The ST36 Zusanli acupuncture point is located just below the knee joint. This spot in mice—and it is hoped perhaps in humans—may be a critical entryway to gaining control over the often fatal inflammatory reactions that accompany systemic infections. Sepsis is one such infection. Sepsis arises when the body’s response to an infection damages its […]
Neurosurgeon Ivar Mendez of the University of Saskatchewan often shows a video clip to demonstrate his work treating Parkinson’s disease. It features a middle-aged man with this caption: “Off medications.” The man’s face has the dull stare typical of Parkinson’s. Asked to lift each hand and open and close his fingers, he barely manages. He […]
‘Music soothes the savage beast’ as the old saying goes. Music is an intrinsic part of our lives from the song playing when you had your first kiss, to music you revv yourself up with (or calm yourself down with) before you have a stressful meeting. As many of you are packing up to go […]
The general hypothesis in medicine is that a deficiency of certain neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) at synapses, or tiny gaps, between neurons interferes with the transmission of nerve impulses, causing or contributing to depression. One of these neurotransmitters, serotonin, has attracted the most attention, but many others, including norepinephrine and dopamine, have also been granted supporting […]
In spite of The Netherlands being an equal opportunities and very tolerant nation, the Dutch themselves have a saying about ‘not sticking your head above the cornfield’ because it will get chopped off. In English we talk about ‘sticking our necks out’. In both cases, standing out in some way seems to have definite disadvantages […]
Halos, auras, flashes of light, pins and needles running down your arms, the sudden scent of sulphur—many symptoms of a migraine have vaguely mystical qualities, and experts remain puzzled by the debilitating headaches’ cause. Researchers at Harvard University, however, have come at least one step closer to figuring out why women are twice as likely […]
People often think of love and lust as polar opposites—love as the binder of two souls, lust the transient devil on our shoulders, disturbing and disruptive. Now neuroscientists are discovering that lust and love work together more closely than we think. Indeed, the strongest relationships have elements of both. The divided treatment of love and […]
I have mentioned here before my love of writing and languages. In the last weeks, several articles have caught my attention around not only the healing power of writing but also how our choice of words & metaphors can influence ourselves and others. In the vein of wanting to wish you all manner of good […]
With Christmas and the ‘Festive Season’ rapidly approaching, it seems that every year there is increasingly more focus on the amounts of food we buy, make and consume. In the days leading up to Christmas our local Amsterdam supermarket looks as though there is going to be a famine because people are pilling up their […]
I love it when science catches up with what we ‘know’ from natural medicine. Recently several studies have caught my attention in which ‘treating the mind’ relieves physical symptoms. Gastritis and Anxiety People with gastritis—a blanket term for stomach and intestinal discomfort, including heartburn, nausea and abdominal pain— are nearly twice as likely as […]
Self-esteem, or a person’s overall sense of self-worth, is generally considered to be critical to healthy functioning. Its darker side, however, has been largely overlooked. The quest for greater self-esteem can leave people feeling empty and dissatisfied. Recent research bolsters the case. Even when we achieve goals we anticipate will make us feel good about […]
September brings with it another acamdemic year – a time when the children go back at school, universities start up again, and people go back to work after the summer break. Each year at this time I notice the whiff off ‘wanting to learn’ wafting around in my surroundings. Not just my own curiosity but […]