Mark's Musings - September 23

Below is an aggregation of the stories I posted on LinkedIn since my last edition. I curate them through the prism of an "intersection of chronic pain and appropriate treatment" and so they come attached with my opinion.

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One Of The Largest Pharma Companies In The World Has Made A Big Move In Cannabis (698 views)

Nobody should be surprised that Big Pharma is interested in becoming part of Big #Marijuana. From GW Pharmaceuticals getting Epidiolex approved by the FDA last year to this latest announcement that Teva Pharmaceuticals is entering into a distribution agreement with Canndoc, they are moving in that direction. While Teva is primarily focused on it's home base of Israel, it also is planning to "provide logistics capability for exporting Canndoc’s products to countries that support regulations for the sale and distribution of cannabis products for medical use." BTW ... If that name sounds familiar ... Yes ... Teva is the same company that settled with Oklahoma for $85M in May regarding how they marketed their Rx #opioid products. Just in case you think this is a one-off, Teva is not the only Big Pharma interested in #cannabis. Novartis (with medical cannabis company Tilray), Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Pfizer, Merck, and Abbvie (leader in U.S. cannabis-related patents) are also jumping in. So, ready or not, here they come.

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The Uplifting Link Between Depression and Exercise (41 views)

I enjoy the new popup thoughts on my phone's Fitbit app. The latest one had to do with how exercise impacts mood (even depression). And it linked to this blogpost that discusses the science and common sense for how activity level can improve one's disposition. Or, said another way, Motion is Lotion! So why not read this article while out for a walk? Out of one million people, the researchers discovered "those with the lowest exercise totals were also 75 percent more likely to have been diagnosed with depression compared to the top exercisers. The men and women who were more moderately active were also 25 percent more likely to have depression than those in the fittest squad." As little as 10 minutes can improve your mood. Why? "Circulation and the movement of oxygen throughout the body seems to be the key factor." Regardless of your stamina or level of pain, do something.

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Humility > Arrogance (897 views)

I've done both. And I agree.

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New Evidence that Optimists Live Longer (49 views)

Are you a "glass half full" or "glass half empty" person? Did you know the answer to that question could have an impact on your life expectancy? Although it's clear from this study that #optimism increases life expectancy ("11 to 15 percent longer lifespan") they don't know why. I do. If you look at things as to how they CAN be done as opposed to how they CANNOT be done, there are ripple effects to your stress level (lower), the quality and quantity of your relationships (who really wants to be around a negative person) and your choices (less self-destructive behaviors). I don't care who you are or what your situation is - including the presence of #ChronicPain - there is at least ONE thing in your life for which you can be thankful and optimistic about. I dare you - Find that one thing right now and let that infuse your entire outlook on life with optimism that if you can find one thing you can probably find others. Here are some suppositions as to the linkage:

• “More optimistic people may be able to regulate emotions and behavior as well as bounce back from stressors and difficulties more effectively”
• "More optimistic people tend to have healthier habits, such as being more likely to engage in more exercise and less likely to smoke, which could extend lifespan"

Bottom line - "Research on the reason why optimism matters so much remains to be done, but the link between optimism and health is becoming more evident." It turns out that Monty Python got it right ... "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

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Why nutritional psychiatry is the future of mental health treatment (67 views)

As I've mentioned many times, making good choices as to what you ingest into your body - food, drink, supplements, medications - is key to better outcomes. The first step in making good choices is consciously identifying the choices you're making and then understand what's a good choice and what's a not-so-good choice. "A lack of essential nutrients is known to contribute to the onset of poor mental health in people suffering from anxiety and depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and ADHD. Nutritional psychiatry is a growing discipline that focuses on the use of food and supplements to provide these essential nutrients as part of an integrated or alternative treatment for mental health disorders." I know from talking with really smart people that what you eat/drink also has an impact on #ChronicPain. For example, if the source of your pain is inflammation, shouldn't you focus on an anti-inflammatory diet? Don't overlook the simple options because the issue is complex. And don't always assume that a pill is the best option. There were interesting points made in a linked article "Can food change your mood?":

• "Young adults (under 30) who ate fast food more than three times a week scored higher on levels of mental distress. Fast food is usually high in the saturated, trans- and omega-6 fatty acids that can provoke a low-grade inflammatory response in the body, which, in turn, is linked to anxiety and depression in both animal and human research."
• “Our study looked at the use of supplements. They produce no benefit on mood.” 

If you want to dive into even more details as a clinician or individual, check out this clinical paper for a roadmap of how nutrition can be a part of the solution for these mental disorders:

• Major Depression
• Bipolar Disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Bottom line? "Psychiatrists treating patients with mental disorders should be aware of available nutritional therapies, appropriate doses, and possible side effects in order to provide alternative and complementary treatments for their patients. This may reduce the number of noncompliant patients suffering from mental disorders that choose not to take their prescribed medications. As with any form of treatment, nutritional therapy should be supervised and doses should be adjusted as necessary to achieve optimal results."

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In addition, I published two blogposts:

• "Mark's Musings - September 16" on September 17
• "There’s Always Various Perspectives" on September 20 by WorkCompWire

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"It's Never the Wrong Time to do the Right Thing" - Martin Luther King, Jr.

#PreventTheMess + #CleanUpTheMess = The Answer.