The brain, with its 100 billion neurons, is the most complicated thing in the universe. Well, according to the brain, anyway. This complexity, unfortunately, grows once the brain starts to develop neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s. Itamar Kahn, an Israeli brain researcher, thinks he and his team are on track to figuring…
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Health
Jew in the Pew
Can psychedelics heal the Jewish people? This rabbi is exploring that question.
When the rabbi begins with “I do not condone the use of psychoactive substances regulated by the FDA,” you know you’re in for something special. Thus…
Health
This doctor provides abortions and brit milahs — driven by Jewish values
“Someone will say, ‘Oh, I saw your website,’” Imershein said in a recent interview. At first she would think her interlocutor was referring to…
Health
70 is 70, not ‘the new 50,’ says S.F. doctor
Almost midway through Dr. Louise Aronson’s new book, “Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life,” the S.F.-based…
Culture
SNL alum Vanessa Bayer on her new children’s book about illness
Though she made America laugh for seven years as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live,” Vanessa Bayer has a serious side, including a not-so-secret soft…
First Person
Not wanting kids doesn’t make me a bad Jew
When most people ask me if I’ll ever have children, I’m usually pretty blunt. Nope, kids are absolutely not happening. Ever. The only thing occupying my…
Talking With ...
Q&A: How anthropology complements traditional medicine
In her career as a medical anthropologist, Sharon Kaufman, 71, has done extensive research into why individuals, their families and physicians often…
Health
Keep your brain sharp at JCCSF cognitive fitness fair
A comedian and a neurologist walk into a JCC — not for a joke, but for a day of brain fitness events at the JCC of San Francisco on June 23. The third…
Pride
Q&A: A gender expert who stands up for nonbinary youth
Developmental and clinical psychologist Diane Ehrensaft is an associate professor of pediatrics at UC San Francisco and director of mental health at the…