Breathing techniques, or breathwork, are gaining scientific attention as a way to improve mental health, especially for stress, anxiety, and depression. This review compares common techniques and examines how they work, focusing on their effects on the nervous system. The authors argue that most techniques share core mechanisms that benefit well-being, regardless of their differences. Breathwork may serve as a preventive or additional therapy for chronic stress and mood disorders. However, research is limited by inconsistent study quality and varied methods, pointing to a need for more rigorous studies.
Psilocybin, a serotonergic psychedelic compound, shows promise as a multidimensional therapy for chronic pain, which affects nearly one in five adults worldwide and remains a major healthcare burden. Preclinical studies demonstrate that psilocybin promotes synaptogenesis via BDNF-TrkB signalling, modulates 5-HT2A receptor activity, and reduces neuroinflammatory processes, leading to persistent analgesic and anxiolytic effects. Animal models of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy and inflammatory pain showed long-lasting antinociceptive responses. Clinical studies, though limited, reported improvements in depression, anxiety, resilience, and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer and chronic conditions, with preliminary evidence of analgesic benefit. Ethical issues, safety concerns, and regulatory barriers necessitate careful management, and robust randomized controlled trials are essential to confirm efficacy.