Marc Arginteanu, MD

Marc Arginteanu is a neurosurgeon and author of Azazel's Public House.

Psychedelics and neuroplasticity are rewiring the brain

Conditions

May 28, 2026

For most of my career as a neurosurgeon, I’ve worked under a cold, hard assumption: The brain’s wiring, once trashed or locked into a pathological rut, is remarkably stubborn. We can resect a tumor, clip an aneurysm, or untether a nerve, but the deeper circuits driving depression, PTSD, and trauma often laugh at our scalpels and stay stubbornly resistant to standard medications. For decades, the standard fix for PTSD or …

How blood-based brain biomarkers predict Alzheimer’s progression

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

April 25, 2026

As someone who has spent decades peering into skulls and pondering the fragile machinery inside, I have seen firsthand how our gray matter can falter under the weight of time, stress, and poor habits. But here is the exciting part: Science is handing us tools to fight back. In this post, we will dive into brain biomarkers, those clever little signals in your blood that reveal what is happening upstairs. …

How junk food shrinks your brain and fuels depression

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

March 20, 2026

Let us cut to the chase: Your daily dose of junk food is not just padding your waistline; it is quietly eroding the most complex organ in your body. The evidence is no longer scattered case reports or instinctive hunches. It is an ever-growing stack of human epidemiology, neuroimaging, and mechanistic biology. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are associated with depression, a shriveling brain, systemic inflammation (which crosses the blood-brain barrier), gut …

Music and brain plasticity: How sound rewires your mind

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

February 11, 2026

Hot off the presses. The latest science proves, yet again, that music benefits your brain, and not in some vague, feel-good way; it physically remodels your brain in ways that make you calmer, sharper, and happier. I’m talking about measurable rewiring, anxiety reduction, and cognitive gains you can actually see on an fMRI.

Three rock-solid studies just landed:

1. Chinese researchers and anxiety reduction

Chinese researchers took a bunch of stressed-out college students …

Coconut oil’s role in Alzheimer’s and depression

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

September 15, 2025

There is evidence that coconut oil may be a potent weapon in the battle against Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia and, perhaps, psychological problems such as depression.

Not just any coconut oil will do the trick, though. Virgin coconut oil (VCO) is extracted from fresh coconut meat without the use of high heat or chemicals, preserving its natural nutrients, flavor, and aroma. VCO is typically pressed from fresh, moist …

How gut bacteria shape your mental health and mood

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

August 8, 2025

The gut-brain axis is a key player in mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety.

The intestinal microbiome (the foundation of the gut-brain axis) influences brain function through bidirectional communication via neural (vagus nerve), immune (cytokines), and metabolic pathways. Microbiota alterations may also impair hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis regulation, which, in turn, affects both psychological stress level (cortisol) and whole-body hormonal balance. What’s more, microbial metabolites (such as short-chain fatty …

How the shingles vaccine could help prevent dementia

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

June 18, 2025

Did you have chickenpox as a kid?

If the answer is yes (which it is for most of us), you’re at risk of getting shingles. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After one recovers from chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in one’s nerve cells. Later in life, if the virus reactivates (which depends on factors like age, stress, or a weakened immune system), it …

Diabetes and Alzheimer’s: What your blood sugar might be doing to your brain

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

May 20, 2025

There’s an ever-growing body of evidence to suggest that diabetes contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Some even go so far as to dub Alzheimer’s disease “diabetes type III.”

How might diabetes cause Alzheimer’s disease?

It’s the sugar: Chronic high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) can damage blood vessels, including those in the brain. This vascular damage reduces oxygen and nutrient delivery to brain cells, increasing …

Do microplastics cause dementia?

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

March 5, 2025

Let’s begin by understanding the scope of the dementia problem: According to data from Alzheimer’s Disease International, before you finish reading this sentence, someone, somewhere in the world will have developed dementia. Here comes another sentence, and there goes another new case of dementia. There goes another. And so on.

In 2020, the organization estimated that more than fifty-five million people across the globe were suffering from dementia. What’s more, this …

Read more…

Do microplastics cause dementia?

A neurosurgeon’s 23 simple things you can do (in five minutes or less) to improve your brain health

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

December 5, 2024

Here are 23 simple things you can do (in five minutes or less) to improve your brain health. Do one of them each day. Keep it up for a few short weeks and your brain will sing your praises.

Attitude of gratitude

The act of being grateful improves mental health in a number of ways, such as making the grateful person less prone to depression and fostering stronger relationships. Becoming more grateful …

A hike filled with color is mind magic

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Physician

November 10, 2024

Sure, going on a hike is great exercise. Every step brings you closer to your healthiest body. But did you know, hiking confers brain benefits? What’s more, if you do it right, hiking is magic for your mind. If you’re feeling scattered and your mind is drifting without direction, a properly curated hike can lead you to the right mental path. The color of your hike (green, blue, or red) …

Read more…

A hike filled with color is mind magic

When technology merges with humanity

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

September 10, 2024

An excerpt from Nephilim.

“Those eggs really hit the spot, right?”

“I’d love some more,” he answered.

“Sure,” Zdenek responded. “One or two?”

“How many do we have?”

Before long, James had wolfed down nine eggs.

“I wonder if it’s the choline,” Zdenek mused as James shoveled. “Eggs have a boatload of choline. Maybe she’s craving it. Orange that is.” James hadn’t touched his toast. “Choline, you know? It might help my baby merge with …

Read more…

When technology merges with humanity

Mediterranean diet boosts teen academic success

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

August 14, 2024

In 2024, Chilean scientists reported their findings on interesting research. They investigated the correlation between adolescent academic achievement and eating style. The researchers studied over a thousand kids between the ages of ten and fourteen.

A portion of the kids enjoyed a balanced and healthy Mediterranean diet. When they used oil, it was most likely extra-virgin olive oil. They packed their plates with boatloads of vegetables, fruits, cereals, nuts, and …

Cinnamon versus brain cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and insomnia

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

July 13, 2024

I’ve always adored cinnamon. Its aroma warms the cockles of my heart, and its flavor makes me feel as if I’m wrapped up in an old fairy tale. However, I was floored when I reviewed some of the latest research regarding the effects of cinnamon on brain health.

Cinnamon is a type of laurel plant (believe it or not, there are almost three thousand members of the Lauraceae family). Cinnamon happens …

Long COVID and your brain: the effect of virus and vaccines

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

May 12, 2024

A bunch of symptoms, which may persist many months or even years after an acute COVID infection has cleared, have been described in the medical literature with increasing frequency since the onset of the pandemic. This constellation of findings has been dubbed “long COVID.” Long COVID’s effects on the brain, in particular, have certainly been in the news, and it’s also been popping up in the medical literature. So, what’s …

Can you predict Alzheimer’s? New research on early detection.

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

March 27, 2024

You can’t treat something until you know it’s there. Currently, there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) but earlier diagnosis may lead to better understanding of how the disease inexorably progresses, which in turn may lead to prevention of AD and ultimately eradication of this horrific scourge. The latest breakthroughs in earlier diagnosis and even perhaps pre-diagnosis have involved lumbar punctures, brain MRIs, eye exams, and blood tests.

A 2024 study, …

Heart-stopping brain surgery: a surgeon’s harrowing dilemma

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

February 29, 2024

An excerpt from of Paint and Pancakes.

The epicenter of Jane’s cancer occupied some very expensive real estate between Broca’s area and the motor strip. Her ability to speak and form coherent words resided in Broca’s. A little further back was the Motor Strip, which controlled the movement of the right side of her body.

It all looks the same … so damned normal. Mike cleared his throat. High-price …

Ketones may be the key to unlocking a healthier brain

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

January 29, 2024

You’ve undoubtedly heard the buzzwords: ketogenic diet, intermittent fasting. I don’t have much of an opinion about what that all does for your waistline, but I venture to say that ketones may benefit your brain.

Some doctors have recommended, with rock-solid evidence, diets that increase brain ketone levels as part of the regimen to treat drug-resistant epilepsy in children. Others claim that high ketone levels are like a magic bullet and …

Protect your brain with a good night’s sleep

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

December 15, 2023

No one knows exactly why we need to sleep, but we certainly do. Although the brain can’t thrive on sleep alone, good sleep is an essential ingredient necessary to keep your brain functioning at its best. New research is shedding light on how a good night’s sleep may protect your brain from neurodegenerative diseases.

In 2022, Canadian scientists evaluated the medical literature regarding sleep apnea and its link to the risk …

The brain science behind acupuncture

Marc Arginteanu, MD

Conditions

November 22, 2023

There are those who believe acupuncture to be a bunch of mumbo jumbo. I’m convinced it works, though. Acupuncture was first performed thousands of years ago, and it’s still being done today. That alone should tell you there’s something to it. Early practitioners believed they were balancing life force and rhythm. Modern science has proven that acupuncture may alter brain circuitry, change brain cell anatomy, and improve brain blood flow.

Way …

Read more…

The brain science behind acupuncture