The hottest Health & Wellness Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Health & Wellness Topics

Everything’s not awful: moving beyond Negativity Bias

Everything is Light • 687 implied HN points • 20 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Social media Anxiety Positive thinking
  1. Negativity bias influences us to focus on bad news over good news, shaping our worldview.
  2. Young people face mental health challenges due to factors like heavy smartphone use, social media, and lockdowns.
  3. It's important to recognize the progress and positive advancements happening in the world, rather than solely focusing on negative narratives.

Just One of These a Day Can Keep Anxiety and Stress at Bay

The Dose • 687 implied HN points • 17 May 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Relationships Communication Well-being Positive psychology
  1. Quality conversations with friends can boost happiness and reduce stress.
  2. Different types of conversations like catching up, meaningful talk, and joking around contribute to well-being.
  3. Listening, showing care, and valuing others in conversations can significantly enhance connection and decrease stress.
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Patient Quick Guide To Talking About Weight with Healthcare Providers

Weight and Healthcare • 718 implied HN points • 06 May 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Physical health Wellness Weight management Patient Advocacy
  1. Weight stigma in healthcare can be a common issue for higher-weight patients.
  2. Healthcare providers may focus excessively on weight loss even when it may not be relevant to the patient's health concerns.
  3. Patients have the right to refuse weight-focused care and can navigate discussions with their healthcare providers by explaining their reasoning or bypassing weight discussions.

Are puberty blockers helpful or harmful to trans youth?

News from Those Nerdy Girls • 373 implied HN points • 23 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Puberty Blockers Mental health Medical Research
  1. Puberty blockers are reversible and help improve the mental health of trans youth while reducing the need for future surgeries.
  2. Using puberty blockers gives trans youth time to explore interventions and prevents irreversible physical changes.
  3. Research shows that puberty blockers are safe and beneficial for trans youth, improving well-being and decreasing mental health risks.

Serious medical error from Perplexity’s chatbot

Marcus on AI • 2489 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Chatbot Advice
  1. A serious medical error occurred in Perplexity's chatbot when giving post-surgery advice, showing the dangers of generative pastische.
  2. The error was due to combining specific advice for sternotomy with generic advice on ergonomics, potentially causing harm to the patient's recovery.
  3. This incident highlights the importance of caution in relying on chatbots for medical advice, as they can still provide inaccurate or harmful recommendations.

Awakened States: Exploring The Harmony Between Psychedelics & Meditation

Tripsitter • 99 implied HN points • 07 Jun 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Psychedelics Meditation Consciousness Brain Activity
  1. Psychedelics and meditation both offer transformative experiences, but lasting change likely requires a foundation of consistent meditation practice.
  2. Both meditation and psychedelics can induce altered states of consciousness, but they achieve this through different mechanisms.
  3. Meditation and psychedelics have the potential to impact brain networks such as the default mode network and the salience network, leading to improved cognitive abilities and a shift in thinking patterns.

Article Shows How the Media Creates Weight Stigma, Even When It Isn’t There

Weight and Healthcare • 678 implied HN points • 20 Sep 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Health Research Media influence Body positivity
  1. The study analyzed the impact of warning labels on sugary drinks but the media misrepresented the findings, leading to weight stigma.
  2. Existing research shows that interventions focusing on positive, weight-neutral health messages are most beneficial for people of all sizes.
  3. Media coverage often perpetuates weight stigma and misinformation, impacting public perception and potentially harming individuals.

Questions for Higher Weight Patients and Their Healthcare Providers

Weight and Healthcare • 678 implied HN points • 16 Sep 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Research Analysis
  1. Simply being higher weight should not be considered a disease diagnosis on its own.
  2. Intentional weight loss as a universal recommendation lacks strong evidence of effectiveness and ethical basis.
  3. Healthcare providers need to critically examine the current weight and health paradigm and consider alternative health-supporting behaviors.

Is Beachbody's Rebrand Really About Honoring All Shapes and Sizes? Part 1

Weight and Healthcare • 678 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Physical health Mental health Diets Fitness Body positivity
  1. Beachbody's rebrand to 'BODi' does not truly represent a commitment to weight-neutral fitness, despite efforts to suggest otherwise.
  2. Their promotional materials and programs still heavily focus on weight loss and diet culture, with no substantial evidence provided for long-term weight loss efficacy.
  3. The rebranding claims to honor all shapes and sizes but seems to continue promoting weight loss and thin bodies as the ideal, lacking true fat-affirming or weight-neutral approaches.

Letter To Med Students Doing a Weight-Stigma Capstone – Guest Post by Rachel Fox

Weight and Healthcare • 678 implied HN points • 03 Jun 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Weight Stigma Medical education Fat Activism Healthcare
  1. Medical students should re-evaluate weight-stigma projects to make a real impact.
  2. Addressing systemic fat oppression in healthcare requires tangible actions like reviewing curriculum and infrastructure.
  3. Med students possess a unique position to challenge anti-fat practices and bring about meaningful change.

Improve your focus, productivity and mood by recreating the sun

Metabolic Repair • 19 implied HN points • 21 Aug 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Productivity Wellbeing
  1. Bright lighting can help you focus and feel more alert. If your workspace is too dark, try adding more light to boost your mood and productivity.
  2. Sunlight has a specific lighting quality, so using bright, focused lights can mimic that effect. Using movie spotlights is a great way to simulate sunlight indoors.
  3. The best setup involves placing a strong light behind you to mimic the sun's position. This will help light up your workspace without glaring on your screens.

Old Dog + New Tricks = Life Hack

Ladyparts • 798 implied HN points • 17 May 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Self-Improvement Mental health Personal Growth
  1. Society often pushes us to constantly achieve, but sometimes it's okay to do things just for the joy of doing them.
  2. Engaging in new activities, like improv classes or learning to play an instrument, can bring unexpected joy and purpose, even if you're not aiming to be a pro.
  3. Taking a chance on trying something new in times of despair can lead to life-changing experiences and discoveries.

The long history of Psilocybe’s evolution; New bills in Indiana, California, and New Jersey; and COMPASS partners with a healthcare non-profit

The Microdose • 373 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Psychedelics Mental health
  1. Psilocybe mushrooms have a long evolutionary history dating back 67 million years.
  2. New bills in Indiana, California, and New Jersey focus on studying psilocybin for various mental health conditions.
  3. COMPASS partners with a healthcare non-profit in New Jersey to research psilocybin treatment for FDA approval.

The "Health Super Unlock" Video and Podcast

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 659 implied HN points • 08 Oct 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Nutrition Wellness
  1. Focus on finding the root causes of health issues instead of just treating symptoms with drugs and supplements.
  2. The 'Health Super Unlock' content, previously available only in written form, can now be accessed as a video or podcast for free for the next 48 hours.
  3. Maintain good health through basic practices like eating nutritious foods, staying active, sleeping well, and nurturing positive relationships.

"Osteoporosis is the silent killer"

Ladyparts • 659 implied HN points • 23 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Women's Health Medical Advice
  1. Osteoporosis can affect people of all ages, not just the elderly, emphasizing the importance of bone health awareness and early testing.
  2. DEXA scans measure bone density and are vital in diagnosing osteoporosis, but they are typically recommended later in life unless specific risk factors are present.
  3. Estrogen plays a crucial role in protecting bones, highlighting the potential benefits of hormone therapy in preventing or mitigating osteoporosis.

Why Would Citrate or Malate Cause Insomnia?

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 659 implied HN points • 18 Aug 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Nutrition Insomnia Metabolism Supplements
  1. Citrate and malate in supplements can cause insomnia for different people, suggesting individual differences in energy metabolism.
  2. The opposite reactions to citrate and malate indicate underlying idiosyncrasies in energy metabolism.
  3. Consider exploring metabolic issues or mold contamination as possible reasons for experiencing insomnia from citrate or malate supplements.

Meet Maria Weston Kuhn, the Gen-Z Warrior Taking on the Car Industry

Ladyparts • 659 implied HN points • 27 Jun 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Safety Gender differences
  1. Maria Weston Kuhn is a Gen-Z advocate in the car industry, inspired by a personal car accident experience.
  2. There is a significant gender safety discrepancy in car crashes, with women being disproportionately affected.
  3. The car industry's negligence in addressing car safety for women is highlighted, including the exclusive use of male crash test dummies.

The Problem With “Classes” of “Obesity"

Weight and Healthcare • 678 implied HN points • 10 May 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Obesity BMI Healthcare Weight Stigma
  1. The concept of 'obesity' based on BMI can be problematic and does not account for individual health variations.
  2. Classifications of obesity, especially in healthcare, can lead to biased treatment recommendations favoring weight loss over evidence-based, weight-neutral care.
  3. The arbitrary nature of BMI 'classes' for obesity can result in significant differences in treatment recommendations with just small changes in weight, perpetuating weight stigma and inequality in healthcare.

To Boost or Not to Boost?

Are You Okay? • 658 implied HN points • 24 Apr 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Booster shots Vaccine Efficacy
  1. The new CDC guidance suggests that people aged 65+ and those who are immune-compromised may get a second booster shot, while healthy adults under 65 can wait until fall to decide.
  2. For individuals over 65, it might be advisable to wait until fall for a booster unless certain conditions like time since the last dose or last COVID infection exceed specific durations.
  3. People not in the recommended booster groups may not need a booster yet, especially if their risk for hospitalization is low, and the potential harms of the vaccine should be considered.

Wegovy Side Effects and Informed Consent - Part 2

Weight and Healthcare • 579 implied HN points • 04 Nov 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Medication Informed consent Side Effects Healthcare Weight Loss
  1. Wegovy is a weight-loss drug that has not been around for a long time, as it is a repurposed version of another drug called semaglutide, with evolving risks and warnings.
  2. Wegovy and Ozempic differ in dosage and treatment purpose, with Wegovy aiming to maximize weight loss side effects at a high dose that exceeds the maximum dose of Ozempic.
  3. Informed consent conversations with healthcare practitioners are essential, especially when considering drugs like Wegovy with significant side effects and dosage differences.

FOI Clinical is live

Force of Infection • 15 implied HN points • 11 Feb 26
🏥 Health & Wellness Infectious Disease Epidemiology Public Health Outbreaks Disease Surveillance
  1. FOI Clinical is a new clinician-focused briefing that delivers updates on reportable diseases, emerging outbreaks, policy changes, and same-day alerts for urgent events.
  2. The first issue highlights a range of current concerns—measles clusters, pertussis trends, a shift toward influenza B, meningitis, tularemia, mumps, and Nipah—covering both domestic and international threats clinicians should watch.
  3. The product is a paid subscription ($18/month or $189/year) with a free trial and is built on the Force of Infection platform that has tracked respiratory viruses for many readers since 2022.

The Seductive Secrets of the Blue Lotus Flower

Tripsitter • 99 implied HN points • 04 Jun 24
🏥 Health & Wellness
  1. The blue lotus flower symbolizes life, creation, and afterlife connections, offering aphrodisiac, trance-like, and dream-inducing effects.
  2. Ancient Egyptian culture holds a strong connection to the blue lotus flower, associating it with creation, the sun god Ra, and powerful psychoactive properties.
  3. The blue lotus flower acts as a potent aphrodisiac, affecting brain regions related to love and arousal, providing a natural alternative to conventional pharmaceuticals like Viagra.

Friday Q&A: assessing COVID risk; Ozempic/Mounjaro; booster shots; & CBD gummies for sleep

Are You Okay? • 459 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness COVID-19 Medication Weight Loss Vaccination Mental health
  1. It's important to balance the risks associated with COVID-19 with the desire for social interaction and living a fulfilling life.
  2. Protecting against serious COVID outcomes involves getting vaccinated and optimizing health, while preventing infection means avoiding sick individuals and wearing masks in crowded indoor spaces.
  3. Decisions regarding COVID risk mitigation should be personalized, taking into account individual vulnerabilities and risk tolerance, and it's advised to consult with a healthcare provider for tailored advice.

Reader Question: Why do they say that "obesity" is a chronic disease like asthma and type 2 diabetes?

Weight and Healthcare • 918 implied HN points • 01 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Obesity Chronic Disease Weight loss industry Health Education Medical Industry
  1. Obesity being labeled as a chronic disease like asthma and type 2 diabetes is misleading and harmful.
  2. The weight loss industry benefits from portraying obesity as a disease, pushing for lifelong treatments like expensive drugs.
  3. The enmeshment of the weight loss industry in healthcare can lead to misinformation and harm, as well-meaning healthcare practitioners get caught up in it.

Issues with Terminology and Statistics in Weight Science - Part 1

Weight and Healthcare • 459 implied HN points • 13 Dec 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Terminology Statistics Weight loss industry
  1. The weight loss industry manipulates terminology to market weight loss as a treatment for obesity, leading to misconceptions and ineffective interventions.
  2. The term 'weight-related conditions' is often used inaccurately to imply causation, ignoring confounding variables like weight stigma and healthcare disparities.
  3. The concept of 'sustained weight loss' is sometimes misrepresented by the weight loss industry to imply success, when in reality, it often refers to temporary weight loss followed by regain.

Behind the Screens: How Mental Health Professionals Can Help Teens Struggling with Social Media Use

After Babel • 787 implied HN points • 10 Feb 25
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Adolescents
  1. Social media can really impact teens' mental health, both positively and negatively. It can create a space for connection but also promote harmful behaviors like bullying and self-harm.
  2. Mental health professionals need to adapt their approaches to include teens' online activities and how these affect their well-being. It's important to discuss what they're doing on social media and how it makes them feel.
  3. Just reducing social media use isn’t enough; it’s also vital to help teens find healthier activities that fulfill their emotional needs. This way, they can still engage with social media positively without letting it control their lives.

Mental Health, and Jimmy Buffett

So Here’s a Thing • 648 implied HN points • 12 Sep 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Mental health Creativity Charity
  1. Jimmy Buffett was not just about fun; he had depth as a singer and songwriter, starting with wry and touching songs before becoming the Ambassador of Good Times.
  2. Music and creativity can play a significant role in mental health, with organizations like PoetsIN using creative writing to help those struggling with mental illness.
  3. Simple words and creativity can be powerful tools in navigating the complexities of life and supporting mental health struggles.