By: The Posts Author | Posted on: 16 Nov 21
What Is Glutamate?Glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in our brain and central nervous system (CNS). It is involved in virtually every major excitatory brain function. While excitatory has a very specific meaning in neuroscience, in general terms, an excitatory neurotransmitter increases the likelihood that the neuron it acts upon will have an action potential (also called a nerve impulse).[1]When an action potential occurs, the nerve is said to fire, with fire, in this case, being somewhat akin to the completion of an electric circuit that occurs when a light switch is turned on. The result of neurons firing is
What Is Glutamate?Glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter in our brain and central nervous system (CNS). It is involved in virtually every major excitatory brain function. While excitatory has a very specific meaning in neuroscience, in general terms, an excitatory neurotransmitter increases the likelihood that the neuron it acts upon will have an action potential (also called a nerve impulse).[1]When
By: The Posts Author | Posted on: 11 Nov 21
Can Your Eyesight Affect Your Brain?The visual system, which controls eyesight, is the largest system in the brain and can directly affect many functions of thinking, memory and cognition. We acquire information about our environment through our senses and vision plays one of the most important roles in cognition. The visual pathways of the human brain start in the retina and carry sensory information to the primary visual cortex, where it starts being processed, and then to other areas of the cerebral cortex, where complex processing and association take place.Visual processing takes up a very large fraction of the human brain-around 27%
Can Your Eyesight Affect Your Brain?The visual system, which controls eyesight, is the largest system in the brain and can directly affect many functions of thinking, memory and cognition. We acquire information about our environment through our senses and vision plays one of the most important roles in cognition. The visual pathways of the human brain start in the retina and
By: The Posts Author | Posted on: 14 Oct 21
“My eyes are always tired” …”My eyes hurt” …”I’m having a hard time focusing” …”My eyes feel dry and irritated” …”Things look blurry”High amounts of screen time cause the body to give us vision- and quite often posture-related feedback clues. It can also impact thinking and mood. Let’s focus on the visual system, because clues in this area are (1) a common type of feedback, and (2) an indication of visual system stress. Postural complaints, like neck stiffness and back aches, are partly to mostly a result of ergonomics, or postural discomfort, while looking at screens rather than the mere fact we were looking at
“My eyes are always tired” …”My eyes hurt” …”I’m having a hard time focusing” …”My eyes feel dry and irritated” …”Things look blurry”High amounts of screen time cause the body to give us vision- and quite often posture-related feedback clues. It can also impact thinking and mood. Let’s focus on the visual system, because clues in this area are (1) a common type of feedback,
By: The Posts Author | Posted on: 12 Oct 21
IsYour Screen Time Behavior is Impacting Your Vision? 10 Clues.“My eyes are always tired” …”My eyes hurt” …”I’m having a hard time focusing” …”My eyes feel dry and irritated” …”Things look blurry”High amounts of screen time cause the body to give us vision- and quite often posture-related feedback clues. It can also impact thinking and mood. Let’s focus on the visual system, because clues in this area are (1) a common type of feedback, and (2) an indication of visual system stress. Postural complaints, like neck stiffness and back aches, are partly to mostly a result of ergonomics, or postural discomfort, while looking at screens rather
IsYour Screen Time Behavior is Impacting Your Vision? 10 Clues.“My eyes are always tired” …”My eyes hurt” …”I’m having a hard time focusing” …”My eyes feel dry and irritated” …”Things look blurry”High amounts of screen time cause the body to give us vision- and quite often posture-related feedback clues. It can also impact thinking and mood. Let’s focus on the visual system, because clues in this
By: The Posts Author | Posted on: 12 Oct 21
It’s well established that meditation results in greater mental clarity and decreases stress. But can meditation make significant, actual changes to the brain? Yes. The studies referenced in this article reveal mindfulness practices bring about positive physiological changes, making the connection between meditation and the brain more profound than ever before.Meditation Impacts The Prefrontal CortexThe prefrontal cortex is the region of the brain associated with attention planning, higher-order processing, and organization. It’s what makes us human and separates us from other species. As we age, our prefrontal cortex thins. However, if we’re able to maintain a long-term meditation practice (a 20
It’s well established that meditation results in greater mental clarity and decreases stress. But can meditation make significant, actual changes to the brain? Yes. The studies referenced in this article reveal mindfulness practices bring about positive physiological changes, making the connection between meditation and the brain more profound than ever before.Meditation Impacts The Prefrontal CortexThe prefrontal cortex is the region of
By: The Posts Author | Posted on: 20 Sep 20
In this episode of “Shrink and the Pundit,” Keith and I explore breathing practices described in a powerful new book, Breath, the New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor, as well as a muscle conditioning program developed by Dr. Zach Bush in his 4-Minute Workout. Both systems promised – and delivered – big results from easy effort, enabling both Keith, a master practitioner, and I, a serial dilettante, to tap into new vitality from rethinking some basic biological functions. I hope it inspires you too! __________________________________ Attn: Apple Podcast users – please resubscribe Our link to Apple Podcasts
In this episode of “Shrink and the Pundit,” Keith and I explore breathing practices described in a powerful new book, Breath, the New Science of a Lost Art, by James Nestor, as well as a muscle conditioning program developed by Dr. Zach Bush in his 4-Minute Workout. Both systems promised – and delivered – big results from easy effort, enabling
By: The Posts Author | Posted on: 3 Sep 20
My sons want to go to school. Vishnu is almost five and he’s starting reception at a nearby primary; he is bouncing off the walls at home…Continue reading on Medium »
My sons want to go to school. Vishnu is almost five and he’s starting reception at a nearby primary; he is bouncing off the walls at home…Continue reading on Medium »
By: The Posts Author | Posted on: 3 Sep 20
My sons want to go to school. Vishnu is almost five and he’s starting reception at a nearby primary; he is bouncing off the walls at home…Continue reading on Medium »
My sons want to go to school. Vishnu is almost five and he’s starting reception at a nearby primary; he is bouncing off the walls at home…Continue reading on Medium »
By: The Posts Author | Posted on: 30 Mar 20
I’ve been following the unfolding COVID-19 developments since late January, when a friend alerted me to what was happening in Wuhan, China.Since then, I’ve been doing a lot of research to understand the possible scenarios and outcomes of this situation.I recently did two live streams on Future Thinkers with my partner Mike talking about some of these effects.Here is the first one:https://medium.com/media/41b0032d6209d335dc1c411a0dfd72a0/hrefAnd the second one:https://medium.com/media/16e8d896e16626b4e3aab5a78e075339/hrefIn the meantime, I wanted to share a primer with some basic information.All the info in this article is provisional and likely to change as more data becomes available.COVID-19 is a new disease. We don’t have immunity to the virus,
I’ve been following the unfolding COVID-19 developments since late January, when a friend alerted me to what was happening in Wuhan, China.Since then, I’ve been doing a lot of research to understand the possible scenarios and outcomes of this situation.I recently did two live streams on Future Thinkers with my partner Mike talking about some of these effects.Here is the first one:https://medium.com/media/41b0032d6209d335dc1c411a0dfd72a0/hrefAnd the
By: The Posts Author | Posted on: 13 Feb 19
Photo by Drew HaysThis article has been translated into Portuguese. Originally published Friday, December 9th, 2005.Did you know that right now, we are in the midst of a disease epidemic that is already at least 100 times more prevalent than the feared polio epidemic of the 1950s?Most people don’t know it. Their ignorance testifies to the novel character of this disease, the lowered expectations we have for human health, and the atomization of community that has rendered sickness into a private affair.The myth of ascent would have us think that medical technology has largely conquered the great viral epidemic diseases that once held humanity
Photo by Drew HaysThis article has been translated into Portuguese. Originally published Friday, December 9th, 2005.Did you know that right now, we are in the midst of a disease epidemic that is already at least 100 times more prevalent than the feared polio epidemic of the 1950s?Most people don’t know it. Their ignorance testifies to the novel character of this disease, the lowered