A few days ago, we talked about an exciting development.
A new line of research that could, potentially, lead to a major breakthrough in
our fight against the silent pandemic of anxiety and depression.
Something that could turn out to be a major game-changer, and that could
even open the door to an entire universe of new treatment options.
If you missed that email, you can read all the details here.
Today, I wanted to share some specifics with you. And take you through the
plan of action we’ve laid out for when our researcher comes on board — so
you can see how your gift will be used, and how it will make a difference.
We are going to hire one or two Ph.D. students.
They are extremely well versed in the scientific method. They already have
their “head in the game” when it comes to seeking out and pouring through
papers. And, crucially, their minds are not yet biased by past employers.
We will pay them to work 160 hours per month.
So, in all likelihood, this workload will be shared between two different
researchers — who will both report to me personally.
They will begin by searching through PubMed and other databases of papers
and scientific research, using a cluster of keywords that are associated with
the link between diet, the microbiome, and anxiety and depression.
And they will read through the abstract and make a careful note of EVERY
paper that looks like it could be worthy of further study. The most relevant
papers will then be purchased (if there is a paywall) and read in full.
In their written report to me, the researchers will tell me:
- Is the study properly powered? (i.e. is the cohort large enough to be
statistically significant and have a high confidence of results?) - Is it placebo controlled and or double blind?
- Is the result clear or murky? Is the improvement significant or minor?
- Who funded the paper?
- Who are the authors and their universities or affiliations?
- What conflicts or associations are disclosed?
- Date of publication
- What did they learn from reading it?
- What unanswered questions does the paper prompt for you? (I will be
expecting to see at least three such questions per paper.) - 10. A list of other papers referenced, interview candidates for podcast, and
ancillary books or lectures for them to study and report back on.
And this is just for starters.
As these reports pile up and their knowledge of the link between diet, the
microbiome, and anxiety/depression accumulates, they will start to get it all
down as a mindmap diagram that relates the different papers and their
insights onto a knowledge tree, so we can see how it all fits together.
They will also check to see if there are any clinical trials in progress right now,
related to or based on some of the findings of these papers.
As you can see, this is a serious research effort.
Our goal is to gather all the world’s known scientific knowledge on this
specific line of research, bring it all together in one place, and figure out what
it all means. Something incredible could come from this one effort alone.
And, remember — this is just ONE part of the CODEX.
The complete CODEX will contain information on every known possible
treatment option. And, as a donor, you get full lifetime access to it.
So, if you’ve not yet made a contribution to this appeal, please click the
button below and give what you can. Even $50 can make a difference.
