Meditation, Brain Stimulation for PTSD, and Private Equity's Addiction Play

Meditation is a contemplative practice to integrate the mind and body. It's also a multibillion-dollar business with thousands of years of history behind it. There are numerous meditation apps, retreats, workshops, and lifestyle and commercial products tied to meditation and mindfulness.

> A look at how meditation changes our brain waves. (More)
> Meditation has been hailed as a "mind hack" in tech circles. (More)

Since the 1960s, meditation has grown increasingly popular in the US, and it now surpasses yoga and acupuncture in its adoption. Meditation can take different forms, including mindfulness meditation, which focuses on being present and on examining one's breath, and transcendental meditation, which aims to center oneself with a mantra.

> Science says our minds wander nearly half of the time in ways that make us unhappy. (More)

> Advanced meditation can lead to an altered sense of consciousness—but it's not like a coma. (More)

> Yoga is very popular, but see how it compares with meditation. (More)

Studies have explored meditation's applications for a wide range of health issues, including anxiety, stress, depression, pain, and substance abuse disorders. There has been less research on the potential risks of meditation, with some recent work suggesting that intense meditation can result in health issues such as feelings of panic, paranoia, and more.

> "Meditation sickness" affects a surprising number of people. (More)

> There's a "dark" side to meditation, according to this recent in-depth feature. (More)

Discover more: 

> There are almost 75 listed meditation studies seeking participants. (More)

> Sweden has a breathing-based museum. (More)

> UCLA has a free meditation app—and it includes Spanish offerings. (More)
>... explore everything we've learned about Meditation.

 News in Context 

1440 brings you the knowledge and context behind recent intriguing stories:

Dads are now about as likely as moms to claim paid leave across several states, but it's still unknown whether that's because of eligibility, moms taking less leave, or a cultural shift. (More)

> Paid family leave keeps babies healthier and out of the hospital.

> The UK has moved forward with miscarriage leave that starts in 2027.

Six peptides that purport to combat aging, build muscle, and more can now be legally sold in the US, though the FDA hasn't approved them; the agency says the temporary policy will improve safety and combat black-market production. (More)

> Peptides are short amino acid chains—the building blocks of proteins.

> The FDA has been green-lighting dozens of peptides for various conditions.

Your phone collects location data when you're at the hospital or doctor's office, but the FTC told a company it can't sell that information for targeted ads; privacy advocates warn no federal law blocks it. (More)

> HIPAA protects patient privacy, but the national health privacy law doesn't generally cover health apps, such as fitness apps, period-tracking apps, or mental health apps.

US soldiers are practicing digging mass burial sites for their fallen comrades for the first time in decades—a temporary battlefield technique not used since the Korean War. (More)

> Civil War battlefield deaths set new burial precedents and promoted embalming.

A new federal superbug report says antibiotic resistance threats are growing—there are an estimated 9.7 million antibiotic-resistant infections annually and more than 50,000 deaths in the US. (More)

> This experiment illustrates how antibiotic resistance happens.

 Medical Developments Spotlight 

We love spending time learning about the latest medical breakthroughs and spotlighting research that piques our interest, may influence future research directions, or inform healthcare conversations. Here's what we found this week.

Colorectal cancer in younger people generally seems to be a more aggressive type overall, helping to explain why it's so deadly.

Live Science | Stephanie Pappas. An analysis of more than 180 tumors by age group revealed that tumors in people under 50 had more connective tissue, suggesting they may produce compounds suppressing the immune system, and the tumors' gene activity suggests their cancerous cells could spread more easily. (More)

> This year, colorectal cancer was recognized as the deadliest cancer for adults under 50.

Nearly 75% of former NFL players who died between 2008 and 2023 likely had CTE, a far higher estimate than previously known.

JAMA Network Open | Julia Gallini, Michael L. Alosco, et al. This latest troubling finding is based on brain analysis from 387 deceased players who agreed to donate their brains; CTE was found in 362, which means CTE was detected in 93.5% of the players. But more than 2,300 players died during that period, so researchers used statistical methods to account for potential bias about who agreed to participate and calculated the lower 75% figure. (More)

> CTE is linked to abnormal protein buildup that causes brain cells to die.

Wearing noise-canceling headphones during surgery lowers the risk of nausea and vomiting afterward by 32%. 

American Society of Anesthesiologists | Staff. The finding comes from a randomized trial of 192 adults undergoing surgery with or without headphones and suggests that although general anesthesia induces unconsciousness, it doesn't prevent the brain from processing sound. Surgery noise was typically about 66 decibels—roughly equivalent to office sounds or a loud conversation. (More)

> See how different daily sounds stack up, from rustling leaves to a jet engine.

An FDA-cleared magnetic stimulation treatment for PTSD is making huge gains—68% of patients no longer meet the clinical criteria for PTSD, and there's a 52% drop in symptoms.
USA Today | Anthony Thompson. Magnetic e-Resonance Therapy, which the FDA greenlit in June, delivers targeted magnetic pulses to stimulate brain activity and is customized to each patient based on their brain wave measurements. The new clinical trial results may bolster its use and increase the likelihood that it will be explored for other conditions. (More) 

> Ibogaine, which can cause fatal cardiac arrhythmias, has also elicited interest for hard-to-treat PTSD.

 Etcetera 

> You could pay to see babies in incubators at Coney Island for some 40 years.

> Chin hairs: Yet another exciting aspect of menopause.

> Self-healing cavities would be swell—could studying donated wisdom teeth help?

> A tragic 1943 mustard gas attack helped lead to modern chemotherapy.

> Barcelona is fighting mosquitoes ... with mosquitoes.

> Dogs have been sniffing out disease since at least 1989.

> Last year, more than five players per NFL team had a concussion—a 30% increase from overall NFL concussions in 2024.
 

> Despite winter darkness, people in Nordic countries are among the happiest.

> Nike's slogan has a very dark history. (H/T to our Business & Finance newsletter—subscribe here)

> Americans are opting to die at home, reversing a long-standing trend.

> Private equity has bought up 35% of America's methadone clinics, but that investment is not leading to expanded care.

> Our gut microbiome produces certain molecules that can fuel addictive behavior.