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Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls Out ‘Absolutely Unaffordable’ Insurance Prices After Voting to Kick Millions Off Their Insurance
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is going “Mom Mode” over the unaffordable cost of health insurance, weeks after signing the “Big, Beautiful Bill” that will strip millions of Americans of their health insurance.
Friday morning, Greene railed against cost of living increases, including “all insurance being absolutely unaffordable,” noting her personal stake in the issue as a mother of three young adult children.
“My children are 22, 25, and 27 and their generation is getting screwed,” she said. “I’m fighting for my kids and their entire generation. Their future is all that matters to me.”
You have a net worth in the tens of millions.. I understand the appeal to relate to us peasants but I think your kids are doing just fine. With all your connections and money I bet they all have good jobs and houses and insurance is an afterthought.
— Mitchel Taylor (@MitchelTay25150) July 25, 2025
But critics were quick to note that legislation supported by Greene has only exacerbated the challenges highlighted by her post.
According to a Congressional Budget Office report, 17 million Americans stand to lose their health insurance coverage when the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” takes effect in 2026. Greene voted in favor of the bill, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4.
Why did you vote for the Big beautiful bill then?
— Isaac Richter (@IsaacRichter05) July 25, 2025
Greene did not reference the bill, pointing instead to “too much political drama.”
“Regular Americans are exhausted with it all,” Greene continued. “They want their elected leaders to give a sh– about the people they represent.”
What are you doing about it? Quit blaming others. You have the majority in both houses and presidency and prices still high. Quit tweeting and get off your ass and work together for a change
— C2 (@CCarl76) July 25, 2025
“Now, I’m only operating in Mom Mode and it’s highly defensive and strategically offensive,” she claimed, though she did not indicate what strategy she intends to employ against the “skyrocketing” cost of living.
Originally published on Latin Times
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Preventing Kidney Stones | Veterans Affairs
If you’ve had a kidney stone, you may worry that you’ll have another. Removing or passing your stone doesn’t prevent future stones. But with your health care provider’s help, you can reduce your risk of forming new stones. Follow up with your provider to help find new stones. Depending on your medical condition, you may need to follow up every 3 to 12 months for the rest of your life.
Drink lots of water
Staying well-hydrated is the best way to reduce your risk of future stones. Drink 8 12-ounce glasses of water daily. Have 2 glasses with each meal and 2 glasses between meals. unless your health care provider has restricted your fluids. Keep track of your intake. Try keeping a pitcher of water nearby during the day and at night. Ask your provider about how much fluid you should have if you have congestive heart failure, kidney disease, or kidney failure.
Take medicines if needed
Medicines, including vitamins and minerals, may be prescribed for certain types of stones. You may want to write your doses and medicine times on a calendar. Some medicines decrease stone-forming chemicals in your blood. Others help prevent those chemicals from crystallizing in urine. Still others help keep a normal acid balance in your urine.
Follow your prescribed diet
Your health care provider will tell you which foods contain the compounds you should not have. Your provider may also suggest talking with a dietitian. They can help you plan meals you’ll enjoy that won’t put you at risk for future stones. Bring your spouse, partner, or close friend with you when you meet with the dietitian so you can have support for your diet changes.
You may be told to limit certain foods, depending on which type of stones you’ve had. Limit the amount of salt in your food to about 2 grams a day. This will help prevent most types of kidney stones. Make sure you get enough calcium in your diet, and stay away from extra calcium supplements. The recommended calcium intake to help prevent calcium stones is 1,000 to 1,200 mg per day. (You can eat 3 servings of dairy products with meals to meet the recommendation.)
For calcium oxalate stones: Limit animal protein, such as meat, eggs, and fish. Limit grapefruit juice and alcohol. Limit high-oxalate foods (such as cola, tea, chocolate, spinach, rhubarb, wheat bran, and peanuts). Limit sodium intake, because it causes increased leakage of calcium in your urine.
For uric acid stones: Limit high-purine foods, such as red meat, shellfish, anchovies, and organ meats. These foods increase uric acid production. Stay away from alcohol and drinks with high fructose corn syrup. They can increase your risk of forming another kidney stone.
For cystine stones: Limit high-methionine foods. (Fish is the most common, but they include eggs and meats too.) These foods increase production of cystine.
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From family meals to nutrition careers
David Grotto, MS, RDN, LDN, FAND entered the world of food and nutrition when he was 14 years old working in the natural foods business and eventually owning and operating his own business. After experiencing a life lesson in the dangers of sharing nutrition misinformation, he attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, earning a degree in medical dietetics and nutrition. As an entrepreneur, Dave desired to share the importance of business acumen with other aspiring dietitians which led him to pursuing a master’s degree in nutrition and wellness entrepreneurship and a teaching position at Benedictine University. Early on, Dave discovered he had a knack for storytelling and hosted the radio show, Let’s Talk Health, Chicago, and television show, Health & Lifestyles, Weekly. He used his communication abilities to serve his profession and the public by becoming a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and generated millions of media impressions. As an acclaimed author, Dave wrote, 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life, which has been published in nineteen languages; 101 Optimal Life Foods; and The Best Things You Can Eat, a compendium of top foods for everything from Aches to Zzzzz. Having worked in the K-12 nutrition space for more than 10 years as a Sr. Manager of Wellbeing and Regulatory at Kellanova, Dave’s passion for inspiring children to be brave and adventurous eaters has led him to writing his first children’s book and Amazon “Hot New Release”, The Girls Who Lived in the Refrigerator!
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No Jail for Texas Mom Accused of Medical Child Abuse in Munchausen by Proxy Case
A Texas mom accused of medical child abuse in an alleged Munchausen by proxy case will face no jail time after a grand jury determined she was not faking the conditions her child has.
Jessica Gasser had been facing charges of injury to a child and medical child abuse until her child was able to be “independently and repeatedly” diagnosed by doctors with gastroparesis and hypoglycemia, according to a press release obtained by Law&Crime.
In what officials had claimed was a case of Munchausen by proxy, investigators in Tarrant County, Texas, alleged that Gasser had medical professionals perform “unnecessary medical procedures,” Fox 4 reported at the time of her arrest in July 2023.
The allegations came after months of investigation following doctors’ concerns about Gasser taking her then-3-year-old child to multiple medical facilities in different states. According to court documents obtained by the outlet at the time, she allegedly told a doctor her daughter did not have gastroparesis despite listing it on a different form.
However, Gasser’s attorneys say that the allegations arose after officials and professionals allegedly bought into a “so-called epidemic of Munchausen child abuse” for their personal benefit. The attorneys allegedly uncovered texts and emails where various professionals “boasted that they could become famous on a news program like 60 Minutes for ‘saving’ Jessica’s child,” according to the press release.
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, who was named by attorneys as one of the bodies allegedly “essentially monetizing” Gasser’s case, declined to comment about the decision to WFAA, saying, “We respect the grand jury’s decision.”
After the grand jury decision and a case by Child Protective Services was also dropped, Gasser and her husband were reunited with their daughter, who is now almost 4.
“Any normal parent would do exactly as I did,” Gasser told WFAA. “If no one was helping your child, what would you do? You would go to somebody else who would. That is all I did.”
Originally published on Latin Times
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Can the Nine Attitudes of Mindfulness Do Harm?
Mindfulness teachers and programs often point to what Jon Kabat-Zinn called the Nine Attitudes of Mindfulness: qualities like non-judging, patience, beginner’s mind, trust, non-striving, acceptance, letting go, gratitude, and generosity.
While incredibly useful, these attitudes were never meant as commandments. They were meant as reminders, helpful reference points to support mindful awareness and compassionate living. But as mindfulness has been repackaged for the workplace, apps, and secular programs, something has gotten lost in translation.
Instead of flexible guidance, the Nine Attitudes of Mindfulness have, for many, become rigid ideals. What starts as an invitation to live more mindfully can ultimately distort practice, leading to confusion, passivity, and even harm.
Here’s the hard truth: misunderstanding or over-applying the Nine Attitudes can create real problems—problems I’ve experienced myself.
I’ve seen it happen firsthand. At Mindful Leader, we teach these attitudes in our MBSR and Certified Workplace Mindfulness Facilitator (CWMF) programs. And yet, here’s the hard truth: misunderstanding or over-applying them can create real problems—problems I’ve experienced myself.
Towards a Balanced Application of the Nine Attitudes of Mindfulness
When I first encountered the Nine Attitudes, they made perfect sense on paper. But living and leading by them left me tied in knots. Should I always be patient, even when urgency matters? Should I never judge, even when judgment is necessary? What was meant to help me navigate life started doing the opposite.
That experience helped shape Open MBSR, a framework I developed to reimagine mindfulness education for real life: practical, nuanced, and free from dogma. One key shift is learning to hold each mindfulness attitude dialectically, not just understanding its intention, but recognizing its limits and natural counterbalance.
Before I explain what that looks like in practice, let’s take a closer look at where these attitudes can go wrong, and how we might approach them differently.
When Good Intentions Aren’t Enough: Misinterpreting the Nine Attitudes
Non-judging
- Intention: Observing thoughts and experiences without labeling them good or bad.
- Misapplication: Dismissing critical thought; accepting harmful behavior without healthy self-protection.
- Example: Excusing repeated disrespect in a relationship under the guise of “not judging.”
Patience
- Intention: Recognizing things unfold in their own time.
- Misapplication: Mistaking patience for endless waiting.
- Example: Staying in a toxic job or relationship far longer than is healthy, believing “patience” will fix things.
Beginner’s Mind
- Intention: Meeting each moment with openness and curiosity.
- Misapplication: Ignoring hard-won life experience.
- Example: Discarding valuable skills in the name of a “fresh perspective,” making things harder than necessary.
Trust
- Intention: Trusting your intuition and feelings.
- Misapplication: Blind trust in immediate feelings without discernment.
- Example: Making impulsive life decisions because “it felt right,” leading to regret.
Non-striving
- Intention: Letting go of fixating on outcomes.
- Misapplication: Abandoning ambition or direction altogether.
- Example: Neglecting education or career planning, mistaking apathy for peace.
Acceptance
- Intention: Acknowledging reality as it is.
- Misapplication: Resignation or passivity.
- Example: Ignoring a serious health issue because “I should just accept it.”
Letting Go
- Intention: Releasing attachment.
- Misapplication: Avoiding necessary emotional work.
- Example: Suppressing anger instead of processing it.
Gratitude
- Intention: Cultivating appreciation.
- Misapplication: Invalidating genuine distress.
- Example: Over-focusing on “small joys” while ignoring major life dissatisfaction.
Generosity
- Intention: Giving from a place of kindness.
- Misapplication: Giving without boundaries, leading to burnout.
- Example: Always putting others first until personal health and stability suffer.
A New Approach: Dialectical Thinking and the Balance of Opposites
In Open MBSR, we use a dialectical approach, holding two seemingly opposite ideas at once to find a more balanced, practical balanced path.
This shows up clearly in Taoist philosophy through the concept of Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang represent stillness and activity, receptivity and initiative, opposites that don’t cancel each other out but support and depend on one another.
Mindfulness works the same way. Each attitude needs its counterpart to stay balanced.
How That Looks in Practice
- Non-judging AND Critical Engagement
- Patience AND Proactive Change
- Beginner’s Mind AND Leveraging Experience
- Trust AND Discernment
- Non-striving AND Goal Orientation
- Acceptance AND Advocacy for Change
- Letting Go AND Emotional Engagement
- Gratitude AND Acknowledgment of Challenges
- Generosity AND Boundaries
When we hold these attitudes dialectically, mindfulness becomes something we can actually live…not just something we perform in a meditation room.
What to Do When the Teaching Itself Is the Problem
When I first shared these observations, I encountered pushback. One response stuck with me: the suggestion that these issues stem from people simply not understanding the concepts correctly. If people just grasped what these attitudes really mean, the misapplications wouldn’t happen.
When a teaching is consistently misunderstood, when practitioners across different backgrounds fall into the same predictable traps, it may be time to examine how we’re teaching rather than blaming students.
This troubled me. When a teaching is consistently misunderstood, when practitioners across different backgrounds fall into the same predictable traps, it may be time to examine how we’re teaching rather than blaming students.
The patterns we’ve explored aren’t random. When “non-judging” is consistently interpreted as abandoning critical thinking, when “acceptance” repeatedly becomes passive resignation, and when “letting go” predictably turns into emotional avoidance, these are systemic teaching issues, not individual comprehension failures.
We’ve been presenting these Nine Attitudes of Mindfulness in isolation, stripped from their original Buddhist context that provided natural balance and guidance. When we extract these powerful concepts without equivalent frameworks, we create conditions where practitioners predictably swing toward unhelpful extremes.
Revitalizing How We Think About & Teach the Nine Attitudes
It’s time to take ownership. Something is broken in how we’re teaching these attitudes, and we have the opportunity to fix it.
That’s why I wrote Open MBSR: Reimagining the Future of Mindfulness. It’s not just about fixing how we teach the Nine Attitudes; it’s about redesigning the entire system to be open, practical, and built for today’s world.
This isn’t a minor tweak to existing programs. It’s a fundamental transformation. The Nine Attitudes can do harm when misapplied, but add dialectical thinking and they become something truly transformative, authentic, and practical.
A version of this article was first published March 5, 2024
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Hydrate to Dominate: 10 Expert Tips for Optimizing Performance
As any athlete or individual looking to optimize their performance knows, hydration is key. Without proper hydration, the body’s ability to function at its best is severely impaired, leading to decreased energy levels, mental fogginess, and a slew of other issues that can hinder success. In this article, we’ll delve into the world of hydration and explore 10 expert tips for dominating your performance through optimal hydration.
The Importance of Hydration
Before we dive into the tips, it’s essential to understand just how crucial hydration is for the body. Water makes up approximately 60% of an adult’s body weight and plays a role in nearly every bodily function, from regulating temperature to lubricating joints. When the body is properly hydrated, it can perform at its best, with optimal energy levels, mental clarity, and physical performance. On the other hand, dehydration can lead to a range of issues, including fatigue, headaches, and decreased productivity.
Tip 1: Drink Plenty of Water
This may seem like a no-brainer, but drinking enough water is essential for optimal hydration. The general recommendation is to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day, but this can vary depending on factors such as climate, activity level, and individual needs. For example, athletes or individuals who engage in high-intensity activities may need to drink more water to replenish lost fluids.
Tip 2: Monitor Urine Output
One of the best ways to determine if you’re drinking enough water is to monitor your urine output. If your urine is pale yellow or clear, you’re likely hydrated. On the other hand, if your urine is dark yellow or amber-colored, it may be a sign that you need to drink more water. Additionally, if you’re not urinating frequently enough, it could be a sign of dehydration.
Tip 3: Eat Hydrating Foods
While drinking water is essential, it’s not the only way to stay hydrated. Certain foods, such as watermelon, cucumbers, and celery, are high in water content and can contribute to your daily hydration needs. These foods can be especially helpful for individuals who have trouble drinking enough water or need an extra boost of hydration.
Tip 4: Avoid Sugary Drinks
Sugary drinks, such as soda and sports drinks, may seem like a convenient way to stay hydrated, but they can actually have the opposite effect. These drinks are high in sugar and calories, which can lead to dehydration and a range of other health problems. Instead, opt for water or unsweetened teas and coffee.
Tip 5: Stay Hydrated During Exercise
Exercise is a significant contributor to dehydration, as the body loses water and electrolytes through sweat. To stay hydrated during exercise, it’s essential to drink water or a sports drink that contains electrolytes before, during, and after physical activity. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking 17-20 ounces of fluid 2-3 hours before exercise and 7-10 ounces every 10-15 minutes during exercise.
Tip 6: Be Mindful of Climate
Climate can play a significant role in hydration, as hot and humid weather can lead to increased sweat and fluid loss. If you live in a hot and humid climate, it’s essential to drink more water to stay hydrated. Additionally, individuals who work or exercise outdoors may need to take extra precautions to stay hydrated, such as wearing light-colored clothing and taking regular breaks.
Tip 7: Use a Hydration App
Staying hydrated can be challenging, especially for individuals with busy schedules. Using a hydration app can help you track your water intake and remind you to drink throughout the day. There are many hydration apps available, including Waterlogged and Hydro Coach, that allow you to set goals and track your progress.
Tip 8: Add Electrolytes
Electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, are essential for maintaining proper hydration. These minerals help regulate the balance of fluids in the body and can become depleted through sweat. Adding electrolytes to your water or consuming electrolyte-rich foods, such as bananas and avocados, can help maintain optimal hydration levels.
Tip 9: Avoid Caffeine and Alcohol
Caffeine and alcohol are both diuretics, which means they can increase urine production and lead to dehydration. While moderate amounts of these substances are unlikely to cause significant harm, excessive consumption can lead to dehydration and other health problems.
Tip 10: Make Hydration a Habit
Finally, making hydration a habit is essential for optimal performance. By incorporating hydration into your daily routine, you can ensure that you’re drinking enough water and staying hydrated throughout the day. Try setting reminders, carrying a water bottle with you, or making hydration a part of your morning routine to make it a habit.
In conclusion, hydration is essential for optimal performance, and by following these 10 expert tips, you can ensure that you’re drinking enough water and staying hydrated throughout the day. Whether you’re an athlete or simply looking to feel your best, proper hydration can make all the difference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How much water should I drink per day?
A: The general recommendation is to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day, but this can vary depending on factors such as climate, activity level, and individual needs.Q: Can I get enough hydration from food alone?
A: While certain foods, such as watermelon and cucumbers, are high in water content, it’s unlikely that you can get enough hydration from food alone. Drinking water is still essential for optimal hydration.Q: Is it possible to overhydrate?
A: Yes, it is possible to overhydrate, although this is relatively rare. Drinking too much water can lead to a condition called water poisoning, which can be life-threatening. However, for most people, drinking enough water to stay hydrated is not a concern.Q: Can I use sports drinks as a substitute for water?
A: Sports drinks can be helpful for athletes or individuals who engage in high-intensity activities, as they contain electrolytes that can help replenish lost fluids. However, for most people, water is sufficient for hydration, and sports drinks are not necessary.Q: How can I tell if I’m dehydrated?
A: Signs of dehydration include dark yellow or amber-colored urine, decreased urine output, fatigue, headaches, and dry mouth. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s essential to drink water and seek medical attention if necessary.hydrate-to-dominate-10-expert-tips-for-optimizing-performance
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3 Tips for Living with Kidney Failure
As kidney function slows down and toxins build up, you may feel sick, experience muscle cramps, or have trouble sleeping. As a result, everyday tasks may become more physically or emotionally exhausting. While this can be overwhelming, we’re here to help with three simple tips you can use today.
1. Make a plan of action
Break out a planner, a notebook, or a whiteboard, and get ready to create a routine that works for you.
- Write down everything you need to do in a month.
- Categorize tasks based on difficulty.
- Plan around patterns in your health and mood. When do you feel your best?
- Schedule the most essential tasks for the upcoming month, like picking up medication.
- Choose one or two smaller tasks each day based on importance, ease of completion, and how well you feel.
Try to be flexible, experiment with your schedule, and take frequent breaks between tasks. While it may be frustrating to stop in the middle, show yourself the same compassion you’d have for a loved one in a similar position.
Take Charles, a kidney patient on dialysis: “There were so many toxins built up in my body and brain that it affected my thinking. I was not able to think or communicate properly. I was not able to do what I normally do.”
Dialysis helped Charles tremendously, but like many others with chronic kidney disease, he still experienced good and bad days. On those tough days, remember to rest and be proud that you’re prioritizing yourself.
2. Choose products and services that work for you
When shopping, look for products that can help you achieve your goals, like Audra, a kidney transplant recipient. She loves cooking but struggled to do it as the kidney disease progressed. Instead of giving up on the hobby, Audra went on the hunt for tools to help her do it.
“I’ve learned a lot of tricks and tips to help make cooking easier,” said Audra. “I found these gadgets that do the work for me, like my tofu press. It’s a game changer because I can actually squeeze all the juice out and fry it in my air fryer. I also found a great vegetable cutter, a sharp knife, and a food scoop so I don’t have to pick up small pieces of chopped food.”
Tools and services to help make everyday tasks easier:
- Grocery delivery app
- Vegetable chopper and spiralizer
- Grabber
- Professional cleaning service
- Countertop height chair and low rolling stool
- Lightweight vacuum or robot vacuum
- Lawn care maintenance service
- Wheeled cart
3. Ask for help
You may run into things you can’t do, and that’s okay. Many friends and family want to help, so let them know how they can. Their assistance may give you the space to focus on your health, as it did for Jessica, a dialysis patient.
I couldn’t do simple things like cook or open jars, and I couldn’t even maneuver my vehicle or drive,” Jessica said. “My lupus took over. It became very aggressive and attacked my kidneys because we didn’t treat it quickly enough. Luckily, my family and my husband were always right there helping me so I could get better.”
Five small ways your loved ones can help that have a big impact:
- Bringing over a kidney-friendly dish
- Helping you clean harder-to-reach areas
- Picking up medications
- Driving you to an appointment
- Holding space for your feelings
If you struggle to open up with the people closest to you, join NKF Peers. Our trained mentors know what it’s like to live with kidney disease and can provide you with the support you need.
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Boosting BDNF Levels in Our Brain to Treat Depression
We can raise BDNF levels in our brain by fasting and exercising, as well as by eating and avoiding certain foods.
There is accumulating evidence that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may be playing a role in human depression. BDNF controls the growth of new nerve cells. “So, low levels of this peptide could lead to an atrophy of specific brain areas such as the amygdala and the hippocampus, as it has been observed among depressed patients.” That may be one of the reasons that exercise is so good for our brains. Start an hour-a-day exercise regimen, and, within three months, there can be a quadrupling of BDNF release from our brain, as seen below and at 0:35 in my video How to Boost Brain BDNF Levels for Depression Treatment.
This makes sense. Any time we were desperate to catch prey (or desperate not to become prey ourselves), we needed to be cognitively sharp. So, when we’re fasting, exercising, or in a negative calorie balance, our brain starts churning out BDNF to make sure we’re firing on all cylinders. Of course, Big Pharma is eager to create drugs to mimic this effect, but is there any way to boost BDNF naturally? Yes, I just said it: fasting and exercising. Is there anything we can add to our diet to boost BDNF?
Higher intakes of dietary flavonoids appear to be protectively associated with symptoms of depression. The Harvard Nurses’ Health Study followed tens of thousands of women for years and found that those who were consuming the most flavonoids appeared to reduce their risk of becoming depressed. Flavonoids occur naturally in plants, so there’s a substantial amount in a variety of healthy foods. But how do we know the benefits are from the flavonoids and not just from eating more healthfully in general? We put it to the test.
Some fruits and vegetables have more flavonoids than others. As shown below and at 1:51 in my video, apples have more than apricots, plums more than peaches, red cabbage more than white, and kale more than cucumbers. Researchers randomized people into one of three groups: more high-flavonoid fruits and vegetables, more low-flavonoid fruits and vegetables, or no extra fruits and vegetables at all. After 18 weeks, only the high-flavonoid group got a significant boost in BDNF levels, which corresponded with an improvement in cognitive performance. The BDNF boost may help explain why each additional daily serving of fruits or vegetables is associated with a 3 percent decrease in the risk of depression.
What’s more, as seen here and at 2:27 in my video, a teaspoon a day of the spice turmeric may boost BNDF levels by more than 50 percent within a month. This is consistent with the other randomized controlled trials that have so far been done.
Nuts may help, too. In the PREDIMED study, where people were randomized to receive weekly batches of nuts or extra-virgin olive oil, the nut group lowered their risk of having low BDNF levels by 78 percent, as shown below and at 2:46.
And BDNF is not implicated only in depression, but schizophrenia. When individuals with schizophrenia underwent a 12-week exercise program, they got a significant boost in their BDNF levels, which led the researchers to “suggest that exercise-induced modulation of BDNF may play an important role in developing non-pharmacological treatment for chronic schizophrenic patients.”
What about schizophrenia symptoms? Thirty individuals with schizophrenia were randomized to ramp up to 40 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week or not, and there did appear to be an improvement in psychiatric symptoms, such as hallucinations, as well as an increase in their quality of life, with exercise. In fact, researchers could actually visualize what happened in their brains. Loss of brain volume in a certain region appears to be a feature of schizophrenia, but 30 minutes of exercise, three times a week, resulted in an increase of up to 20 percent in the size of that region within three months, as seen here and at 3:46 in my video.
Caloric restriction may also increase BDNF levels in people with schizophrenia. So, researchers didn’t just have study participants eat less, but more healthfully, too—less saturated fat and sugar, and more fruits and veggies. The study was like the Soviet fasting trials for schizophrenia that reported truly unbelievable results, supposedly restoring people to function, and described fasting as “an unparalleled achievement in the treatment of schizophrenia”—but part of the problem is that the diagnostic system the Soviets used is completely different than ours, making any results hard to interpret. There was a subgroup that seemed to correspond to the Western definition, but they still reported 40 to 60 percent improvement rates from fasting, but fasting wasn’t all they did. After the participants fasted for up to a month, they were put on a meat- and egg-free diet. So, when the researchers reported these remarkable effects even years later, they were for those individuals who stuck with the meat- and egg-free diet. Evidently, the closer the diet was followed, the better the effect, and those who broke the diet relapsed. The researchers noted: “Not all patients can remain vegetarian, but they must not take meat for at least six months, and then in very small portions.” We know from randomized controlled trials that simply eschewing meat and eggs can improve mental states within just two weeks, so it’s hard to know what role fasting itself played in the reported improvements.
A single high-fat meal can drop BDNF levels within hours of consumption, and we can prove it’s the fat itself by seeing the same result after injecting fat straight into our veins. Perhaps that helps explain why increased consumption of saturated fats in a high-fat diet may contribute to brain dysfunction—that is, neurodegenerative diseases, long-term memory loss, and cognitive impairment. It may also help explain why the standard American diet has been linked to a higher risk of depression, as dietary factors modulate the levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor.
