Here’s What LSD Does To the Brain

Photo: Getty Images

What exactly happens to the brain on psychedelic drugs? A small new study, published in the journal Current Biology, peeked inside the brains of 15 people during an acid trip and found brain-scan backup for a popular drug cliche: that the tripper feels at one with the universe.

Fifteen healthy people, who were experienced users of lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, came twice to a lab in London. (LSD is illegal in the UK, but it’s possible to use it in research with special permissions.) Once, they were injected with a small amount of LSD (75 micrograms); the other time they received a saline placebo. After an hour, to let the effects settle in, they got into an fMRI brain scanner, which captured images of what went on in their brains.

The researchers asked the people to rate their mood changes—getting answers like “I’m tripping like crazy” or “nothing is happening”—their visual distortions and their intensity of ego dissolution: a loss of self-identity and sense of connection to the environment outside of oneself that reportedly happens to people when they take LSD, which is illegal in the United States. “You don’t recognize yourself as a separate being from the universe,” says study co-author Enzo Tagliazucchi, a neuroscientist at the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in Amsterdam. “It feels, in a way, like transferring the consciousness from within your body to the outside world; the focus is in the objects that surround you rather than inside.” Tagliazucchi and the team wondered if they could find some changes in the brain related to this feeling of ego dissolution.

When they looked at the regions of the brain involved in introspection, or thinking about oneself, and sensory areas that perceive the outside world, they found that these networks were communicating more intensely than usual. “When we measured the brains of subjects who were really blown away by LSD, who had a really strong feeling of ego dissolution, they were also the ones who had the strongest increase in communication between the network of regions in charge of introspection and the network of regions in charge of perceiving the external world,” Tagliazucchi says.

In another neuroimaging study published earlier this week in the journal PNAS—conducted by many of the same authors, including Tagliazucchi—the researchers found that LSD changes visual information in the brain. While people are on acid, they start to see activity going on in the brain, which is normally suppressed from perception, Tagliazucchi explains. The ability to see this internal activity is likely responsible for hallucinations and visual distortions on LSD, he says.

Tagliazucchi acknowledges that more research is needed—not just to provide biological evidence for the reported experiences of people on acid, but to explore a potential therapeutic approach for people with anxiety or depression. Instead of taking a pill every day to change brain chemistry, he says, it’s possible that psychedelics could provide a few hours to break out of constricted thought patterns. “If you combine this with psychotherapy during that window, you have this chance to reflect on things that your depression normally wouldn’t allow you to focus on,” he says.

We’re a long way from acid-assisted therapy going mainstream; LSD research like the kind in London is only legal in a handful of places around the world, and the science is still in very early stages. “Now is the first time we have both fMRI machines and clearance to do experiments with LSD,” Tagliazucchi says.

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

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3 Totally Unexpected Things Your Fitbit Can Tell You About Your Health

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Your fitness tracker can be a great source of fitspo, providing the kind of feedback that helps you push through that extra mile. But it might also tell you more about your health than you ever thought possible—as these three unsuspecting Fitbit wearers discovered.

“You’re pregnant!”

Generally, it’s the woman who’s expecting who gets to share the good news with her partner. But for one New York City couple, it was the opposite way around.

When his wife’s Fibit recorded some out-of-the-ordinary data in February, a man who identifies himself as David suspected a malfunction and turned to Reddit for technical help: “[Her Fitbit] is showing her heartbeat being consistently high over the last few days,” he wrote. One day, “she logged 10 hours in the fat-burning zone, which I would think to be impossible based on her activity level.” He also noted she hadn’t burn a lot of extra calories. “It’s not lining up.”

But a helpful Redditor put the clues together and asked David if his wife could be pregnant. “Pregnancy is a strong possibility,” David replied. “I might be a dad, YIKES. now i gotta watch my own heart rate lol.” David later confirmed that his wife, Ivonne, was in fact pregnant, after she took a pregnancy test. “It’s definitely a great story to tell [the baby] one day,” the excited father-to-be told Buzzfeed. In the meantime, he and Ivonne are already documenting @babyfitbit‘s journey on Instagram, starting with that fateful screenshot.

RELATED: 9 Best Fitness Trackers

“You need to see a doctor, stat”

Earlier this month, the Annals of Emergency Medicine published the first-ever reported case of a fitness tracker assisting a medical decision. When a 42-year-old man arrived in the ER with an irregular heartbeat, doctors were able to use his Fitbit data to pinpoint the precise moment his arrythmia began, three hours prior. Knowing that the onset of the arrythmia had occurred within 48 hours, the team was able to treat the patient with electrocardioversion, to reset his heart’s natural rhythm. Study author Alrred Sacchetti, MD, believes trackers that measure heart rate could prove to be a valuable tool in emergency situations. For example, he explained in a press release, “dizziness with a heart rate of 180 would be approached very differently from the same complaint with a heart rate of 30.”

“You are indeed heartbroken”

Koby Soto, an Israeli law student and entrepreneur, was studying on an average Saturday afternoon in January when his boyfriend called to say their relationship was finito. Soto was blindsided by the breakup, according to CNN, and did his best to distract himself to get through the rest of the day. But in bed that night, he was unable to fall asleep and decided to check his Fitbit data. There, he found the trajectory of his grief traced across the screen: At the moment Soto got dumped, around 12:30 p.m., his heart rate spiked from 72 beats per minute to 88, and stayed elevated all day, peaking at 118 beats per minute.

Breakup, as captured by my fitbit. #breakup #Fitbit http://pic.twitter.com/S9sLV2TlCC

— Koby (@iamkoby) January 19, 2016

After Soto shared his quirky experience online, he was overwhelmed by the response as his graph went viral. @FitbitUK even offered him a hug.

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This Woman’s Brow Transformation Is Bananas

Photo: IMGUR/ZELDEF

If you’ve never heard of Etude House Tint My Brows Gel, a Korean beauty product that promotes itself as boosting the staying power of your traditional eyebrow makeup, you may want to become acquainted. In all honesty, I had never heard of the stuff (so many products to keep up with!), but after seeing one woman’s transformation, I’m on board.

A brave soul on Imgur who goes by Zeldef posted her step-by-step process with the Etude House gel and initially it looks a little worrisome—like you’ve just thrown some paint on your brows.

RELATED: Feral Frond Brows Are a Thing

Etude House recommends allowing the stuff to dry for two hours or, even better, sleeping with it on, which is what Zeldef did. When it’s dry you actually peel the product off and that’s when you uncover whether or not it really works. If you’re kinda freaking out that the peeling will take some of your precious brow hairs with it, Zeldef says only a couple were pulled in the process, but it was totally painless.

And by the way, look at the results. So pretty!

Photo: IMGUR/ZELDEF

RELATED: Woman with Tattooed Brows Doesn’t Really Care If You Don’t Like Them

Etude House Tint My Browls Gel comes in three different shades (brown, light brown, and gray brown) and super affordable with a price point of $8.18 on Amazon. Most reviewers on that site seemed really pleased with the results, while others warn that you need an extremely steady hand to get a natural look and one false move could mean curtains for what you’re trying to achieve. The tint reportedly only lasts for a couple of days, so it doesn’t require a major commitment if you’re looking for a quick fix.

This article originally appeared on MIMIchatter.com. 

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It Hurts to Put in Tampons. What’s Going On?

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Q: All of the sudden it hurts to use tampons. What could be wrong?

Is your flow very light? Sometimes it’s slightly painful to insert or remove a tampon simply because your vagina is dry. You may also be drier after childbirth or during breast-feeding or perimenopause, when levels of estrogen are low. Using a lubricant should help relieve the dryness and make it easier for the applicator to slide in.

RELATED: 10 Things That Mess With Your Period

Alternatively, your pelvic muscles may not be relaxed enough while you put the tampon in or pull it out. See if it helps to take a deep breath, then completely release your pelvic muscles, before you fiddle with a tampon. Although it’s uncommon, some women have a condition known as vaginismus, which makes the muscles of the vaginal canal tense up, and they may feel a tearing or burning sensation if anything is inserted. Doing Kegel exercises often helps relax the pelvic floor. But for some women, vaginismus is related to underlying stress or anxiety about sex, and counseling may be helpful.

RELATED: 10 Ways to Deal With Painful Sex

If you would describe the pain as more of a stinging when you put a tampon in, it could be a sign of vulvodynia, a pain disorder that affects the vulva. Treatment varies from woman to woman: Some find relief by using a cold pack or taking a low-dose antidepressant. Switching to cotton menstrual products and underwear may also be worth a try. If you’re having trouble getting a tampon in at all, there’s also a possibility that you have a cyst, a small sac typically filled with fluid either on or in the vaginal lining. A cyst can form if the vaginal wall gets injured during childbirth or surgery, or due to a bacterial infection. It usually doesn’t cause much discomfort. If the cyst is small and isn’t really bothering you (aside from obstructing your tampon insertion a bit), you probably don’t need to treat it. Some vaginal cysts go away on their own. But if it’s growing in size or causing real pain, it could be infected and may need to be surgically removed.

RELATED: 9 Best Workouts to Do When You Have Your Period

Experiencing pain with tampon use could also indicate cervical inflammation, endometriosis or an infection caused by an STD. Clearly the answer isn’t black and white, so I would encourage you to stop using tampons if it’s uncomfortable and visit your gynecologist, who can perform a pelvic exam to get to the root of your pain and find a solution.

Health’s medical editor, Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, is assistant professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine.

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No Drop in Teen Use of Tobacco Products, CDC Says, and E-Cigs May Be Why

THURSDAY, April 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Use of tobacco products by U.S. teens hasn’t fallen since 2011, and federal officials say electronic cigarettes may be to blame.

One in four high school students now uses what officials define as a tobacco product. And e-cigarettes have eclipsed traditional cigarettes as the most widely used tobacco product among teens, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“E-cigarettes are now the most commonly used tobacco product among youth, and use continues to climb,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said Thursday in an agency news release. “No form of youth tobacco use is safe. Nicotine is an addictive drug, and use during adolescence may cause lasting harm to brain development.”

Electronic cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat nicotine and flavorings to create a vapor that is inhaled by the user.

Last year, 4.7 million middle and high school students said they used a tobacco product at least once in the previous 30 days, and more than 2.3 million used two or more tobacco products.

Three million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in 2015, up from 2.5 million in 2014, according to data from the 2015 U.S. National Youth Tobacco Survey.

Last year, 16 percent of high school and 5.3 percent of middle school students were users of e-cigarettes, making the devices the most widely used tobacco product among young people for the second straight year, federal officials said.

From 2011 to 2015, e-cigarette use rose from 1.5 to 16 percent among high school students and from 0.6 percent to 5.3 percent among middle school students, according to the study.

While there was a significant drop in cigarette smoking between 2011 and 2015, there was no change between 2014 and 2015, the report found. Last year, just over 9 percent of high school students and slightly over 2 percent of middle school students smoked cigarettes, making them the second most widely used tobacco product among youth.

Other tobacco products used by high school students in 2015 included: cigars, 8.6 percent; hookahs, just over 7 percent; smokeless tobacco, 6 percent; and bidis, 0.6 percent. Other tobacco products used by middle school students included: hookahs, 2 percent; smokeless tobacco, 1.8 percent; cigars, 1.6 percent; pipe tobacco, 0.4 percent; and bidis, 0.2 percent.

The new study appears in the April 14 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

“We’re very concerned that one in four high school students use tobacco, and that almost half of those use more than one product,” Corinne Graffunder, director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, said in the news release.

“We know about 90 percent of all adult smokers first try cigarettes as teens. Fully implementing proven tobacco control strategies could prevent another generation of Americans from suffering from tobacco-related diseases and premature deaths,” she added.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is finalizing a rule to bring “tobacco products” such as e-cigarettes, hookahs (water pipes) and some or all cigars under its regulatory control. The agency already regulates cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco and smokeless tobacco.

“The FDA remains deeply concerned about the overall high rate at which children and adolescents use tobacco products, including novel products such as e-cigarettes and hookah,” said Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products.

“Finalizing the rule to bring additional products under the agency’s tobacco authority is one of our highest priorities, and we look forward to a day in the near future when novel tobacco products like e-cigarettes and hookah are properly regulated and responsibly marketed,” he said in the news release.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on youth and tobacco.

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Radiation May Help After Surgery for ‘Soft-Tissue’ Cancers

THURSDAY, April 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Older patients with a type of cancer called soft-tissue sarcomas may benefit more from radiation therapy after surgery than younger patients do, a new study suggests.

The results might change the way older patients are treated for soft-tissue sarcomas, which are cancers that develop in muscles, fat and other types of tissue, the study authors said.

Surgery is typically used to treat these cancers. But it hasn’t been clear if radiation therapy after surgery improved survival.

The new study looked at information from more than 15,300 U.S. adults with localized soft-tissue sarcomas. Some were treated with surgery alone, while others had surgery and radiation. Treatments occurred between 1990 and 2011.

Radiation after surgery improved survival compared to surgery alone, but this was seen mostly in patients 65 and older, the study showed.

“We found that older patients had a survival benefit with radiation, but in younger patients, many of those benefits went away,” said principal investigator Dr. Robert Canter, an associate professor of surgery at the University of California, Davis.

“It seems that older patients respond better to the combination of surgery and radiation,” he said in a university news release.

Because the study findings were based on observations of previous trial data, it did not prove that radiation benefited older patients.

Further research is needed to confirm the findings and to learn more about why radiation after surgery seems to offer greater benefits to older patients, Canter said. With follow-up, this might lead to improved treatment for older patients, he said.

The study was published April 11 in the journal Anticancer Research.

More information

The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about soft-tissue sarcoma.

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Thyroid Cancer Cases in U.S. Level Off, Perhaps Reflecting Diagnostic Changes

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, April 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Fewer thyroid cancers are diagnosed in the United States now than in the recent past, perhaps signaling a change in physician practices, a new study says.

And many thyroid growths won’t even be called “cancer” any more, according to another new report.

The tripling of thyroid cancer cases over the past 30 years “used to be a mystery,” said Dr. Luc Morris, lead author of a report published online April 14 in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.

But recently, many researchers attributed the rise largely to technological advances that allow doctors to identify and biopsy small, harmless nodules in the thyroid gland, said Morris. He is a surgical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

“Up to 30 percent of healthy persons have small cancers in their thyroid glands, and nearly all of these would not go on to cause any problems for the person if the cancer were never discovered,” he explained.

They’ve always been present, “like a huge submerged iceberg, but we are just getting better at finding them,” Morris said.

That explains why the dramatic jump in thyroid cancer is best described as an “epidemic of diagnosis,” not an epidemic of disease, he added.

For many patients, there would be no benefit — only potential harm — in diagnosing and surgically removing these growths, Morris said.

The thyroid is the gland at the base of your neck.

In the other report published April 14 in JAMA Oncology, researchers announced that one type of thyroid cancer has been reclassified to reflect it is noninvasive and has a low risk of recurrence.

The name change applies to a tumor known as encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma, which accounts for 10 to 20 percent of all thyroid cancers diagnosed in Europe and North America, the researchers noted.

The new name keeps key features to aid pathologists in diagnosis, but leaves out “cancer,” indicating that it need not be treated aggressively, the study authors said.

“Not only does the reclassification eliminate the psychological impact of the diagnosis of ‘cancer,’ it reduces the likelihood of complications of total thyroid removal, and the overall cost of health care,” said the study’s senior investigator, Dr. Yuri Nikiforov. He is professor of pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

In the study by Morris and colleagues, the investigators tracked thyroid cancer cases in the United States from 1983 to 2012. Incidence increased 3 percent a year from 1988 to 1998. Over the next decade, the trend more than doubled, reaching 6.7 percent annually, then leveled off at 1.75 percent, the findings showed.

In the past few years, thyroid cancer specialists have urged doctors to be more selective about investigating and biopsying small thyroid nodules, Morris said.

These recommendations are reflected in national clinical practice guidelines, such as those of the American Thyroid Association. It’s possible the new findings are a result of those guidelines, he said.

“We infer, but cannot prove, that the leveling off may be due to changes in physician practices,” Morris said.

These findings mirror recent events in South Korea, where incidence of thyroid cancer skyrocketed due to widespread screening, Morris said.

“Concerned physicians appealed to the public about overdiagnosis of small thyroid cancers, leading to a dramatic reversal and an actual drop in thyroid cancer diagnoses,” he said. “We anticipate that a similar course correction may be beginning in the U.S.”

A similar trend has been seen with prostate cancer, said Carol DeSantis, an epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society.

When prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing was first recommended, “we had a huge increase in prostate cancer, and once the guidelines changed the incidence backed off, which is similar to what we are seeing here with thyroid cancer,” DeSantis said.

It’s good news, she added. “Guidelines are being refined and, hopefully, less people will be treated for disease they don’t need to be treated for,” DeSantis said.

More information

For more on thyroid cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.

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This Beauty Kit Has Everything You Need for Your Next Getaway

Take your go-to beauty regimen to go with this exclusive travel kit from Health and TULA Skincare, the probiotic beauty line founded by Dr. Rajapaksa, who pens the monthly “Our Doc Will See You Now” column. “Taking time for yourself and being mindful of exercise, sleep, and eating habits will help you achieve balance, which is the foundation of health,” says Dr. Raj. “With TULA, I created a line that contains good-for-you ingredients that nourish and protect your skin.”

RELATED: 14 Ways to Age in Reverse

“Tula,” in fact, means “balance” in Sanskrit, and this kit delivers just that in a convenient pouch great for warm-weather travels. Bonus: It’s perfect for Mother’s Day! The kit contains all of this:

Deluxe Exfoliating Treatment Mask

A dual-phase treatment that gently exfoliates dead skin cells to reveal a hydrated, dewy complexion.

Deluxe Illuminating Face Serum

This easily absorbed formulation promotes even skin tone, helps diminish the appearance of dark spots and maintains a fresh, youthful-looking glow.

Hydrating Day & Night Cream

This lightweight moisturizer nourishes and hydrates skin while reducing the appearance of fine lines.

RELATED: How to Care for Your Sensitive Skin

To buy: Visit tula.com/healthmag to order the collection. And don’t miss this special offer: For a limited time, you can get the entire kit, which is valued at over $100, for just $72. Use code HEALTH25 to receive an additional 25% discount.

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Our 10 Favorite Items from Beyoncé’s New Athletic Line Ivy Park

OK ladies, now let’s get in formation because Beyoncé’s new athletic line, Ivy Park, officially launched in stores and online today. (Note: We’re feeling ALL the feels over here!). Named in part for her daughter Blue Ivy, the rest of the brand’s moniker comes from a childhood memory of early morning runs in the, yep, park with her dad. (Aww!)

“I remember wanting to stop, but I would push myself to keep going,” the Grammy award-winning singer says in the voice-over for the collection’s promo video. “It taught me discipline.”

RELATED: Here’s How to Do 5 Beyonce-Inspired Dance Moves

Clearly it also taught her how to run the world—and Ivy Park, a joint venture between the singer and Arcadia Group Chairman Sir Phillip Green, is sure to cement her spot atop the thrown. The 200-piece collection, with prices ranging from $22 to $140, is part true fitness apparel with breathable, sweat-wicking, reflective, and waterproof properties; and part athleisure wear. And, yes, it is all kinds of fire.

“I was so specific about the things I feel I need in a garment as a curvy woman, and just as a woman in general, so you feel safe and covered but also sexy,” Queen Bey explained in an interview in Elle’s May issue. “Everything lifts and sucks in your waist and enhances the female form.”

So whether you are looking for leggings with a back zippered pocket to stash essentials while on the run, cute crop tops to show off those sculpted abs of yours, or curve-hugging body suits because, well, you got it like that, Beyoncé has got you covered. (You can get in on her fitness goods at Topshop, Nordstrom, and Net-a-Porter). The one thing not included, that banging body of hers; sorry ladies, you are going to have to work for that.

We carefully sifted through all things Ivy Park, and finally narrowed it down to 10 of our favorites. Now, get ready to slay!

04 Corded Sweat ($70; nordstrom.com)

Biker Color Block Capri ($75; nordstrom.com)

Logo Bodysuit ($50; topshop.com) 

Reflective Linear Print Wrap Back Jacket ($220; nordstrom.com)

Linear Print V Waist Ankle Legging ($70; topshop.com)

Logo Mesh Longline Crew Neck Tee ($58; nordstrom.com)

Logo Peach Sweat Long Sleeve ($48; nordstrom.com) 

Seamless Crop Crew Neck Tee ($35; nordstrom.com)

Seamless Racer Bra ($36; nordstrom.com)

Allover Mesh V-Neck Vest ($35; topshop.com)

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Hepatitis C Therapy May Reduce Need for Liver Transplants

THURSDAY, April 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Treatment with antiviral drugs may reduce the need for a liver transplant for people with severe liver damage and hepatitis C, a new study suggests.

This study included 103 liver transplant candidates in Europe with severe liver damage and hepatitis C. They were treated with direct-acting antiviral drug combinations used to treat and cure people with hepatitis C.

Thirty-five percent of the patients improved to the point where they were no longer in urgent need of a liver transplant. And 20 percent got so much better that they no longer needed a transplant, researchers found.

Currently, more than 15,000 people in the United States are on the liver transplant waiting list. About 16 percent will die before receiving a new liver. And roughly 30 percent of adults on the liver transplant waiting list have severe liver damage and hepatitis C, the researchers said.

The study was to be presented Thursday at the International Liver Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Findings presented at meetings are generally viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

“The results of the study are very encouraging, but a word of caution is to be mentioned since it is presently unknown how long the clinical improvement will last,” study author Dr. Luca Belli said in an International Liver Congress news release. Belli is from the gastroenterology and hepatology liver unit at Niguarda Hospital in Milan, Italy.

Belli said international studies need to be done to see how patients taken off the transplant list fare. He said it’s critical to assess the long-term risk of death, development of liver cancer and further deterioration of the liver.

“These results show notable improvements in the outlook for some of these patients,” Laurent Castera, secretary general of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, said in the news release.

“Treating these patients with direct-acting antiviral therapy could result in those with a more pressing need for a liver transplant receiving the donation they need, potentially reducing the number of deaths that occur in patients on the waiting list,” Castera added.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on hepatitis C.

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