6 proven health benefits of magnesium—a critical mineral you’re probably not getting enough of

You may already know that magnesium is one of the top supplements for healthy aging, but its benefits go beyond supporting you in your golden years. “It’s essential for all stages of life,” says Andrea Wong, Ph.D., senior vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN).

6 proven health benefits of magnesium—a critical mineral you’re probably not getting enough of (archived)

Council for Responsible Nutrition is a trade association and lobbying group for the dietary supplement industry…lol.

Related:

12 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Magnesium

Medicare to cover obesity drugs, but not for weight loss

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Medicare to cover obesity drugs, but not for weight loss

“CMS has issued guidance to Medicare Part D plans stating that anti-obesity medications (AOMs) that receive FDA approval for an additional medically accepted indication can be considered a Part D drug for that specific use,” the spokesperson added, specifying that drugs that are FDA-approved for only weight loss do not fall under this consideration.

Wegovy, Rybelsus, and Ozempic, are the different brand names for Semaglutide. They have a black box warning for Medullary thyroid cancer.* 🤦🏼‍♀️

Related:

Wegovy side effects: What you should know

*Obesity and Cancer

Scientific Misconduct and Fraud: The Final Nail in Psychiatry’s Antidepressant Coffin

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“. . . if the major media picks up on this story, they will have the chance to report on what arguably is the worst—and most harmful—scandal in American medical history”

Robert Whitaker, publisher of madinamerica.com, January 3, 2024

Historically, there have always been some patients who report that any treatment for depression—including bloodletting—has worked for them, but science demands that for a treatment to be deemed truly effective, it must work better than a placebo or the passage of time without any treatment. This is especially important for antidepressant drugs—including Prozac, Zoloft, and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), as well as Effexor, Cymbalta, and other serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)—because all of these drugs have uncontroversial troubling side effects.

Scientific Misconduct and Fraud: The Final Nail in Psychiatry’s Antidepressant Coffin

Related:

Once Radical Critiques of Psychiatry are Now Mainstream, So What Remains Taboo?

Psychedelic Drugs Are Rushing Towards Approval for Therapy. Here’s What’s Next

Psychedelic Drugs Are Rushing Towards Approval for Therapy. Here’s What’s Next

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Psychedelic Drugs Are Rushing Towards Approval for Therapy. Here’s What’s Next

Yet one glaring problem remains. Despite promising clinical results, no one knows exactly how psychedelic drugs work in the brain. Examining their actions on brain cells isn’t just an academic curiosity. It could give rise to variants that maintain antidepressant properties without the high. And because hallucinogens substantially alter our perception [management?!] of the world, they could be powerful tools for investigating the neurobiology behind consciousness.

This year, scientists found another common themepsychedelics seem to “reset” the brain to a more youthful state, at least in mice. Like humans, mice have an adolescent critical period, during which their brains are highly malleable and can easily rewire neural circuits, but the window closes after adulthood.

An earlier study showed that MDMA reopens the critical window in adult mice, so that they change their “personality.” Mice raised alone are often introverted and prefer to keep to themselves in adulthood. A dose of MDMA increased their willingness to snuggle with other mice—essentially, they learned to associate socializing with happiness, concluded the study.

It’s not that surprising. MDMA is well-known to promote empathy and bonding. The new study, by the same team, extended their early results to four psychedelics that don’t trigger fuzzy feelings—LSD, ketamine, psilocybin, and ibogaine. Similar to MDMA, adult mice raised alone changed their usual preference for solitude when treated with any of the drugs. Because habits are hard to change in adulthood—for mice and men—the drugs may have reopened the critical period, allowing the brain to more easily rewire neural connections based on new experiences.

These are just early results. But psychedelic research is gaining a new ally—artificial intelligence. Algorithms that predict protein structure, combined with rational drug design, could generate psychedelics that retain their psychiatric benefits without the high.

H/T: The Most Revolutionary Act

Related:

Psychoanalytic roots of CIA psychoprofiling/pseudoscience

Meaghan thought psychedelic therapy could help her PTSD. Instead it was the start of a nightmare

Why is the American right suddenly so interested in psychedelic drugs

What if a Pill Can Change Your Politics or Religious Beliefs? (archived)

Do Psychedelic Trips Change Your Political Views? (archived)

2023 Review: China vs US, Who is Winning in Key Tech Domains?

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In the List of Critical and Emerging Technologies released by ASPI, a well-known Australian think tank, China takes the lead in 53 categories of cutting-edge technologies. At the same time, the USA claims the remaining 11. Notably, according to the list, China dominates in areas like advanced materials and manufacturing, energy and environment, and advanced information and communication technologies and enjoys a sizable advantage in defense, space, robotics, transportation, and quantum technology.

2023 Review: China vs US, Who is Winning in Key Tech Domains?

In other words, China is eating our lunch! 😉

Why India did not allow Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine

Why India did not allow Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine

In Latin America pharmaceutical bullying went a notch higher. In addition to legal indemnity, Pfizer demanded protection against their own negligence and mistakes. Argentina amended its vaccine law, three times, yet Pfizer was not happy. Pfizer wanted Argentina’s bank reserves and military bases as “guarantees”.

In the era of neo-colonialism, Pharma industry was the new East India Company.

Despite such pressure, India did not succumb. Eventually, Pfizer withdrew its application in 2021 We continued our vaccine programme with drugs that complied with our legal requirements.

On the first results of the US-Africa Leaders Summit

The world press is actively discussing the results of the first US-Africa Leaders Summit since 2014, held on December 13-15 in Washington.

At first glance this event may seem successful. The forum was attended by delegations from 49 countries plus the African Union and the permanent secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area. Only the leaders of those countries that were not invited because of their “non-compliance with democratic standards” (Guinea, Mali, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Eritrea) were not in attendance. It should be noted that the leader of Chad, who also came to power in an unconstitutional way, was at the summit. Apparently, his “authoritarianism” did not interfere with US principles since the country is close in its political positions to the West, primarily to France.

On the first results of the US-Africa Leaders Summit (archived)