Are PFAS Hiding in Your Prescription Drugs?

While I’m not a big fan of prescription drugs, mainly because of what I see as the problems of overprescribing and drug side effects, when I read an article about PFAS and pharmaceuticals, that got my attention!

PFAS is shorthand for what are commonly called “forever chemicals.”

So, when you think about PFAS, what comes to mind? Nonstick cookware, water-resistant clothing, stain-resistant carpets, food packaging, or perhaps contaminated drinking water?

But prescription drugs? Uh?

I recently came across research showing that fluorinated chemicals are used in a surprisingly large number of pharmaceutical drugs, and that some fluorinated pharmaceuticals can actually fall under certain scientific definitions of PFAS. Fluorinated chemicals are also used in parts of the pharmaceutical manufacturing process.

So...I decided to take a closer look at what the research actually says.

First...What Exactly Is PFAS?

PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are a large family of man-made chemicals that have been widely used because they resist heat, water, oil, and chemical breakdown.

That can be a benefit, but it can also be a problem. Many PFAS are extremely persistent in the environment, which is why they are often called “forever chemicals.”

Research has associated exposure to certain PFAS with health concerns including increased cholesterol, changes in immune response, changes in liver enzymes, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia, reduced birth weight, and certain cancers. However, these effects vary considerably depending on the specific PFAS chemical, the amount of exposure, and how long someone was exposed.

Here's Where It Gets Interesting

Fluorine is used extensively in modern drug design. Adding fluorine to a drug molecule can change the way that drug behaves in the body, including its metabolic stability, absorption, and other pharmacological properties.

In fact, roughly 20% of commercialized medications contain fluorine.

Some familiar examples include:

·         Statins: Atorvastatin, Rosuvastatin

·         Antidepressants: Fluoxetine, Escitalopram

·         Acid Reflux / PPIs: Pantoprazole

·         NSAIDs & Anti-inflammatories: Celecoxib

·         Steroids: Fluticasone

So...does that mean all of these drugs are “forever chemicals”?

It turns out the answer is no. A drug containing fluorine is not automatically a PFAS.

And this is where things get really interesting. Researchers examined 360 fluorinated pharmaceuticals using nine different definitions of PFAS and found that the definitions classified anywhere from 1% to 100% of those drugs as PFAS. In other words, how you define PFAS makes a huge difference.

So, we shouldn't simply see the letter “F” in a chemical formula and immediately jump to the conclusion that we are taking a dangerous forever chemical.

At this point, I’d be looking at the specific drug, its known side effects, and exactly what chemicals are actually in the formulation.

But Should You Be Worried?

I wouldn't panic, but I also wouldn't ignore the issue.

PFAS exposure in our environment is a legitimate health concern, but research on environmental PFAS contamination cannot automatically be applied to every fluorinated prescription drug you take. The fact that a molecule contains fluorine doesn't tell us by itself whether that particular drug presents the same risks associated with environmental PFAS exposure.

And many fluorinated medications serve important medical purposes. I certainly would not recommend stopping a prescription simply because it contains a fluorine atom. Doing so could create a much bigger and more immediate health problem than the exposure you are trying to avoid.

Instead, I think the smarter approach is to find out exactly what you're taking and whether a reasonable alternative exists.

Here's What You Can Do

If you want to take a proactive look at your medications, here is a practical step-by-step approach.

1. Check Your Labels: Look up your medication on DailyMed, the National Library of Medicine's database of drug labeling, and review both the active and inactive ingredients. You can also check the FDA's Inactive Ingredient Database, which is updated quarterly.

2. Ask Your Pharmacist a Specific Question: Instead of simply asking, “Does this drug contain fluorine?” ask, “Does this particular manufacturer and formulation contain any ingredients that meet a current scientific definition of PFAS?” That's a much more targeted question.

3. Explore Formulation Differences: Two manufacturers can make the same medication using different inactive ingredients, such as fillers, coatings, or binders. So, if an inactive ingredient is the concern, another manufacturer or formulation may provide an alternative.

4. Talk With Your Doctor: If the active drug itself is the source of your concern, ask your doctor whether another medication could treat the same condition without that particular chemical structure. But remember, never stop or switch a prescription medication on your own!

My Take

Looking at natural health and wellness research over the years has taught me that sometimes the biggest problem isn't the information we receive. It's the oversimplification of that information!

PFAS are a legitimate concern, and I think it makes complete sense to reduce unnecessary exposure where we reasonably can. But when it comes to prescription medications, we shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

A fluorinated drug isn't automatically a dangerous “forever chemical,” just as the presence of PFAS in a particular product doesn't automatically tell us what the actual health risk is. We need to look at the specific chemical, the amount of exposure, and the available research.

So...know what you're taking. Check the active ingredients, check the inactive ingredients, review the known side effects, and talk with your pharmacist and doctor about whether a medically appropriate alternative is available.

The goal isn't to eliminate every single molecule containing fluorine from your life. The goal is to reduce unnecessary chemical exposure and unnecessary side effects while still getting the medical treatment you need.

And I think that's a pretty reasonable goal!

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References

·         Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). “How PFAS Impacts Your Health.”

·         Hammel, S. C., Webster, T. F., Gurney, R., & Heiger-Bernays, W. (2022). “Implications of PFAS definitions using fluorinated pharmaceuticals.” iScience, 25(4), 104020.

·         “Chemistry and Pharmacology of Fluorinated Drugs Approved by the FDA (2016–2022).” PMC.

·         “Contribution of Organofluorine Compounds to Pharmaceuticals.” PMC.

·         U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Inactive Ingredient Database.”

·         DailyMed. U.S. National Library of Medicine.

 

A Different Way to Stop Migraines: Brushing Your Teeth with Salt Water

If you have ever had a real migraine, you know that this is not simply a “bad headache.”

A migraine can mean pounding or throbbing pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, visual disturbances, and sometimes hours or even days of being completely knocked out of your normal routine.

And because migraines are so common, there is no shortage of advice about how to stop them.

Drink more water.

Take magnesium.

Avoid certain foods.

Put ice on your head.

Try essential oils.

Meditate.

I’ve actually been using and teaching a treatment to stop a migraine for decades, and that’s by using a Japanese pressure technique called Shiatsu. Now it doesn’t prevent a migraine from happening (although I’ve had people report back from doing the treatment a number of times, their migraine frequency dropped dramatically).

You can check out my eBook Managing Your Stress in Difficult Times: Succeeding in Times of Change on my website at www.Teplitz.com under Products for that treatment and a number of other treatments using Shiatsu.

Recently, I came across another interesting approach to get rid of migraines, and that is to brush your teeth with salt water.

Now that one got my attention!

Could something as simple as salt water and a toothbrush really have an effect on a migraine?

So...I decided to take a closer look at what the research actually says since I started seeing claims that brushing your teeth with salt water can help migraines.

At first glance, that did sound pretty strange even to me.

What could your teeth possibly have to do with a neurological disorder?

Well...there actually is a connection between oral health and migraine that researchers are investigating.

Several studies have even found an association between periodontal disease and migraines.

For example, a large community-based study involving more than 66,000 people found that periodontal disease was more common among people with migraine. After adjusting for other factors, the association remained statistically significant.

A 2023 systematic review examined eight studies and found that seven reported an association between periodontal disease and chronic migraine. The authors did say that larger, long-term studies and intervention trials were still needed.

A 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis again found a statistically significant association between periodontitis and migraine.

So there really is something here worth investigating as to how our mouth affects migraines.

What the researchers were studying

The researchers wanted to find out whether stopping toothpaste use could affect migraine frequency and severity. Their theory was that certain toothpaste ingredients, including fluorides, benzoates, nitrates, glycerol, and essential oils such as eucalyptus and camphor, might trigger headaches in susceptible people.

They enrolled 106 adults, ages 18–59, who suffered from migraines. They had people in the study who experienced both aura and non-aura migraines. They were also not taking preventive migraine medications.

The participants were randomly divided into two groups:

• 53 people stopped using toothpaste and brushed their teeth with 0.9% normal saline instead.
• 53 people continued using their regular toothpaste.

The intervention lasted four weeks. The investigators did not know who was in which group when they assessed the outcomes.

What they found

At the beginning of the study, both groups were experiencing a median of three headache days per week, and both reported a median headache severity of 8 out of 10. These folks were real migraine sufferers!

After four weeks, the results were striking:

Outcome	Saline instead of toothpaste	Continued toothpaste
Headache days/week	1	2.5
Headache severity	1/10	7/10
Completely headache-free	32.6%	14.9%
≥50% reduction in headache days	58.1%	32.5%

The reduction in weekly headache days was statistically significant and so was the difference in headache severity. The differences in complete headache freedom and achieving at least a 50% reduction in headache frequency were also statistically significant.

So, to salt or not to salt, that is the question!

Since this was a small study and it was looking at toothpaste’s effects, the saltwater outcome was a bonus discovery.

Now the study used 9% saline solution, so they don’t know if that was a factor, or if it would work with a stronger or weaker salt solution.

So, what to do? If you’re a migraine sufferer, should you wait for more complete research to be done, or act now? While that’s a decision you’ll have to make, here’s my take on it.

It took 3 weeks for the benefits from stopping toothpaste to start to kick in, and after 4 weeks the differences were dramatic. Since migraines are so debilitating, if I were a migraine sufferer, I personally would give saltwater a shot. The idea of 32.6% being totally migraine-free versus only 14.9% in the toothpaste groups is a BIG DIFFERENCE.

Again, if you’re a migraine sufferer, it’s a decision you’ll have to make! And if it works, then the old statement from Star Trek deserves to be modified to: May You Live Long and Not Suffer!

 

 

Is There Really Enough Manuka Honey for Every Product Claiming to Use It?

When you walk down the supermarket first aid or beauty aisle, you might notice that Manuka honey seems to be in almost everything these days, from gourmet spreads and teas to face creams, wound ointments, and shampoos.

It gets promoted as a super-ingredient, and naturally, that raised an interesting question for me: with so many products claiming to contain Manuka honey, is there actually enough of a supply to go around?

So…I decided to take a closer look at what the industry data shows.

The answer, as it turns out, is a resounding no!

The Math On Manuka Just Doesn't Add Up!

True Manuka honey comes from the nectar of the Leptospermum scoparium plant, which grows primarily in remote parts of New Zealand and flowers for only two to eight weeks a year. Because of this short harvesting window and specific geographic region, the natural yield is strictly limited.

Industry estimates show that New Zealand produces approximately 10,000 tons of authentic Manuka honey annually. However, global sales of products labeled as "Manuka honey" sit at roughly 50,000 tons per year.

So... where is all that extra "Manuka honey" coming from?

How Products Get Around the Supply Shortage

It turns out to account for this massive gap between supply and demand, manufacturers across the food, personal care, and cosmetic industries rely on a few questionable practices:

• Dilution and Multifloral Blending: Many commercial jars are not 100% pure, monofloral Manuka honey. Instead, they are multifloral blends. This is where bees visited Manuka alongside other flowers, or standard table honeys are blended with small percentages of authentic Manuka.
• Trace Amounts in Personal Care: In cosmetics, skincare, and shampoos, companies can legally list "Manuka Honey" on the label even if it makes up less than 1% of the total formula. Adding just a few drops allows brands to feature the ingredient prominently on the front packaging for marketing purposes.
• Vague Labeling Terms: You will often see buzzwords like "Active," "Bio-Active," or "100% Pure Natural Honey" on jars. These terms sound impressive, but they don't mean the product contains the unique antibacterial compound (methylglyoxal, or MGO) that makes genuine Manuka honey special.
• Counterfeiting and Adulteration: Because authentic Manuka commands such high prices, honey has become one of the most frequently adulterated foods in the world. Even worse, industry experts estimate that a significant percentage of honey sold internationally as Manuka is either diluted with sugar syrups or completely counterfeit.

How to Ensure You're Getting the Real Deal

If you want to use genuine, high-grade Manuka honey for its unique antibacterial and wellness properties, here is what to look for on the label:

• Look for Verified UMF™ or MGO Ratings: Authentic New Zealand export honey undergoes strict government-backed testing. Genuine jars will display a verified UMF™ (Unique Manuka Factor) rating along with a license number, or a certified MGO level.
• Check Where It Was Packed: True high-grade Manuka honey is harvested, packed, and sealed in New Zealand to prevent bulk blending or tampering during shipping.
• Traceable Lot Numbers: Reputable brands provide batch numbers or QR codes on the jar so you can view the actual lab report for that specific harvest.

Can Labels and Ratings Be Forged? Unfortunately, the answer is Yes! Because high-grade Manuka commands premium prices, fraudulent manufacturers can easily print fake UMF™ ratings, stolen license numbers, or bogus QR codes onto standard honey jars. However, legitimate certification programs build in verification steps specifically to stop this type of fraud.

Here is how to ensure the label you are looking at is legitimate:

·         Look for Verified UMF™ or MGO Ratings: Genuine New Zealand export honey undergoes strict government-backed testing by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). Look for jars displaying the official UMF™ trademark or a certified MGO level accompanied by a producer's license number.

·         Verify the Producer's License Number: However, don't just trust a UMF™ logo printed on the label as counterfeiters can easily copy the artwork. So, here’s the good news! Authentic brands list a unique license number (for example, UMF License #XXXX). You can cross-reference this number directly on the official UMFHA (Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association) website to verify that the brand is an active, authorized licensee.

·         Check the QR Code or Batch Number: Reputable producers feature traceable lot numbers or QR codes on the jar that lead directly to an independent laboratory Analysis Certificate for that specific harvest. Check that the batch or lot number printed on the physical jar matches the number on the digital lab report.

·         Confirm It Was Packed in New Zealand: Authentic, high-grade export Manuka honey is harvested, packed, and sealed in New Zealand. Raw bulk exports sent overseas for bottling are far more vulnerable to adulteration, dilution, or mislabeling during shipping and packaging.

·         Buy Directly from Accredited Sellers: When purchasing online or in stores, buy directly from the manufacturer’s authorized site or recognized, reputable retailers rather than unverified third-party marketplace sellers.

My Take

Looking at wellness trends over the years has taught me that whenever a natural product becomes exceptionally popular, marketing hype can often outpace reality.

Manuka honey certainly has fascinating properties, but you don't need to spend top dollar on a product just because the front label highlights it as an ingredient! If you’re purchasing cosmetics, first aid bandages or processed foods with Manuka on the label, chances are you are paying for the name rather than a meaningful amount of honey.

So... the next time you browse the honey aisle or look at a new skincare lotion, turn the package over, check for official certification ratings, and check the ratings out to make sure you're getting what you really paid for!

I know this is a pain in the xxxx, but it's become a necessary one!

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References

• New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries. (2017). "Science definition for New Zealand mānuka honey." MPI Technical Paper.
• Unique Manuka Factor Honey Association (UMFHA). "Understanding UMF™ Quality Standards and Grading."
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). "Food Fraud and Adulteration in Global Honey Trade."

 

Your Sense of Smell May Be More Important Than You Think or …The Nose Knows!

 When was the last time you really thought about your sense of smell?

You wake up and smell your coffee, walk outside and smell freshly cut grass, or notice the aroma of food cooking. You might catch a familiar perfume and suddenly remember someone you haven't thought about in years.

We tend to take our sense of smell for granted. But what if your ability to smell is telling you something important about your health?

I recently came across research connecting our sense of smell to brain health, aging, and overall longevity. It got my attention because we usually view smell as a pleasant luxury, not a window into what's happening inside the brain.

So...I decided to take a closer look.

Smell Is Connected Directly to the Brain

Your olfactory system has direct pathways to brain areas involved in memory, emotion, and learning, specifically the hippocampus. That is why a single scent can instantly transport you back 30 years or recall a childhood memory.

As we get older, our sense of smell can decline due to simple causes like allergies, sinus issues, medications, or infections. However, researchers have discovered a deeper biological link.

When Your Sense of Smell Starts to Decline

A declining sense of smell is often associated with subtle changes in the brain. For years, scientists have studied impaired smell as a common feature of neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. In many cases, smell loss appears long before familiar motor symptoms or significant cognitive decline occur.

A 2023 study highlighted in Medical News Today examined older adults carrying the APOE ε4 gene (a variant that’s linked to higher Alzheimer's risk). Researchers found these individuals showed differences in smell sensitivity at younger ages and experienced a faster decline in odor identification later in life.

Similarly, in Parkinson's disease, reduced smell sensitivity, called hyposmia, can manifest years before tremors or stiffness develop. While losing your sense of smell doesn't mean you will develop these conditions, it suggests smell testing could eventually become a valuable early screening tool.

Your Nose and Overall Health

Here is a finding that surprised me: research links impaired smell with overall mortality risk in older adults.

A large U.S. study of over 3,500 adults published in JAMA Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery found that measured olfactory dysfunction was associated with an increased risk of death in adults 65 and older. Furthermore, a systematic review published in 2022 found that over 21,000 participants were linked to olfactory impairment and had a 52% higher risk of all-cause mortality.

To be clear, losing your sense of smell doesn't cause decline. Instead, it serves as a sensitive marker for underlying biological changes, frailty, or nutritional issues.

Protection and Olfactory Training

Beyond internal signals, your nose provides crucial protection. It alerts you to smoke, gas leaks, and spoiled food before you consume it. Because taste is heavily reliant on odor perception, losing your smell can make eating unappealing, which was a reality millions experienced firsthand during COVID-19 and is still affecting a lot of people.

This brings up an intriguing concept: can you exercise your sense of smell?

Through a process called olfactory training, individuals repeatedly smell specific essential scents to stimulate the nerve pathways. Given what we know about neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt and rewire itself, stimulating the olfactory system offers a fascinating way to engage sensory pathways.

My Take

Looking at health research over the years has taught me that ordinary bodily functions often yield the most profound insights.

If you notice a sudden, persistent change in your ability to smell, don't automatically write it off as just getting older. Have a conversation with your doctor to rule out simple issues like sinus inflammation or medication side effects.

We shouldn't worry every time our nose gets stuffy. The point is simply that our sense of smell does far more than help us enjoy a good meal! It keeps us safe, connects us to memories, and provides key clues about our neurological well-being.

So...the next time you brew your morning coffee or step outside into the fresh air, pause for a moment to appreciate it, take a deep breath, and smell the roses or whatever flowers are nearby!

 

References

• Lang, K. (2023). “Alzheimer's disease: Testing sense of smell may help identify those at greater risk.” Medical News Today.
• Witt, M. C. Z., et al. (2018). “Olfactory dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis.”
• Choi, J. S., et al. (2021). “Association Between Olfactory Dysfunction and Mortality in US Adults.” JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, 147(1), 49-55.
• Pang, N. Y. L., et al. (2022). “Association of Olfactory Impairment With All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
• Ruane, R., et al. (2025). “Olfactory Deficits and Mortality in Older Adults.” JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, 151(6), 558-566.

 

Does Meditation Change How Much Sleep You Really Need?

When I go to a doc, and they give me some forms to fill out, one of the questions may be, “How many hours of sleep do you get each night?” My answer is "Six to seven hours." And that answer often raises an eyebrow.

We’ve all been told that adults need seven to nine hours of sleep, so getting six hours usually leads medical professionals to assume you’re chronically sleep-deprived. But there are two crucial questions that never get asked: “Do you meditate?” and “How long have you been meditating?”

Long Term Meditator

I’m a very long-term meditator. I’ve been meditating regularly for over 55 years, and my personal experience is that six to seven hours is genuinely all my body requires. I don't feel tired the next day, I don't struggle to stay awake during the day, and I don't rely on caffeine to get through the afternoon. I woke up ready to start the day, especially after I finished my morning meditation. I do my second meditation late afternoon or early evening, and I’m energized for the evening.

While this is me, this has raised the question for me – in general, can long-term meditators actually influence their biological sleep needs?

There is a vast difference between someone who sleeps six hours because they were up late scrolling through their phone, worrying, or managing stress, and someone who has practiced meditation for years, sleeps six hours, and wakes up naturally feeling alert. The number on the clock is identical, but the physiological circumstances are entirely different.

I Decided to See What the Research Says

It turns out that my experience isn't an anomaly. Studies on experienced meditators show noticeable differences in sleep duration and what the researchers call sleep architecture compared to non-meditators. Research indicates that long-term meditators often sleep less while maintaining normal daytime alertness and cognitive performance. In fact, a study published in Behavioral and Brain Functions found that meditation acutely improved psychomotor vigilance and suggested that meditation may actually decrease the need for sleep.

It isn't just about sleep quantity…it's about sleep quality. Sleep isn't a single homogeneous block; we rotate through different phases of sleep from light sleep to REM, and slow-wave sleep, which is deep sleep.

Deep slow-wave sleep is the most restorative phase. Research shows that long-term meditators often experience higher proportions of slow-wave sleep. Seven hours of tossing, turning, and waking up in a state of high stress is not equivalent to six hours of uninterrupted, highly restorative deep sleep.

Restful Alertness and Stress Reduction

Meditation itself provides a form of deep physiological rest. During a person’s meditation session, heart rate and metabolic activity drop while parasympathetic activity increases, which is a state researchers refer to as “restful alertness.” While you aren't asleep, your body isn't operating under the constant strain of daily stimulation.

In addition, stress is inherently exhausting. Modern life keeps our brains processing information, anticipating problems, and replaying events right up until we hit the pillow. Meditation trains the mind to step back from that constant mental chatter. Systematic reviews of one type of meditation called mindfulness show significant improvements in sleep quality and reductions in insomnia symptoms. When your brain isn't spending half the night processing unmanaged anxiety, you may simply require less time in bed to feel restored.

A Word of Caution

I am certainly not suggesting that anyone should deliberately cut their sleep short just because they started meditating. The research is looking at “experienced meditators and “long-term meditators.”

So…if you start meditating, after a couple of months, you can experiment by seeing if six to seven hours is enough. Let your body tell you what it needs. If you wake up exhausted or rely heavily on stimulants after you’ve gotten up (as in: ”I got to have that cup of coffee”), six hours is likely not enough for you. The goal isn't to hit the lowest possible number on the clock; it's to get enough restorative sleep to function at your best.

My Take

Before I started meditating, I needed 8 to 10 hours of sleep. Years of meditation have changed how my mind and body respond to stress, rest, and recovery. While the science on long-term meditation and sleep duration is still evolving, we shouldn't dismiss these experiences simply because they fall outside standard baseline recommendations.

So…perhaps it's time for medical sleep evaluations to expand beyond a single number. Instead of only asking "How many hours do you sleep?", maybe the questions on the form should also ask: "How rested do you feel?" and “Do you meditate” and "How long have you been meditating?"

This way, the doc will get the real picture of a patient's health and not just look at them as just a number!

References

·         Kaushik, R. M., et al. (2010). “Meditation acutely improves psychomotor vigilance, and may decrease sleep need.” Behavioral and Brain Functions.

·         Nagendra, R. P., Maruthai, N., & Kutty, B. M. (2012). “Meditation and Its Regulatory Role on Sleep.” Frontiers in Neurology.

·         Rusch, H. L., et al. (2018). “The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences.

·         Cahn, B. R., et al. (2013). “Experienced mindfulness meditators exhibit higher parietal-occipital EEG gamma activity during NREM sleep.” PLOS ONE.

Mental Health: It’s for the Birds

My wife, Elizabeth, is a birder. Her whole family is into birdwatching. When we’re on a road trip and I’m driving, she’ll suddenly say, “There’s a hawk!” or “Look, an eagle!”

Because I’m driving, I can only glance for a moment at what she sees. Many times, by the time I look, the bird is gone.

During the winter, we also spend a chunk of money on birdseed, with Elizabeth faithfully keeping the bird feeders full. Don’t tell her, but I actually enjoy watching the birds come to the feeders.

She subscribes to Living Bird, and while I was flipping through the magazine recently, an article about birding and brain health caught my attention. Since one of my areas of expertise is stress management, I decided to read it.

At first, I was a little skeptical. But as I dug into the research, I discovered something unexpected: birdwatching isn't just a pleasant way to spend a morning. A growing body of research suggests that engaging with birds may support cognitive function and mental well-being.

Before you run out and buy an expensive pair of binoculars, let’s take a look at the science.

Birding Gives Your Brain Something to Do

At first glance, standing outside and waiting for a bird to appear doesn't seem like much of a brain workout. Yet identifying a bird can engage several cognitive skills at once.

You’re combining visual cues, sounds, memory, attention, and pattern recognition. Deciding whether you’re looking at a Carolina Wren or a Song Sparrow requires comparing real-time sensory information with what you’ve learned from previous experiences.

At this point, I have no idea which is which.

But experienced birders do.

A 2026 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that experienced birders had differences in brain structure compared with beginners, particularly in areas associated with cognition and working memory. The researchers also found differences in how the brain responded to bird-related knowledge.

That doesn’t prove that birding caused those brain changes. People who are naturally inclined toward certain kinds of learning may also be more likely to become expert birders. Still, the findings are consistent with the broader concept of neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt and change with experience.

In other words, years of paying attention to birds may leave a measurable imprint on the brain.

Birds Can Change the Way We Experience a Walk

The benefits of birding aren't limited to identifying species.

Emily Nichols discovered this firsthand after suffering a traumatic brain injury. During her recovery, her neurosurgeon prescribed 90 minutes of walking every day. Understandably, she found walking around her neighborhood pretty boring.

Then she discovered a family of Great Horned Owls.

She spotted the owls and three owlets in a palm tree during one of her walks. Instead of thinking about how long she still had to walk or focusing on her injury, she became curious about the owls. She began visiting them at sunrise and sunset, learning about them, and looking forward to seeing them.

The walks suddenly had a purpose.

That story illustrates something important about birding: it can turn an otherwise ordinary activity into an opportunity for curiosity, attention, and connection. Nichols herself describes birds and birding as becoming an important part of her recovery.

Birding and Mindfulness

Birding also encourages you to pay attention to the present moment.

You listen for a bird call. You watch the trees for movement. You notice colors, shapes, and sounds. You are waiting quietly for a bird to appear.

In many ways, that resembles a simple form of mindfulness meditation where you are paying close attention to what is happening around you.

And there is a growing body of research suggesting that birdsong and encounters with birds can be associated with improved mental well-being.

A 2022 Scientific Reports study found that listening to birdsong for six minutes reduced anxiety and paranoia in participants compared with traffic noise.

More recently, researchers using the Urban Mind smartphone platform collected 11,631 assessments from 2,088 participants between 2020 and 2025. They found that exposure to birdsong environments was associated with higher momentary emotional well-being than environments without birdsong. Interestingly, the association was somewhat stronger among people with a mental health condition.

These studies don't prove that birdsong is a treatment for anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions. But they add to a growing body of evidence that our everyday encounters with nature, and birds in particular, may influence how we feel.

Birding May Be More Than Just Another Nature Walk

There’s also evidence that birdwatching itself may offer benefits beyond simply being outdoors.

A study involving college students compared birdwatching with other nature-based activities and found that birdwatching was associated with improvements in well-being and reductions in psychological distress.

And the benefits aren't limited to college students.

A 2023 study involving 1,684 nursing-home residents examined birdwatching as a nature-based intervention. The intervention they did included placing bird-feeding stations outside nursing homes so residents could observe birds.

The researchers found that regular birdwatching experiences were associated with maintaining cognitive resources, mobility, and social and emotional well-being for the residents.

That finding is particularly interesting because birdwatching doesn't have to require strenuous exercise, expensive equipment, or even leaving the building.

Sometimes, all you need is a window.

You Don't Need to Be a Birder

The good news is that you don't need to become an expert to potentially enjoy some of these benefits.

You don't need expensive binoculars. You don't need to memorize hundreds of species. And you certainly don't need to be able to tell a Carolina Wren from a Song Sparrow.

Start simply.

Sit outside for 10 minutes. Put your phone away for a few minutes. Listen. Watch. Notice what moves.

If you want help identifying what you see or hear, smartphone apps such as Merlin Bird ID and BirdNET can help. If you get more involved, eBird lets you keep track of the birds you observe and contribute your observations to a massive citizen-science database.

The point isn't to see the rarest bird or check the most species off a list.

The point is to pay attention.

Maybe Elizabeth and Her Family Are Onto Something

Birding brings together several things that can be good for our mental well-being: movement, time outdoors, mental stimulation, focused attention, curiosity, and connection with nature. For many people, it can also provide social connection and a sense of purpose.

We still need more research to understand exactly how birding affects the brain and whether it can help prevent neurological or mental health conditions. But the evidence so far makes birding an intriguing and remarkably accessible way to support well-being.

I may never become the birder my wife is. I still can't tell a Carolina Wren from a Song Sparrow.

So…maybe the next time she says, “There's a hawk!” I'll catch it in my quick glance and get a smile on my face!

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References

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