Fasting may reset your body, but can it reset your mind? The new trend of dopamine fasting claims it can. And wait, there's more. This trend also works against dopamine resistance, implying that things that did not make you happier before will now do. You see, dopamine is a part of the brain's reward system and plays an important role in your pleasure reception. While this neurotransmitter is not directly linked to an individual's happiness, it triggers feelings of satisfaction, motivation and pleasure.

However, a person can also reach a stage of dopamine resistance if they continue to indulge in activities that trigger its frequent or constant release. In this case, the individual stops feeling the impact of this neurotransmitter and thus, does feel good or happy.

So does dopamine fasting work?

Dopamine fasting is a practice where individuals limit their exposure to activities or stimuli that typically provide a surge of dopamine. The idea behind dopamine fasting is to reset or recalibrate the brain's reward system. This is usually done by abstaining from gratifying things or experiences like social media, junk food, and even sex. Proponents of dopamine fasting argue that continual overstimulation from digital devices, social media, and easily accessible indulgences has numbed our brain's reward pathways. By regularly denying ourselves these dopamine triggers, the idea claims, we might restore our ability to acquire fulfilment from life's basic pleasures.

How Does Dopamine Imbalance Affect Your Mental Health?

Having low levels of dopamine can make you less motivated and excited about things. In Parkinson's disease, there is not enough dopamine in the areas of the brain important for movement. This leads to problems with muscle stiffness and movements such as walking.

The symptoms of a dopamine imbalance depend on what is causing the problem. They include physical symptoms such as:

• muscle cramps, spasms or stiffness
• digestion problems, such as constipation or reflux
• pneumonia
• trouble sleeping
• moving or speaking more slowly than usual

• feeling tired and unmotivated, or sad and lacking hope
• having low libido (sex drive)
• hallucinations (experiencing something that's not real)

How Can I Adjust My Dopamine Levels?

Adjusting dopamine levels is complicated, as it is involved in many different roles in the brain. Your doctor won't measure your dopamine levels directly, and there is no simple test to measure it. Your symptoms will be the clues that tell your doctor if you have too much or not enough dopamine. They will then prescribe medicines to adjust your dopamine level, based on your symptoms, and make adjustments based on how your body responds and how you feel.

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Actress Amanda Peet has opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis, revealing a “weird” change in the skin that did not feel like the typical lump many people associate with breast cancer.

A breast lump is a well-known warning sign of breast cancer, but the disease can also cause changes in the breast’s skin, shape or texture. This makes it important to pay attention to changes that may not feel like a distinct lump.

What Did Amanda Peet Feel?

Peet, 54, recalled noticing something unusual while getting dressed.

“I was in my closet, I was probably putting something on and I felt a weird — it just didn’t feel like normal skin, but it wasn’t the frozen pea that everybody talks about,” she told Today.com.

Peet described the sensation as a change in how the skin felt rather than a clearly defined lump.

Other breast cancer warning signs can include changes in breast size or shape, skin dimpling, swelling, redness, nipple changes or unusual discharge. Skin that becomes pitted and resembles an orange peel, known as peau d’orange, can also be a warning sign.

Importantly, breast cancer can sometimes be present without an obvious lump.

Peet had been undergoing regular breast screening and follow-up because of her breast health history. She has said that an MRI did not show the cancer, but a subsequent ultrasound detected an abnormality. A biopsy later confirmed a tumor.

She was diagnosed with hormone-receptor-positive, HER2-negative invasive lobular carcinoma and underwent a lumpectomy followed by radiation.

What Is Invasive Lobular Carcinoma?

Invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) is the second most common type of invasive breast cancer and accounts for about 10% of invasive breast cancers.

Unlike many breast cancers that form a distinct lump, ILC can grow in a more diffuse pattern. It may cause thickening, fullness or a subtle change in the breast rather than a clearly defined mass.

Because of the way ILC grows, it can sometimes be harder to detect on mammography. Additional imaging, including ultrasound or MRI, may be used depending on an individual's symptoms, breast density and clinical assessment.

Most invasive lobular cancers are hormone-receptor positive. Peet wrote that she had been seeing a breast surgeon every six months for checkups. Her cancer was diagnosed at Stage 1.

“I think about how lucky I was in so many ways,” she said.

Why Early Detection Matters

Breast cancer screening is designed to detect cancer before signs or symptoms become apparent. The goal is early detection, when treatment may be more effective.

The appropriate screening schedule depends on age, breast cancer risk, family history and other factors. In the US, the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women at average risk aged 40 to 74 have a mammogram every two years.

People with a higher risk of breast cancer may need a different screening approach or additional imaging. Discussing individual risk and screening options with a healthcare professional can help determine what is appropriate.

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with this year’s theme, “Every story is unique, every journey matters,” highlighting that every breast cancer experience is different.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. About 80% of breast cancers occur in women with no specific risk factors other than sex and age.

In 2024:

• 2.4 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide.
• 694,000 women died from the disease.
• 8.2 million women were living with breast cancer at the end of the year.

After eliminating measles in 2000, the US is now seeing a sharp increase in cases, with 3,659 confirmed cases reported as of September 24, 2026. Pennsylvania has reported five measles-related deaths this year, the first such deaths in the state in 35 years.

The number has risen significantly from previous years. The US reported 2,289 cases in 2025, compared with 285 in 2024 and just 85 cases in 2000.

Measles can cause serious complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis, or brain swelling, and can be fatal.

Two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine can prevent measles by up to 97%, although breakthrough infections can still occur.

Around 95% of reported cases have been among unvaccinated people, although breakthrough infections have also been reported among people who were fully vaccinated. However, measles is not expected to be as severe in people who are vaccinated.

“Their illness will be much more mild and less likely to cause serious illness than if they had not received two vaccines,” Dr. Pia Fenimore, chief and vice chair of pediatrics at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health.

Yet according to experts some people can take a booster shot to stay safe.

Who May Need a Measles Booster?

The first measles vaccine was introduced in the US in 1963, but the formulation used between 1963 and 1967 was less effective than current versions.

Adults vaccinated during that period may need another dose if they have not received a later measles vaccine.

People born before 1957 are generally considered to have presumptive evidence of immunity because measles circulated widely before routine vaccination, and most people in this age group were naturally infected.

Some people may need individualized vaccination guidance rather than standard recommendations, including:

• People with uncertain vaccination status or no vaccination records
• People who received an inactivated measles vaccine between 1963 and 1967
• People with a weakened immune system
• Pregnant people

A measles vaccine booster may also be considered for children who received only one MMR dose, high-risk adults such as healthcare workers or international travelers, and people whose testing shows they lack immunity.

Can A Blood Test Check Measles Immunity?

In cases where people do not remember or have no records of two-dose measles vaccination, an Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody test can help assess whether they have antibodies against measles.

If testing shows sufficient measles IgG antibodies, the person is considered immune. If immunity is not established, vaccination may be recommended based on their individual circumstances.

Why Adults Also Need To Be Alert

Measles is often associated with children, but adults can also become infected.

“We often forget about adults getting measles ... 38% to 40% of cases this year of measles have been in adults. Adults become infected at the same, if not higher, rates than children themselves ... in 2025, just over half of the measles hospitalizations were actually ... adults,” Dr. Gavin Harris, an infectious diseases physician with Emory Healthcare in Georgia and the associate medical director of the Serious Communicable Diseases Unit.

What If You Were Exposed To Measles?

Measles is highly contagious and can spread through even limited exposure to the virus. With the virus outbreak, it is likely for people to get exposed to it.

The measles vaccine remains the absolute best way to prevent disease.

A shot within three days of exposure to the contagious virus can help prevent the disease. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) given within six days can also provide protection after exposure.

A 30-year-old law student with Type 1 diabetes was hospitalized with diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) after allegedly being advised to stop insulin while following the “VRK Diet” promoted by social media personality Veeramachineni Ramakrishna, popularly known as VRK.

According to the complaint, the student had been living with Type 1 diabetes since 2018. He alleged that he came across VRK’s social media videos claiming that the diet could permanently cure conditions including Type 1 diabetes, cancer and kidney disease.

The student later visited the VRK Health Care Centre in Hyderabad in September 2025, where he alleged that he was orally advised to stop taking insulin. He said he paid around ₹26,000 for supplements and services at the center.

Two days later, he was admitted to a private hospital with DKA and severe dehydration, according to the complaint. He was later discharged.

Hyderabad police have booked Ramakrishna and another person in an alleged fake-doctor and fraud case.

Why Type 1 Diabetes Patients Must Never Stop Insulin

Also read: Gut Microbiome Linked To 3x Higher Type 1 Diabetes Risk In Children

More than 9 million people worldwide are estimated to be living with Type 1 diabetes, including about 1.8 million children and adolescents.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body cannot produce insulin. Insulin helps glucose move from the blood into cells, where it is used for energy. People with Type 1 diabetes therefore need insulin to control their blood glucose.

“Insulin is not optional in Type 1 diabetes,” Dr Sudhir Kumar, neurologist at Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, said in a post on X.

He advised people with Type 1 diabetes to never stop insulin on their own, including when they are unwell or unable to eat.

“Insulin doses may sometimes need adjustment, but this should be done with guidance from your diabetes team,” he said.

What Happens If Insulin Is Stopped?

The NHS UK explains that the human body needs insulin to break down glucose, i.e. sugar, to turn it into energy. People who have type 1 diabetes need insulin devices as their own body cannot produce it.

When the body does not have enough insulin, it cannot properly use glucose for energy. It starts breaking down fat instead, producing chemicals called ketones.

If ketones build up in the blood, they can cause diabetic ketoacidosis, a serious and potentially life-threatening complication.

DKA can develop when there is too little insulin, including when a person with Type 1 diabetes misses insulin doses.

Dr Kumar advised people with Type 1 diabetes to regularly monitor their blood glucose and check blood or urine ketones when indicated, particularly during illness or persistent high blood sugar.

Also read: H. pylori, HPV Among Five Infections Behind 1 In 8 Cancers Worldwide: Lancet

Warning Signs Of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

Dr Kumar said people with Type 1 diabetes should know the warning signs of DKA, including:

• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination
• Nausea or vomiting
• Abdominal pain
• Dehydration
• Rapid or deep breathing
• Drowsiness or confusion

Anyone with symptoms suggestive of DKA should seek urgent medical care.

Can Diet Or Supplements Replace Insulin?

Type 1 diabetes is an incurable condition. Dr Kumar warned people to be extremely cautious about claims that Type 1 diabetes can be “cured” through supplements, diets, herbs or alternative treatments that allow insulin to be stopped.

“Check the qualifications and registration of anyone giving medical advice. Social-media popularity is NOT a substitute for medical training,” he said.

“One wrong piece of advice can have life-threatening consequences. For Type 1 diabetes, evidence-based medical care and uninterrupted access to insulin are essential,” he added.