Brian's World CTZNSIX

Last Tuesday, Baltimore witnessed an unthinkable tragedy as the Key Bridge collapsed following a collision with a cargo ship. Built in 1977, the landmark was considered to be in 'fair' condition at the time of its collapse. Many experts argue that no bridge could withstand the force of such a massive ship collision, while others contend that the lack of key preventative measures, like 'concrete dolphins,' contributed to the disaster. The bridge was 47 years old, nearing its typical lifespan of 50 years.

This prompts the question: was it time to upgrade this bridge?




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Now loading, Season X. The view from over 250 miles above Earth.


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We are what we eat! It's one of those cliché' statements that are both overused and true. That's why a recent study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences caught so much attention across American media. It's a study that explored the correlation between fried foods and common mental health illnesses, like anxiety and depression.

The study found that people who consume high amounts of fried foods are at a 7% higher risk of depression, and a 12% higher risk of anxiety. It was a population-based study of 140, 728 participants over 11.3 years. "After excluding participants diagnosed with depression within the first two years, a total of 8,294 cases of anxiety and 12,735 cases of depression were found in those that consumed fried food, while specifically fried potatoes were found to have a 2% increase in risk of depression over fried white meat," writes Taylor Nicioli of CNN. "The study had also found that the participants consuming more than one serving of fried food regularly were more likely to be younger men."

Researchers pinpointed a known contaminant, Acrylamide, as the culprit. In fact, the World Health Organization has recognized Acrylamide as a human health concern. The Food and Drug Administration details the contaminant as, "a chemical that can form in some foods during high-temperature cooking processes, such as frying, roasting, and baking. Acrylamide in food forms from sugars and an amino acid that are naturally present in food; it does not come from food packaging or the environment." It's one big (or tiny) explosion of chemicals in our foods, including some of our favorites like French Fries.

"When high carbohydrate foods such as potatoes are cooked at these temperatures, their natural sugars and the amino acid asparagine, undergo a chemical change that producing the compound acrylamide," writes Devon Mendez of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Walter Willett of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shared, "potatoes are a concern for possible effects of mood because they can cause large surges in blood sugar and then hormonal responses to these surges. However, these surges are partly blunted by fat, which would be provided by the fat from frying.”
It's also found in other favorites like coffee (ouch), potato chips, bread, cereal, and more. Experts suggest that a heavily green diet will help combat the dangers of acrylamide. The FDA suggests a diet that, "emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and limits saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium) and added sugars." That a lot more realistic than trying to avoid the contaminant all together.

But, is the depression/anxiety the result of the diet? Or, is the diet the result of the mental illnesses? It's common practice for real-world coping to real-world (outside the realms of the study) problems to involve infamous 'comfort foods'. “Unhealthy foods are detrimental to the microbiome and can exacerbate depressive symptoms, but at the same time those experiencing low mood tend to be more inclined to reach for ‘comfort’ foods such as fried foods and desserts,” says Dr. Uma Naidoo, Harvard University-trained nutritional psychiatrist and author of “This is Your Brain on Food.”

Dr. David Katz had similar thoughts, "however, the causal pathway could just as readily go the other way: people with anxiety/depression turn to ‘comfort food’ with increasing frequency for some semblance of relief.” Katz is the founder of the nonprofit True Health Initiative, a global coalition of experts dedicated to evidence-based lifestyle medicine.

Let's go deeper than the headlines were offering and devise a healthier and brighter life. This is episode 180. Leave notes and comments on the show's Instagram. Feel free to reach out to me directly on my Instagram a

We're a long way from the sandbox. Smiling takes a little effort from this distance. We were born into innocence without the slightest clue of race or class. We probably stared at ourselves in a mirror (as babies - maybe we were carried into the bathroom and mum was washing her hands with us in her arms) and didn't even recognize ourselves. Those days are long gone. Now, not only are we critical of our own reflections, but we've got opinions about those around us too. We've grown into full blown adults, completely aware of our fears, concerns, inhibitions, complaints, and everything else that comes with the daily life of adulthood. For some of us, the journey from childhood to adulthood curls us up into pessimistic, skeptical, fearful, and isolated adults whose growth buds like an ingrown hair.

According to World Counts, 385,000 babies are born across the world each day. There's poetry there - 385,000 new stories begin across the world each day. Stories that are complete with failure, triumph, pain, loss, and other emotional climaxes. You can guarantee that each of those newborns will experience some of that in their life. Some could be born right in the middle of poverty or war and wouldn't know a thing. The National Institutes of Health says that the newborn infant is only conscious at a minimal level. Phillip David Zelazo of the University of Toronto says that children's growth of consciousness happens in 4 stages, leading to a "complex processing of higher-order and subordination". He also says that adults go through similar phases as they continue in life. The days pass on, some cloudy and others bright, and we continue to learn how to process it all. It's all part of the process of shedding the innocence of childhood. We get some bumps and bruises along the way and according to Medicine Today, some people become cynical, emotional, and behavioral crippling as they shed their innocence. Some develop gradual, or sudden, dangerous skepticism. The "gauntlet" of life is the painful bombardment of responsibility.

In fact, I've found that "The Gauntlet Theory" reveals a fork in the road (or, many of them) to the grave that points to adverse reactions to some of life's tough choices. The heartbreak that turned a romantic's heart cold, the thief who stole the soul of the generous, etc. The Psalmist Hayley Williams of Paramore sings about how tough this period can be in their song, Ain't It Fun. Losing that childhood (and even adolescent) innocence is a hard process. Life begins to happen and there's no one else to carry our burdens. We begin to experience social, spiritual, romantic, financial, health, and career pain along with an unspoken illusion of expectation of dealing with it all - perfectly.

Today's episode explores this journey to understand how skeptic adults are made. The dark cloud of adulthood is watching people who used to love to smile forget its power. We'll explore how The Gauntlet Theory takes a toll on our souls and creates two emotional responses based on research from Better Help. Then we'll analyze the science of defensiveness and discover the cure to it all, based on research from Science Daily. Our goal is to improve our connections with each other and seek other solutions to coping with adulthood instead of diving into a pool of skepticism, isolation, and fear. Those traits are not conducive to empowerment.

Connect with me on Twitter and stay connected with the show on Instagram. Visit our website for more.


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Risky business can be taxing on the mind. The science confirms how much pressure we feel when forced to make sacrifices and tough decisions on the road to achievement. It reminds me of a story that I re-tell myself weekly. The story of the first $87 that started my radio career. I believe it's a story that can help you as well. 

Our conversation today is based on the decision-making areas of our brains which Carnegie-Mellon says is 80% excitatory cells and 20% inhibitory cells (in earlier stages). Neurobiologist Sandra Kuhlman highlights how our brains change over time and how that affects risk-taking. “The inhibitory cells—the traffic cop cells—they don’t fully come online until after adolescence,” she shares, highlighting how young minds tend to be riskier. That's because the excitatory cells are dominant in younger ages. "Once the traffic cops do come online, they can dampen excitatory activity and even impede learning, but they also allow the brain to more effectively filter information and control behavior," writes Cara Masset for CMU. Although we become more skeptical and closed off to new information as we age, experts suggests that we can adjust to deep learning despite inhibitory dominance. We simply have to focus on changing. The anxiety of risk-taking is natural as we age. 

I believe that there may be better awaiting you on the other side of that risk. I look back on that night where I gave up $87 to make my dream of being on the radio come true. I harken to a question that Kiersten Schmidtke asks, "if money wasn't a factor, what would you do?" Looking back, that $87 felt like a million because I was just a kid, a few months out of school. We only know so much about tomorrow and we never know when we'll get the opportunity we have been praying for.  No matter how big or how small the investment is, you've got to be ready for the opportunity. 

Daniel McGinn speaks on how important preparation is in his book Psyched Up: How the Science of Mental Preparation Can Help You Succeed. He found that many successful people spent time developing routines to help them prepare for big moments. "We often feel the most powerless just before we’re expected to act powerful. As you’ll learn in this life-changing book, practice might make perfect, but perfection is useless if you can’t summon it when it counts," shares the book. Being prepared is part of making the risk worth it; it's part of cashing in on the necessary sacrifices along the journey of success. Then when we make those sacrifices, we must never forget them. 

According to Psychology Today, reminiscing is healthy. "Reminiscing is an important yet often underutilized method to help us manifest a state of pleasantness," writes Dr. Mike Rucker. "Activating positive memories can help suppress depression and build enduring intellectual, social, and psychological resources." I believe there's power in looking back on what you've accomplished and getting inspired to accomplish more. 

That's the power in re-living this unforgettable night in July 2012 and how it was the first domino to fall on my 14-year radio career. Let's take this walk and see if it can inspire you as well. Connect with me on Twitter and Facebook @BjamesLive. The show on Instagram @LiveXBw.


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Buffalo Bills S Damar Hamlin's collapse from cardiac arrest is a sports moment that we'll never forget. The National Institute of Health says, "cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops pumping. If this happens, blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. Cardiac arrests are caused by certain types of arrhythmias that prevent the heart from pumping blood." Less than 12% of patients survive the ordeal, according to heart.org. I would argue that Hamlin's survival rate was higher given the speed and quality of care he was given on the field.

According to CNN, medical staff from both sidelines was on the field and administering CPR to Hamlin within 10 seconds. The ambulance was on the field within 5 minutes. We couldn't see what was happening but the looks on other players's faces told the story. It left us asking questions and trying to process the initial shock of what we had just witnessed. Victimsupport.org says that the rollercoaster of emotions we all were feeling is typical responses from anyone who would witness such a tragedy. We definitely didn't want to watch the rest of the game and apparently league officials felt the same way. The NFL's VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent was very vocal in his response to the tragedy, highlighting how the league had no intention of continuing play. He maintains that the only concern was Hamlin's health. It was a rough night in Cincinnati but it only took a few days for the sun to shine. 

Hamlin woke up from a medically induced coma on Jan. 5th and was able to breathe on his own again, just 24 hours later. He was then transferred to Buffalo General Hospital to be released on Jan. 11th. That's a less than two week recovery! Remarkable. Recent reports indicate that he's still got a fairly convoluted road to recovery ahead but Buffalo Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott says that Hamlin has been looking (and feeling) great. "It's limited, just overall, but he comes in, and I know he just started today or yesterday, just trying to get back to a little bit of a routine and just get himself acclimated again," McDermott said. "And taking it one step, one baby step, at a time." He says that Hamlin has been in the practice facility almost daily. 

Things are looking up! But what's the light at the end of the tunnel? Could Damar Hamlin be on track to return to playing the game he loves? Let's explore what life looks like for cardiac arrest survivors and compare it to Damar Hamlin's case. We believe that we could discover a roadmap to his return to football. We'll also explore Brian's proposed solution to lowering cardiac arrest fatality numbers, high prices for AEDs and more. 

Connect with the show on Instagram, Brian on Twitter, and BrianJamesLive.com.


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