Alphabet Soup: A Mental Health & Medicine Podcast

We rely on a transactive memory network to remember information; or rather, where to find the information that we need to remember. Our tendency to transactive memory is changing the way our brains work! Daniel Wegner, the professor of psychology at Harvard who coined the term, also questions whether our memories are being negatively impacted... Find out more in the episode! 

Leukemia is the umbrella term for cancers of the blood cells, it weakens the immune system, makes the body vulnerable to infection, causes feelings of dizziness, fatigue, and more. Today we talk about a historical event (the bombing of Hiroshima) that continues to affect descendants of the victims today through and increased risk for developing leukemia. Listen more to hear the story of Sadako, a survivor of the atomic bomb but a victim of the "atomic bomb disease".

How the lack of education and a lack of perception creates the mental health stigma. The solution  to erase it? Starting, encouraging, and participating in responsible conversations. 

!!! September is National Suicide Prevention Month. visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/promote-national-suicide-prevention-month/
for more info on how to participate. 

Social media monsters are the cues and rewards that make social media so addicting, and dangerous to mental health! Part 2 focuses about how you can handle your social media monsters through the power of moderation. 

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An astounding 81% of Americans today are smartphone users, and 79% of them are active on social media platforms. Even comparing 30 years ago to today, we can observe how much smartphones and social media have consumed and transformed our society. Positive: increased connectivity and negative: higher potential risk for mental health problems. These negative risks are social media monsters...

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Story about a 19-year old university student who overdosed on soy sauce and faced life-threatening conditions all because of a dare. The power that peer pressure holds on us, and how we can work to exert positive peer pressure instead. 

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Sudoku - the greatest worldwide puzzle sensation since the Rubik's cube - was the trigger for one man's clonic seizures. The patient was skiing when he got caught in an avalanche and suffered 15 minutes of oxygen deprivation. Brain damage was certain, but why sudoku seizures? Find out more in today's episode! 

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Before, mental health disorders were thought to be caused by individual factors. However, scientists have long realized that these conditions tend to run in families, suggesting a possible genetic correlation. Neva explores the genetic variations that serve as a link between five mental disorders: autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, major depression, or schizophrenia. CACNA1C and CTCF, what do these genes have to do with mental disorder? Listen to the episode to learn more! 

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The origins of Chai Tea, plus five scientifically proven heath benefits including lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, anti-nausea properties and more! Time "tea" get our Chai on! 

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The 2021 Tokyo Olympics are here! Athletes have trained their whole lives to make it to the Olympic Games. Today on the show I share some of their stories of endurance. #simonebiles #michaelphelps #lydiajacoby #aliphinetuliamuk #kevinmcdowell

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