Left and Right amygdala
First, let me say I am a huge super fan! Thank you so much for being a guide to me on my life-changing journey since the start of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. I have an idea I’d like to share. I think you need to do a series with Drs. Malenka, Conti, Feldman-Barrett, Buss, Deisseroth, and Robert Greene. I also think you should include Dr Arthur Brooks. He did an amazing podcast with Dr Attia, which is why I was compelled to write. Here’s why: we are experiencing a severe mental health crisis. No one who is mentally sound would support a guy who lied, cheated, and humiliated three of his wives who thought, “This time, he is telling the truth.” No one who is mentally sound would go into business with a guy who filed for bankruptcy six times, one of which was for a casino, yet we have millions of people who have fallen prey to his manipulation. I voted for Donald Trump in 2016. It has been almost four years since I realized I wasn’t processing information correctly, and I stumbled upon your podcast when I realized my brain chemistry was wrong. I know for a fact I was mentally ill. In evolution, it was kill or be killed, and love was developed similarly to what Dr. Feldman-Barrett said about human life development. At some point, something ate something, which began the development of the brain. We saw what happened with the orphanages in Romania, where love is a learned behavior–or wasn’t learned in the orphanages' case. Has research been conducted looking at the differences between the left and right amygdala? While I was suffering from undiagnosed trauma (and, as a result, really bad behavior), I always thought I had two parts of myself. This experience has led me to believe that there is a difference between the left and right amygdala. From what I’ve read, they develop at the same time; however, I do not know enough about neurobiology to know if oxytocin is in both or how it all works in general, which is why I am requesting your help. As per your journaling podcast, lying causes changes in the prefrontal cortex. We also know when the body is stressed and cortisol is released over time, the hippocampus shrinks, and the amygdala grows (World Science Festival taught me this). If one amygdala is more associated with hate than the other, it makes sense because the thoughts aren’t reaching the prefrontal cortex, staying in their limbic system, and, thus, is why they are reactionary or emotional (including with Elon Musk’s impulsive behavior). If anyone can figure out how to manage post-Trump, it’s you. How we have been managing life is not working, which is why we have record numbers of people dying of drug overdose, gun violence, and COVID–all deaths that are 100% preventable. If I had not done as much damage to my brain as I have done (all based on what I didn’t know), I would further study neurobiology. Thank you for all you do; you have literally changed my life. Trauma changes the brain if you add in fear, anger, and rage (path of least resistance)–you will get to the point where people are easily manipulatable, as Dr. Conti stated. It takes work to learn new things, and I am optimistic that if you had a collaborative session with the participants mentioned above, you would be able to help guide us out of what will be a rough next decade or so. After listening to your podcasts, it appears that there are a lot of people suffering from unresolved trauma, which is why they’re not processing information properly. I didn’t realize how poorly I understood reality, and I have been working on my brain chemistry ever since. How I look at the world is 179.98° different than I used to. How I care for my body, preserve my thoughts, and find the words to explain my experiences is 179.98° different. I believe there is something between the left and right amygdala and, subsequently, love and hate. Love isn’t easy– it’s constantly learning and trying new things. Hate is easy–you don’t have to use the prefrontal cortex, you only need your limbic system. Warmest Regards, Tracey L Butler
Menopause
I am seeing a lot of requests r/t doing an episode on menopause. I would LOVE that! I went through menopause unexpectedly at age 48. Breezed through. Didn’t even know it was happening. Then all of the sudden I started having severe hot flashes to the point that even the bottoms of my feet were sweating, severe night sweats (drenching), anxiety (not typically an anxious person), stiff joints (h/o frozen shoulder) - thought shoulders were freezing up, couldn’t sit cross-legged anymore, length of stride significantly reduced. I had brain fog, difficulty with word finding. Vaginal dryness also big issue. I sought help and was put on an Estrogen patch and oral Progesterone. I kid you not! Within a week’s time I felt like me again!! I no longer felt old. Hot flashes gone. No more night sweats. Joint stiffness gone. Could sit cross-legged. Stride returned to normal. Etc, etc. Now, when I see women that seem all crippled up, walking with a cane or walker, or just walking slowly or are stiff I wonder… Would hormones help them…? Often the response of the medical community is to give pills to fix the sx instead of going to the cause of the sx. Currently the medical community is very much against prescribing HRT d/t the study that was done siting greater risk of breast cancer as reason. 2 books you may have heard of: “What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause” by Dr. John Lee. Also, “Estrogen Matters” by Avrum Bluming. Thank you for considering this very sensitive topic.
Cold and Flu
Listened to that episode. Very good! Couple things to ask in r/t that episode: Your thoughts on transition showers (2-3mins hot, 15-30sec cold, 3 cycles, end with cold). What foods are best for immune system when sick with cold/flu? How high do you let a fever go before addressing it in some way (cooling bath, med, trip to ED)? Recommendations for moistening nostrils in dry climate when trying to avoid cold/flu. Sugar’s effects on immune system (seems like after all the candy at Halloween come the colds).
Vagus Nerve
Have you studied the vagus nerve and its effects on entire body health (mental/physical)? I have one small theory about it after hearing someone speak briefly at a cancer conference last fall on it. She was doing a talk on the Indigenous Peoples of North America and the effects of their chanting practices on the vagus nerve (among other things). I would love to learn more about this part of our body!