一、我们的思想如何影响我们的身体

I have written previously about the placebo effect, the strange way that people’s health can improve simply because they expect it to do so – for instance, because they have taken dummy versions of pills containing no active ingredients. Doctors often deliberately harness the placebo effect, and medical researchers design randomised trials to take account of it, yet we don’t understand what causes the phenomenon.

我之前写过一篇关于安慰剂效应的文章,人们的健康可以通过一种奇怪的方式得到改善,仅仅是因为人们期望它会改善——例如,在人们服用不含活性成分的假药片的时候。医生经常故意利用安慰剂效应,医学研究人员设计随机试验时将安慰剂效应考虑在内。但是我们不了解导致这种现象的原因。


The Expectation Effect also looks at what is sometimes called the placebo effect’s evil twin: the nocebo effect. This refers to the way people’s expectations can trigger ill health. It can involve quite extreme symptoms – even paralysis and blindness – that are psychological in origin, as I wrote about a few years ago.

期望效应还着眼于有时被称为安慰剂效应的邪恶双生子:反安慰剂效应。这是指人们的期望会引发健康不佳。正如我几年前所写的那样,它可能涉及相当极端的症状——甚至瘫痪和失明——而这些症状起源于心理 。
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These psychological conditions can spread between people like a form of social contagion, sometimes called mass hysteria – although this is an unfortunate name because it sounds dismissive. There are reports going back centuries of communities that see outbreaks of symptoms such as fainting or vomiting, often initially blamed on a new infection
or toxin. In many such incidents, women and younger people seem more susceptible.

这些心理状况可以像一种社会传染病一样在人与人之间传播,有时被称为集体歇斯底里——尽管这是一个不幸的名字,因为它听起来不屑一顾。有报道说,几个世纪以来,社区爆发了晕厥或呕吐等症状,最初通常将其归咎于新的感染或毒素。在许多此类事件中,女性和年轻人似乎更容易受到影响。

For instance, there were outbreaks of skin rashes (a very physical symptom) in some US schools soon after 9/11, with people blaming everything from mouldy library books to bioterrorist attacks. After lengthy investigations by toxicologists, a psychological cause now seems the most likely explanation.

例如,911后不久,美国一些学校爆发了皮疹(一种非常物理的症状),人们将这一切归咎于从发霉的图书馆书籍到生物恐怖袭击。经过毒理学家的长时间调查,心理原因现在似乎是最可能的解释。

More recently, you may have heard of Havana syndrome, which started affecting US diplomats in Cuba in 2016. They reported symptoms such as dizziness, ear pain and tinnitus, and blamed sonic weapons being aimed at the US embassy or their houses.

最近,你可能听说过哈瓦那综合症,它于2016年开始影响美国驻古巴外交官。他们报告了头晕、耳痛和耳鸣等症状,并指责声波武器瞄准了美国大使馆或他们的房子。

But such weapons don’t seem physically capable of producing this syndrome. Some neurologists who specialise in treating psychological symptoms are convinced it is a case of mass hysteria, although they tactfully try to avoid using that term.

但这种武器在物理上似乎无法产生这种综合症。一些专门治疗心理症状的神经学家确信这是一个 集体歇斯底里的案例,尽管他们巧妙地试图避免使用这个术语。


TICS FROM TIKTOK
These days, it is even easier for reports of such outbreaks to spread, with social media adding fuel to the fire. A more recent phenomenon is “TikTok tics”, where teens and young adults acquire something resembling the tic disorder Tourette’s syndrome – when people compulsively say certain words or show repetitive movements – through watching videos of other people with tics.

来自抖音的贴士
如今,此类疫情的报道更容易传播,社交媒体火上浇油。最近出现的一种现象是“抖音抽动症”,青少年和年轻人通过观看其他患有抽动症的人的视频,获得类似于抽动障碍图雷特氏综合症的症状——当人们强迫地说某些话或表现出重复的动作时。

The standard form of Tourette’s is itself fairly mysterious, but it seems to involve something going wrong in small structures deep within the brain called the basal ganglia, normally responsible for generating movement and turning simple actions into habits.

图雷特氏综合症的标准形式本身就相当神秘,但它似乎涉及大脑深处称为基底神经节的小结构出现问题,该结构通常负责产生运动并将简单的动作转化为习惯。

With Tourette’s, the tics could become habits that are very hard to break – perhaps because the basal ganglia are malfunctioning. There is no simple cure, but the condition is usually helped by medication or psychological therapy that helps retrain people out of their repetitive actions.

对于图雷特氏综合症,抽动可能会成为很难改掉的习惯——也许是因为基底神经节出现了故障。没有简单的治愈方法,但这种情况通常可以通过药物或心理疗法得到帮助,帮助人们重新训练他们的重复行为。

In the past couple of years, neurologists around the world have seen a surge of people seeking help for tics who don’t have the usual features of Tourette’s.
For instance, the tics start fairly suddenly in adolescence – and they do so after the person has been watching people on TikTok with tics. Tourette’s usually has a gradual onset, starting in young childhood.

在过去的几年里,世界各地的神经学家看到大量寻求帮助治疗抽动症的人,这些抽动症没有图雷特症的常见特征。
例如,抽动在青春期开始时相当突然——而且是在这个人在抖音上观看人们抽动后开始的。而图雷特症的抽动通常是逐渐发作的,从幼儿时期开始。

Tourette’s is normally very rare, but a UK neurologist has told me they know of two clusters of cases of TikTok tics within secondary schools.
It is unclear exactly what is going on and not everyone accepts the psychological explanation. But in some people with the new syndrome, their tics may mimic those of their favourite TikToker, even down to repeating the same unusual words and actions. In those cases, it seems fairly hard to argue that the tics aren’t related to the videos.

图雷特症通常非常罕见,但一位英国神经学家告诉我,他们知道中学中有两起抖音抽动症病例。
目前还不清楚到底发生了什么,并不是每个人都接受心理解释。但在一些患有新综合症的人中,他们的抽动可能会模仿他们最喜欢的抖音主播的抽动,甚至重复相同的不寻常的言行。在这些情况下,似乎很难说抽动与视频无关。

People with the new kind of tics are also much more likely to be female, while Tourette’s is usually up to four times more common in males.
It can be uncomfortable for the people affected when neurologists tell them about the possible psychological origin of their symptoms. The doctors have to stress that a psychological cause certainly doesn’t mean anyone is faking their symptoms or could stop them if they chose.

患有这种新型抽动症的人也更有可能是女性,而图雷特氏症在男性中的发病率通常是女性的四倍。
当神经科医生告诉他们症状的可能心理起源时,受影响的人可能会感到不舒服。医生必须强调,心理原因当然并不意味着任何人都在假装他们的症状,或者如果他们愿意的话可以阻止他们。
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But understanding the cause of the tics matters, because the drugs used to treat Tourette’s are strong ones and shouldn’t be taken unnecessarily. Treatment for tics with a psychological origin is different – and usually includes stopping watching tic videos. There is other advice here.
If you see any videos of people with the TikTok tics, you may find it surprising that anyone could be so affected by a syndrome that is psychological in origin. But that just shows the enormous power of the mind over the body.

但是了解抽动的原因很重要,因为用于治疗抽动症的药物是强效药物,不应不必要地服用。对心理起源的抽动的治疗是不同的——通常包括停止观看抽动视频。这里还有其他建议 。
如果您看到任何有关抖音抽动症患者的视频,您可能会惊讶地发现,任何人都可能受到源自心理的综合症的影响。但这只是显示了思想对身体的巨大力量。

FROM THE ARCHIVE
Speaking two languages may make people better at learning, multitasking and solving problems. Eventually, it might even protect their brains against the ravages of old age. According to some studies, people’s memories, values and even their personality may change depending on which language they happen to be speaking. It is almost as if the bilingual brain houses two separate minds.

从档案中学习
说两种语言可以使人们更好地学习、多任务处理和解决问题。最终,它甚至可能保护他们的大脑免受老年的蹂躏。根据一些研究,人们的记忆、价值观甚至他们的个性可能会根据他们碰巧说的语言而改变。就好像双语大脑容纳了两个独立的思想一样。
二、狗主人在年老时患残疾的可能性减半
养狗的老年人患认知和身体残疾的风险要低得多,但养猫的人却没有同样的好处。



(图 一对夫妇遛狗)
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People who own a dog have a much lower risk of disability in older age – but cat owners don’t seem to be protected in the same way. Unsurprisingly, the benefit is lost if you don’t walk your dog – or take part in another form of exercise – more than once a week.
Yu Taniguchi at the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Tsukuba, Japan, and his colleagues asked around 11,000 people aged 65 to 84 years old if they currently or previously owned a cat or dog. The researchers then tracked the onset of cognitive and physical disability in the participants for 3.5 years between 2016 to 2020.

养狗的人在老年时患残疾的风险要低得多——但猫主人似乎并没有受到同样的保护。不出所料,如果你不遛狗——或参加其他形式的锻炼——每周超过一次,这种好处就会消失。
日本筑波国立环境研究所的Yu Taniguchi和他的同事询问了大约11,000名65至84岁的人,他们现在或以前是否拥有猫或狗。然后,研究人员跟踪了参与者在 2016 年至 2020 年之间3.5年的认知和身体残疾的发生情况。

They found that current dog owners who exercised more than once a week were around half as likely to develop a disability compared with people who had never owned a dog, even when controlling for age, sex, income and health factors such as smoking, diet and cardiovascular disease.

他们发现,即使在控制年龄、性别、收入和健康因素(如吸烟、饮食和心血管疾病)的情况下,与从未养过狗的人相比,目前每周锻炼超过一次的养狗人患残疾的可能性约为前者的一半。

The team also found that people who owned dogs in the past had around a 10 per cent lower risk of disability compared with those who had never owned a dog.
“Dog walking is a moderate-intensity physical activity that appears to have a protective effect in reducing the risk of disability onset,” says Taniguchi.

研究小组还发现,与从未养过狗的人相比,过去养过狗的人残疾风险降低了约10%。
Taniguchi说:“遛狗是一种中等强度的体育活动,似乎对降低残疾风险有保护作用。”

Around 13 per cent of dogs in the UK aren’t walked daily according to a 2019 survey by veterinary charity the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, putting the animals at risk of obesity and poor mental health.
Meanwhile, current and former cat owners were just as likely as people who had never owned a cat to develop a disability.

根据兽医慈善机构“生病动物的人民诊所”2019年的一项调查,英国约13%的狗没有每天散步,这使动物面临肥胖和心理健康不佳的风险。
同时,现在和以前养过猫的人和从未养过猫的人一样有可能患上残疾。

But owning a dog had no effect on people’s likelihood of dying in the study period – and neither did owning a cat.
As increased socialising has been lixed to a reduced risk of disability, the team also investigated whether the level of social interaction between dog owners and their neighbours had an effect – but it didn’t. This may be because the companionship offered by a pet dog helps to boost cognitive health and compensate for limited human interaction, the team suggests.

但在研究期间,养狗对人们死亡的可能性没有影响——养猫也没有影响。
由于社交活动的增加与残疾风险的降低有关,该团队还调查了狗主人与其邻居之间的社交互动水平是否有影响——但事实并非如此。研究小组建议,这可能是因为宠物狗提供的陪伴有助于促进认知健康并弥补有限的人类互动。



三、数千种可食用植物被确定为未充分利用的维生素来源
将6400种未充分研究的野生植物与它们相关的知名植物进行比较表明,其中1000种富含 B族维生素。



(图:埃塞俄比亚燕麦)

Wild plants are an overlooked source of vitamins and minerals that could help combat malnutrition.
More than a thousand wild-growing edible plants have been identified that could supply five vitamins from the B group – thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5) and folate (B9). A lack of B vitamins is a frequent cause of malnutrition.
For instance, more than four in 10 people in South and South-East Asia don’t get enough folate, one vitamin in the B group, and this can lead to babies being born with a condition called spina bifida. Lack of some of the other B vitamins can cause fatigue and weakness in muscles and nerves.

野生植物是一种被忽视的维生素和矿物质来源,有助于对抗营养不良。
已鉴定出一千多种野生可食用植物,它们可以提供五种B族维生素——硫胺素(B1)、核黄素(B2)、烟酸(B3)、泛酸 (B5)和叶酸(B9)。缺乏B族维生素是营养不良的常见原因。
例如,在南亚和东南亚,超过十分之四的人没有获得足够的叶酸,这是B族维生素中的一种,这可能导致婴儿出生时患有脊柱裂。缺乏其他一些B族维生素会导致肌肉和神经疲劳和虚弱。

Education campaigns about the benefits of consuming these plants could help reduce some of these health problems, says Aoife Cantwell-Jones at Imperial College London.
While many thousands of different plants are edible, people around the world get most of their plant-based calories from just three crops: rice, maize and wheat.
The vitamin and mineral content of most edible plants is unknown. Cantwell-Jones and her colleagues predicted the levels of the five B vitamins of about 6400 edible plants that grow in various countries, based on how closely each species is genetically related to other plants that have been nutritionally analysed. They checked that their prediction method worked using nearly 300 plants where the vitamin B content is known.

伦敦帝国理工学院的Aoife Cantwell-Jones说,关于食用这些植物的好处的科普可以帮助减少其中一些健康问题。
虽然有成千上万种不同的植物可以食用,但世界各地的人们只从三种作物中获取大部分植物性卡路里:水稻、玉米和小麦。
大多数可食用植物的维生素和矿物质含量是未知的。Cantwell-Jones和她的同事根据每个物种与已进行营养分析的其他植物的遗传相关程度,预测了在不同国家生长的约6400种可食用植物的五种B族维生素的含量。他们使用了近300种已知维生素B含量的植物检查了他们的预测方法。

Using this method they identified 1044 species as good sources of this group of vitamins, although 6 per cent of them are classed as threatened in the wild and a quarter haven’t been preserved in seed banks. They include several species of grass, such as the Ethiopian oat (Avena abyssinica) and a wild species of durian (Durio kutejensis) from the island of Borneo, which is threatened by deforestation and expanding agriculture.
There can be several reasons why people don’t eat local edible plants growing wild, says Cantwell-Jones. “Education is really important in combating malnutrition, knowing that you need to eat a diverse diet and not just rely on staple crops,” she says. “Maybe people know that these plants exist in some local communities, but not at the national level.”
The same prediction method could be used to find out the levels of other vitamin and minerals in edible plants, says Cantwell-Jones.

使用这种方法,他们确定了1044个物种是这组维生素的良好来源,尽管其中6%的物种在野外被列为受威胁物种,四分之一的物种没有保存在种子库中。它们包括几种草,例如埃塞俄比亚燕麦(Avena abyssinica )和来自婆罗洲岛的野生榴莲(Durio kutejensis) ,它们受到森林砍伐和农业扩张的威胁。
Cantwell-Jones说,人们不吃当地野生的可食用植物可能有几个原因。“科普在对抗营养不良方面非常重要,要知道你需要多样化的饮食,而不仅仅是依赖主食作物,”她说。“也许人们知道这些植物存在于一些当地社区,但不存在于国家层面。”
Cantwell-Jones说,同样的预测方法可用于找出可食用植物中其他维生素和矿物质的含量。