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Daily Edition • Saturday, May 23

Could Psychedelics Work Without the Trip?

A woman with curly hair is surrounded by colorful pills and flowers, symbolizing mental health and wellness.

Midjourney

What a Trip: If you've been following the buzz around psychedelic therapy, you're already familiar with all the headlines. Research keeps pointing to serious mental health promise for people struggling with depression who've tried everything else to no avail. The problem is that the psychedelic experience itself can be overwhelming and hours-long, and not exactly something everyone can access or commit to. So scientists have been working on a workaround.

The Study: A new study out of UC Davis is one of the more interesting developments yet. Researchers used ultraviolet light to transform amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) into entirely new compounds that interact with the brain similarly to psychedelics. The molecules activated the same serotonin receptors that psychedelics target. When tested in mice, the compounds didn't trigger the head-twitch response researchers use to flag hallucinogenic-like behavior.

The Takeaway: This could be a path toward drugs that deliver the brain-healing effects of psychedelics without the intense experience, making treatment more accessible to more people.

Keep in Mind: The research is still in early animal-model stages, so human applications are a ways off.

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The Conversation No One Wants To Have (But Everyone Should)

A man in a green shirt joyfully holds a smiling boy in a field, while a woman with a child watches nearby.

Courtesy: Ethos

Nobody loves thinking about life insurance. But if someone in your life depends on your income, whether that's a spouse, kids, or aging parents, it's hard to feel good about putting it off. The reassuring part: Ethos has made it genuinely simple. You answer a few health questions online, skip the medical exam, and most people are approved the same day. Over 500,000 families are already covered, with policies starting around $54 a month† (available in every state except NY).

Get A Free Quote

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Nutrition & Food

Why Iodine Deficiencies May Be Making a Comeback

A hand sprinkling salt from a glass jar labeled "SALT" over fish on a white plate.

Karolina Grabowska/Unsplash

The Trend: We hear plenty about people not getting enough iron or vitamin B12, but iodine deficiencies are far less common — or at least they were. Iodine is known as the “building block” of thyroid hormones, which are crucial for regulating metabolism, growth, heart rate, and body temperature — and thanks to a successful public health campaign in the 1920s to iodize table salt, iodine deficiency was virtually eradicated. But now, deficiencies are beginning to rise again among certain groups who may not be getting as much iodine from their diets as they once did.

What People Are Saying: People are still eating plenty of salt, but they’re opting for fancier, non-iodized types like pink Himalayan salt, sea salt, and kosher salt, among others. Iodine is also naturally present in eggs, dairy, and seafood, so people who eat plant-based diets are also more susceptible to a deficiency.

What to Know: It’s especially important for kids and for pregnant and breastfeeding women to get enough iodine in their diets, as not enough can lead to developmental impairments to children’s brains and nervous systems. But experts caution that the solution is not to load up on salt — generally, we should be eating less salt overall, but the salt we do eat should be iodized.

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Personal Development

How a Broader Definition of Autism Is Changing Diagnosis and Support

Students are gathered in a classroom, chatting, with a large chalkboard in the background. The image is slightly out of focus.

Samuel Yongbo Kwon/Unsplash

You Should Know: Autism diagnoses have been on the rise for decades, but much of it comes down to how we define autism in the first place. Growing awareness and better screening have also helped identify people who would have gone unrecognized in earlier generations. For many, a diagnosis has given them access to services and a clearer sense of their own experiences.

Going Deeper: But the broader definition of autism has also raised important questions. As more children are diagnosed, school support resources can get stretched thin, affecting those who need the most intensive help. There are also concerns that research will disproportionally focus on autistic children who have lower support needs. Although 40% of autistic children have an intellectual disability, they make up only about 6% of participants in studies.

Takeaway: A more inclusive definition helped many people receive the recognition and support they previously lacked. At the same time, some advocates worry that people with higher support needs may receive less visibility and fewer dedicated resources.

Bottom Line: Autism rates aren't necessarily on the rise. Instead, more diagnoses reflect better awareness and broader inclusion of autistic people. The challenge is making sure that progress reaches everyone on the spectrum.

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Quick Picks

Let Them Eat Cake? — These cake decorations may pose serious health risks.

Ditch the Melatonin — Here are 12 bedtime habits to improve your sleep naturally.

Nothing But The Good Stuff — Find out why this probiotic has such a high rating on Amazon.*

Unclear on UPFs? — Here's what actually counts as ultra-processed food.

Take the Pressure Off — This GLP-1 may reduce migraine severity for women.

^*Indicates a brand partnership

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What We're Cooking

French Crepes With Spinach and Feta

Two golden-brown triangular pancakes topped with green herbs on a speckled ceramic plate, alongside a fork.

Courtesy: Serious Eats

Serves: 2 | Cook Time: 20 minutes

Crepes might sound fancy, but they’re surprisingly easy to make and come together in just 20 minutes. With this recipe, delicate crepes are folded around a savory spinach, onion, and feta filling. The outside turns warm and lightly crisp, while the inside stays soft and creamy. They’re impressive enough for a party or brunch, but if you prep a batch of the plain crepes ahead of time, they also make an easy, customizable snack to throw together throughout the week.

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This, Not That

Better Bedside

A hand adjusts a silver alarm clock on a shelf, surrounded by books and a decorative frame.

THIS

A cozy bed with white sheets and a yellow quilt, featuring a smartphone on the surface, next to a window.

NOT THAT

Getty/Unsplash, Lesli Whitecotton/Unsplash

This: An Actual Alarm Clock
Not That: Sleeping Next to Your Phone

Using your phone as an alarm means sleeping inches away from infinite stimulation. One notification, one “quick check,” and suddenly you’re awake and scrolling. A simple alarm clock removes the temptation entirely and makes your bedroom feel more like a place for sleep instead of content consumption.

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The 10 Minutes Your Family Will Be Glad You Spent

Life insurance rates go up as you get older, and that's before any new health conditions enter the picture. But the real cost of waiting isn't the price. It's the quiet worry in the back of your mind that you keep meaning to handle. Ethos makes it about as painless as this gets: no medical exam, no agent calls, just answer a few health questions online, and most people are approved the same day. Ten minutes now, and it's done. There's even a 30-day money-back guarantee if you change your mind (available in every state except NY).

Learn More

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HEALTHY HABIT

Plate It Once

Serve your food onto a plate or bowl once — no grazing from containers. It creates a clear start and end to eating, helping you stay more aware of portions. You’ll often feel more satisfied with less.

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Final Thought

Striking cliffs with orange and white rock formations under a clear blue sky.

What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while.”

– Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project

Valentin Lacoste/Unsplash