Is Everyone Gaslighting You?
Plus: Should Our Illnesses be Public?
Welcome back to your weekly dose of science-backed health and wellness insights from Wise & Well, to help you make tomorrow a little better than today. The links below are “friend links” to Medium stories, as always, so you’re free to enjoy the entire stories even if you’re not a Medium member.
Is Everyone Gaslighting You?
The term “gaslighting” has surged in popularity. Yet a majority of people don't know what the term really means. Examined through an accurate lens, this psychiatrist reveals that there's a lot less of it going on than some people think, though when it's happening, it's indeed an insidious thing.
When we extend “gaslighting” to refer to any manipulation, or lie, or deception, we do a disservice to the word and to the guilty parties. Yet some argue that every disagreement involves gaslighting, because it involves a power struggle, with both parties trying to assert their reality over the other in ways that are inherently manipulative and devaluing.
—John Kruse MD, PhD
Promising Discovery Could Prevent Fatal COVID Lung Damage
Covid-19 left some patients with severe and sometimes fatal lung damage. New research on hamsters reveals how that damage occurs, pointing to prevention options in humans. Such treatments can be helpful beyond the #COVID, says this scientist who was on the study team, helping battle future pandemics that experts say are almost surely unavoidable.
We found that iron accumulates in lung cells and activates ferroptosis, leading to lung destruction and impaired breathing capacity. We found evidence of ferroptosis both in lung samples from patients who died of severe COVID and in a hamster model of COVID infection. Ferroptosis can be prevented by specific treatments.
—Brent R. Stockwell, Ph.D.
Related article from STAT: 5.3% of U.S. adults have long COVID
Pride & Privacy: Should Our Illnesses be Public?
We used to all be so private about our illnesses. Now details are shared so freely, as the boundaries between public and private life blur in general, thanks in part to social media, but also changes in workplace culture. It makes this writer wonder:
But is there still a case for keeping shtum? Are we putting undue pressure on people who would prefer certain things were left unsaid? And what’s the code of conduct when asking someone who is unwell for more information? Where’s the line between sympathy and nosiness?
—Niall Stewart
How I’m Adapting to the Unwanted Reality of Disability
This writer has struggled her whole life with disabilities, and spent most of that time soldering on. What she didn't bargain for was the medical gaslighting and other challenges beyond her control, obstacles and criticisms that make it all feel like it's her fault, as though she's a fraud. An insightful read for others with a disability, the people around them, and anyone who might wish to contribute to solutions rather than adding insult to injury.
Being physically disabled was an identity I had always distanced myself from, seeing it as something other people dealt with. Even though my symptoms dragged on for years, I was invested in seeing myself as a person who was just temporarily feeling a bit tired and sore, not someone who couldn’t “do life” and needed help.
—Morgan Khalsa
How to Build Workplace Friendships and Stay Professional
Workplace friendships and the camraderie they foster are vital for both individual and company success. But as we get older, family and other responsibilities can take priority. Friendships can be tricky, meanwhile, across age groups or for other reasons. Here are some dos and don'ts to stay help make relationships positive and appropriate, and keep your career on track.
Do I share my deepest, darkest secrets with work friends? Nope. So then, is a work friend worth it? In short, yes — even relationships with weaker ties can be beneficial. But it depends on the depth and nature of the relationship.
—Jason Walker
Extreme Heat: Are You Prepared?
With extreme heat bringing record highs to much of the Southwest this week, I invite you to check Wise & Well’s special report:
Extreme Heat and Human Health
Excessive heat is pushing the limits of human tolerability. In this 15-part series, Wise & Well examines how hot is too hot, how heat attacks body and mind in insidious ways, and what we can do to survive this rapidly warming world.
Out There: Beyond Wise & Well
Common sugar substitute linked to increased risk of heart attack and stroke (NBC News)
Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms Lower Than Thought (Medscape)
Exercise Keeps the Brain Young (Medical News Today)
Do You Dig Science?
If you enjoy learning about amazing stuff in our world, check out my new Substack Newsletter: Aha! Science. The mission: Celebrating science by revealing amazing discoveries and images from our world and beyond and exploring life’s most intriguing, strange and unexpected questions.
Cheers,
Rob