Doctor, Tell Me Why

Murder is probably as old as humanity itself. It's also more than common than you think with over 17,000 people being victims of homicide in the United States each and every year. So what makes some people kill? Today, in this podcast I take a closer look at a combination of MRI and PET studies; noting the neuroanatomical differences that exist between the brains of murderers (or homicide offenders) and the brain of other non-homicidal violent offenders.I also explain some of the neuroanatomical differences that exist between the affective (or impulsive) murderer and the predatory (or premeditated murderer) and what that tells us about the nature of murder and its relation to violence.Watch The Video on YouTube:https://youtu.be/Lfcfde-4XzkSign Up To My (free) Substack Newsletter Below: https://doctortellmewhy.substack.com/

Circadian Rhythms are more important than you think! Each one of your cells has its own Circadian Rhythm (aka Biological Clock) and Circadian Rhythms are commonly implicated in a wide range of disease processes.Their role is*definitely not* limited to putting you to sleep and ensuring that sleep is high quality sleep. Circadian Rhythms have been associated with neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease along with depression, substance misuse and autism. Definitely, no joke..So, in today’s podcast I’ll be explaining some of the complex biology behind Circadian Rhythms and how Circadian Rhythms (despite being largely autonomous and independent), will often adapt to changing environments (EVENTUALLY - GIVE IT TIME).I also talk about how Body Clock disruptions can result in pathological processes in the brain and at the end I mention five top tips that might help you get a good night’s sleep.Watch The Video on YouTube:https://youtu.be/VCnFlO8JoPASign Up To My (free) Substack Newsletter Below: https://doctortellmewhy.substack.com/

I thought today was as good a day as any to talk about psilocybin, the active psychedelic ingredient in magic mushrooms.Psychedelic therapy, was relatively popular in the 1960s and was used in multiple studies in the treatment of depression, schizophrenia, neurosis, alcohol dependence and even childhood autism.However, this quickly came to an end in 1970 when US President Richard Nixon signed the Controlled Substances Act into law; effectively ending all scientific research into LSD and psilocybin.So today I'll be giving you a brief overview of the history of psychedelics and psychotherapy and then I'll explain the possible biological mechanisms behind their actions in the treatment of Mental Health.This will be right before I present two research papers which look at psychedelics (psilocybin specifically) in the context of (i) alcohol dependence and (ii) treatment resistant depression.Watch The Video on YouTube:https://youtu.be/nbR3qfD_TbQSign Up To My (free) Substack Newsletter Below: https://doctortellmewhy.substack.com/

Over the last few years there has been plenty of research examining the effect of ketones and the keto diet on various mental disorders including autism, depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.Watch the video to find out all about the latest research and whether you should consider going on the ketogenic diet (and thus increasing the amount of ketone bodies circulating in your system) in an effort to improve your mental health or alleviating symptoms of psychiatric illness.Watch The Video on YouTube:https://youtu.be/tNNrqXUiNS0Sign Up To My (free) Substack Newsletter Below: https://doctortellmewhy.substack.com/

#Marijuana use is on the rise with #cannabis becoming legal and more widely accessible in more places. It's also losing a lot of the stigma that has been attached to it in the past and this worries some people..Some scientists and healthcare professionals are concerned that cannabis use during one's adolescent years could result in profound changes in the developing teenage brain. -- with a detrimental effect on #IQ, a metric that's commonly used to gauge and quantify intelligence.In this video, I look at the research and discuss the IQ and structural brain changes that were observed in frequent/dependent cannabis users. I also elaborate on the two major active ingredients (cannabinoids) found in weed plants; CBD and THC and discuss some of the differences that exist between them.Video Link

This week I'll be looking at hair loss, specifically Androgenic Alopecia. Androgenic Alopecia is the number one cause of hair loss amongst both men and women and is the consequence of naturally circulating androgens in your body.I'll be explaining what we know about the genetics of the condition and why some people end up losing their hair while others get to keep it! I'll also be giving you guys erm.. a short history lesson I guess(?) about Minoxidil.Minoxidil is one of only two FDA approved treatments for Androgenic Alopecia so I thought it would be good if I explained how it works to regrow hair as well as give you six quick tips to keep in mind before starting Minoxidil treatment (right at the end).Video Link

Between 1956 and 1962, more than 10,000 children were born with wide ranging birth defects; a consequence of their mothers having taken a new "wonder drug"; Thalidomide, promoted as an effective and safe treatment for morning sickness.Thalidomide proved to be far from safe.The drug company, Grunenthal, had only carried out their studies on one animal model, mice, and had not tested their new drug on pregnant women.The Thalidomide Disaster affected many thousands of lives and is thought to have been responsible for countless miscarriages. However, in the wake of the scandal, our relationship with drugs and the companies that manufactured those drugs was forever changed.The Thalidomide Scandal paved the way for drug reform (including the 1963 Kefauver Harris Amendment in the United States and the 1968 Medicines Act in the UK) and is the primary reason why the medications available to us today are well regulated, safe and effective.If you feel that this podcast has been helpful then I'd be very grateful if you could subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos just like this (and so much more). Feel free to also check some of my other social media acc's below:https://www.youtube.com/c/doctortellmewhy/https://www.facebook.com/doctortellmewhy/ https://www.instagram.com/thefamoushesham/ https://www.instagram.com/doctortellmewhy/Sign up to my mailing list?https://forms.gle/K6wVafLSjsQdH6Pz9

In 1944 as the Second World War came to a close, a bright young scientist called Ancel Keys devised an experiment to investigate the effects of prolonged #starvation on human biology, both physical and psychological.He hoped that his study would help shed some light on how best to rehabilitate (or "refeed") the millions of civilians who had effectively starved in war-torn Europe.This outrageous study would become known as The Minnesota Starvation Experiment and would be the first and last study of its kind.Find out why starving yourself as in when deciding to go on a crash diet may not be the best way to lose weight (and keep it off) and what became of Ancel Keys experiment.If you feel that this podcast has been helpful then I'd be very grateful if you could subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos just like this (and so much more). Feel free to also check some of my other social media acc's below:https://www.youtube.com/c/doctortellmewhy/https://www.facebook.com/doctortellmewhy/ https://www.instagram.com/thefamoushesham/ https://www.instagram.com/doctortellmewhy/Sign up to my mailing list?https://forms.gle/K6wVafLSjsQdH6Pz9

No one who has been born blind has ever developed Schizophrenia.It also appears that this protection extends to other psychotic disorders. This is in contrast to individuals who go blind later in life, who are often at an increased risk of developing hallucinations and delusions.This naturally got me thinking what was it about blindness that offered this seeming immunity against Schizophrenia and psychosis.. well let's find that out together. Though we may need a little help from the Bayesian Brain model! ...If you feel that this podcast has been helpful then I'd be very grateful if you could subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos just like this (and so much more). Feel free to also check some of my other social media acc's below:https://www.youtube.com/c/doctortellmewhy/https://www.facebook.com/doctortellmewhy/ https://www.instagram.com/thefamoushesham/ https://www.instagram.com/doctortellmewhy/Sign up to my mailing list?https://forms.gle/K6wVafLSjsQdH6Pz9

OXIDATE STRESS.. compulsory drum rollOxidate stress and free oxygen radicals get a fair bit of press. People blame them for all sorts of things including neurodegenerative illnesses, depression, cancer, diabetes and even obesity.Oxidative stress is one thing you don't want in your body as they tend to promote unwanted inflammation. However, there is a catch..Exercise (which is meant to be really really good for you) increases the free radicals in your body and leads to increased oxidative stress."BUT HOW CAN THAT BE?"Well.. you'll have to listen to the podcast to find out....If you really enjoyed this podcast then you will be super glad to know that this podcast was taken off of my YouTube channel (there is actually a video with visuals).To watch the full video and get the opportunity to see my beautiful face then check out the link below:https://youtu.be/3TKa2tflxaoAnd check out my YouTube channel and some of my awesome videos :)www.youtube.com/c/doctortellmewhyFollow me on social media:www.facebook.com/doctortellmewhywww.twitter.com/doctortellmewhywww.instagram.com/thefamousheshamAND TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS!