Blooming Wellness
Dr. Eek's Health & Wellness Blog
What’s the link between psychedelics and trauma, while the trauma is happening? Trauma research usually looks backward. Most studies examine people months or years after a traumatic event, long after memory consolidation, meaning-making, and coping strategies have already begun to reshape the experience. But what happens at the moment trauma occurs, and how the brain’s …
Are poinsettias poisonous? Every December, poinsettias reappear and so does the panic. Someone gifts a beautiful red plant, and suddenly the room fills with warnings about poisoned pets, sick kids, and emergency vet visits. I grew up in a house with lots of animals. Anytime someone brought home a poinsettia for the holidays, my mom …
Sometimes science hides in a lab. Sometimes it rides the Milan metro in a Batman cape. This study, led by Francesco Pagnini, asked a surprisingly wholesome public health question. Can something unexpected, like seeing Batman on your morning commute, jolt people out of autopilot just long enough to make them more aware of others, including …
copyrighted to Dr. Eeks because this is my life. ;) “Had an exorcist on the podcast who talks to demons. Just booked a doctor who talks to angels.” Friend: “How is this remotely connected to Causes or Cures?” “Spiritual comorbidities. Try to keep up.” ********************************************************************************************************** Pancake flipping: my quarterly ego reset. ********************************************************************************************************** Every time I …
Sometimes a scientific paper drops that makes you go:“Wait… what?!” This one did exactly that. A team of researchers just published a study on something called ant yogurt, a traditional practice from parts of Turkey and Bulgaria where people used ants (yes, real ants) to kick-start milk fermentation when no yogurt starter was available. Sounds …
Listen to the episode: Causes or Cures — “Why Single Women Are Happier Than Single Men” Forget the “sad cat lady” cliché. New research led by Elaine Hoan, PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto, shows that single women report higher happiness than single men. On this episode of Causes …
Copyrighted: Dr. Eeks (Erinkate Stair, MD, MPH) Listen now: Click here to listen to “Truth Serum” from my Causes or Cures website, Apple, Spotify, etc. Disclaimer: Entertainment only. I am not a public health historian. I am a gremlin who reads too much and asks weird questions. The Hook: Once upon a time, a drug …
We live in a world where every week a new headline promises that a drug cuts your risk in half or slashes disease by a huge percentage. Sounds impressive. But those numbers often leave out context that actually matters for your real world health decisions. In public health we talk about absolute risk reduction and …
By: Dr. Eeks (ErinKate Stair, MD, MPH) Trust in medical and public health leaders has been eroding for decades. People often miss a slow slide until something dramatic makes them look up. Then they mistake it for something new. For medicine and public health, that “big thing” was the COVID pandemic. Way Back When: Historical …
What’s the link between coffee, tea and longevity? Sometimes the simplest habits hide the most surprising health secrets. A new study from the UK Biobank suggests that a balanced mix of coffee, tea, and water may be linked to a longer life. Not too much, not too little. Just the right rhythm of sips. Personally, …
I wrote the following thinking about my own struggle with grief: Grief laughs at the clock. It hits you at 3 p.m., months later…at the vending machine…when the stupidest thing makes you miss them most. **************************************************************************************************** When grief doesn’t fade with time, what then?We tend to treat grief as a season, something that passes, however …
Every so often I see this question come up: Is sleeping with your dog a public health concern? People have strong feelings on it. I won’t say who is right or who is wrong, but I’ll offer my 2 cents. Since I’m a public health professional, please consider this my professional opinion, no matter how …
