Brain abscess
About 3 years ago I developed abscess in my brain. It was quite a painful ordeal; I spent a little over a month in the hospital followed by another couple months at home with a picc line for antibiotics. I was listening to last week's episode about metabolism and it spurred some thoughts and questions. You mentioned that the axons extending from the hypothalemus to the pituitary then releases stimulating hormones into the bloodstream. I am also a functionhealth.com member so I am often checking levels. One area that is within range but very low is testostrone. I run, weight train , eat very clean and get between 8 and 9 hours of sleep a night. However, at my last eye exam I failed my peripheral vision test. I tried it several times and failed. I am wondering if the abscess perhaps damaged my pituitary which my would affect my peripheral and also the stimulating hormone release of testerone? My neurologist , after my last MRI and EEG , said my brain seems to be healing well. I did have 3 small seizures about 5 months after getting out of the hospital ( 2 for which I was aware as they were happening of but could not control). I am on Keppra for those and have had no issues since. Again, I was told, my brain is healing from the abscess. Is it possible for the pituitary to have been damaged and causing the low testosterone? Been really focused on neuroplasticity since the abscess and discovering your podcast. If it is possible, what can be done to improve the release hormones from the pituitary? Thank you.
I quit smoking and have gained 45 pounds.
I gained 45 pounds after quitting smoking after 30+years. I workout 45min daily and eat a lean meal plan made by my personal trainer. I've had normal labs and my thyroid is good too even on imaging...I do ultrasound for a living and students need practice. I have since started perimenopause as well. I don't take medication and drink a gallon of water a day. Prior to this weight gain I was successfully in losing 100 pounds with my trainer in still following. I have tried to lower my caloric intake however I'm at 1500-1600 daily calories and I'm sometimes hungry. I do weight training daily and add cardio 3-4 times a week. My dr suggest glp1 but I don't want to... side effects and all that. Plus I've been successful prior to quitting smoking. Help
TBI, Dizzy spells, Supraventricular Tachycardia and Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyperactivity - fixed with Clomid
For 17 years I have had a problem where my heart rate jumps to 220+ for little things like the wind blowing, walking on sand or train horns. Little things set me off. Trying to take hot clothes out of the dryer, getting something out of the oven. For 17 years I kept getting kicked back and forth from cardiologists and neurologists where they gave me hundreds of different things that just made things worse. Nothing worked. I ended up buying a bunch of medical books after listening to your podcast for the past couple of years. I found a good family doctor that agreed to run tests and worked with me to find a fix instead of just slapping me on the back of the head and giving me a prescription for Nurtec or some experimental medication from Jamaica. Anyway, sorry about the long rant. I noticed that when I got dizzy I had a circle on my forehead. My wife checked my temperature and when I get dizzy my forehead drops to around 94 to 95 degrees fahrenheit. After reading through books on the vascular system and endocrinology I noticed that estrogen had a lot to do with that stuff. I had a test for Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone done and Luteinizing hormone was almost nothing but everything else was normal. I ended up getting Clomiphene Citrate and within a few days the dizzy spells went away. My resting heart rate dropped from around 120bpm into the 80bpm range. For the first time in 17 years I am able to do things again. I can even ride a bicycle without getting dizzy. It's crazy how well that works. I guess my question is, why don't Neurologists check hormones and why does there appear to be no research on this? I can find one article on hypogonadism but nothing for the autonomic nervous system or tachycardia and Clomiphene Citrate. That stuff works like crazy. I would just like to understand how or why it works and possibly if there's anything being done. It might be in the Neuroendocrinology books, I couldn't convince my wife to let me get a $3,500 book set on it.
Sleep Cycles in Women
I have two questions :) 1) You often recommend a 24 hour sleep cycle that starts in the morning, and exposure to the sun earyl to produce cortisol etc. - what about people who have different cycles? Some people are more of a night owl, or peak during midday or in the efternoon. Is there a neurological difference? What makes some people more inclined to one sleep patter or another? 2) What is the impact of menstruation on the sleep cycle in women? How does it affect the neurological aspects? Assuming it has a significant aspect, as hormones are key factors in behavior, and significantly affect sleep. In general, many women report fatigue during PMS and into the cycle. That means they need more sleep during some weeks and less in others. So, how do you optimize the sleep cycle monthly rather on a 24 hours basis? I hope this makes sense and doesn't repeat previously asked questions. Thanks! Chen
NIH grants are frozen. Will you speak out?
I understand your reluctance to wade into politics, but some of what the new administration is doing directly impacts the scientific community that you are a part of. You may or may not agree with the actions of the Trump/ Musk team, but surely you don't support crippling our researchers. Your voice is important and would have an impact. I hope you will use it.
Do you know her ?
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6OxCFYJaSK/?igsh=MXVsOHBxdzFndGFydw== I think you didn’t talk about this yet? What’s your thoughts? Why would she avoid fatigue? Because of muscle adaptación or to train the next day? She’s not a weightlifter either. Would love to dive into this!!
cold showers
I have been listening to your podcast since I had to recover from an abcess in my brain and had time off. Have enjoyed the thought provoking research and guest. Is there any new data on the physiological affect of a cold shower? I enjoy cold showers, in that it wakes me up. However, I get a lot of push back from collegues who only believe peer reviewed research in which the the results are based on large data samples and when the findings specifically relate to the claim. I have listened and relistened to your discussion with Dr. Susanna Soberg and while I realize that discussion did not emphasize that cold showers have the same results as longer cold exposure via a cold plunge, the physical responses from simply having cold skin seemed enough for me to continue to practice cold showers. I , possibly with naivity, think the research will eventually reveal measurable results. My other question for you is, how do you answer critics that say you are exagerating or extrapolating results to appy more broadly than the data supports? I ask because , I want to defend your suggestions for life changes that positively affect our overall bodily health. Thank you.
AEDP - Emotional coregulation and undoing aloneness !
I was wondering if you could have a quick look at this magnificient approach. The "Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy" by Dr Diana Fosha has opened beautiful therapeutic "doors" for me as a psychiatrist (and therapist) and I wonder why it is not know by now... I wish more patients knew about it! Thanks!
Dr. Diane Powell - Telepathy / Autism Studies
I've recently had my imagination captured by the Telepathy Tapes podcast. The ontological implications are astounding. The TT feature former Harvard scientist Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell and her studies of telepathic abilities within non-verbal autistic people. The experiments she's done so far seem rigorous to me, but I'd like perspectives from folks more qualified and capable to interpret her results. The anecdotal evidence is moving as well, at least to me. I think Dr. Powell could make for an incredible podcast guest! I'm so curious about her work and this topic now. Thanks very much, Nick
Podcast on organization and effective notetaking, please :-)
I’m a long time student and taking notes has generally been not useful. At the end of the page, it’s usually a chaotic mess that makes sense after some effort decoding. In parallel, I tend to struggle with organization also. So unless a clear system is in place before the notes were taken…they get mixed up all the time and hard to find when actually needed. Is this a topic that you might be able to touch on or dedicate a protocol to? I’ve watched you take notes when talking to some of your guest speakers, and I am continually amazed by your ability to capture the main ideas and important details, without the fluff. Thanks!
Huberman Lab Premium schedule
Is there ANY possibility of sending the podcast for premium members on a Friday or Saturday instead of on Monday morning? For those of us who work, it is difficult to find 3 hours during the work week, meaning that I (and possibly others) have to wait for 5-6 days to listen to the entire discussion in one session, whereas moving up the podcast drop by two days would allow us to listen and learn without major delay.
Your new book & podcast ads
Hey Andrew can yoiu please tell me if you are planning on any distributors in Australia? I went to pre-order but the postage doubled the price !! Also is it possible to have a subscription to your podcast without ads - as many of the products are not available in Australia. I'd be happy to pay more to have ad free content. Thanks for considering
A question I asked before about functional patterns, exercises and eyesight changes. Just curious on your take
I signed up for classes and did this exercise modality called FP or functional patterns for about 6 months to deal with some spine issues I have and some posture issues that were causing me to limit my fitness goals. Anyhow, I ended up not continuing FP just because it's kind of cultish and weird and they don't want you to do anything but FP which I think is fairly ridiculous. But it did have a lot of good side effects that included much better posture and less joint pain but also a significant change in my eyesight. My one I went from a prescription of negative 4.75 to around -3.25 and I ended up getting new prescriptions to deal with the change because I couldn't really see anymore. I quit doing FP and my eyesight pretty much went back, not completely but about 80%. Other people like that do this exercise modality have experienced the same thing with their eyesight and my optometrist was pretty much stumped because the equipment was telling her that my eyesight had changed dramatically within 6 months. Just wondering what's your take is on this and what causes it. I actually liked some of the benefits of FP but I'm over 50 and need both glasses to see far away and up close and I can't keep on paying for prescription changes, it's kind of a hassle really, but I would love to do some of the exercises just for overall posture to keep myself in good physical shape. Thanks so much for all you do!