About a year ago I got the idea I was going to buy a djembe. I can’t even remember for sure why but I think I was reading Eliade’s book on Shamanism, which round about came after reading neuroscientist Sam Harris’ book Waking Up. I banged on the drum a few times, thought it was … Read more
Dietary restriction stimulates BDNF production in the brain and thereby protects neurons against excitotoxic injury. Duan W, Lee J, Guo Z, Mattson MP. J Mol Neurosci. 2001 Feb;16(1):1-12. [FREE FULL TEXT] AbstractDietary restriction (DR) increases the lifespan of rodents and increases their resistance to several different age-related diseases including cancer and diabetes. Beneficial effects of … Read more
This is one of those papers where the abstract doesn’t quite cut it, and the whole paper was a fascinating read. I got thinking about it after reading my favorite paper on acupuncture, “Acupuncture is Theatrical Placebo” and I have since caught myself using the term “theatrical placebo” on the reg. That got me wondering and … Read more
State anxiety responses to 60 minutes of cross training. Hale BS, Koch KR, Raglin JS. Br J Sports Med. 2002 Apr;36(2):105-7. [free full text] AbstractOBJECTIVES:Significant reductions in state anxiety following bouts of aerobic exercise have been consistently noted, whereas changes are generally absent after acute resistance training. However, the influence of a single exercise session involving … Read more
Optimism. Clin Psychol Rev. 2010 Nov;30(7):879-89. Carver CS, Scheier MF, Segerstrom SC. AbstractOptimism is an individual difference variable that reflects the extent to which people hold generalized favorable expectancies for their future. Higher levels of optimism have been related prospectively to better subjective well-being in times of adversity or difficulty (i.e., controlling for previous well-being). … Read more
Exposure therapy for emetophobia: a case study with three-year follow-up. J Anxiety Disord. 2013 Jun;27(5):527-34. Maack DJ, Deacon BJ, Zhao M. AbstractEmetophobia, also referred to as a specific phobia of vomiting, is a largely under-researched and poorly understood disorder with prevalence estimates of ranging between 1.7 and 3.1% for men and 6 and 7% for … Read more
Twenty-five years with the biopsychosocial model of low back pain-is it time to celebrate? A report from the twelfth international forum for primary care research on low back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013 Nov 15;38(24):2118-23. From the review: “The biopsychosocial model of back pain has become a dominant model in the conceptualization of the … Read more