The body and physical health
Mental health
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The brain’s reading of the body’s state is key to mental health
The neural basis of ‘interoception’ – the interpretation of bodily signals – is affected in many mental health conditions
by Camilla Nord
Mind and brain
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To grasp how serotonin works on the brain, look to the gut
A new perspective uses an analogy between digestion and cognition to help explain the function of a key neurochemical
by James M Shine
Sports and games
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Physical fatigue is in the brain as much as in the body
The idea of ‘mind over muscle’ is more than motivational rhetoric – exercise science shows how the brain manages fatigue
by David Robson
Pain
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Solving chronic pain via the kitchen, not the medicine cabinet
While medicine still struggles with the mystery of chronic pain, simple dietary changes can bring much-needed relief
by Rowena Field
The body and physical health
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Body positivity is fixated on beauty – here’s how to fix that
Body positivity is stuck in the shallow. We should move beyond beauty and towards health, pleasure and acceptance
by Céline Leboeuf
Mental health
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Why does early puberty pose a risk to girls’ mental health?
Girls who start puberty earlier are at greater risk of depression and anxiety. To know why, we must look beyond biology
by Marjolein E A Barendse & Michelle L Byrne
The body and physical health
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Even a single exercise session can help shift depression
The long-term benefits of regular exercise for mood are well-known. What’s surprising is that just one session can help
by Matthew Bourke & Rhiannon Patten
Parenting and families
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Philosophy can explain what kind of achievement it is to give birth
Pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding are physical achievements, like marathon running: give them the same respect, and no more
by Fiona Woollard
The body and physical health
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Magic helped us in pandemics before, and it can again
Magic always booms during pandemics, whether past or present – but that response might not be as irrational as it seems
by Matthew Melvin-Koushki
Emerging therapies
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Why placebo pills work even when you know they’re a placebo
New evidence of the power of the placebo effect – even without any deception – is raising important questions for medicine
by Darwin A Guevarra & Kari A Leibowitz
Pain
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Chronic pain forces a strange dance: performing wellness for others
Living with chronic pain has taught me that pain is boring for others and that our bodies are fragile containers for life
by Jude Cook
Pain
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Medicine has failed chronic pain patients. Here’s what they need
Modern healthcare has failed those in pain. It’s time to treat the whole patient with empathy, kindness – and the truth
by Haider Warraich