Chronic-Wellness

03/08/2025

New Drug Targets Brain Glial Cells to Reverse PTSD Symptoms

A major breakthrough in PTSD research has revealed that glial cells may hold the key to understanding why fear memories persist.

Scientists identified that astrocytes release abnormal levels of GABA, which suppress the brain's ability to extinguish traumatic memories.

The culprit is the enzyme MAOB, and its inhibition by KDS2010 showed remarkable results in animal models.

This drug has already passed Phase 1 safety trials in humans.

The research uses a reverse translational approach, linking brain imaging in humans to lab-based cellular studies.

It represents a paradigm shift toward astrocyte-focused interventions in psychiatric disorders.

https://neurosciencenews.com/glial-cells-ptsd-29543/

02/08/2025

Scientists at Kyoto University have discovered that cells don’t just passively exist they actually respond to sound waves by changing gene activity, behavior, and even their fate. By exposing cell cultures to pure sound tones and white noise at levels similar to those inside the body, researchers found that dozens of genes related to stress, inflammation, and repair quickly shifted their activity.
Most fascinatingly, when stem cells were nudged toward becoming fat cells while exposed to continuous tones, sound suppressed key fat-producing genes by over 70%, making cells resist turning into fat. Though this research is still in early stages and far from human therapy, it reveals sound as a powerful physical force shaping biology opening exciting new frontiers for acoustic therapies and biological exploration.

31/07/2025

Hopeful Breakthrough Scientists Reverse Key Alzheimer’s Symptoms in Mice
In a major step forward for Alzheimer’s research, scientists in Japan have successfully reversed memory and learning deficits in mice with symptoms of the disease restoring their cognitive abilities to the level of healthy animals.
Led by researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, the team developed a synthetic peptide, a tiny engineered protein, which was administered through the mice’s noses. This peptide targeted and repaired damaged synapses the vital communication links between brain cells that are often impaired in Alzheimer’s patients.
Alzheimer’s is commonly associated with the buildup of tau proteins, which disrupt brain function by hijacking an enzyme called dynamin, essential for healthy cell signaling. The new peptide works by blocking this harmful interaction, preventing further damage and allowing brain function to rebound.

31/07/2025

Something alarming is happening to male health, and it’s not getting enough attention. Recent studies have found that the average 20-year-old man today has the same testosterone levels as a 70-year-old man did in the 1970s. That’s a massive decline in just a few decades, and it’s raising serious questions about what’s driving this silent epidemic.

Testosterone plays a crucial role in male development, energy, mood regulation, muscle mass, bone density, and reproductive health. While it’s normal for testosterone levels to decline gradually with age, the rate at which it’s happening now is far from natural. Young men in their physical prime are experiencing symptoms of hormonal deficiency fatigue, depression, low libido, weight gain, and decreased motivation, at rates never seen before.

This drop in testosterone is not just about aging, it’s about lifestyle and environment. Researchers believe a combination of factors is contributing to the decline. These include increased exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in plastics, food packaging, and personal care products. Sedentary lifestyles, poor sleep, chronic stress, obesity, and ultra-processed diets are also known to disrupt hormonal balance. Even a lack of exposure to natural sunlight and vitamin D is believed to play a role.

What's even more troubling is that this isn't just a problem for individuals, it’s a public health issue. Lower testosterone levels are linked to a rise in infertility, metabolic disorders, and mental health struggles. It’s also a signal that our broader environment and way of life may be out of alignment with our biological needs.

Many health experts now advocate for increased awareness, better research, and lifestyle changes to help reverse this trend. Simple steps like regular exercise, quality sleep, managing stress, and reducing exposure to synthetic chemicals can support healthier hormone levels.

Testosterone is more than just a number. It’s a vital indicator of men’s health, and its decline could be telling us something urgent about how we’re living.

Follow Minds Canvas to uncover more scientific truths about health, human biology, and the forces silently shaping our future.

27/07/2025

🔥 Inflammation Has a Memory

How Your Body ‘Remembers’ Pain and Triggers Future Flare-Ups

Have you ever wondered why an old injury starts aching again out of nowhere… or why the same joints keep flaring up, even when there’s no obvious trigger? Science is starting to explain what lymph therapists and trauma-informed practitioners have seen for years:

Inflammation has a memory.
And your body remembers.

🧬 The Science Behind “Trained Immunity”

Unlike traditional immunological memory (like how your body remembers a virus), trained immunity refers to how innate immune cells—especially monocytes and macrophages—change their behavior long-term after a strong inflammatory event.

These cells undergo epigenetic reprogramming, meaning their DNA isn’t altered, but how it’s expressed is. This causes them to become primed—more reactive in the future.

🔎 Research shows that:
• Inflammatory triggers (like infection, injury, or trauma) leave “immunological fingerprints” on immune cells.
• These changes persist, increasing the risk of future chronic inflammation—even in unrelated tissues.
• This may help explain chronic pain, autoimmune relapses, and lymphatic stagnation after emotional or physical trauma.

📚 Source: Netea MG et al. (2020), “Trained Immunity: A Tool for Reducing Susceptibility to and the Severity of SARS-CoV-2 Infection,” Cell.
📚 Divangahi M et al. (2021), “The Trained Immunity Hypothesis and Covid-19,” Nat Rev Immunol.

💥 Why Old Injuries Flare Up Again

Many patients say things like:

“My car accident was 10 years ago… why does that same shoulder still swell?”
“My C-section scar aches when I’m stressed or hormonal.”

This is not in their head.
Research shows that inflammatory cytokines can be rapidly reactivated in previously injured tissues, even if the original injury is healed.

Lymphatic congestion often follows because the lymph system is the body’s drainage highway for excess inflammation. If the body “remembers” where inflammation once was, it may send immune cells and fluid there again—even when unnecessary.

🤯 The Emotional Link: Your Body Remembers Trauma

This cellular memory isn’t just physical—it can also be emotional. Studies in psychoneuroimmunology show that emotional trauma and chronic stress can leave lasting immune imprints.
• Cortisol dysregulation
• Persistent microglial (brain immune cell) activation
• Increased inflammatory gene expression in response to psychological stress

📚 Slavich GM & Cole SW (2013), “The Emerging Field of Human Social Genomics,” Clinical Psychological Science.

This may explain why many lymphies feel flare-ups in times of grief, heartbreak, or stress. The body isn’t broken—it’s remembering.

🌿 What Can You Do?

Healing inflammatory memory takes a gentle, layered approach. It’s not about suppressing the body’s responses—it’s about rewiring them.

🌀 Lymphatic Therapy
• Manual drainage helps flush residual cytokines and immune debris.
• Supports better regulation of immune cell trafficking and drainage of trauma-related congestion.

🌿 Castor Oil Packs
• Shown to modulate prostaglandins and reduce localized inflammation.
• Excellent for scar tissue areas and old injury sites.

🧘 Somatic Release & Nervous System Work
• Vagus nerve stimulation, breathwork, and trauma-informed bodywork help calm the inflammatory reflex and teach the body a new baseline.

🍽️ Anti-Inflammatory & Epigenetic Foods
• Polyphenols (like turmeric, ginger, and green tea) can help reverse inflammatory gene expression.
• Methylation-supportive nutrients (B vitamins, magnesium, choline) aid in DNA repair and immune regulation.

🧡 Final Thoughts:

Your body isn’t betraying you.
It’s just remembering—and trying to protect you the only way it knows how.

But healing is possible. With every lymphatic flush, every breath, every act of nourishment and rest—you’re not just managing symptoms. You’re gently teaching your body a new story:

One of safety. One of peace. One of release.

📚 Research References:
1. Netea MG et al. (2020). “Trained Immunity: A Tool for Reducing Susceptibility to and the Severity of SARS-CoV-2 Infection.” Cell, 181(5), 969-977. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.042
2. Divangahi M et al. (2021). “The Trained Immunity Hypothesis and Covid-19.” Nature Reviews Immunology, 21, 75–76.
3. Slavich GM, Cole SW. (2013). “The Emerging Field of Human Social Genomics.” Clinical Psychological Science, 1(3), 331–348.
4. Arts RJ et al. (2018). “Trained immunity: consequences for the heterologous effects of BCG vaccination.” Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg, 112(1), 1–5.

©️

27/07/2025

Research reveals a 15x increase in chronic condition after COVID-19.

Here’s what scientists are uncovering about Long COVID’s lasting effects.

A new NIH-funded study has found that COVID-19 may significantly increase the risk of developing myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a serious and often disabling condition.

The research, part of the NIH’s RECOVER Initiative, revealed that 4.5% of individuals who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 met the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS six months post-infection—compared to just 0.6% of those never infected. ME/CFS is characterized by long-lasting fatigue, post-exertional malaise, unrefreshing sleep, cognitive problems, and dizziness upon standing—symptoms that overlap heavily with Long COVID.

Led by Dr. Suzanne D. Vernon at the Bateman Horne Center, the study evaluated nearly 13,000 adults and found the incidence of ME/CFS was 15 times higher than pre-pandemic levels. While the findings add to mounting evidence that viral infections can trigger ME/CFS, the study also underscores the need for further research into why certain individuals are more susceptible. Understanding how SARS-CoV-2 can lead to ME/CFS may pave the way for treatments that could benefit people with Long COVID and other post-infectious conditions.

source
SD Vernon et al., Incidence and Prevalence of Post-COVID-19 Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Report from the Observational RECOVER-Adult Study, Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2025.

26/07/2025

MRI imaging reveals that even moderate drinking causes brain shrinkage.

And the impact on overall brain health is significant.

While alcohol’s mood-boosting effects are well-known, new research suggests the impact on brain health may begin even at moderate levels of consumption.

A long-term British study, part of the Whitehall investigation into health and lifestyle, followed over 500 people for 30 years. The results, based on brain scans and cognitive testing, showed that people who drank moderately—defined as up to one drink per day for women and two for men—had a significantly increased risk of shrinkage in the hippocampus, the brain region associated with memory and learning.

Moderate drinkers had three times the risk of shrinkage compared to non-drinkers, and heavy drinkers had nearly six times the risk.

These findings echo earlier studies from Harvard researchers, which also linked greater alcohol consumption to reduced brain volume—even among light drinkers. However, experts like Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Kenneth Mukamal caution that more research is needed to determine whether this atrophy reflects actual neuron loss or reversible brain fluid changes. While moderate alcohol use is still associated with some health benefits, such as improved heart health and reduced risk of diabetes, the potential cognitive trade-offs—especially for memory and reasoning—may prompt some to reconsider how much they pour.

source
Topiwala A, Allan C L, Valkanova V, Zsoldos E, Filippini N, Sexton C et al. Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline: longitudinal cohort study BMJ 2017;

26/07/2025

Groundbreaking!!

🧠 Scientists just found gut bacteria that may trigger MS — and it could let us treat the disease!

Scientists have identified two gut bacteria strains that may help trigger multiple sclerosis (MS)—a breakthrough that could lead to new ways to treat or even prevent the disease.

In a new study from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, researchers studied 81 pairs of identical twins in which one twin had MS and the other did not.

Because the twins share nearly identical genetics and similar environments, the differences between them pointed to something else: their gut microbiomes.

Two strains—Eisenbergiella tayi and Lachnoclostridium—were found to be more common in the MS-affected siblings. Even more compelling, when these bacteria were transferred to mice, the animals began to show signs of MS-like disease.

This is the clearest evidence yet that gut microbes may help spark MS, an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord.

While earlier research suggested a gut-brain connection, this study pinpoints specific bacterial culprits and offers a path forward for treatments that target the microbiome. If future studies confirm these findings in humans, doctors may one day slow or prevent MS not with immunosuppressants, but by reshaping the gut itself.

Rojas, O. L., et al. (2025). Identification of MS-associated gut bacterial strains using identical twins discordant for disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

17/07/2025

Cooling buildings accounts for a significant portion of global energy use, costing trillions of dollars annually. Air conditioning alone is responsible for nearly 20% of electricity consumption in buildings worldwide, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and worsening climate change. To combat this, scientists have developed an ultra-white paint that reflects up to 97% of sunlight, offering a passive cooling solution that drastically reduces the need for air conditioning.

This innovative paint works by reflecting nearly all incoming solar radiation while also emitting infrared heat. As a result, surfaces coated with this paint can maintain temperatures lower than the surrounding ambient air, even under direct sunlight. Developed at Purdue University, the paint is made with high concentrations of barium sulfate, a compound commonly used in cosmetics and paper. Unlike regular white paints, which typically reflect only 80–90% of sunlight, this paint sets a new standard for thermal reflectivity.

When applied to roofs or exterior walls, this cooling paint can lower indoor temperatures by several degrees, significantly cutting down electricity usage and cooling costs. Scalable, affordable, and eco-friendly, it represents a breakthrough in sustainable building technology — a powerful tool in the fight against global warming and rising energy demand.