Hilary B. Kern, M.D.

03/25/2026

In a groundbreaking study, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and SUNY Stony Brook University said they found that one chemical signaling system in the brain can effectively “take the wheel” of another.

The peer-reviewed findings offer a new perspective on the origins of chemical imbalances that underlie numerous debilitating neurological and psychiatric disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and depression.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-us-researchers-find-brains-signals-that-make-ocd-behaviors-hard-to-stop/

03/11/2026

🔗: bit.ly/46RD4v9

Vegetarians have a significantly lower risk of developing cancer, according to a new study.

📷: Getty

03/06/2026

From online forums to the clinic, people have reported that diabetes and weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy can dramatically quell their compulsive behaviors—including cravings for alcohol and ni****ne. The swell of anecdotes has spurred a wave of preliminary trials and one-off studies that have mostly investigated specific substance use disorders individually. But researchers haven’t grasped how broad the effects might be.

Now a large epidemiological study published on Wednesday in the BMJ suggests that glucagonlike peptide 1 (GLP-1) medications—as these drugs are called—reduce the risk of all kinds of substance use disorders, including those involving alcohol, ni****ne, cannabis, opioids and co***ne. Not only did GLP-1 drugs appear to prevent people from developing these addictions, but they also decreased rates of life-threatening events, including drug-related overdoses and deaths.

Seeing reductions across every disorder, “I was like, ‘Is this real?’ because there is nothing like it,” says clinical epidemiologist Ziyad Al-Aly, lead author of the study and chief of research and development at the U.S. Depart of Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System. “This is an obesity and diabetes drug; this is not an addiction drug. So the big surprise was: it was consistently working across all substances.” http://spklr.io/6042ED98j

✍: Lauren J. Young
📸: SimpleImages/Getty Images

02/10/2026

From Nonna!

02/03/2026

great PM&R quote (function first!):

https://www.facebook.com/stories/964898593710213/UzpfSVNDOjEzNDI3ODU4OTQ1MzA1MDA=/?view_single=1&source=shared_permalink&mibextid=wwXIfr

01/29/2026

01/16/2026

Tall ships, jets and fireworks to mark July 4. Happy 250th birthday, America!

01/13/2026

"Every cell in the human body vibrates. When we sing, hum, or even sigh with awareness, we’re not just 'making noise.' We’re communicating with our nervous system."

Article link in comments. 👇

01/12/2026

“When I moved to New York, I never thought that I would have only one job,” says Daniel Humm. The Switzerland-born chef arrived in 2006 to run the kitchen at Eleven Madison Park, which he bought from Danny Meyer in 2011 and where he’s been the sole owner since 2019. “It turned out to be this magical place that’s bigger than me, and it has defined my whole culinary career,” he says. During his time, EMP has become one of the most prominent restaurants in the world. It was global news when Humm announced in 2021 that the restaurant would serve only plant-based ingredients, just as it was last year when he announced that meat would return to the menu.

Now, to mark his 20th anniversary there, the restaurant is staging a 20-day retrospective menu of its greatest hits, including carrot tartare, a clambake, and celery root cooked in pig’s bladder. Mostly but never fully vegetarian himself, he admits that when he dreams of meat, it’s the flavors of his childhood: “My mom would make these incredible osso bucos. Those are the things that I am drawn to most.”

Read Humm’s : https://nymag.visitlink.me/huXJp8

01/11/2026

I did not verify this content but it does in fact ring true…

New neuroscience research shows that children save their hardest emotions for their mothers because their nervous system physically changes in her presence. Brain scans reveal that when a child is reunited with their mother during moments of stress, the stress circuits in the brain deactivate up to five times faster compared to being comforted by anyone else. As the stress response drops so quickly, the emotions that were held inside finally spill out, leading to crying, meltdowns, or sudden emotional release.
This happens because a mother acts as a child’s primary “regulating force.” Her voice, touch, scent, and presence trigger deep biological responses that calm the amygdala and signal safety to the nervous system. Once the body no longer feels threatened, the child can let go of the emotional weight they had been carrying, even if it appears as overwhelming feelings.
Researchers emphasize that this behavior is a sign of secure attachment, not misbehavior. It means the child feels safe enough to express what they suppressed while managing the outside world. Mothers often witness the hardest emotions not because they cause them, but because they are the safe space where healing begins.
This insight reminds parents that emotional closeness plays a powerful role in a child’s neurological development. A mother’s presence literally reshapes how the brain processes stress, proving that love and connection are among the strongest regulators of a child’s emotional world.

01/09/2026

Last week, our friends at Dance Magazine released their 2026 “25 to Watch” list. This annual round-up spotlights up-and-coming talent throughout the dance industry, from classical to modern dance, contemporary, breaking, Broadway, and more.

Check out this year’s picks from the ballet world here, and head to dancemagazine.com to read the full “25 to Watch” list: https://pointemagazine.com/dance-magazine-2026-25-to-watch-ballet/ .tab=0

📸: Clockwise from left to right: Juliette Ochoa. Photo by Christopher Peddecord, courtesy Oregon Ballet Theatre. Ángel Ramírez in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s “Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon.” Photo by Shoccara Marcus, courtesy Atlanta Ballet. Sayako Toku and Angelo Greco rehearsing Stanton Welch’s “Vi et Animo.” Photo by Alana Campbell, courtesy Houston Ballet. Sumi Ichikawa with Zachary Guthier in David Nixon’s “Dracula.” Photo by Jennifer Zmuda, courtesy BalletMet. David O’Matz. Photo by Anita Buzzy-Prentiss, courtesy Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Shi Jean Kim in Ben Stevenson’s “Dracula.” Photo by Kate Luber, courtesy Tulsa Ballet. Dominika Afanasenkov in Balanchine’s “Errante.” Photo by Erin Baiano, courtesy New York City Ballet. Yuki Takahashi in Peter Boal’s “Giselle.” Photo by Angela Sterling, courtesy Pacific Northwest Ballet. Takumi Miyake as Eros in Sir Frederick Ashton’s “Sylvia”. Photo by Nir Arieli, courtesy American Ballet Theatre. Durante Verzola leading rehearsal for Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival’s Contemporary Ballet summer program. Photo by Christopher Duggan, courtesy Jacob’s Pillow/Verzola.



Image description: a collage of images of ballet artists from Dance Magazine's “25 to Watch” list. Text: Meet the 10 Ballet Artists from Dance Magazine’s 2026 “25 to Watch”