Monthly Archives: February 2011

When I went to college, I had originally wanted to study computer science. That plan went out the window when I started spending a lot of time worrying about the end of the world. It was a huge cognitive load that made it difficult to concentrate on math and logic. I started reading a lot about peak oil and pandemic flu. I even put together a web site about bird flu that was praised by some public health officials.

My apocalyptic thoughts ramped up after I read an article on the Discover Magazine site titled 20 Ways the World Could End – later updated to 30 Ways the World Could End in honor of Discover Magazine’s 30th anniversary. Respected scientists like Martin Rees discussed the end of humanity in books like Our Final Hour. Science writer Bill Bryson gleefully contemplated several potentially world-ending events in his book A Short History of Nearly Everything. I thought everyone or nearly everyone on Earth would be dead before I graduated. I even spent some time asking Baby Boomers about how they were able to cope with the constant threat of nuclear attacks during the Cold War, but I didn’t really get any specific answers.

So why are humans still here? We shouldn’t become complacent about existential risks, but it’s also important to try to puzzle out the continued existence of humanity. This post has some possible answers from conventional sources, as well as fringe ideas. I leave it as an exercise for the reader to determine which is which. For a thoroughly science-based alternative to my ideas, I recommend the book Death from the Skies by professional astronomer Dr. Phil Plait.

1. Maybe export controls, intelligence operations, and diplomacy have made it difficult for enemies to acquire and/or use potentially world-destroying technology.

2. Maybe truly apocalyptic technology doesn’t exist yet. Several years ago I read that it would be possible for a biology graduate student to build a lab for $10,000 that could develop treatment-resistant strains of smallpox. I’m wondering if those fears were overstated. (Though I recently read a similar claim in the book Physics for Future Presidents by Dr. Richard Muller which said a person with graduate-level knowledge of biology could create effective biological weapons.)

3. Maybe the Earth and its people are resilient. Billions of years of evolution have developed ways of allowing mammals to fight viruses and helping ecosystems survive.

4. Humans have only existed for a relatively short period of time in galactic terms. We haven’t encountered many world-changing cosmic events aside from a few impacts like the Tunguska explosion.

5. Maybe the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics is true. If that’s the case, we could be lucky enough to live in a universe where humans still exist.

6. Maybe extraterrestrials are protecting us. Robert Hastings served in the Air Force and claims that UFOs have the power to disable nuclear sites. He put together a press conference featuring former military officers with similar claims.

7. Maybe we live in a simulation. Some scientists actually take the Simulation Argument seriously. They aren’t claiming that it’s the definitive explanation for how the universe operates, but they think it’s worthy of discussion. Maybe the operator(s) of the simulation want to keep humanity around.

8. Maybe we live in a designed universe. Professor John Gribbin wrote an article titled Are We Living in a Designer Universe? If the universe was designed in a lab, maybe whoever built it decided to ensure the survival of Earth and humanity.

9. Maybe the universe exists because humanity exists. People like Dr. Robert Lanza and physicist John Wheeler (with his idea of the participatory universe) indicate that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe and is required to bring reality into being.

10. Maybe angels are protecting us. Dr. Raymond Moody wrote the book Life After Life, which introduced the concept of the near-death experience to a much wider audience. In the book, several people who had near death experiences claim that beings in the afterlife are working to protect the Earth from nuclear war. Dr. Rick Strassman’s book The Spirit Molecule theorizes that stimulation of the pineal gland allows people to come into contact with beings from another dimension who have an interest in helping humanity.

Some to cope with apocalyptic fears:

Worrying about the end of the world is probably on the spectrum with other anxiety disorders that involve intrusive thoughts. Existential anxiety shares similarities with generalized anxiety disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. Apocalyptic worries may be related to deficiencies in the brain’s serotonin system. In that case, SSRI’s or natural alternatives like 5-HTP may be helpful. If excessive religiosity is involved – such as constant fundamentalist thoughts that don’t match reality – then it may indicate a temporal lobe problem. In cases like those, anticonvulsant medication may be helpful.

Updated 12/26/2011

Lindsay Lohan has been in the news recently (isn’t she always in the news?) for allegedly stealing a necklace from a jewelry store. Since news about her keeps popping up on my radar, I started thinking that her life provides an important lens with which to examine a variety of scientific topics.

Therefore I decided to write about how Lindsay Lohan’s escapades relate to scientific findings in neuroscience and addiction. It’s important to remember that I’m not an expert and this isn’t the last word on Lindsay Lohan’s brain. The papers linked in this post don’t represent a complete literature review. There are still plenty of uncertainties surrounding these research topics. I’m sure this material will provide plenty of resources for both her detractors and supporters.

Genetics:

Genes are incredibly important to our knowledge of human life. Even though the major promises of the Human Genome Project have yet to be fulfilled, as Craig Venter makes clear in this interview, genetics is still an exciting field with plenty of promise for mapping the human condition. Even without sophisticated diagnostic equipment, it’s easy to see heredity in action. When examining a baby, many people have said something along the lines of “He has his father’s eyes!”

Since physical characteristics are heritable, it makes sense that behavior would also have heritable properties. The phenomenon of assortative mating strengthens this association even more. Studies of families display assortative mating in action. This is the tendency for people with similar personality characteristics to have children with each other. People with depression mate with other depressed individuals; people with bipolar disorder mate with others who have bipolar tendencies. Studies of identical twins like the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart have found twins separated at birth and raised separately sometimes have very similar preferences and behaviors.

The exciting field of personality genetics explores the genes and SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) associated with personality characteristics. Lindsay Lohan’s parents, Michael and Dina Lohan, display impulsive and exhibitionistic traits. It’s interesting to think about the effect these genes had on their daughter Lindsay.

Some recent papers describe the association between genes and impulsiveness in human subjects, leading to these findings:

• Gene polymorphisms are associated with impulsiveness. (PMID: 20431430)

• Polymorphisms of the HTRA1 gene are involved in impulsivity. (PMID: 19725031)

• Personality disorders are somewhat heritable. (PMID: 20373672)

• Genetic variability in the dopamine receptor D2 is linked to impulsivity. (PMID: 19968402)

Neuroanatomy and Neurochemistry:

Neurobiology is hugely important to understanding human life. Everything that happens in human life is connected to the brain. Many people like to think they’re totally in control of their lives and behaviors, but many thoughts are bubbling beneath the surface of conscious awareness. In an essay in his book Monkeyluv, professor Robert Sapolsky describes the brain making excuses for emotions and autonomic bodily responses after the fact.

The prefrontal cortex is incredibly significant when it comes to making decisions. People with PFC damage can have problems with violence and impulsive behavior. Alcohol use disorders can reduce the volume of the prefrontal cortex, especially in adolescent girls. High profile cases of crime and depression in professional football players demonstrate the importance of keeping the brain in a healthy state.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that usually gets implicated when discussing impulsive behavior. People with elevated levels of dopamine as a result of heredity or drug use are more prone to acting out. Medications that increase dopamine in the brain can lead to addictive behaviors. People taking dopamine agonists for Parkinson’s disease can get addicted to gambling, sex, food, and alcohol.

• The ventrolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in inhibiting impulsivity. (PMID: 20542670)

• The dopamine network is involved in impulsiveness. (PMID: 20671181)

Birth Order:

In Harvard professor Michael Sandel’s class on ethics (videos of the class were aired on PBS a couple years ago), he shows that 80% of students in the class are firstborn children. The same pattern tends to repeat each year, with the explanation being that firstborn children tend to be high achievers. Birth order is still a controversial topic. One interesting book on the subject is Born to Rebel by Dr. Frank Sulloway.

Lindsay Lohan is a firstborn and has three younger siblings. She became a child model at age three. Did her firstborn status increase the amount of time and energy her parents decided to invest in her? My take on birth order is that it may be useful in some cases, but it’s far less accurate than neuroanatomy and neurochemistry for determining personality. One study failed to find evidence between birth order and personality.

Addiction:

Like other high-profile celebrities, Lohan has had highly publicized experiences with drug use and alcohol addiction. The research of Dr. Nora Volkow is very helpful when it comes to understanding the neurobiology of addiction. Dr. Volkow is director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Ideas like “willpower” and “free will” are imprecise terms. It’s much more helpful to examine the brains of people who struggle with addiction.

Rapid detox centers exist for treating opiate addiction and are described in this excellent Wired Magazine article:

• Instant Detox

There are also medications to help reduce alcohol dependence, but scientists are still searching for more effective treatments. Supplements like B vitamins, L-glutamine, chromium, and magnesium can also be helpful in reducing alcohol cravings. An article from Discover Magazine also describes some promising areas of research in using psychedelics to treat addiction.

Sexual Fluidity:

Like other starlets, Lindsay Lohan has had a string of boyfriends. Her personal life is much more nuanced than other Hollywood stars. She received plenty of attention for her relationship with another woman – Samantha Ronson. It’s important to emphasize that this isn’t just a case of feigning bisexual traits for popularity. Many women, even those who identify as heterosexual, speak of themselves as being attracted to specific people rather than certain genders.

This sexual flexibility among women is actually more common than people think. In experiments, most heterosexual men are only aroused by women, but many straight women are often aroused by people of both genders. The foremost authority on this subject is the professor Lisa Diamond.

Narcissism:

Narcissism is a hot topic in psychology. Researchers like Dr. Jean Twenge claim rates of narcissism are rising among people of younger generations. This increase in narcissistic traits probably results from:

• The confusing alternation between intrusive and dismissive parenting styles

• Shocking media coverage and information overload that combine to reduce empathy

• Consumerism that encourages instant gratification

• Celebrity culture that worships fame and encourages everyone to be the hero of his or her own story

Other researchers disagree. The DSM-V committee is even contemplating the removal of narcissism from the newest diagnostic manual. However, there are neural correlates in narcissistic patients that involve deficiencies in processing emotion. Especially relevant to this post is a book by Dr. Drew Pinsky titled The Mirror Effect. He discovered clinical levels of narcissistic personality disorder among many celebrities.

Neurolaw:

The idea that people may not necessarily be completely responsible for their actions may start transforming the legal system in many ways. The law is struggling to incorporate scientific findings. If a person has damage to the orbitofrontal cortex from child abuse, is he or she responsible for violent outbursts? If an individual has a malfunctioning dopamine system, is he or she responsible for a lack of control?  It’s important to protect society from people with malfunctioning brains, but it’s also important to make sure rehabilitation goes beyond putting them in jail and hoping they feel sorry for their actions.

The Law and Neuroscience Project is leading efforts to bring scientific findings about the brain into the legal system. The Initiative on Neuroscience and the Law at Baylor College of Medicine is another major project to improve issues relating to punishment and rehabilitation.

Altruism:

This post isn’t meant to attack Lindsay Lohan. No human being is completely perfect or totally irredeemable. If anything, researching this post has given me greater compassion for people with brain abnormalities, even celebrities. Lohan often receives news coverage for her DUIs and party lifestyle, but there’s another side to her. She also demonstrates altruistic behavior. Linday Lohan has given to charity, raised funds for Haiti relief, and fought against human trafficking. Even though she committed crimes, she also made efforts to help others.

The brain is involved in everything we do, and altruism is no different:

• Genes influence the ability to empathize with others. (PMID: 21289535)

• There is a neural basis for empathy and altruism. (PMID: 20302945)

• Social values have a neural basis. (PMID: 18502730)

• Cooperativeness has a neuroanatomical basis, especially in women. (PMID: 18234682)

• Giving to others leads to positive emotion. (PMID: 17569866)

• Fronto-mesolimbic networks are involved in making decisions about charitable giving. (PMID: 17030808)

Tim Ferriss’ book The 4-Hour Body has rapidly become one of the best-selling and best-reviewed health books in history. Ferriss deserves this achievement, as he’s done a huge amount of work to bring useful and effective health information to a large number of people. What impressed me even more is that he received accolades from major figures in medicine. Doctor Oz said that his research team validated nearly all of the information in the book. Science writer and well-known skeptic Dr. Ben Goldacre contributed a chapter to the book’s appendix.

The book is my favorite type of book – a grab bag of hundreds of actionable tips. With such a book, there are areas that will interest some people more than others. In my case, I was most interested in the sections on nutrition, fitness, sex, sleep, and medicine. Those are the sections I’ll focus on in this post. Other people may be more interested in the parts about improving performance in specific sports, trying out polyphasic sleep, or becoming as extreme as David Blaine.

Here we go:

Introductory Material:

• Bodybuilders are often on the cutting edge of science and medicine.

• Use the Pareto principle to increase effectiveness in fitness and in life.

• Richard Branson says that working out is the most important step to becoming more productive.

• It’s important to identify the minimum effective dose – the smallest dose that will produce a desired outcome.

• Be mindful of the difference between correlation and causation.

Fat Loss Introduction:

• The three best methods for estimating percentage of bodyfat are DEXA, BodPod, and Ultrasound (BodyMetrix).

• Four ways to change behavior:

1. Make it conscious (be aware of it in real time)

2. Make it a game

3. Make it competitive

4. Make it a small and temporary change

The Slow Carb Diet:

1. Avoid flour, sugar, grains, and fried food with breading.

2. Eat the same few meals over and over again, mixing and matching from three groups of food – proteins, legumes, and vegetables.

3. Don’t drink calories. Drink only water and unsweetened tea & coffee, and maybe red wine.

4. Don’t eat fruit. Fruit includes fructose, which increases triglyceride levels and fat storage.

5. Take one day off per week. Dramatically increasing caloric intake once per week keeps the body’s metabolic rate from downshifting.

• Potassium, magnesium, and calcium are good supplements to take. 500 mg of magnesium taken before bedtime will improve sleep.

• If not eating legumes, eat extra protein and vegetables.

• Spices add variety to the repetitive meal plan.

• If you get symptoms of low blood sugar, eat another slow-carb meal.

• Eating eggs leads to more fat-loss and increased basal metabolism.

• Eat breakfast within one hour of waking, preferably within 30 minutes.

• Get at least 20 grams of protein per meal.

• Be sure to drink enough water.

• If you don’t have much time to cook, start off by getting canned and frozen food.

• Stop eating nuts if fat-loss plateaus.

• Artificial and natural sweeteners can cause fat-loss to plateau. Spices and extracts like cinnamon and vanilla are better.

Preventing Damage on Cheat Days:

• Minimize the release of insulin:

1. Eat a meal high in protein and high in fiber for the first meal of the binge day.

2. Eat a small amount of fructose (like grapefruit juice) to cause blood glucose to flatline.

3. Use supplements like PAGG (policosanol, alpha-lipoic acid, green tea flavanols, and garlic extract) to increase insulin sensitivity.

4. Drink citrus juices.

• Use caffeine and yerba mate tea to increase the speed of gastric emptying.

• Engage in brief muscular contractions (air squats, wall presses, and chest pulls) throughout the binge day.

• The medicinal plant cissus quadrangularis reduces fat and increases muscle.

• Balancing gut bacteria increases the rate of fat loss. Some steps to improve the gut microbiome:

1. Stop using artificial sweeteners.

2. Eat fermented foods.

3. Take probiotic and prebiotic supplements (Sedona Labs iFlora and inulin).

The Four Horseman of Fat-Loss:

• The PAGG fat-loss supplement combo is made up of Policosanol (20 to 25 mg), Alpha-lipoic acid (100 mg), Green tea flavanols (325 mg), and Garlic extract (200 mg).

• The timing involves: AGG prior to breakfast, AGG prior to lunch, AGG prior to dinner, and PAGG prior to bed.

• Take one day off each week and one week off every two months.

• Take a B-complex vitamin supplement while using the PAGG supplements.

Mastering Temperature to Manipulate Weight:

• Place an ice pack on the back of your neck to stimulate brown adipose tissue to burn fat.

• Cold showers lead to fat loss, increased lean muscle gain, immune system improvements, and improved mood.

• Cayenne increases thermogenic effects.

The Glucose Switch:

• Have a protein shake about an hour before working out and then a large meal immediately after a workout.

• Eat good fats (like nuts) as an appetizer before an entree to reduce the glycemic response.

• Lemon juice lowers blood sugar peaks by 10%.

• Saigon cinnamon and Cassia cinnamon lower blood glucose, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Only use one and a half teaspoons per day.

• Eat slowly and chew more to keep blood sugar levels stable.

Building the Perfect Posterior (Or Losing 100+ Pounds):

• Exercises to lose fat and improve toning: glute activation raises, flying dog (arm and leg extensions), kettlebell swings

• The kettlebell swing also improves posture.

Six-Minute Abs:

• One movement to improve abs is stretching and bending backwards while lying on a BOSU ball.

• Another ab improvement method involves kneeling on all fours, forcefully exhaling, and pulling your belly button upwards toward your spin for 8 to 12 seconds – then inhaling and repeating for a total of 10 repetitions.

• The bicycle crunch is the most effective form of crunch.

Gaining Muscle:

• Supplements used to put on 34 lbs of muscle in less than a month in two 30-minute workouts per week (exact doses and schedule are in the book): NO-Xplode, Slo-Niacin, ChromeMate, alpha-lipoic acid, BodyQUICK, Micellean, policosanol

• Exercises:

1. Perform one set to failure for each exercise and take three minutes of rest between exercises.

2. Perform every rep with five seconds up and five seconds down.

3. Focus on two to ten exercises per workout (including at least one multi-joint exercise).

4. Increase recovery time.

• Bodybuilder Casey Viator gained 63 lbs of muscle in 28 days by using negative-only sets and supersets to the point of failure. He also ate six to eight meals per day.

• Keep shoulder blades back to reduce the risk of injury in exercises.

• Increase the weight by 10 lbs if you can complete the minimal number of reps for all exercises (except for the ab exercises and kettlebell swing).

• Attempt to move the weight even beyond the point where you think you’ve hit failure.

• Don’t pause at the top or bottom of any movements (except the bench press).

(The book also has detailed advice on performing specific resistance exercises.)

• Take two to four days off between workouts.

• Take seven days off after training that causes significant muscular damage.

• If not gaining enough muscle, drink up to four liters of a milk a day.

• L-glutamine is useful for tissue repair and intestinal repair.

• Creatine monohydrate is a supplement that improves muscle strength and protein synthesis.

• Three exercises to build biceps are the two-handed kettlebell swing, the “Yates” bent row, and the reverse drag curl.

The 15-Minute Female Orgasm:

• The most sensitive part of the clitoris is the upper-left-hand quadrant (as seen from the woman’s perspective lying down).

• Women are sometimes self-conscious during sex, but they need to know how beautiful and exciting they are in the state of orgasm, according to sex researcher Nina Hartley.

• A book for helping women become orgasmic is I Love Female Orgasm.

• A sexual position that increases the probability of female pleasure is the improved-angle missionary position. This involves keeping the woman’s hips elevated on a firm buckwheat pillow. Another option is the improved-pressure cowgirl position, which involves the man leaning back about 20 degrees on a bed against a wall, or on an armless chair.

• Some approaches to experiencing extended orgasms were developed by Drs. Steve and Vera Bodansky.

• The 15-Minute orgasm is based on teachings developed by OneTaste. The whole process is kind of hard to explain in a blog post, but the book has lots of helpful illustrations.

Increasing Testosterone:

• Supplements for increasing testosterone include:

1. fermented cod liver oil and vitamin-rich butter fat (2 capsules upon waking and before bed)

2. Vitamin D3 (3,000 to 5,000 IU upon waking and before bed) until you reach blood levels of 55 ng/mL

3. Brazil nuts (3 nuts upon waking and 3 nuts before bed – if you’re deficient in selenium)

• Short ice baths or cold showers taken when waking up or before bed are also helpful.

• Short-term testosterone boost:

1. Eat 800 mg of cholesterol (four whole eggs or a steak) the night before you want to have incredible sex.

2. Four hours prior to sex – eat 4 brazil nuts, 20 raw almonds, and 2 capsules of the fermented cod/butter combination.

• Cell phones decrease testosterone and impair sperm function.

Engineering the Perfect Night’s Sleep:

• The Zeo is a helpful device for optimizing sleep.

• Use a single bedsheet at a room temperature between 67 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep.

• Eat a large fat- and protein-dominated meal within three hours of bedtime.

• California poppy extract can increase the percentage of time spent in deep-wave sleep (the best kind of sleep).

• Use a blue light emitter in the morning.

• Use iso-lateral resistance training.

• Take a cold bath one hour prior to bed.

• Try taking melatonin at bedtime.

• The NightWave Sleep Assistant can help reduce the time it takes to fall asleep.

Reversing Injuries:

(There are pictures and extensive step-by-step instructions for many of the following techniques in the book):

• Wear Vibram Five Fingers or Terra Plana Barefoot Vivo shoes to fix lower back pain.

• Use the Egoscue method to heal cervical/neck and mid-back injuries.

• The Advanced Muscle Integration Technique (as practiced the ChiroMAT office) can be used to repair muscles.

• Active-Release Technique is another method for muscle repair. It has been used successfully by UFC fighters.

• Prolotherapy is a technique that temporarily increases inflammation in order to stimulate tissue repair.

• Biopuncture involves injections of Traumeel, zdeel, and lymphomyosot to improve recovery time from injuries.

Preventing Injuries:

• These exercises are the most effective at preventing injuries according to NFL training specialist Gray Cook:

1. chop and lift

2. Turkish get-up

3. two-arm single-leg deadlift

4. cross-body one-arm single-leg deadlift

Life Extension Techniques:

• creatine monohydrate

• intermittent fasting and protein cycling

• donating blood to reduce excess levels of iron that build up in males

Separating Good Science from Bad Science:

• Focus on absolute changes rather than relative increases or decreases that are expressed as percentages.

• Ignore observational studies and instead pay attention to the results of randomized and controlled experiments.

• Be skeptical of studies that rely on self-reporting or surveys.

• Beware of studies where the funders have a vested interest in a certain outcome.

Be safe when it comes to hormones. They can have powerful effects. Using hormones needs the advice of an expert physician.

Hormones and Glandulars

DHEA:

• improves overall physical and psychological well-being

• revives energy levels

• improves immune function

• fights autoimmune diseases

• may fight cancer (except prostate cancer)

• thwarts blood clot formation and encourages blood vessels to relax

• rejuvenates sex drive in both men and women

Pregnenolone:

• reduces pain and swelling in rheumatoid arthritis

• treatment for arthritis, multiple sclerosis, asthma, and lupus

• relieves depression

• treatment for estrogen-related health problems (breast caner, uterine fibroids, and fibrocystic breast disease)

Melatonin:

• improves sleep patterns

• may prevent certain cancers

• may prevent cluster headaches

Glandular Extracts (Protomorphogens):

• thymus extract can augment immune function and be used in treating recurrent infections, yeast overgrowth, cancer, and AIDS

• adrenal extracts could increase energy and alertness

Multipurpose Herbs

Ginkgo Biloba:

• facilitates blood flow, especially to the brain

• helps ease the numbness and pain of intermittent claudication

Ginseng:

• siberian ginseng strengthens the immune system

• siberian ginseng stabilizes blood sugar

• panax ginseng provides mental and physical stamina

Cat’s Claw:

• treats digestive problems, ulcers, arthritis, and inflammatory ailments

• lowers blood pressure and cholesterol

• may enhance the immune system and inhibit cancer

Aloe Vera:

• helps heal wounds

• may improve the immune system

Licorice (Glycyrrhizin):

• treats rheumatoid arthritis, allergies, bronchial disorders, viruses, mouth sores, chronic fatigue, blood sugar imbalances, and skin afflictions

• reduces coughs

• may prevent HIV from developing into AIDS

• inhibits the growth of viruses such as hepatitis B and Epstein-Barr

Garlic:

• boosts immune function

• lowers high blood sugar

• reduces the risk of heart disease

Ginger:

• prevents blood from clotting

• strengthens heart functioning

• acts as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat rheumatoid arthritis

• counteracts motion sickness and dizziness

Turmeric:

• reduces the cancerous threat of cigarette smoke

• topical treatment improves the treatment of skin cancer

• fights inflammatory ailments such as arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and asthma

• improves digestion

• inhibits the HIV virus

• reverses precancerous mouth lesions

Immune-Enhancing Herbs

Medicinal Mushrooms:

• intravenous lentinan can fight cancer

• reishi increases overall well-being, treats allergies, controls blood clotting, controls high blood pressure, and has antitumor properties

• maitake mushrooms may prevent the spread of malignant tumors

• PSK extends the survival rate of cancer patients

Mistletoe:

• injections of mistletoe strengthen the immune system and reduce the extent of cancer

Astragalus:

• improves the immune system by raising natural killer cell activity

Pau D’Arco:

• has anticancer properties

Infection Fighters

Echinacea:

• prevents and treats upper respiratory infections and vaginal yeast infections

Goldenseal:

• works against urinary, respiratory, and sinus infections

• works well against forms of infectious diarrhea

• elevates white blood cell numbers

• lowers blood sugar and blood pressure

• helps control disturbances in heart rhythm

Olive Leaf:

• provides some relief for the following microbial ailments: pneumonia, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, influenza, viral encephalitis, viral meningitis, hepatitis B, shingles, herpes, and Epstein-Barr

• treatment for urinary infections, surgical infections, and any sort of bacterial infection

Oil of Oregano:

• fights infections

Tea Tree Oil:

• treatment for acne, fungal infections, athlete’s foot, and cold sores

Cardiovascular Herbs

Hawthorn:

• reduces heart disease and chest pains

Coleus Forskohlii:

• lowers blood pressure

• increases the heart’s strength

• relieves congestive heart failure

• relieves asthma

Bromelain:

• minimizes blood clotting

• promotes healing in injured muscles and joints

• relieves discomfort from asthma, arthritis, colitis, and inflammatory bowel disorders

Capsaicin:

• cuts cholesterol

• lowers high blood pressure

• thins the blood

• helps fight fatigue

• provides topical pain relief

• eases symptoms of arthritis, shingles, psoriasis, asthma, incontinence, and inflammatory bowel disease

• relieves pain from diabetic neuropathy and fibromyalgia

• dampens toothache pain

• relieves cluster headache

• clears up vulvar vestibululitis

Guggulipid:

• lowers triglyceride levels

• protects against blood clots

Cactus (Night-Blooming Cereus):

• strengthens the heart muscle

• useful in treating cardiac rhythm disorders and mitral valve prolapse

(It’s therapeutic, not preventive, so only diagnosed heart patients should use it.)

Metabolic Herbs

Milk Thistle:

• decreases the amount of insulin needed in people with liver cirrhosis due to diabetes

• reduces the death rate from cirrhosis

• improves the outcome of hepatitis treatments

Fenugreek:

• reduces high blood fats and blood sugar in people with Type I and Type II diabetes

Gymnema Sylvestre:

• may reduce the amount of insulin needed in Type I diabetes

• may decrease the dosage requirements of oral glucose drugs in Type II diabetes

Herbs for Men

Saw Palmetto (Serenoa Repens):

• treatment for benign prostate enlargement

Pygeum Africanum:

• improves prostate health

• relieves urinary problems

Herbs for Women

Black Cohosh:

• alleviates menstrual cramps

• alleviates menopausal problems such as hot flashes and night sweats

• causes relief from muscle pains in fibromyalgia

Vitex (Vitex Agnus Castus):

• reduces premenstrual tension and symptoms of menopause

Brain Stimulants

St.-John’s-Wort (Hypericum):

• improves mood in depressed patients

• fights viruses such as influenza and Epstein-Barr

Gotu Kola:

• energizes the brain

• accelerates wound healing

• improves cellulite

• treats varicose veins and phlebitis

Mental Relaxants

Kava:

• reduces anxiety without causing drowsiness

• enhances the ability to think

• elevates moods

Valerian:

• helps people fall asleep

• relieves acute viral gastroenteritis infections

Single-Purpose Herbs

Cranberry:

• treats urinary tract infections and bladder infections

Feverfew:

• may reduce migraines

Bilberry:

• treatment for retinal problems

• treatment for nearsightedness

• limit calcium deposits inside arteries

• help dilate blood vessels

• relieve circulatory-caused leg swelling and numbness

• diminish varicose veins and postpartum hemorrhoids

• cools inflamed joints and may help to prevent deterioration of joint collagen

Amino Acids

Arginine:

• improve blood flow and improves circulation-related conditions like coronary heart disease with angina, intermittent claudication, and high blood pressure

• preserves lean muscle tissue

• improves immune function

• improves erectile function

• increases sperm counts

• restores protein balance in burn victims

• speeds healing of wounds, fractures, and diabetes-related foot ulcers

• inhibits loss of bone

Glutamine:

• maintains the structural integrity of the intestines

• improves recovery from surgery

• a treatment for AIDS

• a treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome

• can inhibit fatty buildups inside the liver and aid treatment of cirrhosis

• can curb cravings for alcohol and sugar

• improves recovery from exercise

Lysine:

• prevents bone loss

• holds back active symptoms of herpes

• improves the immune system

• helps prevent cataracts in diabetics

• helps reverse heart disease

Phenylalanine:

• produces an almost immediate improvement in mood in people with depression

• helps deal with caffeine withdrawal

• alleviates arthritis aches, back pain, and menstrual cramps

• promotes skin repigmentation to diminish blotches caused by vitiligo

Tyrosine:

• improves mood

• useful for treating other illnesses associated with brain chemistry imbalances such as ADHD, Parkinson’s disease, hypothyroidism, and withdrawal from cocaine addiction

GABA (Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid):

• a natural relaxant and tranquilizer

• reduces depressive feelings

• useful in seizure control

• improves speech and restore memory loss in people who have had a stroke

• decreases high blood sugar

• reduces blood pressure

• improves heart function

Methionine:

• SAMe alleviates depression

• improves liver function by fighting hepatitis and cirrhosis, and even reversing liver failure

• decreases pain and increases joint healing in osteoarthritis

• decreases limb rigidity and tremors in Parkinson’s disease

• has anti-inflammatory benefits for fibromyalgia patients

Glutathione and N-Acetyl Cysteine:

• glutathione suppresses the AIDS virus

• NAC is useful for detoxification and treating liver failure in acetaminophen poisoning

• NAC prevents heart disease and may also be useful in treating congestive heart failure

• NAC improves breathing

• NAC helps prevent and reverse hair loss in women

Taurine:

• reduces tissue swelling and fluid accumulation

• strengthens the heart muscle

• eliminates seizures

• improves vision in people with macular degeneration

• improves he immune system

• stabilizes blood sugar in Type I and Type II diabetes

• improves fat metabolism

• protects against respiratory hazards

Valine, Leucine, Isoleucine (Branched-Chain Amino Acids):

• preserve muscle tissue in wasting diseases

Tryptophan:

• improves sleep

• useful against mood disorders such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, premenstrual anxiety, and seasonal affective disorder

• may be helpful in treating eating disorders, alcohol addiction, Down’s syndrome, aggressive behavior, ADHD, schizophrenia, sleep paralysis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and pain syndrome

Carnitine:

• reduces heart disease

• improves energy

• prevents muscle loss in cancer and AIDS

• helps protect children against Reyes syndrome

• improves thyroid function

• improves metabolism

Acetyl L-Carnitine:

• accelerates recovery from stroke

• improves symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and reverses the imbalances of brain chemistry in the disorder

• alleviates fatigue and brain fog

Fatty Acids

Fish Oil:
• prevents the formation of clots that could cause a heart attack

• prevents and controls cardiac arrhythmias

• lowers the number of angina attacks

• cuts the risk of sudden cardiac death in half

• lowers blood pressure

• diminishes the triglyceride levels in diabetics

• maintains arterial flexibility

• inhibits cancer and treats established cancer

• treats inflammatory joint diseases

• treats autoimmune disorders

• reduces the damage of colitis and Chron’s disease

• reduces symptoms of skin disorders

• relaxes the lungs and helps them work better

• improves kidney function

• reduces symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome

• important in treating depression and mood disorders

• DHA taken alone may reduce schizophrenia symptoms

Flaxseed Oil:

• protects the cardiovascular system by deterring the clotting tendency of platelets, lowering cholesterol, and reducing blood pressure

• flaxmeal includes cancer-opposing compounds called lignans

Gamma-Linolenic Acid:

• used to treat immune system problems like chronic fatigue syndrome

• reduces cholesterol levels

• large amounts triple life expectancy for people with pancreatic cancer

• reduces stiffness in arthritis

• slows the progression of multiple sclerosis

• treatment for PMS

• stops the progression of nerve damage in diabetes

• improves the condition of skin and nails

• reduces dryness

• may improve weight loss

Fat-Based Nutrition

Medium-Chain Triglycerides:

• increases energy

• improves fat loss

• helps deprive cancer cells of nourishment

• part of nutritional therapies for digestive disorders

Squalene:

• improves heart function

• lowers triglycerides

• has anticancer properties

• improves immune system strength

• keeps skin smooth and supple

Glycerol Monolaurate:

• attacks infectious diseases

• reduces the rate of heart disease

Alkylglycerols:

• improves the effectiveness of radiation treatments or chemotherapy

Cetyl Myristoleate:

• treatment for arthritis

Digestive Aids

Fiber:

• helps control blood sugar

• helps control cholesterol and triglyceride levels

• pectin helps heal people who were exposed to radiation

• modified citrus pectin helps prevent the spread of cancer

Beneficial Bacteria:

• strengthens the immune system

• inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria

• helps with overcoming diarrhea and other bowel disorders

• slows the growth of cancers

• helps treat joint disorders

• reduces brain dysfunction

Digestive Aids:

• betaine-HCl can improve digestion and increase the absorption of minerals (but only use it with a doctor’s supervision)

• pancreatic enzymes can improve digestion

• the fungal enzyme aspergillus oryzae corrects the leaky gut phenomenon and helps dissolve clots in blood vessels

Fructooligosaccharides:

• helps lower high blood sugar

• helps prevent cavities

• can alleviate constipation and diarrhea

• can relieve ulcer symptoms

Charcoal:

• absorbs poison and useful in treating drug overdoses (but still go to the emergency room just in case)

Nutrient-Dense Superfoods

Barley and Wheat Grass Juice:

• protect cells from becoming cancerous

• improve the immune system

Chlorella:

• helps the body eliminate toxic metals

• promotes healing of the gastrointestinal tract

Spirulina:

• stimulates immune function

• helps manage cancer

Bee Products:

• bee pollen contains natural antibiotic compounds

• bee pollen helps strengthen capillaries, treat glaucoma, and ward off prostate disease

• bee propolis fights parasites, fungal infections, viruses, and upper respiratory infections

• topical bee propolis helps wounds heal, fights periodontal disease, and reduces the size of tumors

• royal jelly improves energy, supports the immune system, kills bacteria, fights cancer, and increases nutrient absorption

Vita-Nutrients with Unique Roles

Coenzyme Q10 (Ubiquinone):

• reverses damage to the heart

• lowers high blood pressure

• reduces high blood sugar

• increases weight loss

• prolongs lifespan of people with cancer

• reduces fatigue

• also used to treat dementia, tinnitus, Meniere’s disease, Bell’s palsy, deafness, muscular dystrophy, Huntington’s disease, ulcers, low sperm count, periodontal disease, and chronic fatigue syndrome

Lipoic Acid:

• treatment for diabetic neuropathy

• enhances memory and cognitive function

• inhibits HIV replication

• protects the liver

Phosphatidyl Serine:

• reverses age-related mental decline

• reduces the production of stress hormones

• treatment for seasonal depression

• increases brain activity in Parkinson’s patients

DMSO:

• promotes wound healing

• used to treat autoimmune diseases

• provides pain relief

• treats duodenal ulcers

• treats scleroderma

• relieves interstitial cystitis

• improves sight in macular degeneration patients

• dissolves hemorrhoids

• treatment for sprained ankles

Calcium AEP (Colamine Phosphate):

• treatment for autoimmune disorders

• reverses Type I diabetes if treated early enough

• may prevent cancer

Creatine:

• enhances athletic performance

• reduces disturbances to the heart’s rhythm

Octacosanol:

• tube feedings help people emerge from comas

• increases energy

Gamma-Oryzanol:

• heals gastrointestinal problems

• reduces high levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol

• reduces menopausal symptoms

DMG (Dimethylglycine):

• boosts energy

• improves immune function

• improves behavior of autistic children

• reverses cataract growth

Trimethylglycine (Betaine):

• could offer protection from cancer, liver disorders, and disorders of aging

NADH:

• reduces trembling in Parkinson’s disease

• improves memory in Alzheimer’s patients

• reduces depression (especially when received in the injectible form)

• saves the lives of people with terminal heart failure

• increases levels of energy

Cartilage-Building Nutrients

Shark and Bovine Cartilage:

• bovine cartilage improves wound healing, treats pain in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and fights cancer

• shark cartilage may fight cancer and heal inflammatory conditions

Glucosamine:

• treatment for osteoarthritis and healing of degenerating joints

Chondroitin Sulfate:

• reduces pain in osteoarthritis and gout

• improves cardiovascular health

• may fight HIV

Sea Cucumber:

• relieves joint aches and stiffness

Vitamins

Vitamin A:

• remedy for night blindness

• fights infections (especially in children)

• reinforces the immune system’s resistance to AIDS

• keeps skin healthy (used to treat acne and psoriasis)

• leads to improved lung function in patients with pulmonary disease

• treats digestive ailments such as colitis, Chron’s disease, and duodenal ulcers

• prevents cancer and prevents tumors from reemerging after surgery

• gets rid of leukoplakia

• reduces heavy menstrual bleeding

• treats benign breast disease

• minimizes hot flashes and menopausal symptoms (when taken with folic acid and boron)

• speeds wound healing

• stabilizes blood sugar and fights insulin resistance

Beta-Carotene:

• reduces cancer risk

• prevents heart and artery disease by preventing cholesterol oxidation

• strengthens the immune system

Lutein and Zeaxanthin:

• prevent cataracts

• prevent macular degeneration

Lycopene:

• protects LDL cholesterol from oxidizing and building up in arteries

• protective against cancer

B Vitamins (which are best taken together in a B-complex):

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin):

• reverses the loss of heart muscle function and treats cardiomyopathy & congestive heart failure

• improves concentration in people with learning disabilities and reduces behavioral problems

• improves mood

• reduces aggressive and addictive behavior

• prevents Alzheimer’s disease

• improves nerve function and diminishes pain in neurological conditions

• reduces pain from shingles, migraine headaches, and sometimes arthritis

• thiamin pyrophosphate can reduce muscle pains in fibromyalgia

• counteracts lead poisoning

• improves the immune system

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin):

• limits cell damage inflicted by a stroke or heart attack

• minimizes respiratory injuries from toxins

• makes treatments for sickle cell anemia more effective

Vitamin B3 (Niacin):

• controls cholesterol and cuts triglyceride levels

• reverses schizophrenia

• reduces anxiety

• used as a treatment for anorexia and bulimia

• niacinamide to protect the pancreas and prevent diabetes (including Type I diabetes)

• niacinamide to reduce osteoarthritis pain and improve joint mobility

• niacinamide to improve relaxation and treat anxiety, depression, ADHD, alcoholism, and schizophrenia

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine):

• stabilizes blood sugar and prevents diabetes

• prevents heart disease by lowering levels of homocysteine

• lowers high blood pressure

• strengthens the immune system by maintaining the number of T cells

• in women, maintains a balance of female hormones

• alleviates depression in users of oral contraceptives

• relieves pregnancy-related nausea and decreases the risk of gestational diabetes and the high blood pressure of preeclampsia

• reduces kidney stones (when combined with magnesium orthophosphate)

• reduces symptoms of epilepsy, ADHD, schizophrenia, depression, and autism

• improves memory

• reduces hand pain in carpal tunnel syndrome

• helps alleviate asthma, acne, seborrheic dermatitis, and malignant melanoma

Folic Acid:

• prevents birth defects

• reduces homocysteine levels and prevents atherosclerosis

• prevents stroke

• used in high doses for estrogen replacement in women

• slows the bone loss that leads to osteoporosis

• treats intestinal disorders (Chron’s disease, colitis, chronic diarrhea)

• treats depression

• used intramuscularly to treat peripheral neuropathy

• reverses cervical dysplasia

• treats skin problems like psoriasis, vitiligo, and acne

• relieves pain in arthritis

• beneficial for people with restless leg syndrome, chronic fatigue, and HIV infection

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin):

• prevents pernicious anemia

• guards against stroke and heart disease

• improves the nervous system

• helps relieve asthma, bursitis, depression, low blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, and mental disorders

• helps deter the mental deterioration in AIDS

• reduces insomnia

• treats viral hepatitis

• improves fertility

• reduces lung cancer

Choline and Lecithin (Phosphatidylcholine):

• reduces the trembling, involuntary movements, and slurred speech of tardive dyskinesia

• reduces the spasms that characterize Huntington’s disease and Tourette’s syndrome

• improves short-term memory

• fights heart disease

• improves liver metabolism and clears up fatty liver disease

• helps improve the effectiveness of nutritional therapies for uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breast syndrome, and breast and endometrial cancer

Inositol:

• improves sleep quality

• alleviates depressive symptoms

• alleviates panic disorder

• eases pain and improves nerve function in diabetic neuropathy

• improves metabolism

Pantethine/Pantothenic Acid:

• used to treat arthritis, allergies, asthma, lupus, and psoriasis

• prevents cardiovascular disease by lowering triglyceride levels, preventing clots, and enhancing metabolism in the heart muscle

• eases angina pectoris

• treats colitis and Chron’s disease

• gets rid of yeast overgrowths

• calcium pantothenate is a gout rememdy

• pantothenic acid reduces symptoms of burning-foot syndrome and arthritis

PABA (Para-Aminobenzoic Acid):

• fights fatigue

• treats menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and irritability

• improves survival of people with scleroderma

• nonsurgical therapy for Peyronie’s disease

• relieves joint disorders like posttraumatic contractures and Dupuytren’s contracture

• leads to improvements in vitiligo

• used to treat thyroiditis and chemical sensitivities

Biotin:

• manages blood sugar

• stops and even reverses diabetic neuropathy

• improves the texture and appearance of hair

Vitamin C:

• fights infection

• fights asthma and allergies

• prevents cancer and lengthens survival time

• cuts heart disease risk by preventing atherosclerosis

• reduces the impact of stress

• improves liver health

• reduces uric acid that causes gout

• cuts down on gallstone formation

• prevents cataracts or slows their growth

• eliminates withdrawal symptoms in people recovering from heroin addiction

Bioflavonoids:

• ward off allergies

• ease asthmatic airways

• cool inflammation

• reinforce collagen and connective tissue

• quercetin lowers the risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke

• quercetin helps rid the body of potential carcinogens and slows the advance of many types of cancer

• proanthocyanidins treat circulatory disorders (varicose veins, hardening of the arteries, impaired blood flow to the brain) and sped the healing of bleeding gums, protect the skin of people who bruise easily, and curb heavy menstrual flows

• pycnogenol is used to treat allergies

Vitamin D:

• strengthens bones

• reduces symptoms of psoriasis

• helps eliminate symptoms of Chron’s disease and ulcerative colitis

• improves the effectiveness of medication for multiple sclerosis

• reduces blood pressure

• relieves osteoarthritis

• prevents and treats cancer

Vitamin E:

• lowers the rate of cardiovascular disease

• reduces complications in diabetes

• slows the progression of Parkinson’s disease

• prevents deterioration in Alzheimer’s disease as good as selegiline

• improves pulmonary function

• reduces joint pain

• a natural version of estrogen replacement therapy in women

• enhances markers of a healthy immune system

Tocotrienols:

• reduce the risk of stroke

Vitamin K:

• improves bone health

• inhibits the growth of cancer cells

• alleviates pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting

• prevents late hemorrhagic disease in expectant mothers

Minerals

Calcium:

• improves bone health (but only when taken with other minerals and vitamins)

• guards against certain cancers

• improves sleep when taken at bedtime

Magnesium

• treats cardiovascular disorders

• treats blood sugar disorders

• reduces blood pressure

• overcomes pregnancy complications

• treats asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and other chronic lung disorders

• relieves and prevents migraine headaches

• treats chronic fatigue syndrome

• improves brain function

• prevents osteoporosis

• decreases premenstrual problems

• may prevent cancer

• improves sleep

• works against bruxism

Potassium:

• lowers blood pressure

• prevents arrhythmias, heart failure, and stroke

• treats muscle weakness, cramps, and fatigue

Iron:

• used to treat thyroid problems, anemia, learning disabilities, fatigue, and immune problems (iron deficiency is more common in children, women in their menstruating years, and the elderly)

Zinc:

• treats neurological and psychiatric disorders (epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease, dyslexia, acute psychosis, dementia, anorexia nervosa, attention deficit disorder, and depression)

• may prevent Alzheimer’s disease

• improves the immune system

• prevents cancer

• balances blood sugar

• improves skin health

• improves sexual and reproductive health of both genders

• prevents prostate enlargement

• improves wound healing

• heals ulcers

• zinc sulfate heptahydrate helps patients with eating disorders

• prevents macular degeneration and cataracts

• helps patients overcome Crohn’s disease

• treats arthritis

• increases the body’s defenses against toxins

Copper:

• maintains the heart’s pumping ability

• improves bone health

• treats rheumatoid arthritis

(Copper levels can also get too high and cause psychiatric problems.)

Manganese:

• allows diabetics to manage blood glucose better

• strengthens arterial tissues

• prevents and treats bone problems

• reduces seizure disorders in epileptic patients

• reduces symptoms of schizophrenia

• alleviates symptoms of tardive dyskenisia

Chromium:

• helps correct insulin resistance and improves conditions related to insulin resistance (obesity, hypoglycemia, stroke, high blood pressure, Chron’s disease, colitis, ulcers, gastritis, multiple sclerosis, Meniere’s disease, migraines, premenstrual tension, seizure disorders, psychiatric disturbances)

• reduces the need for medication in Type II diabetics

• improves arterial health

Vanadium:

• helps diabetics and other people who experience insulin-related problems

Selenium:

• cuts cancer occurrences by nearly 40 percent and decreases the cancer death rate by 50 percent

• may keep the HIV virus dormant and prevent it from developing into AIDS

• reduces coronary heart disease

• relieves arthritis symptoms

• improves thyroid function

• disarms the threat from toxic metals

• prevents birth defects

• heals pancreatitis

Molybdenum:

• cleanses the body of toxic compounds

• helps relieve arthritis

• lowers the risk of gastrointestinal cancer

• helps prevent tooth decay

• a useful treatment for Wilson’s disease

Boron:

• important to the strength of a woman’s bones

• improves arthritic symptoms and has a marked benefit against severe osteoarthritis

Silicon:

• improves bone density

• improves joint health

• may prevent Alzheimer’s disease

Germanium:

• may help treat cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, and infections

In my next post, I’ll list more dietary supplements and herbs with medicinal benefits included in the book.

Dr. Atkins’ Vita-Nutrient Solution is one of the books I picked up when I started getting interested in nutrition and medicinal plants. The information in the book is definitely amazing. I had never known Type I diabetes could be reversed or ulcerative colitis healed with supplements alone. Dr. Robert Atkins was director of the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine, which treated over 60,000 patients.

There’s a couple important points to begin with:

1. The book was written in 1998, so new research has been done and new discoveries made about the supplements listed in the book. You can check PubMed or ScienceDaily for updated information.

2. Dr. Atkins is famous for popularizing the low carb diet, so eating fewer carbohydrates may increase the effectiveness of these supplements. He also cites evidence from research and patient successes about the benefits of low carb nutrition.

The book includes detailed recommendations on the correct dosage for each of these supplements. Also, the end of the book includes helpful charts with complete supplement programs for treating a variety of conditions.

Over the next few posts, I’ll be covering some quick notes on various nutrients and their use in preventing and treating illness.

Update:

Here are the posts based on my notes from the book:

1. Vitamins and Minerals from Dr. Atkins’ Vita-Nutrient Solution

2. Supplements from Dr. Atkins’ Vita-Nutrient Solution

3. Hormones and Herbs from Dr. Atkins’ Vita-Nutrient Solution

Suicide is a one of the world’s leading causes of death, especially in young people. It’s a major problem in both advanced countries and developing societies. Tons of research gets published on the topic. Some people think that giving people a reason to live involves intensive introspection and counseling and extensive trial/error in terms of tailoring medications.

What if there was a quicker and more precise way?

While going through the archives of the FuturePundit blog, I found a link to this scientific press release:

• Study finds genomic changes in the brains of people who commit suicide

Conducting autopsies of people who had major mental illness demonstrates that conditions like depression are associated with physical changes to the brain and the genome. This puts the lie to those who are involved in the “anti-psychiatry” movement and disproves the obsolete idea that people are just making up mental problems. Whatever you think of as “you” is closely connected with your brain and your genome.

Discussing DNA makes potential solutions sound really complicated, but I imagine there will probably be relatively simple ways to express certain genes that promote mental health and turn off genes that relate to depression. Straightforward activities like exercise, meditation, and fish oil supplementation lead to beneficial changes in gene expression. Developing new medications or repurposing existing medications will likely represent other promising opportunities for healing treatment-resistant depression.

Papers like this are the future of curing depression:

• Modifying 5-HT1A Receptor Gene Expression as a New Target for Antidepressant Therapy

Dr. Art Ayers is the author of Cooling Inflammation, an incredibly informative blog about improving health by reducing inflammation. In several previous posts, I discussed the importance of reducing inflammation:

• Improving Health by Reducing Inflammation

• My Goal to Reduce Inflammation

• The UltraMind Solution

Reducing inflammation can prevent or treat a huge number of medical conditions, including:

• metabolic syndrome

• diabetes

• arthritis

• allergies

• digestive disorders

• cancer

• infertility

• osteoporosis

• Alzheimer’s disease

• multiple sclerosis

• migraines

• depression

Dr. Ayers describes the importance of reducing inflammation in scientific detail, with plenty of evidence from studies in molecular biology and cellular biology. I skimmed through his blog and found the following useful tips for living a lifestyle that minimizes inflammation.

Nutrition:

• Focusing on getting more of: omega-3 oils, fatty fish, green vegetables, grass-fed meat

• Focusing on getting less of: corn syrup, fructose, omega-6 rich vegetable oils, sugar, starch

Lifestyle:

• improving dental hygiene

• reducing visceral fat

• exercising (cardiovascular and resistance training)

• getting 15-20 minutes of sun exposure several times a week

• avoiding molds

• avoiding collagen injections, which can lead to arthritis

Supplements:

• antioxidant snacks (coffee and chocolate)

• probiotics and prebiotics

• curcumin (taken with black pepper, which allows serum levels of curcumin to rise)

• Vitamin C

• Vitamin D

• Vitamin B12

• methionine

• cysteine

• krill oil

Treatments for medical conditions:

• feverfew, aspirin, and heparin to fight cancer

• topical castor oil to treat Arthritis

• aspirin, heparin, and omega-3 fatty acids to reduce the risk of preterm birth

• Vicks vaporub to treat fungal infections and autoimmune conditions

• antibiotics to treat many degenerative and chronic conditions

• NSAIDs to reduce the incidence of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease

• helminth therapy for autoimmune disorders

• fecal transplants to improve health via gut flora replacement

• yerba mate to inhibit tumor growth

• peppermint oil to treat inflammatory bowel disease

• heparin, berberine, and curcumin to stop cytokine storms in acute respiratory distress syndrome

• Coomasie Brilliant Blue blocks inflammation and heals spinal injuries in mice (and maybe in humans?)

• stimulating the vagus nerve to inhibit inflammation

• disrupting inflammatory gut biofilms (by using vinegar, EDTA, lactoferrin, and proteases) to induce remission of chronic disease

• heparin to treat psoriasis

• giving mother’s milk to infants as a way to prevent later diseases

• honey for wound treatment

One important final note: In some cases inflammation can be beneficial for the body. If you’re dealing with a situation like a parasitic infection, it may be helpful to temporarily return to a pro-inflammatory diet and lifestyle.

There’s a huge amount of information in the book Introduction to Neuropsychopharmacology about pharmaceuticals – both legal and illegal – and their impact on the brain. What I wanted to get from this book are specific strategies that can be used to help improve people’s brains. This post focuses on potential treatments rather than experiment design or potential problems with pharmaceuticals. Again, the book has a ton of useful information on pretty much every major aspect of neuropsychophamacology that is much more extensive and technical than this blog post. It’s a definite recommendation for anyone interested in the brain.

• Glutamate NMDA receptor partial agonist D-cycloserine facilitates extinction of conditioned fear in rats and improve fear reduction of social phobia and fear of heights in humans.

• Neuroactive steroids may be sedative, anxiolytic, antidepressant, or anticonvulsant.

• Reducing levels of quinolinate in the cerebrospinal fluid decreases levels of dementia in AIDS patients.

• mGluR antagonists reduced symptoms in mice with Fragile X syndrome.

• Glutamate antagonists such as tezampanel are useful for treating migraines.

• Anxiolytics may act by facilitating GABAergic transmission through positive allosteric agonist actions at GABA-A receptors.

• Ligands that display high selectivity for and potency at glycine receptors could be used to treat pain, autism, epilepsy, and HIV-associated dementia.

• GlyT-1 inhibitors (such as sarcosine) may be an effective target for treating cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.

• Selective allosteric activation of AChRs could treat psychiatric disorders that involve cognitive dysfunction (schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease).

• nAChR agonists can improve cognitive performance.

• Norepinephrine transporters could be involved in the treatment of ADHD, substance abuse, neurodegenerative disorders, and depression.

• Restoration of dopaminergic tone by transplantation of neurons or stem cells, or by gene therapy, could be used to treat Parkinson’s disease.

• Agents that can prevent binding of stimulants to the DAT while still allowing normal DA transport could be a useful treatments for drug overdose, withdrawal, or addiction.

• Melatonin agonists can improve sleep onset.

• 5-HT3 agonists and antagonists might be useful treatments for schizophrenia, pain, anxiety, drug dependence, and emesis.

• Reducing levels of corticotropin-releasing factor in the blood supply can reduce stress and treat depression/anxiety disorders.

• Galanin agonists can be used to alleviate pain sensitivity and treat epilepsy.

• Galanin antagonists have anxiolytic and antidepressant properties

• Nonpeptide agonists of CGRP could be used to treat migraines.

• NK-2 and NK-3 antagonists are useful for treating depression and anxiety.

• Nonpeptide antagonists with selectivity for the V1b receptor have anxiolytic and antidepressant actions.

• Nonpeptide antagonists of MCH-1R may be useful in treating obesity, anxiety, and depression.

• P2Y receptor antagonists could be neuroprotective.

• Prostglandins of the D series are regulators for sleep.

• A group of neurosteroids are responsible for GABA-enhancing actions that lead to anxiolytic, sedative, and anticonvulsant activity.

• Endocannabinoids play a role in the extinction of unpleasant or frightening memories.

• Selectively enhancing endocannabinoid actions raises the pain threshold.

• Ketamine causes almost instant and persistent antidepressant action.

• Agonists acting at the mGLU2/mGLU3 receptors are likely to be useful for treating schizophrenia, anxiety, seizures, drug withdrawal, and neurodegeneration.

• Alzheimer’s treatments in early stages of development include inhibitors of the enzyme beta-secretase and NSAIDs that modulate beta-amyloid synthesis.

• Caffeine is a mild cognition enhancing drug.

• Coenzyme Q is partially protective against the neurotoxin MPTP.

• Drugs that target nicotinic receptors are in development for treating cognitive deficits in schizophrenia.

• Modafinil leads to improvements in verbal working memory, visual recognition, and planning performance.

• Cannabidiol has anticonvulsant and antianxiety properties.

• Cannabis extract and THC are effective in treating multiple sclerosis and in pain management.