Devi Acupuncture and Ayurveda

07/10/2025

Scientists have finally settled a long-standing debate: the adult human brain can grow new neurons. A groundbreaking study published in Science has confirmed that neurogenesis - the birth of new neurons - doesn’t stop in childhood but continues well into old age.

By using advanced RNA sequencing techniques, researchers identified neural precursor cells and immature neurons in brains up to 78 years old. These cells were especially abundant in the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for memory and learning.

This discovery not only puts an end to decades of scientific controversy, but it also opens new avenues for understanding the brain’s adaptability. The findings suggest that continued neuron growth may play a role in neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, and depression.

With solid proof that neurogenesis persists into later life, scientists can now turn their attention to how it might be harnessed to treat brain disorders and improve mental health and cognition across the lifespan.

07/09/2025

New research published in Cancer Discovery reveals that certain cancers can be detected years before symptoms appear, using a simple blood test that identifies tumor DNA circulating in the bloodstream. In the study, researchers analyzed blood samples from 52 people—half of whom were diagnosed with cancer within six months, and half who were cancer-free. They used highly sensitive DNA sequencing to detect genetic mutations linked to tumors.

Remarkably, six participants showed signs of tumor DNA in their blood about three years before they were diagnosed with cancer, and some even earlier. This suggests that cancers could potentially be caught much earlier than current methods allow, improving chances for successful treatment.

This blood test is called a multicancer early detection (MCED) test, which looks for DNA, RNA, or proteins from abnormal cancer cells. While promising, these tests are not yet approved by the FDA for general use and cannot diagnose cancer alone—they only indicate the potential presence of cancer. A positive result requires follow-up testing to confirm the cancer type and location.

One such MCED test, called the GRAIL Galleri test, is currently available through certain labs and can detect over 50 cancer types including colon, prostate, breast, and leukemia. Experts hope that with further research and approval, these tests could transform cancer detection, catching disease long before symptoms emerge and improving survival rates.

07/01/2025

Excessive consumption of sugar can increase the risk of health problems. Here's what that looks like in the body.

06/12/2025

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) added blackberries and potatoes to its “Dirty Dozen” list of produce containing the most residue of potentially harmful pesticides.

06/09/2025

During pregnancy, fetal cells migrate out of the womb and into a mother’s heart, liver, lung, kidney, brain, and more. They could shape moms’ health for a lifetime, Katherine J. Wu reported in 2024:⁠ https://theatln.tc/qozjIdje
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The presence of these cells, known as microchimerism, is thought to affect every person who has carried an embryo, even if briefly, and anyone who has ever inhabited a womb. The cross-generational transfers are bidirectional—as fetal cells cross the placenta into maternal tissues, a small number of maternal cells migrate into fetal tissues, where they can persist into adulthood. ⁠
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Genetic swaps, then, might occur several times throughout a life. Some researchers believe that people may be miniature mosaics of many of their relatives, via chains of pregnancy: their older siblings, perhaps, or their maternal grandmother, or any aunts and uncles their grandmother might have conceived before their mother was born. “It’s like you carry your entire family inside of you,” Francisco Úbeda de Torres, an evolutionary biologist at the Royal Holloway University of London, told Wu.⁠
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Some scientists have argued that cells so sparse and inconsistent couldn’t possibly have meaningful effects. Even among microchimerism researchers, hypotheses about what these cells do—if anything at all—remain “highly controversial,” Sing Sing Way, an immunologist and a pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, told Wu. But many experts contend that microchimeric cells aren’t just passive passengers. They are genetically distinct entities. And they might hold sway over many aspects of health: our susceptibility to infectious or autoimmune disease, the success of pregnancies, maybe even behavior. ⁠
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If these cells turn out to be as important as some scientists believe they are, they might be one of the most underappreciated architects of human life, Wu writes.

06/04/2025

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-evidence-underscores-power-based-diet.html?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKsc8BleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHg_2hfeTZZ86k_7P_TCi_Mls5P7TqFe8nxqwWzmQAnNvUyXYq2gSy9hbvlzc_aem_8aw9cPjVstkm0DGoQJqt1A

Two new studies by researchers at Unity Health Toronto and the University of Toronto suggest that the plant-based Portfolio Diet can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality, improving heart health across diverse groups of people.

06/01/2025

https://dailypositiveinfo.com/study-suggests-key-link-that-could-help-explain-autism-development/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwKo6jtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHpZDJui2gSe_uijox9ugK0c3C9hiNiuhOoxYTVXwJiXnO-CGrBCPO5dp8kAi_aem_-rSDEndVEuOT2R2_jSXLbw

The importance of our gut microbiota to our health has become increasingly clear in recent years as more and more studies have been released.

05/27/2025

A first-of-its-kind study tested the safety of psilocybin on patients with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease and found that patients experienced clinically significant improvements in mood, cognition, and motor function that lasted for weeks after the drug was out of their systems.