By EVA TAYLOR GRANT, May 23/ 2018 You may say a movie will “give you nightmares,” and that’s fine. But until you’ve actually been woken up at night in a cold sweat more than a handful of times, you won’t know how stressful the threat of bad dreams actually is. Figuring out how to stop nightmares can […]
By Staff Editor, May 22, 2018 “To sleep, perchance to dream, ay, there’s the rub.” Unfortunately, the lament of Shakespeare’s Hamlet remains all too true for as many as 70 million Americans who experience some type of sleeping disorder, says noted psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist, Alex Dimitriu, MD. “Getting a sufficient amount of sleep […]
Fascinating recent study; points to a significant function of sleep – housekeeping – of sufficient intensity that it cannot be performed while we are awake. Apparently, the brain has it’s own lymph system – the glymphatic system, which is up to 10x more active during sleep, and readies things for the next day. Interesting to see which […]
The holiday season is upon us. Along with the season, come many friends, family, trips, and social gatherings. The holidays can certainly be a spirited, nostalgic time that many look forward to. But the holidays can also be trying times for many people, especially those who deal with overwhelming stress and anxiety during this time of year. […]
I have often joked with my wife, that I have to keep quiet about what I do for a living at any gathering. Sleep and psychiatry, it turns out, are two things people really have on their minds; and in today’s fast times, everyone seems to be stressed by working too much, and sleeping too […]
Again more evidence supporting the tremendous role of the gut biome in maintaing physical as well as mental health. “The emerging concept of the gut microbiome as a key regulator of brain and behavior represents a paradigm shift in neuroscience. Precise targeting of the microbiome-gut-brain axis with psychobiotics — live microorganisms with a potential mental health […]
Through much of my training at Stanford, we often saw young patients come in complaining “doctor I think I have early Alzheimer’s.” They would forget entire movies or important events, forget why they walked into rooms, and at minimum had tremendous trouble remembering names and paying attention in conversations. A lot of times, these patients […]
Great article summing up two studies in the LA Times. In summary, morning sunlight, ranging in length from 45 minutes to 2 hours resulted in improved BMI (Body Mass Index measures), and reduced body fat composition. Among numerous variables investigated, the intensity and timing of morning sunlight were found to correlate most strongly with lower […]
In an ongoing search to find increasingly effective treatments for depression, nutritional supplements often come up as a relatively benign, and possibly effective option. One supplement that has received significant attention is folic acid – readily available over the counter, and Deplin (L-methylfolate). Folic acid is converted to L-methylfolate, which is believed to play a […]
Published in the JAMA Psychiatry in Apr. 2014
tDCS – Transcranial direct current stimulation; involves the application of a very mild current for 20 minutes to the frontal lobes of the brain, through electrodes placed on the skin. Much to my surprise, this extremely simple and non-invasive technique is proving to have lasting effects on learning and cognition – in some instances, lasting as […]
Jan 11, 2014 — Dr. Alex Dimitrui, Founder of the Menlo Park Psychiatry and Sleep Medicine clinic, was interviewed by the New York Times for the article, “Sleep Cleans Up The Brain.”
Published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research in December 2012
A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2011 showed that we can actively modify the gene for the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) with simple exercise. The investigators looked at 120 elderly nondemented individuals over a 1-year period who either stretched or did aerobics. They measured 3 variables: serum BDNF levels, memory […]
The bread rolls at restaurants may actually help you eat less… Serotonin is an essential neurotransmitter – and acted upon by many commonly known anti-depressants which boost its levels. It has a myriad of effects- ranging from creating a feeling of satiety, sleep, mood, anxiety, pain, blood pressure, and sense of overall calm. The highest […]
