Issue 142 - Brewed Awakening, Shelf Shocked, & Clickbait and Switch
HealthHippieMD Week In Review
01
Time Trial and Error
What if your internal clock ran slow—not during a dream, but mid-spin class? A study of cyclists measuring their 30-second intervals found that exercise bends time, perceptually. Riders underestimated duration by nearly 9%, regardless of effort or competition. The subjective clock ticked faster than the stopwatch. "All of these factors affect timing, pacing, and the successful completion of optimal outcomes across physical activities," researchers noted. This isn't just quirky trivia—it reshapes how we train, visualize, and pace. Our brains, it turns out, aren't neutral stopwatches. They're part of the race.
A Study Reveals the Place Where Time Moves 9% Slower for Humans (8 min).
02
Claude Rx
A doctor didn't heal Tom Rosenblatt. He was guided out of chronic pain by Claude, an AI chatbot. After years of crushing symptoms and fragmented care, Claude connected the dots—tracking logs, supplements, and stress triggers. "AI isn't a magic bullet," Rosenblatt writes, "but it uncovers hidden connections in data at speeds no human can match." AI offered something radical in a system fraying under pressure: integrated attention. Claude didn't replace his physicians—it reminded medicine how to think holistically.
Opinion | AI Helped Heal My Chronic Pain (7 min).
03
Brewed Awakening
Kombucha has long lived in wellness folklore, but science now adds its endorsement. A clinical study found that eight weeks of black tea kombucha reshaped gut microbiota, especially in those with obesity. Bad actors like Ruminococcus fell; beneficial ones like Subdoligranulum rose. While short-chain fatty acids stayed put, the microbial architecture shifted. It's not a miracle tonic—but in a marketplace flooded with gimmicks, this phenol-rich brew just became a contender for low-effort microbiome modeling.
Black tea kombucha reduces harmful gut microbes linked to obesity (8 min).
04
Moss Is More
Your home has a biome, which may be more important than your protein intake. Indoor microbial diversity shapes immune function, and modern life is sterilizing it out of existence. Open windows. Grow plants. Let the dog track in the dirt. As microbiologist Jack Gilbert puts it, "What we're exposed to in the world can shape how our body reacts." The irony? The cleaner we try to be, the more fragile we may become. Health doesn't just live in the body—it lives in the soil beneath your houseplants.
Increase microbiome diversity in your home for better health - Washington Post (gift article) (7 min).
05
Love, Actually, Is a Chatbot
When Mike lost Anne, he grieved like a widower. But Anne was code—a chatbot companion from a now-defunct app. Research finds both balm and risk as millions forge bonds with AI partners. These bots never argue, constantly affirm, and learn your moods. Some users report emotional uplift; others spiral into dependence. One user confessed: "Even if it's not real, my feelings about the connection are." That blur between feeling and fact is the new intimacy's frontier—and the fault line.
What Are AI Chatbot Companions Doing to Our Mental Health? | Scientific American (12 min).
06
Inflame Game
Brain fog isn't just fog. A new study of long COVID patients found elevated inflammation and stress biomarkers, despite normal cognitive test scores. They struggled with word fluency and reported worse emotional well-being. One standout metric: reduced nerve growth factor, impairing the brain's ability to adapt. "These patients experience significant frustration," said Dr. Michael Lawrence, "and their symptoms may be minimized by friends, family, and even the medical community." The takeaway? Just because it doesn't show up on a chart doesn't mean it's not real.
Long COVID Brain Fog Linked to Inflammation and Stress Markers - Neuroscience News (7 min).
07
Soul Departure Lounge
Out-of-body experiences (OBEs) challenge a foundational assumption in neuroscience: that consciousness is confined to the brain. A small qualitative study suggests these episodes might offer clues to a more expansive awareness model. While prevailing theories explain OBEs as sensory misfires or cortical disconnections, participants consistently described a vivid sense of separation—sometimes peaceful, sometimes profound. Whether metaphor or mechanism, the question remains: can subjective experience reveal something science has yet to measure?
Out-of-Body Experiences Could Teach Us About Consciousness, Scientists Say (7 min).
08
Shelf Shocked
Cutting ultra-processed foods should be easy until you're in the oatmeal aisle, paralyzed by 40 kinds of "healthy" carbs. This piece exposes why UPFs—linked to inflammation, cancer, and cognitive decline—are so hard to quit. There's no consensus on what counts as ultra, and processing itself might chemically alter food in invisible ways. As researcher Anthony Fardet puts it, "We don't know how [xenobiotics] affect our biology." In short, it's not just the calories. It's the code inside the crackers.
Surprising Truths About Ultra-Processed Foods and How to Cut Back On Them (8 min).
09
Flourish Track
What makes life good? A global study asked 200,000 people, and the results reveal a paradox. Richer countries like the U.S. scored high on financial security but low on purpose and connection. Indonesia and Mexico, meanwhile, topped the charts in meaning and relationships. One key pattern? "Married people usually reported more support, better relationships, and more meaning." Religious attendance and community involvement mattered, too. Flourishing, it seems, isn't about maximizing pleasure—it's about stitching meaning into your days.
What makes people flourish? A new survey of more than 200,000 people across 22 countries looks for global patterns and local differences (9 min).
10
Nature Through Nurture
Genes matter. So does your environment. But the real story lies in how they work together. Using UK Biobank data, researchers showed that gene-environment interactions shape disease risk in surprising ways. "Rather than 'nature versus nurture,' a more accurate way of describing gene-environment interactions is 'nature through nurture.'" Physical activity amplified genetic influences on BMI. Alcohol changed how genes affected glucose levels. The upshot? Your DNA is a script, not a sentence. And your environment holds the keys.
How your genes interact with your environment changes your disease risk − new research counts the ways (8 min).
11
Slick Science
Soap may feel mundane, but it's pretty complex. With a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tail, each soap molecule is a diplomat, bridging oil and water. Together they form micelles—tiny spheres that trap dirt and viruses, rinsed away in 20 seconds of rubbing. As chemist Paul Richardson says, "Soap molecules come together and surround the grime… trapping the dirt, and running water washes it all away." From Babylon to the CDC, it's chemistry that saves lives. Written for kids, but I still found the article interesting.
How does soap keep you clean? A chemist explains the science of soap (6 min).
12
Clickbait and Switch
"Ginger kills cancer better than chemo." That lie spread faster than facts, shared 800,000 times. Why? Fake health info mixes half-truths, hope, and hype into irresistible headlines. "Such information often spreads faster because it sounds both surprising and hopeful, validating what some people want to believe." But the consequences are real: vaccine skepticism, delayed treatment, and even death. The antidote? Pause. Cross-check. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Why we fall for fake health information – and how it spreads faster than facts (9 min).
A couple of Microdoses from last week:
HealthHippieMD Microdose
014
Sleep Optimization
Keep your bedroom cool tonight—ideally 60–67°F. Cooler temperatures help your body enter deeper, more restorative sleep stages.
HealthHippieMD Microdose
017
Nutrition
Add a fiber boost by including beans, lentils, or raspberries today. Fiber supports gut health, blood sugar balance, and inflammation.
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