Psychology Today Blogs
The Simplicity Trap
What wildlife, politics, pain, and relationships have in common. The lessons of the Simplicity Trap—pursuing obvious and simple, but dangerously wrong connections—can be applied to almost everything in life, from politics to health to relationships. The...
5 Common Medications That Can Kill People
Five most dangerous common drugs and what to watch out for Medications are prescribed to save lives, yet medications can be extremely dangerous and bring people to the emergency room with life-threatening problems. The same medications that can save our lives...
The Simplest Way to Lose Weight
Use the new NOVA classification of foods to shed a few pounds. There are many different diets out there to help people lose weight but some of them are complicated. Is there a simple and healthy way to weight loss? An effective way to lose weight is to use the NOVA...
5 Secrets Your Doctor Will Never Tell You
The inside scoop only a physician could tell you. Medical privacy is very important in medicine and as doctors keep your problems confidential, they often also keep their problems a secret to the outside world. Here are 5 secrets doctors don’t want to reveal and how...
We Believe What We Want to Believe
When believing what we want to believe has life or death consequences Believing what want to believe can have life or death consequences. We will take 4 examples: Ebola virus infection, vaccinations, cancer treatments, and diet. Some people believe what...
Is Our Body the Battery of the Future?
Inspiration from an MIT researcher who is harvesting energy from the body itself Chris Gilbert, M.D. and Canan Dagdeviren, Ph.D. Source: Chris Gilbert, M.D., Ph.D. On September 18th, 2018, I woke up really excited. My husband and I had an appointment at 9:00 a.m. at...
3 Unexpected Gifts From Making Friends With Death
The simple exercise of befriending death can bring happy surprises. Some people experience fear, anxiety, anger, and even depression when they think about death. Is it possible to befriend death and see it as a natural ally instead of a scary enemy? As a consequence,...
A Quick Way to Surface Unconscious Emotions
A simple exercise tied to walking in nature. Can a walk in nature unveil anxiety, sadness, depression, helplessness or hopelessness? Could it unveil anger, frustration, or a desire to travel or a feeling of strength, power, and happiness? Yes, it can through a...
Can Humans Smell Cancer?
Unexpected findings as a Scottish "super smeller" sniffs cancer. “Did you have red Tabasco sauce with your last meal?” Joy asked me as my husband and I were driving her from San Francisco to Chico, California. I was surprised by her question. I did have red...
Sex for the First Time
Unexpected results from 30 live interviews and the research they triggered. According to a 2017 CDC report, 40 percent of U.S. high school students have had sexual intercourse at least once, 10 percent of students had four or more sexual partners, 30 percent...
7 Creative Ways to Express Hot Anger
7 ways to turn negative feelings into positive actions. When Mary saw a suspicious text message on her husband’s cell phone, she suspected he was having an affair and later that evening she confronted him. He reluctantly admitted he was having sex with a woman he met...
Higher Mortality in Single Fathers
Comparing mortality rates in single fathers, single mothers, partnered parents Maria Chiu and colleagues from the University of Toronto compared the health of single fathers (a growing demographic) with the health of single mothers, partnered fathers and...
New Hope For Parkinson’s Disease
Future treatments for Parkinson's disease and other diseases Why are there more cases of Parkinson’s disease in the Midwest and Northeast of the USA than in the rest of the country? Why are there many more people with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s...
Sexual Disinhibition
Can a change in sexual behavior indicate a neurological problem? As my husband and I were interviewing Joy Milne, a retired nurse in Perth, Scotland on her ability to detect Parkinson’s Disease (PD) through smell only, she revealed to us a surprising fact about...
Musky Smell and Parkinson’s Disease
Can a change in body odor indicate a neurological problem? Source: Chris Gilbert, MD, PhD As my husband, Eric Haseltine, and I landed in Edinburgh, Scotland one month ago, we were welcomed by heavy black clouds and relentless rain. But the temperature was warmer than...
Saving Dogs’ Lives Can Save Human Lives
The story of two dogs and their common training for scientific breakthroughs. According to the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, approximately 3.3 million dogs enter U.S. animal shelters every year. Of those, 1.6 million are adopted each year but...
Could a Passion for Dogs Lead to a Nobel Prize?
Our best friends might save our lives in a new way. When Dina Zaphiris was a little girl, she often was asked by friends and family what she wanted to do in life. Her answer was always, “I want to work with dogs! I want to be the best!” Dina indeed became a...
Better Recognizing Vocal Emotions Can Improve Relationships
Unconscious voice changes can give away true deep emotions. As my boyfriend and I were having a casual dinner at a quiet Chinese restaurant, my boyfriend (who later became my husband) was telling me about his day when suddenly his voice unintentionally changed...
New Diet Ideas From the Artificial Sweeteners Controversy
Finding hope from conflicting data. When my husband started drinking diet sodas and using artificial sweeteners (AS) in his coffee, his weight went up. I didn’t think much of it until I attended a Continuing Medical Education (CME) conference for physicians...
Decreasing Pesticide Intake Can Improve Fertility in Women
Some fruits and vegetables are better than others. In a JAMA Internal Medicine article published online on October 30th, 2017, Yu-Han Chiu MD and colleagues studied the association between pesticide residue intake from consumption of fruits and vegetables...
