Health & Wellness Research Weblog | HealthTrekker

Health & Wellness Weblog With Tips And Hacks

For information only. This site does not supply medical advice, diagnosis, or care.

Sugar, Depression, & SAD: Eating Sweets May Make The Holiday Blues Even Worse Than “Cats”

Filed Under: Mind/Brain

Sugar, Depression, & SAD: Eating Sweets May Make The Holiday Blues Even Worse Than “Cats”
sugar depression sad woman leaning on couch at christmas


Sugar, Depression, SAD. The Holiday Treats That Bite Back:
Sometimes the holidays can be a tough time of year.

We’re supposed to be jolly, but maybe everything isn’t all going great, and that can be hard to forget temporarily.

So, in times like that, people can sometimes end-up reaching for some good ole’ fashioned seasonal cold-weather comfort-food.

Like the sweet little snacks that seem to be almost-everywhere this time of year.

But a recent study by KU suggests that as great as those cookies and tartlets taste, they may be doing way more harm than good…

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Love & Well-Being: Small Moments Of Positivity Boost Mental Health, Maybe Physical Too

Filed Under: Mind/Brain

Love & Well-Being: Small Moments Of Positivity Boost Mental Health, Maybe Physical Too
love well-being we like you too tile sign


Love & Well-Being. Even Small Amounts May Make A Big Difference For You:
Sometimes in life, it can be hard to work on several problems.

Hence, the philosophy of keeping it simple.

And because of that, there are many worthwhile facets of life we need to be reminded-of, and this can be the same with our health.

Where the average person who doesn’t say they have no time for it, mainly focuses on nutrition and exercise.

But if a new PSU study is to be believed, then it’s the little-things in overlooked areas that just might make a big difference over time…

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Productivity & Classical Music: Put On Your Headphones And Get Bach To Work, Or We’ll All Go Baroque!

Filed Under: Mind/Brain

Productivity & Classical Music: Put On Your Headphones And Get Bach To Work, Or We’ll All Go Baroque!
classical music productivity laptops on table working


Classical Music & Productivity. The Mozart Effect Might Work; er, At-Work:
Many of us listen to music on more-or-less a constant basis.

It’s often the soundtrack to our lives and can either reinforce, or substitute an emotional component to the day.

And while many of us would think it’s fairly-innocuous because we are usually the ones choosing what to listen to,

A small informal study suggests that depending on the context, what you listen to may be very important to how well you perform at all kinds of work…

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Sleep Deprivation Dangers: Chronic Lack Of Sleep Can Hurt A Lot More Than Just Your Alertness

Filed Under: Mind/Brain

Sleep Deprivation Dangers: Chronic Lack Of Sleep Can Hurt A Lot More Than Just Your Alertness
sleep deprivation debt danger orange cat sleeping on stairs


Sleep Deprivation & Cognitive-Function. Alertness Is Only The Beginning:
One of the typical habits many people have is operating based on assumptions.

It’s not always a bad idea, because we each come from a context we’re born into, that teaches us a worldview.

And life is already too complex, so we often need a type of shorthand.

Especially for stored-knowledge that gets handed down over time.

But those ideas can often be wrong at the start, or become obsolete with time.

And some researchers from Michigan State are finding out anyone interested in both Health & Productivity is making a huge mistake in their assumptions about sleep…

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Deep Sleep Detox: Your Brain’s Self-Cleaning Rinse Cycle May Prevent Alzheimer’s; If You Sleep Well

Filed Under: Mind/Brain

Deep Sleep Detox: Your Brain’s Self-Cleaning Rinse Cycle May Prevent Alzheimer’s; If You Sleep Well
brain sleep rinse detox red clothes dryers on wall


Deep Sleep Vs. Dementia, Your Brain’s Detox Cycle May Help:
There are a lot of mysteries still out there in the world for Science to solve.

Whether it’s why nature, people, or even diseases exist in the odd ways they do.

During that investigation some ancient ideas are refuted, or even confirmed in some cases.

But for one part of us, Technology is only in its early stages of being able to confirm those ancient conceptual insights.

And a recent investigation by a BU led team may have just found out a function of sleep that is very important for one of our worst health nemeses…

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Symptom Checkers & Misdiagnosis: Cyberchondriacs Can Get Things Wrong More Than 50% Of The Time

Filed Under: Stupid Health Tricks

Symptom Checkers & Misdiagnosis: Cyberchondriacs Can Get Things Wrong More Than 50% Of The Time
symptom checker misdiagnosis south park webmd i'm dead meme


Symptom Checkers & Misdiagnosis. Even The Good Ones Miss:
This post is going to sound a bit contradictory on HT, but it’s still important.

While there are plenty of reasons to do research and educate ourselves,

There are at least a few reasons to be cautious on the internet when looking for health information.

Not the least of which are any of the $25,000/visit crazy wasp-based hacks over on GOOP.

More worrisome still than that: a few recent surveys & studies have found that self-diagnosing using the internet may not be such a great thing…

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Running & Longevity: A Little High-Quality Cardio May Lower Your Risk Of Premature Bucket-Kickage

Filed Under: Exercise

Running & Longevity: A Little High-Quality Cardio May Lower Your Risk Of Premature Bucket-Kickage
running live longer man on bridge running toward light


Running & Longevity. Kick-Up The Cardio, Not The Bucket!:
When most people think about their health, it’s almost always about weight-loss.

And as we’ve shown many times before, Nutrition is king when it comes to that.

The question then becomes, “Why Exercise?” “Isn’t that just for vain gym-rats?”

As PE programs seem to dwindle away from schools and we get fatter as a nation, those might seem like increasingly-valid questions.

But as Science progresses, it finds new proof for old ideas; Ex: Food-as-Medicine.

And an Australian team just found out some concrete info on why you might want to consider getting back into exercise…

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Trans-Fats + Dementia: Tiny Amounts Of ‘Dietary-Plutonium’ May Increase Risk Of Brain Disease

Filed Under: Better Living Through Chemistry

Trans-Fats + Dementia: Tiny Amounts Of ‘Dietary-Plutonium’ May Increase Risk Of Brain Disease
trans-fat dementia risk yellow and red radioactive sign on building


Trans-Fats. A Little Bit Goes A Long Way Toward Dementia & Alzheimer’s:
We owe an awful lot to technology.

Everything we use to occupy our free-time, improve job-performance, and just become better-educated people can be tied to it in one way or another.

In the future, people who need help with their Health will get help from it too.

Whether it’s precision-surgery, high-resolution imagery, or even AI + Big Data finding & inventing things no human could,

But Technology isn’t always a good thing. And a team from Japan are finding that sometimes its unintended consequences can destroy your health…

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Note: For informational purposes only. Should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis or substitute for professional care.