Woodlands Psychiatrist

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Peter Berndt, M.D., brings a lifetime of experience, first as a family physician and now as a psychiatrist, to his current work with individuals, companies, and organizations in The Woodlands, Texas.

01/22/2026

Weight Management Affects Diabetes Risk
January 15, 2026
A study of 41,539 Japanese adults found that a 1% weight increase over a year raised type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk by 15%-51%, while a 1% weight loss reduced it by 16%-26%. The study highlighted the importance of weight management, particularly for individuals with a BMI of 22 or higher. The findings were consistent across different age groups, except for those aged 75 years and older. The research was supported by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development.

The Takeaway: Weight management is crucial for diabetes prevention, especially with BMI ≥ 22.

Cited from diabetes and endocrinology journals

Comment: these findings are commonly understood by patients with DMII. Nonetheless, I thought it would be interesting to those patients among my friends on FB to see some numbers and statistics.

01/13/2026

Cited from Internal Medicine publication
This is a bit technical but you will get the gist and you might find it helpful.

Can a Month of Alcohol Abstinence Improve Your Liver?
January 7, 2026
A month-long abstinence from alcohol, known as Dry January, can significantly improve liver health, reduce weight, and enhance sleep quality. Studies show a 15% reduction in liver stiffness and improvements in liver enzymes after four weeks. Participants also experience a 25% improvement in insulin resistance and a 7% reduction in systolic blood pressure. Long-term benefits include reduced drinking frequency and quantity. These findings highlight the importance of short-term abstinence in promoting lasting health improvements. No funding information was reported.

The Takeaway: Dry January can lead to lasting health benefits and may help to reduce long-term alcohol use.

12/13/2025

I need to correct the date of a free Kindle access. The "Body Memory" book was available free-of charge on 12/11. "The Tales from the Couch" is in progress today and tomorrow, according to Amazon.

This is the anniversary of my second publication on Amazon/Kindle, "The Body Remembers What The Mind Cannot". This small...
12/13/2025

This is the anniversary of my second publication on Amazon/Kindle, "The Body Remembers What The Mind Cannot". This small book, and the larger "Tales from the Couch". will be available free of charge on Kindle today and tomorrow, one after the other.

In this booklet I propose the idea that anxiety is not a mental illness but rather the reactivation of subconsciously stored memories of past stressful events and their imprints on the psyche. I present several cases of stress related illness which were resolved successfully using methods based on the groundbreaking work of Joseph Breuer MD, one of the fathers of psychosomatic medicine, published first in 1885, and now largely forgotten.

11/25/2025

Family Medicine
November 2025

Modifiable risk factors in cardiac events and fatalities

A large study of nine million participants found that 99% of cardiac events occurred in patients with at least one modifiable risk factor: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, to***co use, or high blood sugar. The study, published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, emphasizes the importance of managing these factors through lifestyle changes and medical interventions. High blood pressure and cholesterol were the most common, while smoking was the most damaging. These findings highlight the need for regular monitoring and proactive management to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure.

The Takeaway: Large new data show almost all (99%) cardiac events occur in patients with modifiable risk factors, refuting suggestions of risk-free coronary disease.

Comment: This study affirms the fact that these risk factors are entirely under our control, IF (big if) we possess enough of a self-regard quotient to take proper care of ourselves. That quotient is often near zero for a lot of patients. On another issue, this study does not include, as it should, stress and general anxiety in all their forms and permutations as causative factors. The risk issues above have, on closer examination, the general stress response as the common denominator. General medicine offers no treatment or invention strategies to patients.

Cited from Family Medicine articles.

11/14/2025

Neurology

Walking At Least 5000 Steps a Day May Slow AD Progression
November 7, 2025
A study of 296 older adults from the Harvard Aging Brain Study found that taking over 5000 steps daily may slow the progression of early Alzheimer's disease (AD) by reducing tau protein accumulation in the brain. Participants were divided into four activity groups, and those with higher step counts showed a slower cognitive and functional decline. The study highlights the importance of physical activity in managing AD, independent of amyloid-beta pathology. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health and a Doris Duke Charitable Foundation award.

The Takeaway: Taking at least 5000 steps daily may slow the progression of early AD by reducing tau protein accumulation in the brain.

Cited from Medscape

11/13/2025

Neurology

Melatonin Use Tied to Heart Failure Risk

November 10, 2025

A study of 130,828 adults (average age, 55.7 years; 61% women) with insomnia found that prolonged melatonin use is linked to an 89% higher risk of heart failure and increased hospitalization and mortality rates. Conducted using the TriNetX Global Research Network database, the study compared melatonin users to non-users over five years. The findings challenge previous beliefs about the safety of melatonin, highlighting the need for further research into its cardiovascular effects.

The Takeaway: Long-term melatonin use may increase risk for heart failure, urging caution.

Cited from Medscape

10/28/2025

Dementia Risk Increases With More Psychiatric Comorbidities

September 12, 2025

New research indicates that the risk of developing dementia increases with the number of comorbid psychiatric disorders. Individuals with two psychiatric disorders are twice as likely to develop dementia, while those with three have a fourfold risk. The presence of four or more disorders elevates the risk 11-fold. Mood and anxiety disorders, in particular, pose the greatest risk, with some subgroups showing up to a 90% probability of developing dementia. The study analyzed data from 3688 adults aged 45 and older, revealing that 18% developed dementia within an average of 18 months after their first psychiatric disorder diagnosis. These findings underscore the importance of targeted dementia screening and preventive measures in patients with multiple psychiatric disorders. This study had no specific funding.

The Takeaway: Dementia risk rises with each psychiatric comorbidity, underscoring the need for targeted screening and prevention.

Comment:
What this study means is that it is crucially important to recognize and treat mental illnesses in the middle-aged and elderly for their general health benefits but also for the purpose of prevention of dementia or at least for keeping dementia at bay for as long as possible. It therefore incomprehensible to hear that some psychiatrists' offices in my community refuse to treat elderly patients beyond a certain age. It is true that some elderly patients may be beyond the reach of psychotherapy, if they are no longer cognitively intact enough, but they can often still benefit from emotional support and possibly from judiciously dosed medication for depression, anxiety and behavioral issues.

Childhood Abuse May Impact Adult Mental HealthA secondary analysis of seven cross-sectional surveys of over 20,000 adult...
10/20/2025

Childhood Abuse May Impact Adult Mental Health

A secondary analysis of seven cross-sectional surveys of over 20,000 adults in England and Wales found that childhood physical abuse, verbal abuse, or both, significantly increase the risk for poor mental health in adulthood. Participants reported their abuse experiences before age 18 years, and their current mental health was assessed using the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Those exposed to physical abuse had a 52% higher likelihood of poor mental health, while verbal abuse increased the risk by 64%. Experiencing both types of abuse raised the risk by 115%. The study highlights the need for interventions addressing both physical and verbal abuse to improve long-term mental health outcomes. No funding information was reported.

The Takeaway: Childhood abuse interventions are crucial for improving adult mental health outcomes.

Cited from Medscape 9/1/25

Plant Extracts Ease Hand OA PainA study in Belgium found that a daily combination of Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Boswel...
10/17/2025

Plant Extracts Ease Hand OA Pain

A study in Belgium found that a daily combination of Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Boswellia serrata extracts significantly reduced pain in patients with hand osteoarthritis (OA) over three months. Participants reported an 8-9 point improvement on a pain scale
compared with placebo, where higher scores indicate more pain relief. Additionally, patients experienced enhanced quality of life. The trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study focusing on patient-reported outcomes. Over 90% of participants
adhered to the supplement regimen, with side effects like placebo. While these plant extracts do not replace standard OA treatments, they provide a safe adjunct for those seeking natural options. The study highlights the importance of considering complementary
therapies for symptomatic relief in hand OA.

The Takeaway: Plant extracts offer safe, effective relief for hand OA pain as a complementary therapy.

Cited from Medscape

10/16/2025

ONCOLOGY

Underlying Mechanisms Responsible for Spontaneous Cancer Regression

October 7, 2025

Spontaneous regression of cancer, notably in neuroblastoma, leukemia, lung cancer, and melanoma, is rare and poorly understood. Historical observations implicate infections and immune activation in tumor shrinkage. William B. Coley, a surgeon, pioneered immunotherapy by using bacterial toxins to induce fever and immune response. Modern research explores viruses and immune mechanisms. In a series of 54 leukemia cases, 76% of remissions were associated with bacterial infection and 45% with blood transfusion (median time, 5 months). Factors like infections, transfusions, and immune responses are linked to temporary remissions. Understanding these processes could inform future cancer treatments.
The Takeaway: Understanding the underlying mechanisms for spontaneous tumor regression may guide new cancer therapies.

COMMENT: This is an interesting report that has just come out. General medicine has shown no interest in and has been strangely silent on this issue of spontaneous remission of cases with cancer. These remissions are looked upon as being curiosities rather than a phenomenon to be more widely understood. As a result, funding and research have focused on chemotherapy, radiation, and surgical approaches rather than on also understanding cancer from a psychosomatic (mind-body) perspective. This can make valuable contributions to the care of patients with a cancer diagnosis who are, astonishingly, hardly ever offered psychological support. Such support has the potential to help patients have less pain, anxiety and a longer survival. At the same time, it needs to be said that psychological approaches need not and should not be used to replace the usual forms of treatment but rather to supplement it, so that the patient has the best of both worlds. The only work that I am aware of that talks about remissions from malignancy is a book by a Dr. Rediger called "Cured" which may be of interest.

Art Impacts Brain ActivityRecent research using functional MRI from Columbia University reveals that viewing abstract ar...
10/16/2025

Art Impacts Brain Activity

Recent research using functional MRI from Columbia University reveals that viewing abstract art engages the brain's Default Mode Network more than realistic art, leading to varied and subjective interpretations. This study involved 29 participants who viewed both abstract and figurative paintings, showing that abstract art elicited more diverse brain activity patterns. The findings suggest that abstract art's ambiguity encourages personal interpretation, linked to creativity and mind wandering. The study highlights the therapeutic potential of art in enhancing mental well-being and creativity.

The Takeaway:
Abstract art stimulates diverse brain activity, enhancing creativity and mind wandering.

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8111 Ashlane Way, Suite 221
The Woodlands, TX
77382

Telephone

+18669957910

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