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Friday, 19 May
17:12
Might Vitriolic Attacks Against Emily Oster Rival COVIDs Carnage? Science-Based Medicine
To advocates of Feelings Based Medicine, there is no difference between criticizing someone's ideas and attacking them personally.
The post Might Vitriolic Attacks Against Emily Oster Rival COVIDs Carnage? first appeared on Science-Based Medicine.10:00
How Low Can You Go? Forgotten Benefits of Deep Squats Articles
Exercise is a powerful health-building tool that greatly influences the development of chronic disease and your ability to live independently as you age. Squatting, when it's incorporated into a strength training regimen, is one of the best functional exercises. It requires no equipment, is relatively simple to perform and can be done just about anywhere.
Although they're often regarded as leg exercises, squats benefit your entire body, including your core. But what about when you incorporate squatting into your everyday routine?
In many developing nations, children and adults use the squatting position to rest or to work. Paradoxically, in Western nations, people equate sitting with resting. But, while squatting takes your hips and knees through a full range of motion, sitting for long periods can cause your hip flexors to shorten and become tight. This often leads to lower back pain and problems with posture.
Staying fit and strong, especially as you age, requires consistency and dedication. Although many believe exercise is about shedding excess weight or getting toned abs and glutes, this is just a fraction of what exercise can do for you, no matter how old you are. By incorporating deep squats into your daily routine, you're taking the next step and moving your joints through a full range of motion as a matter of routine.
Why Does the Western World Avoid Squatting?
It is important to remember that squatting is not a part of a past we left behind as man evolved. A large portion of the planet's population still uses the squatting position to share a meal, use the toilet, cook or rest. For example, people in Asia normally use squat-style toilets and in rural areas around the world, people squat over pit latrines.
As children around the world learn to crawl, sit, stand and walk, they move through a consistent set of motions, including learning how to stand from a squatting position without assistance. Yet, many people see squatting as uncomfortable and undignified and only necessary at the gym. Bahram Jam, a physical therapist and founder of the Advanced Physical Therapy Education Institute (APTEI) in Ontario, Canada, commented in HuffPost:1
"We squat as children and in our teens, but as we in the Western world get older we completely stop deep squatting in our daily lives unless we intentionally do it as a form of exercise or in yoga. A true sign of aging is the inability to squat or sit on the floor and be able to get up independently again."
While speaking with a reporter from Quartz in 2017, Jam explained:2
"It's considered primitive and of low social status to squat somewhere. When we think of squatting, we think of a peasant in India, or an...
If You Live in a Major US City, Its Probably Time to Move Articles
Although this may seem to be an article focusing on Chicago, please realize Chicago is only being used as an example of the moral decay and corruption in virtually every major city in the United States. It serves as a stark warning to relocate if you are in one of these areas.
As noted by ReallyGraceful in the video above, Chicago, Illinois, ought to be a haven of the United States. The third largest city in the U.S., its filled with world-class architecture and technological advancements. Its a center for manufacturing and transportation industries and has become a tech sector mecca.1
But rather than being the apple of Americas eye, Chicago has become known as a center for murder, crime and corruption. A person is shot every three hours and 41 minutes in The Windy City. This despite having some of the toughest gun control laws in the country.
Someone is murdered every 15 hours and 54 minutes in Chicago. According to statistics cited in the video, youre more likely to be murdered in Chicago than die as a civilian in the Ukraine-Russia war. The violence in Chicago is primarily Black on Black, and most victims are Black men under the age of 25. How did this happen? How did Chicago become a center for crime rather than advancement?
Chicagos Failed Policies
Lori Lightfoot, a Black gay Democrat, became mayor of Chicago in 2019. In the summer of 2020, she went along with the nationwide movement to defund the police. In August she pledged to cut the citys police budget by $80 million, but a month later she changed her mind and in the end only cut the budget by $59 million.2
To her credit, she rejected the communitys call for eliminating police altogether and replacing them with social workers and medical professionals, saying she does not support defunding the police and could not responsibly enact any policies that make communities less safe.3
Clearly, Lightfoot understood the value of police presence, seeing how she made sure she had a squad of 71 police officers protecting her personal home.
That said, Lightfoot also implemented some of the most draconian lockdown policies in the country and pressured Chicagoans to get the experimental COVID jab. She also launched a universal basic income pilot program, which is yet another way to get people hooked on government assistance.
All the while, crime surged. In December 2021, Lightfoot begged the federal government for additional law enforcement resources to address out-of-control crime rates....
Simple Steps to Help Prevent Metastatic Tumors Articles
Editor's Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published May 9, 2021.
In this interview, Susan Wadia-Ells, Ph.D., discusses breast cancer as an unnecessary U.S. epidemic and how to help prevent it, which is the topic of her book, "Busting Breast Cancer: Five Simple Steps to Keep Breast Cancer Out of Your Body." This year alone, an expected 300,000 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Another 50,000 are projected to be diagnosed with non-invasive breast cancer, which in all likelihood isn't cancer at all.
Wadia-Ells has a graduate degree in energy economics and political development (MALD) and a Ph.D. in women's studies with a focus on women's autobiographical writing. "This really means that I am an investigative reporter," she says, "and so I've come to this with a very innocent, independent mind."
The inspiration behind the book was Wadia-Ells' experience of losing several friends to recurrent metastatic breast cancer, meaning cancer that was "successfully treated" at an early stage, only to later return as a terminal stage or metastatic disease.
"Between 20% and 40% of women who have been "successfully treated" in the United States today will end up with recurrent metastatic breast cancer, which means an early death sentence for most women," she says.
"And I just got very angry. I love to investigate new topics. I've always been a change-maker throughout my whole career. I've just followed and done what I wanted to do. And this, I just fell into it and wouldn't let it go."
Breast Cancer Treatment Is a For-Profit Industry
The for-profit cancer industry makes a fortune overdiagnosing breast cancer cases and then treating women with inflammatory and toxic remedies that increase your risk of developing real cancer. So, overall, the financial component is a motivating catalyst in the U.S. for much of what we're seeing within the breast cancer industry, including that so-called "Breast Cancer Awareness," month that can be translated as: "Get Your Mammogram Month."
"The reason I wanted to do this book was really to teach women how to avoid getting breast cancer. Once you have a mammogram, you can sometimes end up being unnecessarily diagnosed and treated. And then that becomes incredibly expensive and harmful.
As I said, 20% to 40% of women who are being diagnosed and treated for an early stage breast cancer end up being treated for recurrent metastatic breast cancer, which means they're spending an inordinate amount of money. These metastatic drugs th...
09:37
Expectations of an Imminent Big Tech Crash Bringing Down the U.S. Economy is Expanding Medical Kidnap
by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News
While I was among a very small minority in the 4th quarter of 2022 warning the public about the Big Tech crash that was coming and was a threat to bringing down the entire U.S. economy, judging from my newsfeed the past 2 weeks, I no longer think that this view is the minority view anymore.
Both the alternative and corporate media are increasingly printing news and opinion pieces about how dangerous it is right now to have just a handful of Big Tech companies holding up the entire stock market, and mostly because of the hype over AI.
I am going to highlight much of this news in this article, along with evidence that the banking crisis is actually getting worse, and then go further than most will dare to go, and consider the question: Is this all intentional??
Without the influence of AI as an investment theme, the S&P 500 would be DOWN this year.
Graham Summers of Phoenix Capital Research is seeing what many other investors are observing, and this is what is making a LOT of people on Wall Street nervous these days.
Artificial Intelligence (A)I is the current major theme for the markets. With economically related companies (TGT, X, etc) showing lower returns, investors are piling into AI as the next major source of growth for corporate top lines (revenues) and profit margins (presumably AI will replace many employees which will lower operating costs).
As far as market price action is concerned, anything associated with AI is in a strong uptrend. The most notable example is Nvidia (NVDA) which has more than doubled year to date. Even the multi-trillion dollar market cap giant Microsoft (MSFT) has caught a bid due to its exposure to AI. MSFT is up 30% year to date.
AI is THE market mover for 2023. Societe General has noted that AI-associated stocks account for ALL of the gains in the broader stock market this year.
Put another way, without the influence of AI as an investment theme, the S&P 500 would be DOWN this year.
Indeed, things are becoming so frothy as far as AI is concerned that executives are mentioning AI as frequently as possible during earnings calls even if their company has little if any exposure to the new technology!
What does this all mean? (...
09:37
Expectations of an Imminent Big Tech Crash Bringing Down the U.S. Economy is Expanding Vaccine Impact
by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News
While I was among a very small minority in the 4th quarter of 2022 warning the public about the Big Tech crash that was coming and was a threat to bringing down the entire U.S. economy, judging from my newsfeed the past 2 weeks, I no longer think that this view is the minority view anymore.
Both the alternative and corporate media are increasingly printing news and opinion pieces about how dangerous it is right now to have just a handful of Big Tech companies holding up the entire stock market, and mostly because of the hype over AI.
I am going to highlight much of this news in this article, along with evidence that the banking crisis is actually getting worse, and then go further than most will dare to go, and consider the question: Is this all intentional??
Without the influence of AI as an investment theme, the S&P 500 would be DOWN this year.
Graham Summers of Phoenix Capital Research is seeing what many other investors are observing, and this is what is making a LOT of people on Wall Street nervous these days.
Artificial Intelligence (A)I is the current major theme for the markets. With economically related companies (TGT, X, etc) showing lower returns, investors are piling into AI as the next major source of growth for corporate top lines (revenues) and profit margins (presumably AI will replace many employees which will lower operating costs).
As far as market price action is concerned, anything associated with AI is in a strong uptrend. The most notable example is Nvidia (NVDA) which has more than doubled year to date. Even the multi-trillion dollar market cap giant Microsoft (MSFT) has caught a bid due to its exposure to AI. MSFT is up 30% year to date.
AI is THE market mover for 2023. Societe General has noted that AI-associated stocks account for ALL of the gains in the broader stock market this year.
Put another way, without the influence of AI as an investment theme, the S&P 500 would be DOWN this year.
Indeed, things are becoming so frothy as far as AI is concerned that executives are mentioning AI as frequently as possible during earnings calls even if their company has little if any exposure to the new technology!
What does this all mean? (...
09:10
Expectations of an Imminent Big Tech Crash Bringing Down the U.S. Economy is Expanding Health Impact News
by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News
While I was among a very small minority in the 4th quarter of 2022 warning the public about the Big Tech crash that was coming and was a threat to bringing down the entire U.S. economy, judging from my newsfeed the past 2 weeks, I no longer think that this view is the minority view anymore.
Both the alternative and corporate media are increasingly printing news and opinion pieces about how dangerous it is right now to have just a handful of Big Tech companies holding up the entire stock market, and mostly because of the hype over AI.
I am going to highlight much of this news in this article, along with evidence that the banking crisis is actually getting worse, and then go further than most will dare to go, and consider the question: Is this all intentional??
Without the influence of AI as an investment theme, the S&P 500 would be DOWN this year.
Graham Summers of Phoenix Capital Research is seeing what many other investors are observing, and this is what is making a LOT of people on Wall Street nervous these days.
Artificial Intelligence (A)I is the current major theme for the markets. With economically related companies (TGT, X, etc) showing lower returns, investors are piling into AI as the next major source of growth for corporate top lines (revenues) and profit margins (presumably AI will replace many employees which will lower operating costs).
As far as market price action is concerned, anything associated with AI is in a strong uptrend. The most notable example is Nvidia (NVDA) which has more than doubled year to date. Even the multi-trillion dollar market cap giant Microsoft (MSFT) has caught a bid due to its exposure to AI. MSFT is up 30% year to date.
AI is THE market mover for 2023. Societe General has noted that AI-associated stocks account for ALL of the gains in the broader stock market t...
08:30
Exclusive: Top-tier university in Japan investigating profs alleged misconduct Retraction Watch
Tokyos Waseda University is investigating alleged misconduct by an assistant professor at the institution, Retraction Watch has learned.
The probe is focusing on at least three works by Woohyang Sim, of the Faculty of International Research and Education, including her 2020 doctoral dissertation, titled What is Higher Education For? Educational Aspirations and Career Prospects of Women in the Arab Gulf. Two of Sims published papers are also under scrutiny, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
In June 2022, an anonymous commenter on PubPeer flagged several problems with these publications, as well as with Sims masters thesis and another one of her papers. That same month, a whistleblower notified the Japanese government about the concerns, according to the source.
Waseda has faced problems with research misconduct in the past. In 2015, the school revoked the PhD of cell scientist Haruko Obokata, due partly to plagiarism concerns, as we reported that year. Obokata was first author on a pair of controversial Nature papers describing an easy way to create stem cells with the so-called STAP method; both articles were retracted in 2014.
On the heels of the scandal, Waseda said it would be...
07:35
A Dynamic Duo For Detox Dr. Tenpenny
Each day, we are literally bombarded by toxins. The picture above shows that. Chemtrails from a plane are settling on our fruits and vegetables. People like Bill Gates are engineering []
06:42
The Therapy Part of Psychedelic Therapy Is a Mess Mad In America
From WIRED: Interested in giving psychedelic therapy a go? It will probably look something like this: In a room of muted colors, youll swallow a dose of a psychedelic drug, then lie back on a futon. Gentle music will play in the background; maybe some Brian Eno. You wont be alone: One or two therapists will be readily by your side, guiding and prompting you through a session that will last up to eight hours.
This is the model that features in the majority of the scientific research looking at the potential of psychedelic drugs, like psilocybin or MDMA, to treat mental illnesses such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the field, its long been taken as fact that the skills of a trained therapist are necessary to support tripping patients, both to ensure safety and to maximize the treatments therapeutic potential. But a new opinion piece in JAMA Psychiatry warns that beneath the hype, the therapy component of psychedelic-assisted therapy isnt being studied enoughand could pose a risk to patients.
***
Back to Around the Web
The post The Therapy Part of Psychedelic Therapy Is a Mess appeared first on Mad In America.
04:22
WHO, What, When, Where & How GreenMedInfo
Originally published by www.standforhealthfreedom.com
All you need to know about the World Health Assembly meeting starting this weekend
Every year at the end of May, the World Health Organization gathers its members for a meeting it calls the World Health Assembly (WHA). During the yearly ritual, nation states cast their votes publicly on all matters WHO, after a year of workgroups, committee meetings, and behind-the-scenes negotiations. This year they're meeting from May 21 through May 30, 2023.
03:00
Neurodiversity Is a Scientific Revolution Mad In America
Sciences have peaceful periods and torrid timesnormal science and scientific revolutions, as Thomas Kuhn called them. Revolutionaries have strong feelings about their subjects but they rarely self-describe as revolutionaries, especially in science. By necessity, their focus is narrower. Young scientists (the ones with bold new ideas) defend the photo-realism of their brushstrokes more than the general impression of their canvas. The revolution is slow. Little by little, it spans an entire career and it does so unnamed.
One of these revolutions, as bold as Darwins, has been gently smouldering for the last twenty-five years and its about to combust. Its about our wellbeing.
Mental illness and neurodiversity might sound like
brethren ideas. They are, after all, about the same
phenomena. But like fire and water fighting for the same piece of
wood, they cant both succeed. In technical terms, they are
competing paradigms; contestants in a scientific revolution.
In 1998, Judy Singer coined neurodiversity. With just one word, she moved the lensfrom mental illness and its hospital drip-trolley vibes, to biodiversity, natural, strong and dignified. Singer drew from the social model of disability, which brings attention to the disabling thing (think: stairs for a wheelchair owner or text for a dyslexic). Before that, the medical model of disability diagnosed peoples distress by examining only the person, rather than the person-in-their-environment.
The medical models lens had unintended consequences. It enfeebled the people it was tasked with empowering. It made them dependent. And their dependency became dollars for medicine. Dollars are hard to walk away from. And so it makes sense that the American Psychiatric Association and its international cousins retain that lens, even today. Judy Singers revolution would not be o...
00:58
What Are the Best Natural Options for Blood Sugar Problems? GreenMedInfo
Visit our Re-post guidelines
If you've been given a warning that you are prediabetic, the time is NOW to start managing your blood sugar problem, naturally. Here are seven easy ways to do it
According to the CDC's 2020 report on diabetes, 10.5% of U.S. adults are diabetic, and a whopping 34.5% of adults are prediabetic.[i] Combined, that's more than 122 million Americans who have difficulty maintaining healthy levels of blood glucose.
00:07
More Fruits and Veggies Could Prevent Millions of Cardiovascular Deaths GreenMedInfo
Visit our Re-post guidelines
Consuming fruits and vegetables every day can keep your heart beating, quite literally, with mounting research connecting low fruit and vegetable intake with an increased incidence of cardiovascular deaths. These study findings can save lives, as heart disease remains the top killer across the globe
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Thursday, 18 May
23:50
Stop RESTRICT Act Threat to Free Speech Alliance for Natural Health USA Protecting Natural Health
A bill designed to ban TikTok gives the government far-reaching powers to continue its campaign against free speech and expression. Action Alert!
Its a scenario thats played itself out countless times in history: under the guise of protecting us, the government wants to take away key liberties. The latest assault comes in the form of the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act. The bill is supposed to address the threat of TikTok and other information and communication technology platforms owned by China or other foreign adversaries. Whether you believe TikTok should be banned or not, this bill is a massive overreach designed to give the federal government more power over how we communicate. When understood in the context of all the other assaults on free speech and scientific inquiry at almost every level, this bills threat becomes that much more significant and dangerous.
RESTRICT Act Basics
Broadly speaking, the bill gives the federal government the power to restrict or ban information and communications servicesas well as transactions of those businessesowned or based in countries considered foreign adversaries. The bill allows the government to investigate foreign companies, and those they interact with, to determine if they pose a national security threat. The Secretary of Commerce then gives an assessment to the President of what should be done to mitigate the threat, and the President carries out the remedy. The bill also limits judicial oversight and review over these executive and agency actions.
This applies to desktop and mobile apps, gaming apps, payment apps, services integral to artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnology companies, and more. It does not apply to US companies but can apply to transactions between US companies and those owned by foreign adversaries.
Proponents of the bill claim that individuals shouldnt be concerned because the focus of the legislation is on companies like Kaspersky, Huawei and TikTok that create systemic risks to the United States national security. Yet a close reading of the bill suggests otherwise.
A Climate of Censorship
One of the fundamental changes brought about by the pandemic was a renewed zeal for censoring free speech under the guise of halting the spread of misinformation. Spreading scientific misinf...
23:50
Honor National Womens Health Week by Supporting Access to Bioidentical Hormones Alliance for Natural Health USA Protecting Natural Health
Compounded bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (cBHRT) is in peril. Help support a sign-on letter in Congress telling the FDA NOT to limit access to these treatments. Action Alert!
The letter, circulated by Reps. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) and Michael Burgess (R-TX), draws attention to many of the issues with the FDAs process weve discussed in our Pulse newsletter in the past, urging the FDA to enact policies that allow patients to continue using cBHRT. The FDA is threatening to ban compounded bioidentical hormones like estriol, progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol. Millions of women rely on these medicines to manage the symptoms of menopause, overcome fertility challenges, or treat other hormonal imbalances. These women need cBHRT to stay healthy and cannot, or do not want to, use the FDA-approved versions of these hormones. We must urge our members of Congress to support this sign-on letter.
To recap how we got here: The FDA is in the process of deciding whether it will allow patients to continue to access compounded bioidentical estriol, progesterone, and estradiol. It is clear to anyone paying attention that the FDA is seeking a ban on these medicines.
When ANH and other stakeholders organized widespread grassroots opposition to a ban on estriol and other compounded hormones, the FDA asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) to review the clinical utility of treating patients with cBHRT. The intention of this review was clear: the FDA orchestrated what would look to outsiders like an impartial review of cBHRT to give itself cover to ban these medicines. And right on cue, NASEMs report found that treating patients with cBHRT was a public health concern.
Yet NASEMs review was anything but partial. Conspicuously missing from the committee was anyone with an expertise on how compounded bioidentical hormones are used to treat patients. Several members had ties to pharmaceutical companies which would benefit from compounded medicines being eliminated. The FDA was also heavily involved in the development NASEMs final report, all but guaranteeing that it reached the proper conclusions. You can read our coverage of these and other biases in for more detail.
What is especially insulting about the gov...
23:49
More Attacks on Free Speech Are Imminent Alliance for Natural Health USA Protecting Natural Health
The anti-misinformation machine continues to hum. If were going to protect free speech and the integrity of the scientific method, we must stand up for these basic principles.
The upcoming Nobel Prize Summit (May 24-26) is, in a fittingly Orwellian fashion, titled Truth, Trust, and Hope. The event will tackle the scourge of misinformation, which is eroding our trust in science and runs the risk of becoming one of the greatest threats to our society today. Scary stuff! Of course, the truly scary aspect of this is how effectively dissenters to the accepted narratives can be shoved aside and discredited. The real danger isnt in the spreading of misinformation, but in the establishment of orthodoxies that cannot be questioned.
Well be tuned in to the Summit to see whats next in the misinformation witch-hunt, and we encourage all freedom-loving citizens to do the same. Follow the links here to register.
We discuss many of the pertinent issues in our companion article this week about the RESTRICT Act. Put simply, the pandemic unleashed an unprecedented wave of censorship in the US and the world. To question what the authorities were telling us about how to control the virus was heresy that could result in de-platforming from social media channels, loss of professional license, or professional marginalization. This was especially true for the natural health community. The evidence for the effectiveness of natural medicines was quite convincing from an early stage in the pandemic, yet the government was more concerned with launching a censorship campaign threatening anyone who dared to mention the benefits of basic medicines like vitamin C, quercetin, or zinc for COVID treatment or prevention. Frontline doctors used a combination of dietary supplements and off-patent drugs to save patients lives in the early stages of the pandemic. Again, instead of promoting these noble efforts, the government in some cases warned patients...
23:47
The Plan for WHO Supremacy Over Human Health Alliance for Natural Health USA Protecting Natural Health
From ANH-International
Much has changed since the World Health Organization (WHO) was established in the wake of World War II. Like a newborn, the WHO was initially nave and came in with noble intentions. It evolved its view of health, moving from one that was just the absence of disease, towards a more holistic concept, being a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. At the heart of its Constitution it positioned enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right for every human being.
After two traumatic world wars, people recognised that a common patchwork of sovereign nations with shared ideals and priorities would be the best way of raising health standards around the world, while recognising that empowering individuals to take control of their own health would be a powerful step towards this goal. The Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 makes a refreshing read. In particular: Principle IV, that reinforces the importance of the individual, as well as the collective, in planning and implementing their health care; and Principle VI, with a nod to Nuremberg and the Doctors Trial, requiring that primary health care must be based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology.
With the very recent, coercive manner by which C19 genetic vaccines were rolled out experimentally on the masses many of these often desperate to regain livelihoods and be released from lockdowns its clear that the WHO Constitutional principles and those from Alma-Ata, were disregarded (see here, or here).
Like a child transforming from innocent to nasty teenager, the WHO appears to have used the covid-19 crisis as a catalyst for an about-turn on its more altruistic and democratic approach.
In the case of a child, most cases can be put down to the negative influences coming from the immediate environment of that child such as the parents and the local community. With an organisation, its not that different because its down to who controls it; and the control of...
23:18
20:01
Chris BullardThe Sound Mind Live Festival Mad In America
Chris Bullard is the executive director of the Sound Mind Live Festival, scheduled for May 20 in Brooklyn, New York.
A former touring musician. Bullard performed with acts such as Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson. Subsequent to receiving his MBA, he oversaw portfolio management at Acumen, a global non-profit impact investing fund focused on poverty alleviation.
Bullard created the festival based on his personal experience of overcoming mental health stigma after he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in his mid-20s. Prior to founding Sound Mind, Chris also founded a music support group program for those affected by mental illness with the National Alliance on Mental Illness in New York City.
He holds a BA from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Fordham University.
The transcript below has been edited for length and clarity. Listen to the audio of the interview here.
Karin Jervert: I am here today with Amy Biancolli for what is going to be a really wonderful conversation about music, musicians, the music industry, and mental health.
Amy and I will be at Sound Mind, and I will be on a panel on lived experience with Chris and the musician Langhorne Slim. The festival will address important issues within the music industry, like youth, lived experience, marginalized communities, stigma, and social justice.
Amy Biancolli: I am Amy Biancolli, family editor for Mad in America, and I also report and write for MIA. I am excited to be part of this discussion, particularly because I am a musician myself. I play some amateur fiddle and Ive also written articles specifically on music and mental health.
Jervert: So happy to be here with you, Amy. And I am Karin Jervert. I am the arts editor here at Mad in America. So, Chris, Amy and I are excited to have you here today for this conversation.
Thank you for being here, Chris.
Chris Bullard: Thank you for having me. Such an honor and pleasure, and I just love the thoughtfulness of everything youre doing and how much you all are building such an important dialog in the world.
Jervert: Thank you so much for that. I think this conversation is going to be a real wonderful exchange, and Amy and I have been looking forward to this.
Biancolli: Music and art are something that really is important to both of us....
20:00
Study Highlights Lack of Evidence for Antidepressants in Treatment of Chronic Pain Mad In America
A recent network meta-analysis found that there was no reliable evidence for the longterm efficacy of any antidepressant and no reliable evidence for the safety of antidepressants for chronic pain at any time point.
The research, part of The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR)the leading database for systematic reviews in health carefound insufficient evidence to draw robust conclusions for the [short term] efficacy and safety of antidepressants other than duloxetine and milnacipran. The study authors, led by Hollie Birkinshaw from the University of Southampton, write:
Our review and NMAs [network meta-analyses] show that despite studies investigating 25 different antidepressants, the only antidepressant we are certain about for the treatment of chronic pain is duloxetine Evidence for all other antidepressants was low certainty.
Two of the papers authors systematically reviewed 176 studies, which included 28,664 participants. Most of the studies were double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, and the main chronic conditions included in the examinations were fibromyalgia (59 studies), neuropathic pain (49 studies), and musculoskeletal pain (40 studies).
Seven studies were excluded because they did not include data that was useable for the statistical measures the researchers were using, meaning 169 studies were included in the final review. Additionally, most studies they reviewed only measured short-term outcomes, and many excluded people with low mood issues and other mental health concerns.
The primary outcomes being measured were substantial pain relief, pain intensity, mood, and medication adverse effects. The secondary measures included moderate pain relief, increased physical function, better quality sleep, a better quality...
20:00
Texas dept. chair no longer in position amid university investigation and retraction Retraction Watch
The chair of the Department of Pulmonary Immunology at the University of Texas at Tyler Health Science Center lost a paper last year after an institutional investigation found several issues with the data in the article.
Although the researcher, Ramakrishna Vankayalapati, is still identified as the chair on his online profile and the departments website, he no longer holds that position, Retraction Watch has learned.
The paper, Ornithine-A urea cycle metabolite enhances autophagy and controls Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, was published in Nature Communications in July 2020. It has been cited 21 times, according to the journals statistics.
Soon after publication, scientific sleuth Elisabeth Bik posted several comments on PubPeer about similarities between images in the paper that she and a reader had noticed.
Thank you so much for letting me know, Vankayalapati responded. I will look at all data to proceed further. Thanks again.
After two years with no further response, Bik posted again last July to ask if Vankalapati had contacted the journal. He did not reply.
Last October, the paper was retracted. The notice detailed issues with the images Bik had called out in her PubPeer posts:
The Editor has retracted this Article at the authors request. Following concerns from a reader, the authors initiated an internal investigation. After comparing the laboratory record and the figures, it was concluded that:
- The data in Fig. 3c did not originate from three biological replicates as claimed in the legend;
- In Figs. 3c and 5f, multiple lanes could not be matched back to the original raw data in the laboratory records;
- The GAPDH bands in Figs....
17:00
Repurposed to Radical: How drug repurposing created a global right-wing market for COVID early treatment fraud Science-Based Medicine
A condensed timeline of the events, people, and far-right global politics that repurposed science and medicine to promote fake miracle cures for COVID-19 and spread deadly disinformation with a focus on the United States, France, and Brazil.
The post Repurposed to Radical: How drug repurposing created a global right-wing market for COVID early treatment fraud first appeared on Science-Based Medicine.11:36
The United States of America: Largest Sponsor of State Terrorism in the World Medical Kidnap
Comments by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News
A new report has been published this past week that details the United States torture program used primarily by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) called enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs) used at Guantanamo Bay and other black sites.
The report contains drawings of Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn aka Abu Zubaydah, a Saudi Arabian man who was the first prisoner brought to Guantanamo from Pakistan and tortured using EITs.
The CIA and FBI now admit that Mr. Zubaydah was the wrong guy they were after, and allegedly even knew that before they tortured him, but did so anyway so they could develop their torture techniques.
The report was published by Mark Denbeaux, a professor at Seton Hall Law School, and Dr. Jess Ghannam, clinical professor of Psychiatry and Global Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and Mr. Zubaydah himself and his drawings of many of the tortures used in EITs.
You can download the entire report here.
WARNING! THE DRAWINGS ARE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND HORRIFYING. CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE PRESENT IF YOU CHOOSE TO READ THE REPORT.
The report notes that Zubaydahs drawings viscerally convey the brutal reality the CIA sought to hide with its calculated destruction of video recordings of torture conducted by its agents, and dovetail with the recent accounts of Dr. James Mitchell, a chief architect of the torture regime, who both wrote a book on EITs and testified in hearings on Guantnamo.
These sources, together with the report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, provide the most completeand compellingaccount to date of Americas torture program in the years after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the publication states. (Source.)
The report has received widespread media coverage in the corporate...
11:33
The United States of America: Largest Sponsor of State Terrorism in the World Vaccine Impact
Comments by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News
A new report has been published this past week that details the United States torture program used primarily by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) called enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs) used at Guantanamo Bay and other black sites.
The report contains drawings of Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn aka Abu Zubaydah, a Saudi Arabian man who was the first prisoner brought to Guantanamo from Pakistan and tortured using EITs.
The CIA and FBI now admit that Mr. Zubaydah was the wrong guy they were after, and allegedly even knew that before they tortured him, but did so anyway so they could develop their torture techniques.
The report was published by Mark Denbeaux, a professor at Seton Hall Law School, and Dr. Jess Ghannam, clinical professor of Psychiatry and Global Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and Mr. Zubaydah himself and his drawings of many of the tortures used in EITs.
You can download the entire report here.
WARNING! THE DRAWINGS ARE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND HORRIFYING. CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE PRESENT IF YOU CHOOSE TO READ THE REPORT.
The report notes that Zubaydahs drawings viscerally convey the brutal reality the CIA sought to hide with its calculated destruction of video recordings of torture conducted by its agents, and dovetail with the recent accounts of Dr. James Mitchell, a chief architect of the torture regime, who both wrote a book on EITs and testified in hearings on Guantnamo.
These sources, together with the report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, provide the most completeand compellingaccount to date of Americas torture program in the years after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, the publication states. (Source.)
The report has received widespread media coverage in the corporate...
11:27
The United States of America: Largest Sponsor of State Terrorism in the World Health Impact News
Comments by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News
A new report has been published this past week that details the United States torture program used primarily by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) called enhanced interrogation techniques (EITs) used at Guantanamo Bay and other black sites.
The report contains drawings of Zayn al-Abidin Muhammad Husayn aka Abu Zubaydah, a Saudi Arabian man who was the first prisoner brought to Guantanamo from Pakistan and tortured using EITs.
The CIA and FBI now admit that Mr. Zubaydah was the wrong guy they were after, and allegedly even knew that before they tortured him, but did so anyway so they could develop their torture techniques.
The report was published by Mark Denbeaux, a professor at Seton Hall Law School, and Dr. Jess Ghannam, clinical professor of Psychiatry and Global Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and Mr. Zubaydah himself and his drawings of many of the tortures used in EITs.
You can download the entire report here.
WARNING! THE DRAWINGS ARE EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND HORRIFYING. CHILDREN SHOULD NOT BE PRESENT IF YOU CHOOSE TO READ THE REPORT.
The report notes that Zubaydahs drawings viscerally convey the brutal reality the CIA sought to hide with its calculated destruction of video recordings of torture conducted by its agents, and dovetail with the recent accounts of Dr. James Mitchell, a chief architect of the torture regime, who both wrote a book on EITs and testified in hearings on Guantnamo.
These sources, together with the report of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, provide the most completeand compellingaccount to date of Americas torture program in the years after the Septembe...
10:00
What Causes Water to Move Inside Your Body? Articles
This article was originally published here.
One of the fascinating things about science is that while it is an excellent tool for discerning the nature of reality, it will simultaneously refuse to look at data with implications that challenge the existing scientific orthodoxy. So an unfortunate situation is created where science advances knowledge to a point but then reverses polarities and paradoxically becomes a barrier to that advancement.
An excellent illustration of this dynamic can be seen with water, and as a result, many of its properties are relatively unknown. One of the most important properties is that provided ambient infrared energy is present in the environment and a polar surface exists, water can assume a semi-solid state where it behaves like a liquid crystalline structure.
Since a significant portion of the water within the body is in the liquid crystalline state, the biological consequences of this water, in my eyes, represent a key forgotten side of medicine.
In the first part of this series, I discussed the long lineage of scientists who have studied this semi-solid form of water, followed by listing some of the key properties of this gel-like 4th phase of water and what causes it to form. Since it has been studied by so many, it has many names (e.g., interfacial water or EZ water) and hereafter will be referred to as liquid crystalline water, which I believe is the most accurate description for it.
In the second part of the series, I discussed how water's ability to become a partial solid through its liquid crystalline phase explains many of the structural mysteries of the body. The body and its tissues have a significant strength and durability one would expect to find in a solid, but at the same time, it has a high degree of flexibility and capacity for rapid movement one would expect in a liquid.
Note: The references for the assertions in this section can be found within those two articles.
Because liquid crystalline water is effectively both a solid and liquid, it can accommodate these conflicting demands. An incredible degree of natural engineering, in turn, exists within the body to utilize its properties to accomplish both.
In addition to creating structure (including, for example, the barriers that protect your blood vessels from damage, which also happen to be a vital target of the spike protein's toxicity), the body also frequently makes use of phase transitions between water's liquid crystalline state and its regular liquid state.
The transitions are important because they provid...
Berberine May Ease Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Articles
Editor's Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published April 5, 2018.
Berberine a yellow-colored alkaloid compound found in several different plants, including European barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, Oregon grape and tree turmeric has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, antidiarrheal, antineoplastic, antidiabetic and immune-enhancing1 properties. It has a long history of use in traditional medicine, including traditional Chinese medicine, and many of its historical uses now have scientific backing.
For example, it's effective against a wide range of bacteria, protozoa and fungi, and is commonly used to treat gastrointestinal issues, including traveler's diarrhea and that from food poisoning. Having similar mechanisms of action as the drug metformin, berberine can also be used as an oral hypoglycemic for Type 2 diabetics.
It's helpful against seasonal allergies and even helps combat metastatic stem cells and heart failure. Many integrative health practitioners swear by berberine as a general health supplement due to its ability to address such a wide variety of maladies.2 As noted by Dr. Michael Murray, a naturopath who is regarded as one of the worlds leading authorities on natural medicine:3
" I think [berberine] is poised to be the biggest thing in the natural product industry Here is why: Berberine has been shown to:
- Produce results in clinical trials in improving Type 2 diabetes on par or better than conventional drugs including metformin.
- Improve blood lipid levels better than statins.
- Lower blood pressure in many subjects as well as any class of antihypertensive medication.
- Improve liver function and promote anti-obesity effects.
- Exert significant beneficial effects on digestive health and the microbiome.
- Produce very encouraging experimental data in a wide range of modern health issues including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and others."
What Makes Berberine Such a Powerful Remedy?
Many of berberine's health benefits4 have been linked to its ability to activate adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK).5 AMPK is an enzyme inside your body's cells. It's sometimes referred to as a "metabolic master switch" because it plays an important role in regulating metabolism....
Booming Demand for Obesity Pill to Solve Junk Food Problem Articles
As of 2021, the U.S. obesity rate among adults over the age of 20 was 41.9%.1 Unfortunately, people have been indoctrinated into thinking that magic pills are the answer, opposed to taking a long, hard look at your lifestyle, diet and eating habits.
Wegovy (semaglutide), given as a weekly self-injection, has become so popular that, in early May 2023, Novo Nordisk announced it would cut the supply of starter doses for the U.S. market to safeguard continuity of care for existing patients.2 As reported by CNBC:3
Novo Nordisk reported forecast-beating first-quarter sales Thursday following a spike in demand for its blockbuster weight-loss drug ... [Chief financial officer Karsten Munk] Knudsen said the company was ramping up supply every day, and currently had two contract manufacturers working to boost output, with a third expected to come online in the second half of 2023.
He added that there were further plans to increase production in the coming years. This is also a reflection of a very big market and a very big unmet need for safe and efficacious medication, and thats where Wegovy comes in, being very efficacious and safe for patients [with obesity], he said.
What You Need to Know About Wegovy
Wegovy was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in June 2021 for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes or high cholesterol).4
The drug is indicated for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or greater who have at least one weight-related ailment, or in patients with a BMI of 30 or greater.
According to the FDA, the active ingredient in Wegovy, semaglutide, works by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that targets areas of the brain that regulate appetite and food intake.5
GLP-1, which semaglutide mimicks, also lowers blood sugar and slows the passage of food through your gut.6 Gastrointestinal side effects are so common, the dose must be gradually increased, from 0.25 milligrams to 2.4 mg over the course of 16 to 20 weeks.
In all, safety and efficacy have been studied in four 68-week trials involving a total of 2,600 patients who got the drug and 1,500 who got a placebo. In the largest placebo-controlled trial, nondiabetic patients who received Wegovy lo...
06:43
You Can Spot A Narcissist From This Facial Feature, According To A Study Healthy Holistic Living
Are there any telltale signs of a narcissist beyond glaringly white teeth and an excessive number of selfies on their phone? Recent research suggests that the answer might be right above their eyes in their eyebrows, to be precise.
A study by the University of Toronto, featured in the Journal of Personality, proposes that individuals with distinguished eyebrows are more likely to exhibit traits associated with narcissistic personality.
The term narcissist originates from the ancient Greek tale of Narcissus, a youth who fell hopelessly in love with his own reflection in a pool of water. Generally, individuals with pronounced narcissistic traits rank high on the self-admiration scale. They frequently make positive initial impressions, appearing likable and charismatic, but also demonstrate self-centered and egotistical behavior, often coupled with an inflated sense of their own abilities or looks.
Heres a list of common traits often associated with narcissism:
- Excessive Self-Importance: Narcissists often have an inflated sense of their own importance. They believe they are superior and expect recognition as such, even without commensurate achievements.
- Sense of Entitlement: Narcissists typically feel entitled to special treatment and unquestioning compliance with their expectations.
- Exploitation of Others: Narcissists are often willing to take advantage of others to achieve their own ends. They may disregard the feelings and needs of others.
- Lack of Empathy: Narcissists may struggle to identify with the feelings and needs of others. They might dismiss or disregard the feelings of others as irrelevant or unimportant.
- Envy: Narcissists may either believe others are envious of them, or they themselves may be envious of others.
- Arrogance: Narcissists often display haughty or arrogant behaviors or attitudes. They might come off as conceited, boastful, or pretentious.
- Fantasies of Success and Power: Narcissists often fantasize about unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.
Interestingly, they seem to have remarkable eyebrows too.
Remember, having a few of these traits doesnt necessarily mean someone is a narcissist. Narcissistic Personality Disorder, as diagnosed by professionals, is a severe and pervasive pattern that significantly impacts a persons life, relationships, and functioning.
The research team reached this conclusion by photographing nearly 40 undergraduate students with neutral facial expressions. These students were then subjected to a psychological evaluation known as the Narcissistic Personality Inventory to measure the potency of any narcissistic character...
06:25
New study shows COVID vaccines reduce ICU admissions, deaths Skeptical Raptor
The Skeptical Raptor, stalking pseudoscience in the internet jungle.
A new peer-reviewed Canadian study of hospitalizations provides evidence that COVID vaccines reduce deaths and ICU admissions.
06:22
Do You Get Goosebumps When Youre Listening to Music? You Might Have a Special Brain Healthy Holistic Living
Have you ever had that experience when a really good song is playing and suddenly you break out into goosebumps? One of the most memorable times this has happened to me was when I was walking down the road to my college in my last semester, and I See Fire by Ed Sheeran from the Hobbit came up on my shuffle.
Play this:
Did you feel chills, a lump in your throat, or perhaps a tingling sensation on the back of your neck? Then you might have a more unique brain than you think.Alissa Der Sarkissian, a research assistant at USCs Brain and Creativity Institute, has a unique reaction to the song Nude by Radiohead. She describes the experience as her breathing synchronizing with the melody, her heartbeat slowing, and her consciousness of the song deepening. She can deliberately feel the emotions encapsulated in the music and her physiological responses to those emotions.
Intrigued by these experiences, Matthew Sachs, a former Harvard student now studying psychology and neuroscience at USCs Brain and Creativity Institute, decided to explore why some people get goosebumps from music. Sachs, a colleague of Sarkissian, conducted a study with 20 student participants. Half reported experiencing goosebumps during music listening, while the other half did not. He examined their brain activity, heart rates, and skin conductance while they listened to three songs of their choosing.
Intrigued by these experiences, Matthew Sachs, a former Harvard student now studying psychology and neuroscience at USCs Brain and Creativity Institute, decided to explore why some people get goosebumps from music. Sachs, a colleague of Sarkissian, conducted a study with 20 student participants. Half reported experiencing goosebumps during music listening, while the other half did not. He examined their brain activity, heart rates, and skin conductance while they listened to three songs of their choosing.
From his study, Sachs devised an equation: Pgoosebumps = CF (Sc + Id + Ap). In this equation, CF represents cognitive factors, Sc denotes social and environmental context, Id stands for individual differences, and Ap signifies the acoustic properties of the music. Pgoosebumps represents the likelihood of experiencing goosebumps.
As Sachs explained to Neuroscience magazine, The idea being that more fibers and increased efficiency between two regions mean that you have more efficient processing between them. The full study, published in Oxford Academic, suggests that those who experience goosebumps from music tend to feel emotions more intensely than others. Another factor to consider is the triggering...
05:37
Comments Off When They Go Off Script: Steve Kirsch Exposes Dorit Reiss Age of Autism The Rebel Alliance!
Golly gracious, Steve Kirsch's Substack newsletter has been like
old home week lately. If home was an abandoned shack. First, he
highlighted Orac, ole Dr. David Gorski. And now, he takes on Dorit
Reiss. It's great to see him take them down a peg. Those two
came after us for so many years. We left them behind along with
Kristina Chew (I hope Charlie is doing well), HeraldBlog (the guy
in Milwaukee who had several blogs) Kevin Leitch (I hope his
daughter is doing well, he had a smidgen of humanity from time to
time) and others whose names I've long forgotten. Their mission was
always to discredit us, our work, always on vaccine injury topics.
Looks like Dorit is still at it. If you don't subscribe to Kirsch's Substack, do check it out.
It's free unless you choose to pay.
Epic fail: Dorit Reiss and friends try to discredit Turtles
Dorit Reiss wrote an article trying to takedown "Turtles all the way down." When the comments on her post got way too embarrassing, they simply deleted the comments. This is how science works.
Executive summary
In order to defend the narrative, censorship is required so that people never see the bad material in the first place. When that fails and bad material is published, they write a hit piece full of errors. When those errors are pointed out in the comments section of the article, they jus...
04:59
Vaccine safety and effectiveness are settled science Skeptical Raptor
The Skeptical Raptor, stalking pseudoscience in the internet jungle.
Anti-vaccine activists always want a "debate" about vaccine safety and effectiveness, but it is already settled science based on evidence.
04:18
One Hot Dog Knocks 36 Minutes Off Your Life, Study Claims Healthy Holistic Living
A recent study suggests that eating just one hot dog could reduce your lifespan by 36 minutes. Yes, indulging in a hot dog might be one of lifes simple pleasures, despite its questionable nutritional value. But the numbers are hard to ignore and stem from a comprehensive study published in the Nature Food journal.
In this study, researchers examined the effects of 5,853 foods on both human health and the environment. The analysis reveals that even small changes in your diet can significantly impact both your health and your carbon footprint.
The authors of the study, Olivier Jolliet and Katerina Stylianou, state, Substituting only 10 percent of daily caloric intake of beef and processed meats for a diverse mix of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and select seafood could reduce, on average, the dietary carbon footprint of a U.S. consumer by one-third and add 48 healthy minutes of life per day. They assert that such a significant improvement can be achieved with just a minor dietary alteration.
The researchers calculated the health score using a nutritional index known as the Health Nutritional Index, developed in conjunction with nutritionist and study co-author Victor Fulgoni III. This index uses data from the Global Burden of Disease, a large epidemiological study that compiles over thirty years of data from every country worldwide. The study quantifies various health, lifestyle, and environmental factors, including 15 dietary aspects, and measures the relative harm they cause.
By using this extensive data, the researchers calculated the health impact, either beneficial or detrimental, of thousands of foods in terms of lifespan minutes. A hot dog, for example, was found to reduce your life by 36 minutes, whereas a portion of cucumber could potentially add about ten minutes to your lifespan.
The analysis didnt stop at the health impact. The researchers also accounted for environmental factors using a method called IMPACT World+. This method measures the lifecycle impact of foods, considering aspects like production, processing, preparation, consumption, waste, water use, and pollutions health impact. The team used 18 environmental indicators to assess and rank the different foods.
After combining these two metrics health impact and environmental impact the researchers categorized the foods into three color-coded zones: red, yellow, and green. These categories represent stop (like processed meats with high environmental and nutritional costs), proceed with caution (for example, gummy bears, with low carbon footprints and minimal nutritional impact), and go for it (nuts, fruits, field-grown vegetabl...
04:03
9 Signs That You May Be Unknowingly Living With High Functioning Depression Healthy Holistic Living
The shadow of stigma that surrounds depression and other mental health conditions is subtle yet widespread, often going unnoticed. It persists even when depression is being discussed openly, constraining how we understand and perceive the individuals living with depression and the different forms it can take. As such, certain indicators of high functioning depression may be missed even by those well-versed in mental health matters.
Depression is frequently portrayed as affecting predominantly white, cisgender, heterosexual women, and depicted as an overwhelming, debilitating sorrow that confines sufferers to their beds. This perception fails to acknowledge the existence of high-functioning depression, thus depriving people of the opportunity to identify their condition and seek necessary help.
High functioning depression, also known as persistent depressive disorder (PDD) or dysthymia, is a chronic form of depression, as explained by the Mayo Clinic. Although the symptoms of high functioning depression may be less severe than those of major depressive disorder, WebMD notes that the depression symptoms can persist for a long time, often two years or longer. High functioning depression allows individuals to maintain their daily routines despite enduring feelings of sadness or fatigue. However, it remains a serious condition that requires attention and treatment. Your worth extends beyond your productivity, and you deserve more than just going through the motions. If any of the following signs resonate with you, consider consulting your GP to explore potential treatments.
1 Persistent Feelings of Sadness or Emptiness
Persistent feelings of sadness, emptiness or feeling down are a major symptom of persistent depressive disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic. Its normal not to feel joyous every moment of the day, but if you find that your usual state is one of sadness or numbness, it might be time to book an appointment with your doctor.
2 Disrupted Sleep Patterns
WebMD identifies insomnia or excessive sleep almost every day as another sign of high functioning depression. If youre routinely struggling to sleep or consistently getting 10 hours of sleep yet still feel tired at work, it might indicate a deeper issue that warrants professional advice.
3 Unexplained Physical Pain
If youre experiencing persistent headaches that no amount of painkillers can alleviate, or constant back pain with no discernible cause, it could be a sign of high functioning depression. Talkspace suggests that aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause could be indicative of this condition.
4 Lack of Joy in Previously Enjoyed Activities
Psychologist Suzanne Leckie, in an interview with Womens Health Australia, noted that experiencing less pleasure in usual a...
03:48
Parkinsons Linked With Industrial Solvents in Drinking Water, Study Says Healthy Holistic Living
Parkinsons disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative disorder affecting an estimated 10 million people worldwide, with numbers projected to increase as the global population ages. The disease is characterized by a multitude of symptoms, including resting tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia (slowness of movement), postural instability, and various non-motor symptoms such as sleep disturbances, cognitive impairment, and mood disorders. The precise cause of PD remains unknown, but recent studies have suggested potential environmental triggers.
Trichloroethylene (TCE) is one such environmental factor gaining attention. This industrial solvent, used since the 1920s, is employed in metal degreasing, coffee decaffeination, and dry cleaning of clothes. It is found in many consumer products such as paint removers, adhesive and spot removers, and rug-cleaning fluids. Yet, TCE doesnt stay in these products; it can leach into groundwater and soil due to poor disposal practices and spills, contaminating the environment and our water supplies.
Several studies have linked TCE exposure to a host of health issues including cancer, miscarriages, neural tube defects, congenital heart disease, autoimmune disorders, and notably, Parkinsons disease.
Recent Findings: A Connection Between TCE and Parkinsons
An analysis of data from 158,000 military veterans has highlighted an alarming correlation between TCE exposure and an increased risk of PD. Personnel stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between 1975 and 1985, where drinking water was contaminated with TCE, faced a 70% increased risk of Parkinsons disease compared to those at Camp Pendleton, a large California base with less TCE exposure.
The exposure to TCE occurred when Marines were, on average, 20 years old, with Parkinsons diagnoses surfacing an average of 34 years later. Furthermore, former residents of Camp Lejeune displayed a higher prevalence of early Parkinsons signs such as tremors, suggesting that the disease might still be undiagnosed in some veterans.
This is unquestionably the largest human epidemiological study attributing Parkinsons disease to trichloroethylene, said Samuel Goldman, MD, MPH, from the University of California San Francisco. It validates our presumption that exposure to TCE is a risk determinant for Parkinsons disease.
Goldman further revealed that the study identified 279 individuals from Lejeune diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, a significant number when compared to the approximately 20 cases linked to TCE exposure in previous reports and studies.
Notably, this is the first study to investigate environmental TCE exposures as opposed to workplace-related exposures. This is a critical point since nearly 1 million peo...
03:29
Living with mental illness: The truth about puzzles Chipur
Puzzles: with an unsettled mind they just keep coming. In fact, Ive been working on a couple of toughies for some time. The truth about puzzles when youre living with mental illness? We cant solve em all.
The post Living with mental illness: The truth about puzzles first appeared on Chipur.
Tuesday, 09 May
05:45
Fluoride Exposure and Thyroid, Kidney and Liver Function Fluoride Action Network
Over 200 million people experience fluoride exposure every day. Does it affect the thyroid gland or impact kidney function in adolescents?
According to the CDC, nearly 3/4 of the American population on community water systems have fluoride exposure from their water. Thats more than 200 million people. Growing up ,I remember hearing radio commentators complaining that putting fluoride in the water supply was a Communist plot. Most health professionals maintained that anti-fluoride sentiment was ridiculous and that fluoride was a great public health boon that would protect people from tooth decay. I have never taken a stand on fluoridation, but this reader asks an interesting question about fluoride in the water and thyroid function.
Can Fluoride Exposure Affect the Thyroid?
Q. I have Hashimotos autoimmune hypothyroid disease. I did not feel well taking just Synthroid. When I started taking Unithroid along with a small dose of Cytomel, that worked much better for me.
Most doctors only test the TSH level and then treat that number. Testing free T4 and free T3 is a much better indicator of real thyroid activity.
I have heard that fluoride has a negative effect on the thyroid. Is that true?
A. Fluoride remains a controversial water treatment. On the one hand, dentists promote the use of fluoridated water and toothpaste to prevent tooth decay.
On the other hand, some data link high fluoride exposure to an increased risk for hypothyroidism.
A systematic analysis of 10 studies concluded (Indian Journal of Dental Research, May-June, 2018):
The study has shown a positive correlation between fluoride and hypothyroidism, which is an alarming issue.