The Gary Null Show

HEALTH NEWS
 
 
Meta-Analysis Links Daily Nut Intake to Lower Hypertension Risk
Probiotics May Protect From Signs of Early Cognitive Decline, Clinical Trial Finds
Late-Night Snacking Could Be Putting Your Liver at Risk
Can drinking tea help protect against cardiovascular disease?
US drinking water could contain double the reported PFAS levels, model estimates
 
 
Meta-Analysis Links Daily Nut Intake to Lower Hypertension Risk
Imperial College London, October 19 2026 (Natural News)
 
 
A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that regular nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of developing hypertension, researchers said.
 
Participants who ate the most nuts had a 16% lower risk of high blood pressure compared with those who ate the least. Eating about a handful of nuts each day was associated with a 20% lower risk of developing hypertension, according to a new analysis. The largest reduction, 26%, appeared at about 30 grams per day compared with none, a level that aligns with several European and North American dietary guidelines.
 
The studies followed participants aged 18 to 87. The dose-response analysis indicated a curved relationship: benefit rose with intake and then leveled off, the researchers said. Eating far more than 30 grams daily did not appear to add much extra protection based on available data.
 
The studies followed participants aged 18 to 87. The dose-response analysis indicated a curved relationship: benefit rose with intake and then leveled off, the researchers said. Eating far more than 30 grams daily did not appear to add much extra protection based on available data.
 
 
The findings add to a growing body of evidence linking nut intake to cardiovascular benefits. tary guidelines that recommend nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet
 
Probiotics May Protect From Signs of Early Cognitive Decline, Clinical Trial Finds
Chonnam National University Medical School (Korea), October 20 2026 (Science Alert)
A rigorous new clinical trial has now found evidence that certain probiotic mixes may protect from some initial signs of cognitive decline. Among older adults with early cognitive impairment, taking a multistrain probiotic supplement daily for roughly six months resulted in a number of benefits.
 
Most notably, probiotic use compared to a placebo was associated with better scores on several cognitive tests, and it also led to a significant reduction in plasma levels of pTau181. This is a blood-based biomarker of Alzheimer's disease that measures levels of a phosphorylated form of tau protein in the blood, which can reflect Alzheimer's-related changes in the brain.
Of the 100 participants originally randomized, 40 completed the 24-week probiotic intervention, while another 47 completed the placebo treatment. The probiotic given to participants consisted of three bacterial strains, including subspecies of Bifidobacterium animalis, Limosilactobacillus fermentum, and Levilactobacillus brevis.
 
Compared to those given a placebo, those who were given a daily probiotic supplement showed a significant reduction in plasma pTau181 by the end of the trial. After just 24 weeks, they also showed significantly better scores on a Clinical Dementia Rating system. After 24 weeks, changes to most inflammatory markers were generally modest. But one marker in particular, called IL-1β, declined to a greater extent in the probiotic group than the placebo group.
 
Late-Night Snacking Could Be Putting Your Liver at Risk
Oregon Health & Science University, October 21, 2026 (SciTech Daily)
Eating late at night may have consequences beyond weight gain and poor sleep. A major study lsuggests that regularly eating after dinner or close to bedtime is associated with a higher risk of liver disease.
The findings, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, link late-night eating to two liver conditions: metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (fatty liver disease) and cirrhosis. For the study, late-night eating was defined as consuming food after dinner or after bedtime.
The research team examined information from self-reported dietary and lifestyle information from nearly 200,000 participants.
The results revealed a notable association. Participants who reported eating late at night had rates of liver disease that were 20% to 30% higher than those who did not report the habit.
 
Can drinking tea help protect against cardiovascular disease?
Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, October 21 2026 (Eurekalert)
 
In a Journal of Internal Medicine study, people who drank tea had a lower risk of vascular disease than non–tea drinkers.
Among 485,934 adults in China followed for a median of 9.05 years, there were 14,863 cases of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary heart disease, and peripheral artery disease. Regular tea consumption was linked with an 11% lower risk of experiencing these outcomes. The lowest risk was estimated at approximately 6–8 cups per day among weekly drinkers.
Black tea showed more consistent inverse associations with vascular disease than green tea. Regarding strength, moderate-strength tea was associated with the lowest risk. Interestingly, “burning hot” tea was associated with an elevated risk of vascular disease.
“Joint analyses showed that tea consumption, smoking status and physical were collectively associated with vascular risk, with the favourable combination of habitual tea consumption, non-current smoking and high physical activity associated with the lowest risk,” the authors wrote.
 
US drinking water could contain double the reported PFAS levels, model estimates
Texas Christian University, October 25 2026 (Eurekalert)
 
Common ways of reporting perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—the man-made, so-called forever chemicals that pose environmental and health threats—could underestimate the concentration of PFAS in United States drinking water by as much as half, finds a study in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports Sustainability. Using a model based on data from across the country, the researchers estimate that by counting PFAS levels that fall below minimum reporting levels as zero, current reports capture only 44% of the average concentration of 25 PFAS in community water systems.
Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires public water systems to monitor the levels of 29 PFAS in drinking water. These chemicals can persist in the environment over a long time, and previous research has linked PFAS exposure to many health issues, including cancer, liver damage, and developmental problems in children.  
The EPA’s minimum reporting levels (MRLs) generally means a concentration that most laboratories can reliably measure and report, but it doesn’t suggest that the water tested is PFAS-free or that it’s safe. But these data points are often treated as zero when agencies and researchers summarize average PFAS levels in drinking water.  
To investigate the PFAS values below the MRL, the team analyzed more than 1.8 million PFAS measurement records in the national dataset published by the EPA. They found that 98% of PFAS test results were below the MRL. 
They found that treating below-limit results as zero captured only 44% of the average concentration of the 25 PFAS that the models estimated across 9,991 community water systems. The typical reports left out more than half of the estimated total.  
The EPA has set legally enforceable limits covering six PFAS in drinking water, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), that have been linked to serious health problems. When counting below-limit results as zero, the national average concentration is about 2.6 nanograms per liter in drinking water for the six chemicals. But the team’s model estimates that, in reality, the average could be 5.2 nanograms per liter

HEALTH NEWS
Flavonoid found in citrus slows lung cancer cell growth in lab tests
Prenatal supplement linked to improved child cognition and social behavior
Antibiotic use from childhood linked to higher odds of IBS in young adulthood
Pure cranberry juice may help protect teeth from decay
Smartphones are wrecking teens' sleep, study indicates
 
Flavonoid found in citrus slows lung cancer cell growth in lab tests
Friedrich–Alexander University Erlangen–Nurnberg (Germany), October 20 2026 (Medical Xpress)
Quercetin is found in citrus fruits, onions and buckwheat and is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Now researchers at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen at Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) have investigated how the plant compound could help treat lung cancer. In the lab, experiments showed that quercetin slows the division of lung cancer cells and almost completely stops their migration. The results have appeared in the journal Cell Death Discovery.
Quercetin led to the tumor cells dividing more slowly in the experiments. In one of the two types of lung cancer cells studied, the plant compound also reduced oxidative stress. This stress is caused by reactive oxygen compounds in cells and can lead to the development of cancer.
Quercetin had a particularly pronounced effect on the migration of cancer cells—a key prerequisite for them to form metastases. The higher the quercetin dose, the fewer cancer cells migrated. At the highest dose, the migration almost completely stopped,.
In the studied cancer cells, the amounts of EGFR and PD-L1 decreased. EGFR takes up growth signals and transmits them into the cell. PD-L1 can help cancer cells hide from the body's own immune defenses.\
 
Prenatal supplement linked to improved child cognition and social behavior
University of Colorado, October 20 2026 (Medical Xpress)
A nutritional supplement taken during pregnancy may support fetal brain development and improve children's cognitive performance and social behavior, according to new research from the University of Colorado.
The randomized clinical trial, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, found that children whose mothers took phosphatidylcholine, a form of choline found naturally in foods, had fewer social withdrawal problems and scored higher on cognitive tests than children whose mothers received a placebo.
This is the largest randomized clinical trial of prenatal choline supplementation ever conducted. What this study showed that we have not observed before was an increase in the overall IQ of about eight points when measured at age 4. That put significantly more children into the higher IQ percentile on the test we used.
Researchers enrolled 206 pregnant women, randomly assigning them at 16 weeks of pregnancy to receive either 9,000 milligrams of phosphatidylcholine daily or a placebo until delivery. Researchers assessed children's behavior from 18 months to 4 years of age and measured cognitive performance at ages 3 and 4.
Among children whose parents completed behavioral assessments, 4% in the supplement group had elevated social withdrawal problems, compared with 24% in the placebo group. These behaviors can include limited interest in other people, withdrawing from social activities and reduced eye contact.
Children in the supplement group also scored an average of nearly eight points higher on standardized cognitive tests than children in the placebo group. Researchers also observed significantly fewer children with behavioral profiles and language difficulties commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder in the supplement group.
 
Antibiotic use from childhood linked to higher odds of IBS in young adulthood
 
University of Gothenburg (Sweden), October 19 2026 (Eurekalert)
IBS is a common digestive disorder that affects more than 60 million people across Europe, causing symptoms such as abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits. Whilst previous research has suggested a link between antibiotic use and IBS, evidence on whether childhood exposure is associated with IBS in adulthood remains inconsistent.
Researchers analysed data from 2,853 participants in the population-based Swedish birth cohort. Antibiotic prescriptions were obtained from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register, when participants were aged 9–11 years, until one year before IBS was assessed at age 24. The researchers examined whether participants had received antibiotics, the total number of prescriptions received, and the classes of antibiotics prescribed.
At age 24, 10.0% of participants had IBS, of whom 79.4% were female. Antibiotic use was more common among those with IBS, with 87.8% having received antibiotics during the study period compared with 80.2% of those without IBS. After accounting for sex and family socioeconomic status, those who had received antibiotics had 1.5 times the odds of IBS (95% CI 1.0–2.2) compared with those who had not.
The odds of IBS increased progressively with the number of antibiotic prescriptions. Compared with those who received no antibiotics, participants receiving one or two prescriptions had 1.3 times the odds of IBS, rising to 1.6 times (95% CI 1.0–2.4) with three to five prescriptions and 1.7 times (95% CI 1.1–2.6) with six or more.
When individual antibiotic classes were examined, tetracyclines and cephalosporins remained significantly associated with higher odds of IBS after adjusting for sex and family socioeconomic status. Any use of tetracyclines was associated with 1.4 times (95% CI 1.1–1.8) the odds of IBS, while three or more prescriptions of cephalosporins were associated with 6.0 times the odds (95% CI 1.9–18.8).
 
Pure cranberry juice may help protect teeth from decay
University of Illinois, Oct 21 2026 (News-Medical)
Boil them, mash them, simmer them in a sauce. UIC College of Dentistry researchers found another reason to add these tart berries to your grocery cart: oral health.
Medicinally speaking, cranberry juice is often used to ward off urinary tract infections. That’s because the crimson berries contain anti-inflammatory compounds called proanthocyanidins that unstick bacteria, like E. coli, from cells.
14 children and eight adults were randomly assigned to drink either unsweetened pure 100% cranberry juice, a cranberry juice cocktail containing 27% juice with added sugar, or water.
On the morning of the study, participants arrived with a night’s worth of plaque buildup on their pearly whites.
Thirty minutes later, the researchers collected plaque samples from the participants’ unswabbed teeth. They’d assess the beverages’ effects on these samples compared to those collected before the experiment.
Sure enough, the plaque exposed to pure cranberry juice appeared to be growing more slowly than the unexposed samples. Swishing with pure cranberry juice was also linked to less acid production in both adults and children — a key factor for healthy enamel.
 
Smartphones are wrecking teens' sleep, study indicates
Seattle Children's Research Institute, October 21 2026 (Medical Xpress)
Teens who use their phones late into the evening suffer from delays in falling asleep, shorter total sleep time and sleep that's more restless and broken, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics.
 
These findings suggest that reducing evening smartphone use, particularly after 10 p.m. and immediately before bedtime, may help improve sleep health in adolescents.
For the study, researchers analyzed data on 425 kids with an average age of nearly 15 who were participating in an ongoing study of adolescent brain development. They gathered nearly 7,600 nights of data from the participants.
Results showed that on nights when teens used their phone longer than their personal average after 10 p.m., they slept an average of 20 minutes less and fell asleep more than an hour (64 minutes) later.
Teens glued to their phones also were more likely to wake up again within a half-hour after they nodded off, researchers said.
There also was a dose effect, in that every extra minute of smartphone use past 10 p.m. above a teen's own average added to later sleep onset and reduced total sleep time, the study said.

HEALTH NEWS
 
 
Fermented tea kombucha shows promise in reducing depression-like behaviors, animal study reveals
Brief self-care meditation delivers body confidence boost, study shows
Researchers Discover What Reading for Pleasure May Be Doing to Your Brain
Popular sports supplement may help shield the brain from damage linked to gut inflammation
The Gut-Muscle Connection: Fermented Foods May Influence Muscles Via Gut, Review Says
 
 
 
Fermented tea kombucha shows promise in reducing depression-like behaviors, animal study reveals
University of Minnesota, October 20 2026 (Natural News)
 
 
Researchers found kombucha consumption linked to fewer depression-like behaviors in mice across different diets.
 
The fermented tea altered gut bacteria composition, affecting pathways involved in tryptophan metabolism and serotonin production.
 
Behavioral benefits varied by diet type, with Western-diet mice showing additional anxiety reduction and brain chemistry changes.
 
Mice on standard diets experienced increased short-chain fatty acids, supporting gut barrier function.
 
Brief self-care meditation delivers body confidence boost, study shows
La Trobe University (Australia), October 18 2026 (Eurekalert)
A three-week online self-compassion meditation program can produce improvements in body appreciation and positive wellbeing, while reducing body dissatisfaction.  
Australian adults who completed the self-compassion meditation training reported significantly increased body appreciation, positive wellbeing and lower self-judgement. The benefits were still evident six weeks after the program concluded and frequency of practice alone did not drive the size of change.  
The randomised controlled trial, published in the journal Mindfulness, involved 227 people, aged 18 to 39 years. Participants in the intervention group undertook 20 minutes of daily self-compassion, while those in the control group remained on the waitlist. 
Many body image interventions focus directly on appearance concerns, but the study found that simply encouraging people to treat themselves with greater kindness and understanding can improve how they feel about their bodies. 
Fostering self-compassion, which encourages individuals to respond to personal difficulties with greater kindness and mindful awareness rather than harsh self-criticism, may be key to enhancing body appreciation rather than mindfulness practice alone. 
 
Researchers Discover What Reading for Pleasure May Be Doing to Your Brain
University of Cambridge, October 19, 2026 (Scitech Daily)
Reading for pleasure may do far more than provide entertainment. A scientific review published in Psychological Medicine links the habit to better mental health, stronger cognitive abilities, and a lower risk of dementia. Research also suggests that reading is associated with measurable differences in brain structure, although scientists are still investigating whether reading directly causes these changes.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge examined evidence spanning childhood through old age. Their findings suggest that reading for enjoyment, whether alone or with others, may support brain health in several ways, with some benefits potentially appearing after just a few minutes.
Reading may also provide psychological benefits throughout adulthood. Surveys associate reading for enjoyment with lower stress, greater relaxation, stronger empathy, and more openness to different perspectives. In one survey, nearly two in five adults (38%) identified reading as their preferred way to unwind. A neuroscience study reported that just five minutes of reading fiction could reduce stress by up to 20%.
The potential benefits of reading extend into later life, when preserving memory and thinking abilities becomes increasingly important. In a study of nearly 5,500 adults aged 55 and older, participants who frequently engaged in mentally stimulating activities, including reading, were significantly less likely to develop cognitive impairment during five years of follow-up.
 
Popular sports supplement may help shield the brain from damage linked to gut inflammation
Universidad de Sevilla (Spain), October 15 2026 (Medical Xpress)
The gut-brain axis is a two-way biochemical hotline, with messages zipping back and forth all day long. When the gut is chronically inflamed, inflammatory signals travel through the body to the brain and trigger neuroinflammation. The hippocampus, which governs memory, learning and mood, is especially vulnerable, so its disruption can affect how you think, remember and feel.
 
A recent study published in Brain, Behaviour, and Immunity investigated how chronic ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, impacts the brain and whether oral intake of creatine, a popular supplement in sports nutrition, can protect against brain damage. The researchers chemically induced chronic colitis in rats and observed their recovery with or without creatine. The creatine group received the supplement in drinking water, starting 10 days before colitis induction and continuing throughout the experiment.
In rats given daily oral creatine, hippocampal creatine concentrations increased by 20%–30%, reaching normal levels in both sexes. In males, creatine prevented structural neuron loss, stopped electrical membrane leaks and normalized the neuron firing threshold.
 
 
The Gut-Muscle Connection: Fermented Foods May Influence Muscles Via Gut, Review Says
Teagasc Food Research Centre & University College York (Ireland), October 19 2026 (Natural News) 
 
 
A review published in the journal Communications Biology examines whether microbes in fermented foods influence muscle through the gut-muscle axis, which the paper describes as a two-way chemical communication network between the digestive tract and skeletal muscle.
According to the paper, gut bacteria release byproducts that travel through the bloodstream and may influence muscle tissue, while exercise sends signals back that can alter the gut. The review describes this bidirectional network as the gut-muscle axis, or GMA. Skeletal muscle has a profound influence on metabolic health, functional capacity, and resilience across the lifespan, the review states [2].
 
The clinical stakes center on sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle, which is linked to frailty and loss of independence. Muscle also helps control blood sugar. The review cites a study linking one gut bacterium to muscle strength in people and lower levels of that bacterium in older adults. In mouse findings described in the review, front-leg grip strength improved, and muscle fibers changed when the bacterium was administered
 
Protein and exercise remain the established defenses, though older muscles respond less to protein. The review notes that beyond dietary protein and physical activity, the gut microbiome may have the capacity to impact skeletal muscle mass and function.
 
Fermented foods deliver these compounds directly, and some contain live microbes that interact with existing gut bacteria, according to the authors. The review states that fermentation modifies the nutritional and microbial characteristics of dietary protein in ways that may influence microbial metabolite production.

Do You Hesitate to Engage in Your Dreams?
Do you dream about something all the time but fail to engage in it? What do you have that's so important that you're afraid of losing it? Why do you hold on to old habits? How do they serve you?

HEALTH NEWS
 
Study Reports Natural Compound Shows Anticancer Activity in Preclinical Models
Ultra-processed food intake linked to silent strokes in healthy middle-aged adults, study finds
Study Finds Lower Magnesium Levels in Adults With Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes
This New Research About Microplastics Is Pretty Damn Scary
Mindfulness exercises can support psychotherapy for adolescents
 
 
 
Study Reports Natural Compound Shows Anticancer Activity in Preclinical Models
University of Windsor (Canada), October 15 2026 (Natural News)
 
 
A study published in Oncotarget reports that an aqueous dandelion root extract inhibited colorectal cancer cell proliferation and survival in laboratory and animal models, according to the paper. The research describes a preclinical investigation of a compound derived from a common flowering plant long used in traditional medicine.
The study states the extract was derived from the root of the dandelion plant. The paper reports the extract was tested in several cancer cell models with no toxicity to non-cancerous cells.
 
The study found that the aqueous dandelion root extract triggered programmed cell death in more than 95% of colorectal cancer cells tested in the laboratory.
 
The paper reports the extract activated multiple death-signaling pathways. The researchers reported no toxicity to non-malignant cells at the doses tested.
 
Ultra-processed food intake linked to silent strokes in healthy middle-aged adults, study finds
McMaster University (Canada), October 15 2026 (Eurekalert)
Healthy adults who eat high amounts of ultra-processed food, like packaged snack foods, sugary breakfast cereals, soft drinks, instant noodles, and ready-to-eat frozen meals, are more likely to have signs of damage to the brain that may increase the chances of clinical stroke and future memory problems.
Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to scan the brains of nearly 9,000 people between the ages of 35 and 69 with no history of heart disease from communities across Canada and detected tiny areas of damage more frequently in participants who ate the most ultra-processed food compared to those who ate the least. 
Participants with the highest intake were 40 per cent more likely to show these changes, which produce no obvious symptoms but are considered early warning signs that can appear years before a stroke or memory problems begins.
In this study, ultra-processed foods made up an average of about 25 per cent of participants' daily food servings. For the heaviest consumers, that increased to 45 percent of everything on their plates, compared with just 16 per cent for those who ate the least.
 
Study Finds Lower Magnesium Levels in Adults With Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes
Kunming Medical University (China), October 17 2026 (Natural News)
 
 
A study of 68 adults with type 2 diabetes found that median blood magnesium levels were lower in participants with higher HbA1c, a marker of average blood sugar over the past two to three months. The median magnesium level was about 2.1 mg/dL in the higher HbA1c group compared with 2.3 mg/dL in the better-managed group, the study stated.
The findings add to a body of research examining the relationship between magnesium status and glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.
Researchers split the 68 participants into two groups based on HbA1c and compared blood magnesium levels alongside other markers of metabolic health. Magnesium levels were lower in participants with higher blood sugar, and low magnesium levels were found only in the higher HbA1c group. Lower magnesium levels also were associated with higher triglycerides, suggesting a potential relationship between magnesium status and other markers of metabolic health, according to the study.
 
Within the higher HbA1c group, magnesium was not significantly linked to HbA1c, although researchers observed a trend toward lower magnesium alongside higher HbA1c. Medical literature has documented that magnesium status is frequently altered in individuals with type 2 diabetes, and the mineral serves as a critical cofactor in more than 300 enzymatic reactions, many of them involved in glucose metabolism.
A separate report listed magnesium among the essential minerals involved in muscle and nerve function, blood sugar regulation, and bone development, and cited National Institutes of Health recommended daily amounts of 400 to 420 milligrams for adult men and 310 to 320 milligrams for adult women.
 
This New Research About Microplastics Is Pretty Damn Scary
Columbia University, October 19 2026 (Futurism)
A new piece of research is pushing back on the long-held belief that plastic is a harmless and chemically inert material.
The new study, published in the journal Nature, took a look at the way micro and nanoplastics interact with water-rich environments such as the human body. It found that typical consumer-grade microplastics exhibit “intrinsic physicochemical activity” there, indicating that the tiny chunks of plastic do indeed react chemically inside our bodies.
As plastic fragments into smaller and smaller particles, its surface area increases enormously. Then microplastics change the water that surrounds them, generating high-energy, reactive radicals that very likely contribute to biological damage that we see in animals and potentially in humans as a result of microplastic exposure.”
An earlier Columbia study found that the average liter of bottled water contains upward of 240,000 tiny microplastics, a much higher count than previously known. Combined with the new research, it looks like those untold thousands of plastic bits are capable of causing much more chemical harm than scientists had given them credit for.
It’s estimated that food packaging accounts for 40 percent of the world’s total plastic production.
 
Mindfulness exercises can support psychotherapy for adolescents
Heidelberg University (Germany), October 16 2026 (Eurekalert)
 
A brief mindfulness exercise at the beginning of a psychotherapy session can have a positive effect on psychological symptoms in adolescent patients. 
Adolescents who completed a mindfulness exercise at the beginning of each session experienced a greater reduction in symptoms than those in the comparison group, who received psychotherapy without a standardized session-introduction. The researchers also found that patients perceived a greater improvement in the therapeutic alliance.
The study involved 90 adolescents aged 11 to 19 who were receiving outpatient treatment for depression, anxiety disorders, or ADHD and were randomly assigned to one of three groups. In the mindfulness group, each of the 24 therapy sessions began with a corresponding five- to ten-minute intervention. A second group completed relaxation exercises of the same duration at the beginning of each session, while the third group received no standardized session-introduction. In the field of mindfulness, various types of exercises were used, including breathing exercises, a body scan, and mindful walking.
The analysis showed that psychological symptoms decreased over the course of therapy in all three groups. However, the reduction was greater in the mindfulness group than in the group without a structured session-introduction. According to the adolescents, the quality of the therapeutic alliance also improved over time in the mindfulness group, while it declined slightly in the group without a structured session-introduction.
 

Gary reads Part 2 of How To Make Your Life More Manageable And Less Chaotic  

How To Make Your Life More Manageable And Less Chaotic, you can read the full article on Gary Null Substack https://garynull.substack.com/p/how-to-make-your-life-more-manageable?r=zchpo

CIPS 
 
-Tucker Carlson Maha honeypot -12:40 
BEFORE MODERN MEDICINE, THERE WERE PLANTS.
Before aspirin, there was willow bark
Before cough syrup, there was elderberry
Before iron pills, there was nettle leaf
Before vapor rub, there was eucalyptus
Before sleep aids, there was lavender
Before band-aids, there was plantain leaf
Before cold medicine, there was wild cherry bark
Before eczema creams, there was calendula
Before disinfectants, there was thyme
Before antibiotics, there was garlic
Before pain balms, there was arnica
Before probiotics, there was sauerkraut
Before toothache gel, there was clove
Before scar creams, there was rosehip oil
Before anxiety pills, there was chamomile
Before migraine tablets, there was feverfew
Before muscle relaxants, there was valerian
Before energy drinks, there was ginseng
BEFORE EVERYTHING CAME FROM A LAB, IT CAME FROM THE EARTH.
Here is the transcription of the text in each image:
First Image
WHEN YOU FINALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT DRIVES THE SYSTEM, AND IT ISN'T HEALTH...
Mammography: $3.2 billion
Colonoscopy: $3.8 billion
Acid reflux meds: $15 billion
C-section: $300 billion
Blood pressure meds: $40 billion
Bariatric surgery: $9 billion
Cancer care: $350 billion
Cholesterol meds: $22 billion
Birth control: $30 billion
Diabetes care: $220 billion
Vaccines: $95 billion
Pharmaceuticals: $1.8 billion
Second Image
COUNTRIES WITH THE LOWEST AVERAGE IQ
Estimated national average. United States is about 98
Chalkboard in background: Knowledge Builds Brighter Futures
Niger: 48
Ivory Coast: 52
Malawi: 52
Yemen: 53
Zambia: 53
Chad: 56
Benin: 57
Mali: 58
Namibia: 59
 
If prone to stones, most guidelines recommend no more than 100 mg of oxalate daily. Some doctors recommend only 50 mg.
Wise to pair oxalate foods with calcium rich foods to reduce absorption. Keeping hydrated is crucial. Should take about 1000-1200 mg of calcium a day with meals when eating oxalate rich foods. Unfortunately most high oxalate foods do not contain enough bioavailable calcium relative to the oxalate load. For example, spinach is rich in calcium but almost 90-95% of it is already bound and not available.
Too much Vitamin C can make your body produce oxalate. Don’t take more than 500 mg a day.
 
Here are high-oxalate foods ranked from highest content to lowest
Spinach (½ cup cooked) – ~750–755 mg
Rhubarb (½ cup) – ~540–541 mg
Almonds (1 oz / ~22 nuts) – ~120–122 mg
Miso soup (1 cup) – ~110–111 mg
Baked potatoes with skin (1 medium) – ~90–97 mg
Grits (1 cup) – ~97 mg
Beets (½ cup) – ~76 mg
Cocoa powder (4 tsp) – ~67 mg
Okra (½ cup) – ~57 mg
Bran cereals / shredded wheat cereals (1 cup) – ~40–57 mg (bran higher)
French fries (½ cup / ~4 oz) – ~50–51 mg
Cashews (1 oz) – ~49 mg
Raspberries (1 cup) – ~48 mg
Sweet potatoes (1 cup) – ~28 mg (some sources higher for a medium baked potato)
Cranberries – low (typically <10 mg per serving)
Stevia sweeteners – negligible / essentially 0 mg
 
Aside from dairy, here are 10 plant based foods high in calcium:
Sesame seeds / tahini – ~90–100+ mg per tablespoon of seeds or tahini
Chia seeds – ~180 mg per ounce (about 2 tablespoons)
Calcium-set tofu – ~250–860 mg per ½ cup (depends on the coagulant used)
Fortified plant milks (soy, almond, oat, etc.) – ~300–450 mg per cup
Collard greens (cooked) – ~250–350 mg per cup
Kale (cooked) – ~150–180+ mg per cup
Bok choy (cooked) – ~150–185 mg per cup
Almonds – ~75–100 mg per ounce (about 23 almonds)
White beans / navy beans (cooked) – ~100–160 mg per cup
Dried figs – ~50–100+ mg per 3–5 figs
 
Other foods that help or relieve kidney stones include:
    Celery juice
    Pomegranate juice
    Basil juice
    Dandelion root juice
    Horsetail juice
    Wheatgrass juice
Need to be taking lots of fluids because it will stimulate urination.
Not much can be done with treatments.
extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy is the most common treatment for larger and obstructing stones. This sends non-invasive shock waves to break up stones into smaller pieces that can be passed
ureterocopy with laser lithotripsy -- a scope passed through the urethra and ladder to fragment stone with laser.
a good homeopathist can give preparations to help dissolve stones, including oxalate stones

The Gary Null Show - Friday - 10-16-26 

HEALTH NEWS
 
Study reveals how different plant saponins alleviate ischemic stroke
The bacteria on your tongue could be linked to your brainpower
Staying Active Could Have Two Major Benefits for People With Parkinson’s, Scientists Find
How spinach protects the brain while tap water may pose a hidden risk
Frequent and unintentional daytime napping linked to higher dementia risk in older adults
 
 
Study reveals how different plant saponins alleviate ischemic stroke
Zheijiang University (China), October 12 2026 (News-Medical)
Ischemic stroke accounts for approximately 85% of all strokes and remains a major cause of death and long-term disability. Current treatments can restore blood flow in eligible patients, but therapeutic options remain limited, particularly for protecting threatened brain tissue and supporting recovery. Two types of ginseng -- Panax notoginseng and Panax ginseng have long been used in traditional Chinese medicine and are commonly associated with "activating blood" and "replenishing qi," respectively. Modern studies have reported anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects for their saponins.
A study published in Targetome reports that the two saponin preparations alleviate ischemic brain injury through shared neuroprotective effects but preferentially regulate vascular-cytoskeletal and mitochondrial-metabolic pathways, respectively.
The researchers established permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in male C57BL/6 mice and administered low or high doses of P. notoginseng saponins (PNS) or P. ginseng saponins (PGS), with edaravone serving as a positive control. Twenty-four hours later, they assessed neurological deficits, infarct volume, tissue damage, neuronal integrity, and apoptosis; a separate experiment monitored survival for seven days. At 200 mg·kg, PNS and PGS lowered neurological scores from 3.67 in untreated model mice to 2.00 and 2.17, respectively. PNS reduced average infarct volume from 30.73% to 11.70%, comparable to the drug edaravone, while PGS reduced it to 13.33%. Seven-day survival increased from 25% in model mice to 75% with PNS and 50% with PGS.
 
The bacteria on your tongue could be linked to your brainpower
 
University of Exeter (UK), October 12 2026 (Medical Xpress)
Whether you're a quick or slow thinker depends on several factors, such as the efficiency of the brain's wiring and the amount of gray matter in specific control centers. But there may be another, rather surprising influence, and that's the bacteria in your mouth. Scientists have found an association between the mix of microbes on your tongue and how well the brain performs cognitive tasks as we age.
Previous studies have shown that poor oral health and gum disease are linked to cognitive impairment. Other research has found that nitrate from the food we eat can influence blood flow to the brain and cognitive performance.
The research team recruited 15 younger adults and 15 older adults.
Each volunteer completed a set of 10 tests that assessed memory, processing speed and focus. The researchers collected tongue swabs and blood and saliva samples. They then sequenced the DNA in the swabs to identify which bacteria were present.
People with higher levels of Prevotella histicola in their mouth showed faster reaction times on different cognitive tasks. But the results for another microbe, Haemophilus parainfluenzae, were mixed. Older adults had higher levels of bacteria tied to gum disease, such as Treponema and Tannerella.
 
Staying Active Could Have Two Major Benefits for People With Parkinson’s, Scientists Find
University of Cincinnati, October 13 2026 (SciTech Daily)
People with Parkinson’s disease who stay more physically active may experience slower declines in memory, thinking, and movement abilities, according to a study that followed participants for up to seven years. Researchers found that greater activity was consistently associated with more favorable outcomes.
The study included 294 adults with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease, whose average age was 66. Participants reported how much time they spent being physically active each week, including activities at work, around the house, and during recreation. Participants were classified into three groups: those active for up to four hours weekly, those active for four to eight hours, and those exceeding eight hours.
On a 30-point cognitive assessment, where lower scores indicate poorer performance, the least active participants experienced an estimated average decline of 0.478 points per year. The middle group declined by 0.090 points annually, while the most active group showed almost no average decline, at just 0.007 points per year.
 
How spinach protects the brain while tap water may pose a hidden risk
Edith Cowan University (Australia), October 11 2026 (Natural News)
 
In a finding that underscores a critical nuance in nutritional science, a landmark 27-year study has revealed that not all nitrates are created equal. Researchers tracking over 54,000 adults discovered that the chemical compound nitrate, found in both spinach and tap water, has starkly opposite associations with dementia risk depending on its source. The research, published in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia, suggests that while nitrate from vegetables is linked to a lower likelihood of dementia, nitrate from processed meats and drinking water—even at levels deemed safe by regulators—is associated with a higher risk.
 
 
A 27-year study found that nitrate from vegetables is linked to a lower risk of dementia, while nitrate from processed meats and tap water is associated with a higher risk.
 
Vegetables deliver nitrate with antioxidants that promote its conversion to beneficial nitric oxide. Processed meats contain compounds that can steer nitrate toward forming harmful molecules linked to brain cell damage.
 
Increased dementia risk was associated with nitrate levels in drinking water far below current U.S. safety limits, suggesting regulations set for acute infant poisoning may not protect against long-term brain health risks.
 
Consuming about 64 mg of nitrate daily from vegetables—equivalent to roughly half to one-and-a-half cups of raw leafy greens—was linked to the lowest dementia rates.
Vegetables deliver nitrate packaged with protective antioxidants like vitamin C and polyphenols. These compounds help steer nitrate toward forming beneficial nitric oxide while blocking its conversion into harmful molecules called N-nitrosamines, which animal studies have linked to brain cell damage.
 
Meat, however, presents a riskier biochemical package. It contains elements like heme iron and specific proteins that can promote the formation of those damaging N-nitrosamines. This creates a scenario where the same initial compound—nitrate—can lead to vastly different outcomes in the brain.
Researchers found elevated dementia rates associated with nitrate concentrations between 1.8 and 5.1 milligrams per liter. These levels are roughly one-tenth of the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency safety limit of 44 mg/L, a standard set decades ago primarily to prevent acute infant illness, not long-term brain health in adults.The primary source of water nitrate is agricultural fertilizer runoff.
 
Frequent and unintentional daytime napping linked to higher dementia risk in older adults
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, October 13 2026 (Euerkalert)
 
Daytime napping is common among older adults. New research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that how often, how intentionally, and how long older people nap may be linked to their risk of developing dementia.
The study, published in The Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, followed 995 U.S. Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older who were free of dementia at the start of the study in 2013 and tracked them for up to 10 years.
The researchers found that participants who napped frequently—defined as most days or every day—had a 48% higher risk of developing dementia compared to those who rarely or never napped, even after accounting for demographic factors, health conditions, and nighttime sleep characteristics such as sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and a measure of obstructive sleep apnea risk. 
Unintentional napping—defined as falling asleep without meaning to rather than planning a nap—was associated with a 39% higher risk of dementia. Napping for 30 minutes or less was also linked to a 40% higher risk.