Research using advanced intracranial electrophysiology supplies new insights into how meditation influences brain activity in deep limbic structures, particularly loving-kindness meditation (Maherm, Tortolero, Jun, and Saez, 2025). The studies highlight significant neural changes in the amygdala and hippocampus, areas of the brain associated with emotional regulation, memory, and mood disorders. Researchers at Mount Sinai conducted a study using intracranial electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings in epilepsy patients with implanted neurostimulation devices.1 These deep brain recordings, which offer a much clearer picture than traditional scalp EEG, showed that meditation directly alters brain wave activity in the amygdala and hippocampus. The amygdala, known for its role in processing emotions and stress responses, and the hippocampus, crucial for memory formation and emotional balance, both exhibited changes in neural oscillations during meditation. Meditation alters brain waves. The study found that loving kindness meditation increased the power of gamma waves (30–55 Hz) and altered the duration of beta waves (13–30 Hz). Gamma waves are associated with cognitive processing, attention, and higher-order thinking, while beta waves are linked to emotional processing and attentional control. These findings are significant, because mood disorders like anxiety and depression are often associated with abnormal beta and gamma activity. The ability to modulate these brain waves through meditation suggests potential therapeutic benefits. Previous meditation skills are not required. Unlike most previous studies that focused on experienced meditators, this research found significant changes in novice meditators, meaning that meditation can begin to influence brain activity almost immediately. Participants, all of whom were first-time meditators, reported an average depth of meditation score of 7.43/10, indicating a strong engagement with the practice. The benefits are obvious. Since meditation is non-invasive, cost-effective, and widely accessible, it could serve as a complementary intervention for mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and cognitive decline. The observed changes in brain wave activity align with previous findings on how meditation enhances mental well-being and emotional regulation. Unlike pharmaceutical treatments, meditation does not carry side effects and may offer long-term benefits through neuroplasticity and self-regulation. Summarizing: This research provides compelling evidence that meditation directly influences deep brain structures related to emotional regulation and memory. The fact that these changes occur even in first-time meditators suggests that meditation has an immediate impact on the brain, potentially offering a valuable tool for mental health and cognitive well-being. As more studies emerge, meditation could become widely recognized by healthcare professionals as an adjunct treatment for psychiatric and neurological conditions. Meditation apps for IBD patients are available. These apps offer guided meditations, breathing exercises, and stress management tools specifically beneficial for gut health, inflammation reduction, and emotional resilience. The best free option appears to be “Insight Timer”. It offers:
And it recommends these meditations:
The app is available for iOS and Android. It's free, although it offers optional paid courses. “Calm” is best for stress and sleep management. It offers:
And it recommends these meditations:
The app is available for iOS and Android. And it's available in a free basic version, or a full access version for $69.99 per year. “Headspace” is best for beginners and habit building. It offers:
The app is available for iOS and Android. It offers a free trial, and after that the cost is $69.99 per year. “Unyte — Interactive Meditation & Biofeedback” Is Best for Gut Brain Connection and Vagus Nerve Stimulation. It:
And it recommends these features:
The app is available for iOS and Android. The subscription cost varies by program. “Breathwrk” is best for breathing and digestive support. It offers:
The app is available for iOS and Android. The basic version is free, with premium options available. Consider your primary goal when choosing a suitable app.
Reference 1. Maherm C., Tortolero, L., Jun, S., and Saez, I. (2025). Intracranial substrates of meditation-induced neuromodulation in the amygdala and hippocampus. PNAS, 122(6), e2409423122. Retrieved from https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2409423122
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Most of us probably use cinnamon for various purposes, such as seasoning food, and some of us probably use it for its often promoted anti-inflammatory properties. However, Cassia cinnamon, the type most often found in stores selling supplements such as cinnamon capsules, contains high levels of coumarin, a natural blood thinner, which may because a bleeding risk (especially in patients on Plavix), and the products may interact with other anticoagulants or other medications commonly taken by older adults. A recent online Medscape article discusses a new study led by researchers at the University of Mississippi that points out a potential concern for individuals taking prescription medications along with cinnamon supplements (University of Mississippi, 2025, April 24).1 The research, published in Food Chemistry: Molecular Sciences, found that cinnamaldehyde, the active compound in cinnamon, can alter drug metabolism by activating key liver and intestinal receptors and mildly inhibiting detoxification enzymes (Husain, et al., 2025).2 While cinnamon remains safe for nornal cooking uses, these findings are especially relevant to patients who have microscopic colitis (MC) or some other chronic inflammatory condition, and who manage their symptoms with multiple medications and supplements. For these patients, even seemingly benign supplements may interact with treatments, affecting efficacy and safety. The study showed that cinnamaldehyde, the major active compound in cinnamon, is fully available for absorption in the gut, and quickly converted to cinnamic acid in the liver, but not before it can activate xenobiotic receptors:
These receptors regulate genes involved in drug metabolism, particularly CYP450 enzymes such as CYP2C9 and CYP1A2, which play a key role in breaking down many common medications. Cinnamon oil and cinnamaldehyde mildly inhibited these enzymes and moderately activated PXR and AhR in cell models. Why is this important for MC patients? MC patients often rely on multiple medications and supplements, including:
Because cinnamon compounds can influence how the body clears drugs, they might:
Cinnamon capsules are marketed for:
However, as noted in the opening paragraph of this article, Cassia cinnamon, the type most often found in stores and capsules, contains high levels of coumarin, a natural blood thinner, which may because a bleeding risk (especially in patients on Plavix), and they may interact with other other medications often taken by older adults The bottom line appears to be: While sprinkling cinnamon on food is safe, using cinnamon supplements without medical guidance, especially in patients with chronic diseases, could cause unwanted drug interactions. Until clinical studies better understand these effects in patients, especially those with GI disease, the safest course is caution. References 1. University of Mississippi. (2025, April 24). Cinnamon could affect drug metabolism in the body. Medical Xpress, Retrieved from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-04-cinnamon-affect-drug-metabolism-body.html 2. Husain, I., Gurley, B. J., Kothapalli, H. B., Wang, Y-H., Vedova, L. D., Chittiboyina, A. G., . . . Khan, S. I. (2025). Evaluation of bioaccessibility, metabolic clearance and interaction with xenobiotic receptors (PXR and AhR) of cinnamaldehyde. Food Chemistry: Molecular Sciences, Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666566224000443
In a powerful JAMA opinion article, former U.S. Department of Justice antitrust officials Jonathan Kanter and Martin Gaynor warn that a new form of consolidation, what they call the “platformization” of health care, is creating monopoly-like power in the U.S. medical system, and that it may be time for antitrust enforcement to step in (Kanter and Gaynor, 2025, April 9).1 The essay highlights how today's health care behemoths, companies like UnitedHealth and CVS Health, are no longer just insurers or pharmacy managers. Instead, they’ve merged vertically and horizontally to include physician practices, pharmacies, hospitals, data analytics, and more, functioning as multi-sided platforms that control access to healthcare at nearly every level. While this trend has enormous implications for the entire health care system, it’s particularly relevant for patients who have chronic, underdiagnosed, or poorly understood conditions, such as microscopic colitis (MC). The authors argue that rather than resulting in better care, lower cost, greater access, and improved outcomes; the consolidation has led to higher prices, fewer independent options, reduced innovations, and murky choices in the decision-making process regarding healthcare access and coverage. Because of these consolidations in healthcare services, many patients face:
Healthcare conglomerates try to control every step involved in healthcare. When care delivery, prescription management, and insurance decisions are all controlled by a single parent company, patients with special needs, such as MC patients, may find themselves lost in a profit driven system that prioritizes system efficiency over patient care. In these consolidated systems, MC patients are especially vulnerable, since they rely on the diagnostic skills of gastroenterologists who understand MC and don't simply dismiss chronic, watery diarrhea as a temporary episode of diarrhea. And the fact that MC can only be diagnosed by examining biopsy samples under a microscope can be overlooked in a system designed to streamline costs. Only certain specific medications are useful for treating MC, and they may not even be on the formulary in vertically integrated pharmacy benefit plans. Healthcare wait times are already too long. Wait times for people seeking healthcare that requires special procedures (such as colonoscopies) are already too long in many situations, and as healthcare systems become more concentrated, small practices and community gastroenterologists may be "acquired" or "shut out", further limiting the number of clinicians able (or willing) to diagnose and properly manage conditions such as MC. Platform-style health conglomerates can:
And this could easily lead to:
These plans seem fine until patients actually try to use them. A drop in the stock price of UnitedHealth Group (UHG) in early 2025. illustrates how insurance company profitability declines when patients actually use the services offered. And it exposes the inherent conflict of interest in Medicare Advantage's capitation plan (capitation is a payment system where a healthcare provider or group receives a fixed amount of money for each patient they are responsible for, per unit of time (like a month or year), regardless of how much care those patients actually need). As an online Medpage Today article puts it: “Insurers are rewarded when care is avoided, delayed, or denied (Brown, 2025, April 29).”2 This is highly relevant to the platformization argument — large conglomerates are incentivized to restrict care to maximize profits, a trait they share with big tech’s control over access and content. The "tactics" discussed in the article (prior authorizations, narrow networks, delays, cloudy appeal processes) show how conglomerates create friction in care delivery — exactly what the original JAMA viewpoint warned would happen when corporate consolidation overrides health system function. These practices are not just theoretical risks of consolidation, they're actively being used as cost-control strategies. UHG’s acquisition of over 250 subsidiaries in a year further underscores the “platformization” of healthcare — one entity absorbing clinics, data firms, insurers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and physician groups under a single vertically integrated arrangement. The overall scheme turns Medicare Advantage into a “Trojan horse”. The article provides a stark example of how public tax dollars are funneled into private profit — not to deliver more care, but to deliver less, as pointed out in the original JAMA article. So how is CMS responding? The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently recalculated how Medicare Advantage's star ratings are calculated, the government is pumping additional billions of dollars of taxpayer money into the plan, and comments from politicians in positions of authority suggest that future regulatory decisions may continue to support this consolidation crisis rather than making any attempt to restrain it. The bottom line is: For patients with chronic, complex, or underrecognized conditions, such as MC, the rise of health care mega-platforms presents real risks. Decisions about diagnosis, treatment access, and even what’s covered can be made behind corporate walls, far removed from the individual needs of patients. Unfortunately, most of us have already felt the negative effects of this trend. The message from Kanter and Gaynor is clear: if policymakers don’t act soon, the same market dysfunction we’ve seen in big tech could soon define big health care, making an already fragmented system even harder to navigate for those who need it most, and creating a frustrating illusion — the more healthcare technology and capability improves, the less those who need healthcare the most, are able to access quality healthcare. How can access to healthcare be acceptable, let alone optimal,, when these conglomerates treat access to care as a liability, rather than a mission? References 1. Kanter, J. and Gaynor, M. (2025, April 9). The Rise of Health Care Platforms JAMA, Published online. Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2832535 2. Brown, N. A. (2025, April 29). What UnitedHealth's Stock Drop Reveals About Medicare Advantage. Medpage Today, Retreived from https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/prescriptionsforabrokensystem/115336
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