7. Roots to Sky: Clinical Research & Treatment

What if your brain is the reason some pain feels unbearable? Scientists at the Salk Institute have discovered a hidden brain circuit that gives pain its emotional punch—essentially transforming ordinary discomfort into lasting misery. This breakthrough sheds light on why some people suffer more intensely than others from conditions like fibromyalgia, migraines, and PTSD. By identifying the exact group of neurons that link physical pain to emotional suffering, the researchers may have found a new target for treating chronic pain—without relying on addictive medications.

Without a doubt, the work that has brought me the most joy in my 39 years of practice has been helping my patients to conceive and to bring healthy babies to term.  Fertility has become one of my specialties not only because of my growing experience in the field but also because infertility has grown more common over time.  Low ovarian reserve has particularly become more prevalent in recent years.  A decade ago, my patients experiencing low ovarian reserve were reliably age 40 or older.  Today, it’s not uncommon for patients in their mid-30’s to experience low ovarian reserve.  At the same time, more and more patients are waiting longer to have children. Fortunately, TCM treatment for ovarian function has been found effective in clinical studies and in my practice.  TCM considers that the main pathogenesis of ovarian reserve dysfunction

A simple—but experimental—treatment gave me my brain back.

Acupuncture significantly improves embryo quality, two-pronuclei (2PN) fertilization rates, and cumulative pregnancy outcomes in women aged 35 to 42 undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Medical Acupuncture

The investigational Lyme disease vaccine VLA15 shows favorable safety profile and strong immunogenicity across all age groups, with particularly robust responses in children and adolescents.

This book offers an expert synthesis of the scholarly literature on approaches to decolonial psychology.

Could psychedelics lead to improved antidepressant or antianxiety therapies?

Two groundbreaking studies from Northwestern researchers may transform how we treat and understand Lyme disease

2,510 likes, 140 comments - unbiasedscipod on August 14, 2023: "Lyme disease (LD): while a public health concern, rampant misinformation fueled by vocal advocacy organizations has led the public to perceive it as a bigger threat than it is. One of the most pervasive: chronic Lyme disease. LD is a bacterial infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi (rarely Borrelia mayonii in the US; Borrelia garinii & Borreli afzelii in Europe). In the US, 2 species of ticks can transmit these bacteria: Black-legged & western Black-legged ticks. It is not spread by other ticks, other arthropods, or by other means. Most infections remain localized, cause mild illness, and present with the ‘bulls-eye rash’, erythema migrans. Other symptoms are generic: fever, fatigue, headache, muscle/joint pain, and lymphadenopathy. In ~10-20% of infections (depending on bacterial strain), bacteria can spread elsewhere in the body like large joints and nerves and cause disseminated LD symptoms, which can be painful and debilitating. The good news? The bacteria can be killed with antibiotics. Even without antibiotic treatment, most infections would be eliminated by your immune system. In a small proportion of individuals who TRULY were infected, certain symptoms - fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, insomnia - may last after antibiotic treatment. These are post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS) symptoms, or sequelae, and are a result of the immune response – inflammation created to eliminate bacteria. PTLDS typically resolves over a period of months, like other post-infection sequelae. This is NOT chronic infection. Bacteria are not hiding, persisting, or establishing dormancy or biofilms. Infection does not reactivate over the years. There is NO benefit to taking longer-term antibiotics. Bacteria are eliminated. Chronic Lyme disease is not a medically supported condition, no matter how loud advocacy organizations shout. Unfortunately, chronic Lyme has become a scapegoat for an array of non-specific symptoms even without evidence someone had Lyme to begin with. This prevents people from addressing real causes of their symptoms and undergoing harmful and expensive ‘treatments’, as well as propagating fallacies and undue fear about Lyme to the public.".

11K likes, 527 comments - unbiasedscipod on August 9, 2023: "“Chronic Lyme” is a scapegoat in the ‘alternative health’ & ‘wellness’ industries. Many nonspecific symptoms are falsely attributed to a bacterial infection readily treated with antibiotics. This trend has increased due to celebrity & media attention. We have discussed Lyme pseudoscience extensively, but with recent headlines about Bella Hadid, we must revisit. Bella shared this 2016 ‘lab report’ filled with Lyme misinformation. Here are the most glaring. 1️⃣Urine samples cannot be used to diagnose ANY of these, Lyme or otherwise. Credible expert organizations including Infectious Diseases Society of America are explicit about this. 2️⃣FDA-authorized Lyme tests assess immune responses (antibodies) to Borrelia burgdorferi in blood. There are NO credible Lyme tests that use PCR (what this test claims to use). 3️⃣The test falsely claims the first 4 ‘microbes’ listed are different species of Lyme bacteria. 4️⃣This test “detects” SEVERAL impossible co-infections alongside Lyme: Bartonella bacilliformis only occurs in the Andes Mtns (South America) between 3,000 and 10,000 ft. of elevation. It is transmitted by sand flies, NOT ticks. Bartonella henselae is also NOT spread by ticks, but by fleas (or animal scratch contaminated with infected flea feces). Ehrlichia chaffeensis is transmitted by ticks, but NOT the species that transmits Lyme bacteria. The likelihood Bella was bitten by 4 different arthropods all infected with these bacteria (incl. one only in S. American mountains) is near zero. It is also implausible she has been infected for over 7 years. Self-appointed “Lyme specialists” have gotten rich by selling fake tests to diagnose illnesses that there is zero evidence (clinical or epidemiological) to support. They then prescribe unproven, harmful, long-term, and expensive treatments. Is Bella feeling ill? Possibly! But it is very likely the array of “treatments” for infections she doesn’t have are the cause of that. Unfortunately, celebrities who buy into the myths about Lyme fall prey and legitimize it with their large public platforms. Scientists, credible clinicians, and media outlets all need to help dispel this type of harmful nonsense.".

For care providers, scientists, healers, academics, or anyone with a job that "helps people"

Watch now | a 2-part intro series for anyone ready to build outside the system

Research news from Canada's largest research hospital.

Drug combination targeting lax airways is nearing an FDA submission

Suicide is caused by oppressive systems & also isn't a mental disorder or an immoral, irrational choice

This Planner Templates item is sold by LiberatingTherapy. Dispatched from United States. Listed on 21 May, 2025

Original Editor - Kapil Narale

Glyceraldehyde links chronic stress to depression by driving inflammation and telomere shortening, offering a potential biomarker for diagnosis and treatment.

Chinese herbal medicine significantly reduces mortality rates in HIV/AIDS patients with neurological diseases.

The latest women's health news covering topics around the mental and physical wellbeing of women from across the globe and a look at the safety and wellbeing of women at work, in public, and at home.

Alzheimer’s disease is traditionally seen as a brain disorder, but new research using fruit flies reveals that it also affects organs and tissues throughout the body.

New findings suggest that dysfunction in the brain’s glymphatic system—a key waste clearance pathway—may contribute to cognitive impairments in adults with ADHD, shedding light on a lesser-known biological mechanism behind the disorder.

A research team has unveiled the cause and molecular mechanism of chronic brain inflammation that results in repetitive behavioral disorders. The research team demonstrated that an inflammatory response ...

People with depression who were more optimistic at the start of treatment—and whose optimism increased during treatment—were more likely to benefit from SSRIs, according to a recent study, raising the possibility of tailoring treatments based on psychological traits.