neurology | The Burgundy Zine

May 28, 2021

How Entheogenic Plants & Fungi Affect Memory

A major area of psychedelic research is its potential clinical applications in psychiatry. In particular, a major area of study has concentrated on the potential therapeutic effects of shrooms, acid, and MDMA for treating post-traumatic stress disorder.

“Memory plays a central role in the psychedelic experience,” begins a 2020 Psychopharmacology review. “The ability for psychedelics to provoke vivid memories has been considered important to their clinical efficacy.”

Throughout their review, the researchers found that psychedelics enhance autobiographical memory recall, which has therapeutic potential for overcoming traumatic experiences. However, psychedelics also have a dose-dependent effect of impairing memory task performance.

February 17, 2021

Achieving Mental Clarity with CBD by Rachel Hudson

Therapist Rachel Hudson explores how CBD can improve your mental health.

February 4, 2021

NeuroCOVID: NIH Launches Database to Track Neurological Symptoms of COVID-19

A fever. Cough. Fatigue. Sore throat. New loss of taste or smell. By now, we’ve all learned to stay on guard and watch for the common symptoms of COVID-19.

Although COVID-19 is regarded as a respiratory disease, it can have a wide range of effects throughout your body: including effects on your brain.

In light of this, the National Institutes of Health recently announced the launch of “NeuroCOVID,” a database designed to track neurological symptoms associated with COVID-19.

September 2, 2020

September is National Honey Month

As sunflowers put on a show for us this month, it’s also important to pay homage to another black and yellow marvel of nature: bees.

September is National Honey Month, a time in which we honor the byproduct of the five-eyed, six-legged, insects that have soared through our skies at 20mph for the last 30 million years.

Bee pollination adds approximately 14 billion dollars to improved crop yield and quality annually in the United States, according to NASA. And while we all know the “BEES ARE DYING,” which will inevitably wreak havoc on agricultural output, did you know that honey may have played a critical role in human evolution?

June 6, 2020

Think With Your Gut

Our bodies are essentially an apartment complex for 100 trillion micro bacteria that have found a home within our intestines.

Before you start writing up an eviction notice, it’s worth noting just how much we – and every other organism with a digestive system – depend on gut microbiota.

Recent research shows gut microbiota influence our mood, behavior, and neurodevelopment. While it may seem these microscopic critters run our lives, the gut microbiome is largely influenced by environmental factors including diet, stress, geography, and age, among others.

Instead of accusing your gut microbiota of being bad tenants, ask yourself: “Have I been a good landlord? What are they trying to tell me?”

Learn to think with your gut, not against it.

March 2, 2020

March is National Caffeine Awareness Month

Wake up and smell the coffee, bug buddies. March is National Caffeine Awareness month – but that doesn’t mean treating yourself to an extra cup ‘o Joe.

In fact, National Caffeine Awareness Month was initiated by the Caffeine Awareness Alliance to help promote a caffeine-free industry in 2003, according to National Today.

February 25, 2020

Patching Up the Blues with Nicotine

Whether it’s a bandaid over a bullet wound or a patch over an underlying mental health condition, researchers have been studying the effectiveness of treating depression and attention-deficit disorder with nicotine patches.

Which leaves one to wonder which is the lesser of two evils – a dependence on nicotine, a highly addictive substance, or grappling with depression and ADHD?

February 20, 2020

How Mental Health Affects Sleep by Sleepopolis

Experts from Sleepopolis teach us about the impact mental health has on sleep.

February 6, 2020

The Default Mode Network: The Center of You

Take your hands off the keyboard, relax, and take a deep breath. Try your best to do absolutely nothing for a moment. Where did your mind go?

Assuming you were able to achieve a resting state, your brain’s default mode network kicked on.

There’s still much to be researched about the DMN, however, the data currently available has lead researchers to believe the DMN may be at the center of our ego.

October 22, 2019

What is Positive Psychology?

The field of psychology often hones in on understanding mental and behavioral disorders. Every time a new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is released, psychologists and psychiatrists are tasked to familiarize themselves with an ever expanding list of disorders as well as updates to previously defined terms.

At the cusp of the 21st century, Martin Seligman, P.h.D. sought to change that by pursuing the field of positive psychology, says University of Penn.