A new randomized controlled trial in the New England Journal of Medicine found that two sessions (three weeks apart) of 25 mg of psilocybin had at least as significant an impact on depressive symptoms as taking one of the most common SSRIs (escitalopram/Lexapro) daily for six weeks. The psilocybin group also reported fewer side effects and other positive emotional impacts. As the lead researcher put it,…
” A new review of studies in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that “spiritual fitness,” a new concept in medicine interweaving psychological and spiritual wellbeing, reduces multiple risk factors for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Finds that individuals with high scores on a “purpose in life” (PIL) were 2.4 times more likely to remain free of AD than individuals with low PIL—and that Kirtan Kriya, a…
In 2016, a randomized trial from NYU found that a single dose of psilocybin delivered rapid improvements in anxiety and depression in cancer patients when combined with psychotherapy. A follow-up study found that 71–100% of participants reported that the improvement in depression and anxiety had lasted five years—with participants “rating it among the most personally meaningful experiences of their lives.” ACCESS STUDY
A new study from Kaiser Permanente Southern California of 50,000 people who developed COVID had some striking findings: People who exercised for 10 minutes or less each week ended up hospitalized because of COVID at twice the rate of people who exercised 150 minutes a week—and were 2.5 times more likely to die. The researchers noted that being sedentary (something you can do something about)…
Two recent studies show the impact that walking speed can have on people’s health. A French study in the British Medical Journal (tracking 3,000+ older people for five years) found that people with the slowest walking speed had a significantly increased risk of death compared to those who walked the fastest—including a threefold increased rate of cardiovascular death. A new clinical trial from the University…
A new study (on mice) by UC Riverside found that eating too much sugar and fat in childhood can alter microbiomes for life, even if you eat healthier later in life. An early-life Western diet led to a significant decrease in the total number and diversity of gut bacteria, and while regular exercise positively impacted gut bacteria, a bad early-life diet had more long-lasting effects…
