Meditators have more grey matter, study finds.
National Post, 14 November, 2005

"...Boston (Yale) researchers found that parts of the brain important for attention and sensory processing ... were thicker in meditators." Published in NeuroReport, MRI studies showed that people doing an average of 40 minutes Buddhist insight meditation, for a number of years had more grey matter. MRI studies found parts of the cerebral cortex associated with emotion and internal perception of body states, where thicker. (The study did not establish whether the meditation caused the increase or whether people with more neurons in these areas are predisposed to meditate!)
   A study published last May in the American Journal of Cardiology found that Transcendental Meditation reduced death rates by 23%. TM lowers blood pressure and reduces cholesterol and hardening of the arteries.

Hormonal Control of Appetite:
New York Times, 11 Nov 2005

Scientists at Stanford, elaborating on our knowledge of the hormonal control of appetite (in mice), have found a hormone, manufactured in the stomach and small intestine which "seems to prompt the brain to send out a message that says 'eat less'." The hormone, obestatin,"seems to reduce hunger in part by slowing the passage of food through the" gut.

"One thing that especially fascinates scientist about obestatin is its link to another hormone, ghrelin, which makes people hungry - the opposite of obestatin.
    "The scientists were surprised to find that the two hormones were products of the same gene. The gene directs cells to make one protein molecule, which breaks into two smaller ones, called peptides. One is ghrelin, and the other is obestatin."

"Even safe water can carry risks"
Toronto Star 17 Nov. 2005

"Serious kidney damage shown by more than 200 residents of Walkerton, Ont., is the result of drinking too much water, not E. coli poisoning ...
   "... 5% of the 4,4000 residents enrolled have high urine volumes with pathological levels of protein. ...
   " 'We think that this occurs in the Canadian population and may provide for some of the unexplained chronic renal failures that we see.' "

"8 glasses a day," they say. Recall the article on the dangers of overhydration during strenuous exercise in May 2005's newsletter. Water is "salubrious" in moderation. Don't overdo it.

Panic and Breath

There was a recent article in the New York Times Science section on the association of breath and panic attacks. The bottom line is that deep breathing exercises can be very helpful with anxiety and panic. However, I was a little confused by the rationale.

The article claimed there was an association between high carbon dioxide levels in the blood an panic and spoke of an association between hyperventilation and panic. I think, very possibly, the authors got this all backwards. In hyperventalation, from shallow rapid breathing, be "gas off" carbon dioxide reducing the carbon dioxide (hence the paperbag over the head story - to increase the carbon dioxide!) and the bicarbonate in the blood. The bicarbonate is an important alkalis of the blood and its reduction leads to respiratory acidosis, and this reduced carbon content, "hypocapria", is what may be associated with anxiety and panic. Either way, breath deeply, and slowly.

Other Headlines:

"Research Suggests Exercise May Keep Senility at Bay"
New York Times, 11 Nov 2005

"Ginseng May Reduce Number and severity of Colds"
New York Times, 1 Nov 2005

The "energy drinks", which is the big thing in the beverage industry, are primarily caffeine deliver systems. The companies claim that the other things added, ginseng, for instance, take the "jolt" out of the caffeine hit.
New York Times, business section, 23 Nov 2005