As the pandemic wears on, scientists are learning more about how COVID-19 affects the human body. They’re seeing signs that the virus heads for the cells that line our blood vessels, blocking them and causing clots which can lead to damage in vital organs.
Dr. William Li, a vascular biologist, compares a healthy blood vessel lining to a freshly resurfaced ice skating rink before a hockey game -- the players and pucks glide along smoothly.
"When the virus damages the inside of the blood vessel and shreds the lining, that's like the ice after a hockey game," says Li, a researcher and founder of the Angiogenesis Foundation. "You wind up with a situation that is really untenable for blood flow."
This damage to the vascular system appears to linger, even after many patients are breathing better and have largely recovered.
In one of the most rigorous studies to date, scientists found that psilocybin, an ingredient in some hallucinogenic “magic mushrooms,” was significantly more effective for treating severe depression than current antidepressant drugs.
Admittedly, the study was small, note researchers who call for more research. Still, as NPR’s Jon Hamilton reports, among 27 patients with major depressive disorder, treatment with psilocybin plus talk therapy seemed to begin easing depression after the first day -- a benefit that persisted through at least a month of follow-up.
The research, published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry, builds on earlier research in cancer patients that suggested the hallucinogen might be a promising depression treatment.
Journaling -- or expressive writing -- can help you learn more about yourself and can improve mental and physical health. It's even been associated with improved immune function. But it's a hard habit to start for some of us.
"It's that great first step to opening up and learning who you are and what you believe in and how you feel and how you see and understand the world," Rashawnda James, a licensed therapist, YouTuber and journaling advocate tells NPR’s Life Kit.
Intimidated by the thought of recording your innermost thoughts and feelings? Remember, the journal is just for you. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Create a voice memo on your phone if you’d rather talk it out than write, experts say.
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