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Published studies have documented the many physical and mental health benefits of meditation, including decreased pain, better immune function, less anxiety and depression, a heightened sense of well-being, and greater happiness and emotional self-control. Google Scholar turns up almost 700,000 research documents on meditation, among them imaging studies that show increase...
Marijuana is now legal for medical purposes in 29 states, and nine states allow it to be sold for recreational use. With broad claims made for its physiological and psychological value, cannabis is being used to treat seizures and glaucoma, reduce pain and inflammation, stimulate appetite, lessen stress, boost the immune system, and much more. It has also been widely adopt...
Author Michael Pollan focuses on psychedelic drugs in his latest book.
David Agus, author of "The Lucky Years," says we’re living in a golden age when the latest science and technology can customize care.
Recent scientific evidence has confirmed significant links between lifestyle habits and cognitive health, but the many reports are often confusing, and sometimes contradictory. What does the new research reveal, and where do knowledge gaps remain? Can we translate what we are learning into practical strategies for improving memory performance and optimizing brain health?
While researching an article on the US Memory Championships, writer Joshua Foer was equally dubious and intrigued by one contestant’s claim that even an average memory, if used properly, could win the contest. After a year of memory training, under the tutelage of the world’s top memory athletes, he won the competition. Foer uses a live demonstration to show that there’s m...
Setting audacious goals helps to redefine what is achievable in health, medicine, and science. As we deepen understanding of the human genome, unravel the mysteries of the brain, harness the power of AI, and target new vaccines and therapeutics, we push the boundaries of knowledge. Moonshots underway in cancer, nutrition, and health equity could be game changers, taking us...
Do you know whether eggs are good for you? What about coffee, red wine, or chocolate?
The ability to endure is the essential trait in every extreme athletic endeavor. Hundred-mile races, Himalayan Mountain expeditions, and cross-continental treks all require humans to push harder and achieve more than we ever thought possible. How important is the delicate interplay between mind and body in the struggle to keep pushing despite an agonizing will to stop? Wha...
Genomic discoveries were supposed to transform medicine and move us to a new vision of preventive health care. But 15 years after the Human Genome Project was complete, that still hasn’t happened. Meanwhile, direct-to-consumer genetics companies are bypassing health care providers to market ancestry, disease risk, diet, exercise and even dating and wine applications direc...
Researchers have made remarkable strides in understanding the intricate workings of the brain, and this knowledge can empower us to take proactive steps in preserving and enhancing our brain health. Learn from experts in the fields of neurology, psychology, and neuroplasticity as they explain the most important things we can do to care for our brains. Not only do these tip...
Since 2014, Aspen Ideas: Health has welcomed over 700 inspiring women leaders to our stages to share their bold approaches to better health. In honor of Women's History Month, we're taking a look back at some of the many highlights. From medical researchers and clinicians to entrepreneurs and activists, meet 12 change makers who are breaking barriers to reimagine a healthi...
Rural residents photograph ailing chickens to monitor the spread of Avian flu, mountaineer adventurers collect scat samples so microbes in isolated locations can be identified, and sailors take water samples that reveal the plastic afloat in the world’s oceans. These citizen scientists are ordinary people who collect data in the field that support researchers warning of di...
The recent leaps of science—sequencing the human genome, advancing the world-changing technology of CRISPR, deepening knowledge of the brain—owe much to Francis Collins’s brilliant mind and steady hand. Who better, then, to talk about what transformative discoveries come next? Genomics, immunotherapy, precision medicine, new uses for mRNA technology, and other interdiscipl...
Patients, and the networks of people who support them, already play a powerful role in sharpening our understanding of disease, but much more can be done to center their experiences in the design of biomedical research. With encouragement from the scientific, medical, consumer, and philanthropic communities, patients facing a broad range of medical challenges can grow thei...
Do you think of yourself as an introvert or an extrovert? Or have you discovered that you are an ambivert, a balanced person with some features of both personality types? At cocktail parties these days, there is talk that introverts are on the rise, but in truth there is no one “right” way to be – just ways that work best for each one of us. Nidhi Berry combines her exper...
More than 140,000 people from more than 140 countries have told researchers just what they think and feel about science and key health challenges, such as vaccinations. Wellcome is releasing the findings for the first time at Aspen Ideas: Health. The largest such survey to date cuts across language, culture, and literacy levels to reveal how much people trust science, whet...
Virtual Presentation: Imagine a doctor being able to watch, in real time, as white blood cells attack cancer cells in a patient, or seeing exactly how the leukocytes replicate as they fight off the cancer. It would fundamentally change how they understand and treat disease. Today, the technologies that would enable this kind of understanding do not exist—nor do the academi...
Forget quick fixes or gimmicks, Drs. Dean and Ayesha Sherzai teach evidence-based lifestyle modifications and cognitive strategies that have shown profound real-world impact. Drawing from their extensive experience in neurology, research, lifestyle medicine, and behavioral neuroscience, they share practical, science-backed tools and strategies for staving off cognitive d...
With advances in testing and technology, the world of professional sports is beginning to use data to evaluate athlete health and to predict — and ideally, prevent — injury. Experts equipped with 3D motion capture technology are now essential members of team training staffs. Are these new technologies and recovery interventions increasing player longevity? Will cost-effect...