Long covid, the gut and vagus nerve
This NPR transcript, which you can read below, says that scientists think that there may be some corona virus that remains in the gut causing the “Brain Fog” symptoms of Long Covid. The cause of the brain fog, is a reduction in serotonin. The virus, or pieces of the virus, may be leading to inflammation…
Read MoreNew Explanation for Long Covid
The new theory behind some of the symptoms of Long Covid is that the virus stays in the gut. This article from the New York Times explains that the residual virus tends up depleting seratonin levels. The following quote is important. Peripheral serotonin deficiency impairs cognition via reduced vagal signaling I went to a conference…
Read MoreNobel Prize Goes to Tenacious, Hero for MRNA Covid Vaccine
Incredible and inspiring story of this talented and indomitable scientist. I told her story here. She worked in a borrowed lab, for little pay but was determined the mrna held potential for cloning. She has now won the Nobel Prize!! What a story! So fantastic. Well deserved and bravo!!!
Read MoreEffect of electroacupuncture at ST36 on the cerebral metabolic kinetics of rheumatoid arthritis rats
This animal study looks at the effects of acupuncture on Stomach 36 on brain metabolism in rheumatoid arthritis rats. The electroacupuncture improved the animals’ arthritic symptoms, but also altered their brain metabolic markers especially in the PAG, and hippocampus. Liang F, Du L, Rao X, Li Y, Long W, Tian J, Zhu X, Zou A,…
Read MoreHormesis/preconditioning mechanisms, the nervous system and aging
Organisms face various stressors throughout life, necessitating adaptive responses to prevent disease and death. Environmental factors like dietary restriction, exercise, and cognitive stimulation may enhance health and longevity through a hormesis-like mechanism. This article delves into the hormesis hypothesis for disease resistance and longevity, emphasizing nervous system studies. Arumugam TV, Gleichmann M, Tang SC, Mattson…
Read MoreExtreme Treatments Going Mainstream?
For athletes out there, or those of you who are interested in health and performance hacks, I’m sharing this article from the Wall Street Journal. It covers cold therapy (gloves to lower temperature), infrared light, magnet chairs… I think the cold gloves are probably safe, but I would wait for others to try the infrared…
Read MoreCardiovascular effects of auricular stimulation – and auricular acupuncture
Readers may be aware that I’ve been using transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation in the clinic, usually with heart rate variability monitoring. It can increase vagal “rest-and-digest” activity, lowering anxiety, blood pressure and anxiety and improving mood. It’s also been studied for cardiac effects. The number of studies on auricular stimulation (AS) techniques, including transauricular vagus…
Read MoreHormesis and Anti-Aging
This is a fantastic summary of how hormesis help us throw off “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.” Single or multiple exposure to low doses of otherwise harmful agents, such as irradiation, food limitation, heat stress, hypergravity, reactive oxygen species and other free radicals have a variety of anti-aging and longevity-extending hormetic effects. “Although…
Read MoreVisualization, Vagus Nerve and Spirals
This video makes the parallel between the brain science behind visualization, and how we think about acupuncture can help or hurt out results. Spirals are everywhere in nature. Our bodies incorporate spirals also in all of our feedback loops, which is one of the prime ways that acupuncture works. I have been interested in visualization…
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