Table of Contents

1. Life Update

2. Tools and Tips

3. Readers’ Favorite

4. Stuff

Life Update

Recently, I've become interested in AI again. Particularly in the "Deep Research" aspect.

I wrote about it last week and will share more insights on this soon. As doctors and scientists, we're at a turning point in how we review scientific literature.

Stay tuned 😉

A few days ago, I demonstrated the latest AI tool I’m testing to my dear wife.

(She's also a scientist, so she tolerates my nonsense 😃).

She recently attended a seminar about AI models. And they discussed a potential correlation between meditation and cancer prevention.

So I immediately typed it into the AI tool I’m testing— “What is the causal link between meditation and cancer?”

Before hitting ENTER on my keyboard, I already knew the answer.

Of course, meditation would show positive effects against cancer.

Sure, there are many confounding factors to consider.

For instance, people who meditate often engage in other healthy behaviors that help prevent cancer. So the benefits might not come DIRECTLY from meditation, but from their OVERALL healthy lifestyle.

Still, research shows that meditation can boost our immune response, including against cancer.

As a cancer surgeon and a cancer scientist, this didn't surprise me at all.

But there was something else that surprised me.

REALLY surprised me.

I hadn't meditated for a year.

Why is that?

Why do we cast aside such a simple practice that immediately improves focus and well-being?

Why do we conceive it as “weird”?

So today, I’ll tell you a little bit about it.

Number 139! 🧘‍♂️

Tools and Tips

“Meditation” (or: “mindfulness:) may sound like a weird thing.

Something only a few of us are doing.

Many of us have NEVER done it. Not even once.

First, why should we do it? What's the goal?

The goal is to control how you PERCEIVE the thoughts that run through your head.

In other words, if you're feeling anxious, you'll have the ability to tune down that anxiousness quickly.

With time, you might not even experience anxiety at all.

There were two times in my life when I practiced mindfulness regularly for about a year.

The effect was ENORMOUS.

It made me feel better, improved my focus, enhanced my sleep (more REM sleep), and lowered my resting heart rate.

It only took around 2-5 minutes a day.

2 TO 5 MINUTES!

So why did I stop doing it?

That's an excellent question.

One reason is my stupidity 😃.

It was very stupid of me to stop doing it.

The second reason is that meditation requires a quiet place where you won't be disturbed for 5 minutes.

In my profession and lifestyle, these 5 minutes are difficult to come by.

But that's an excuse.

A very bad one.

The third reason, probably the most important, is that mindfulness is not ingrained in us.

It's not an integral part of our Western lifestyle.

It's not part of our culture.

BUT IT SHOULD BE.

So enough about reasons and excuses.

Let's now focus on how to do it.

🔵 Breathing

The first step is breathing.

All you need is 2 minutes without interruption.

Close your eyes and focus on your breath.

Take a deep breath through your nose (3 seconds long), hold your breath for 3 seconds, and exhale slowly through your mouth (4 seconds).

Repeat this process for two minutes.

That's it.

🔵 Negative Thoughts

As you focus on your breath, you may find your mind wandering.

Thoughts will run through your head.

Usually, these thoughts will make you feel anxious (your never-ending to-do list, for example).

When this happens, just bring your attention back to your breath, and don't worry about it.

The most important thing is the practice of bringing the focus back to your breath.

That will TRAIN your mind and prevent you from focusing on negative thoughts.

You will CONTROL your mind better, and it will help you quiet the negative voice.

The one that says: "You can't do it," "it's too hard."

The one that constantly brings up the worst-case scenario.

If that voice were an actual person, would you be friends?

Of course not.

But here you are, constantly listening to that negative voice until you inevitably start perceiving it as truth.

Meditation will help you separate yourself from it.

🔵 Apps and Tech

Finally, so many apps and tech tools are available to help you meditate.

So many that you don't need me to find one that works for you.

You most likely have one on your phone or smartwatch.

You can also find a meditation playlist on Spotify, or a meditation playlist on Apple Music.

But in the end, 2 minutes is all you need.

Something that will remind you to take 2 minutes a day to focus on your breath.

You will feel the benefits REALLY quickly.

Happy breathing!

Readers’ Favorite

“How Getting Up at 5:00 am Can Be Exactly What You Need”

Extreme, I know.

But it works like a charm.

I’ve been doing it for 4 years— you can read about it here.

Stuff

💡Gear I use — Thermal Coffee Carafes

It will keep your coffee (tea, hot water, whatever) hot for a long time.

And it looks cute as well.

Epilogue

That’s it for this issue.

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See you next week!

Shay