The Daily News – January 6, 2025

Today we’re going to discuss how sinus inflammation may be linked to brain fog. Next, we’ll look at some techniques to manage overthinking, and lastly, why unpasteurized apple cider may carry health risks. Welcome to the Daily News. So first off, recently we reported on the connection between the gut and Parkinson’s disease, which affects the brain. New research shows that there may be an even closer connection between your brain and your sinuses. The magazine discovers science that matters reported on this connection between chronic sinusitis and brain fog. The author noted that brain fog is a temporary cognitive deficit whereby a person is unable to concentrate or take care of everyday memory tasks. On the other hand, sinusitis is an inflammation of the nasal lining that prevents mucus from draining.
5% of Canadians and more than 10% of the US population have chronic forms of sinusitis. The study was published in the Journal International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology. The researchers gave participants a series of cognitive tests to assess their brain function. It compared these results between two groups of people, those who had chronic sinusitis and those who did not. The results confirmed that those with sinusitis had more cognitive dysfunction on the tests as compared with the healthy controls. What percentage of those with sinusitis showed this brain fog? Almost half of them. This research aligns with previous studies that used MRI imaging to identify changes in brain function when sinuses are inflamed. As noted in the article, these scientists suspect that the problem stems from a massive inflammation reaction in the body that crosses the blood brain barrier. The next phase of the research is to determine whether treating the sinusitis will take care of the brain fog. Next up, overthinking is something most of us experience, whether it’s replaying past events or worrying about the future. Overthinking is a problem because it often leads to heightened stress, anxiety, and mental exhaustion. When people ruminate excessively, they get trapped in a cycle of worry and negative thoughts that don’t lead to solutions. This can affect decision making, increase feelings of helplessness, and even contribute to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. Overthinking disrupts daily life by making it harder to relax, concentrate, and enjoy the present moment. A mental health expert featured in the Telegraph shared a few ways to help us stop overthinking and find some peace of mind. One suggestion was not to try to stop your thoughts, just observe them. You can’t completely stop thoughts from coming up, but that’s okay. Instead of trying to fight them, observe them as if they were passing clouds coming and going without getting involved. Another helpful tip is to use your body to calm your mind. Physical activity is a powerful way to settle in overactive mind. Whether you’re working out, taking a walk or even dancing, moving your body helps ease overthinking. A third suggestion is to focus on your breathing. Breathing techniques like box breathing can work wonders. When your mind won’t settle, you simply breathe in for four counts. Hold for four, exhale for four, and pause for four. It’s a simple but effective way to calm those racing thoughts. Another technique is to repeat a calming phrase. The article suggests repeating something like I am calm and strong. This helps keep your mind focused and makes it harder for intrusive thoughts to take over. Yet. Another helpful tip is to try conscious focus. Choose an object, sound, or even a scent and direct your full attention to it. This can redirect your thoughts and prevent overthinking from taking hold. And finally, don’t beat yourself up for overthinking. We all do it. Sometimes showing yourself compassion can help quiet your mind. As the therapist explains in the article, your brain is like a guard presenting every possibility just in case something goes wrong. The reality is, most of the time nothing goes wrong. And finally, as fall arrives, apple picking and fresh cider are popular traditions, but health officials are warning about the risks of unpasteurized apple cider common at farmer’s markets and orchards. Unlike pasteurized cider, unpasteurized cider doesn’t go through heat treatment to kill harmful bacteria. This means it can contain dangerous pathogens like e coli, salmonella, and cryptosporidium. These can lead to foodborne illnesses, especially for children, older adults, pregnant women, and those with weakened immune systems. One food safety expert says The risk discussion around unpasteurized apple cider is not theoretical. We’ve had several outbreaks linked to unpasteurized apple cider in the past few decades. One significant outbreak occurred in 1996 in multiple locations across Western United States. More than 70 people became ill and one person died after drinking unpasteurized apple juice contaminated with a deadly strain of e coli. If you are planning to make cider at home, wash the apples thoroughly and boil or pasteurize raw juice and cider before consuming it to pasteurize juice at home, heat to 70 degrees Celsius for at least one minute. Those were our top stories for today. As always, thank you so much for joining us on the Daily News.