The article offers some compelling justification for pursuing the science. Reading the article brought to mind one of my favorite quotes by George Bernard Shaw, "All great truths begin as blasphemies." Although this scientist's theories may be incorrect, her words resonated with me: "Most researchers acknowledge that new, surprising, and challenging ideas should be viewed with caution. But ideas should not be dismissed without any deliberation." The author is definately a Dark Horses.

Tips to Extend your Healthspan with Minimum Effort and Maximal Reward

The BBC had an article I will refer to often, offering practical tips to live a longer, healthier life. Minimum effort, maximum reward

The Folly of Expiration Dates

Food waste is a huge issue in the United States. The implications? Wasted money and a profound effect on the environment/climate. The article, Go Ahead, Ignore Expiration Dates discusses the phenomenon of the "expiration date." One of useful facts mentioned was expiration dates denote an estimate of preserved food quality, NOT safety. If you're worried about whether your food is still edible, the authors suggest the Sniff Test.

Paging Dr. Amazon

I read several articles about Amazon's push into healthcare. Amazon's Creep Into Health Care Has Some Experts Spooked discusses the impetus and some of the controversies surrounding Amazon's healthcare efforts. Amazon makes a new push into health care echoes many of the same sentiments. See also: 011 - CVS, Amazon, and the Disruption of Primary Care, Anxiety Inoculants, Wabi Sabi, and AI.

Unnecessary Death

I am an advocate for the U.S. adopting a single payer system of healthcare where incentives align with patient health rather than corporate profit. Universal Health Care Could Have Saved More Than 330,000 U.S. Lives during COVID discusses the lost opportunity for the U.S for not having universal healthcare during the pandemic: 338,000 lives and a $105 billion.

Why does social media impact our mental health? Why Social Media Makes People Unhappy--And Simple Ways to Fix It offers answers and ways to combat the negative feelings.

Covert Consciousness

Views on coma and consciousness are changing. Some People Who Appear to Be in a Coma May Be Conscious is a nice overview of the evolving science.

Genetic Resistance to Coronavirus?

Some scientists wonder if genetics offer protection from Coronavirus. The article Could Genetics Be the Key to Never Getting the Coronavirus explains the rationale. Since SARS-CoV2 binds to the ACE Receptor, I wondered if the commonly prescribed anti-hypertensive ACE inhibitors had any effect on infection rates or disease progression. At least one study demonstrated a protective effect.