March 2024 Update: Featuring Boosted Stories on ILLUMINATION-Curated
I also link to previously boosted pieces for new readers and aspiring writers as examples of exceptional stories.
Dear readers and writers, Happy April. I am sorry for the delay in the monthly update of our boosted stories. In addition to my full-time work, volunteer activities like reviewing, publishing, administration, and curation keep me very busy. But I enjoy these extra duties very much.
In March, more than 40 stories got boosted. We spend significant time reviewing them, guiding writers, editing/formatting, and nominating them. It is a labour of love among writers and editors. Medium also invest in them to give a great reading experience to members.
By the way, I also curate non-boosted stories as 99% of drafts submitted to our publications are not boosted, and are as good as boosted ones. Some are even better depending on the readers’ preference. Sometimes, even the most exceptional stories are not boosted. For those who missed it, here is the latest episode of my curated collection for non-boosted.
Our editors also feature specific stories individually or collectively. For example, today our senior editor Mike Broadly, DHSc featured a story of Shayla Renee 💖that our editors loved and encouraged Mike to write a story about it as he is an expert in public health.
Like me Mike also create curated collections for non-boosted stories. He even agreed to curate older ones as they hardly find any views. We noticed that the algorithm does not distribute older stories so we feature them to bring new readers. It is impossible for readers to find over a million stories that we publish unless we feature them. Here is Mike’s latest collection.
Another hardworking editor The Sturg started curated collections. Please take a look at his excellent collection. The Sturg’s Illumination Editorial Picks: Third Edition.
As my regular readers know I feature boosted stories weekly so I will send an update on Sunday as several stories have been boosted on ILLUMINATION-Curated. New writers can learn about how we contribute to the boost program from the attached story by Dr Yildiz.
So, for the new readers, here is a list of our boosted stories in March 2024. Please enjoy them, share on social media, and consider engaging in them like leaving comments on the stories you read to encourage writers.
Nuances of Serotonin Syndrome: Experts Warrant Caution for Elevated Serotonin Levels Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Xenotransplantation: First Pig Kidney Transplant in a 62-Year-Old Man Dr Mehmet Yildiz
A Movie Makers Oscar Predictions Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
The Cardiology Procedure That Revolutionized the Way We Treat Heart Attacks David Mokotoff, MD
Do Morals Need Religion? Ask Your Pre-Verbal Toddler Wayne Stelk, PhD
3 Ways the Drama Triangle Shows Up in Narcissistic Abuse Melissa Kalt, MD
Our Memoirs Are Unlimited Variations on a Theme Martha Manning, Ph.D.
How “Black Swan Events” Change Your Life — for Good and Bad Brian Feutz
A Heartfelt Tribute to Akira Toriyama’s Worldwide Legacy Idzard
Neurocomputing: Brain Organoid Reservoir Computing Brings Hope to Solving NeuroHIV & Cognitive Disorders Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Horrific Childhood Fears from the ’80s That Never Happened Sharon Meyers
How to Build an FPV Combat Drone to Defend Your Country Dmytro Sazonov
The Striking Adverse Effects of Night Light Exposure on Mental Health Dr Mehmet Yildiz
The Expression / Mutation Impacts of the Longevity Genes Klotho, FOXO3, SIRT1, APOE, BRCA Dr Mehmet Yildiz
10 Easy Steps for Better Travel Photos Silviu-Florin Salomia
How to Be More Data-Driven Manager in 3 Easy Steps Lisa Bage
β-Hydroxybutyrate: 2 Vital Role of Ketogenesis in the Brain for Dementia Prevention / Treatment Dr Mehmet Yildiz
My First Game Jam Was Stressful But Also Awesome Justin Boyette
Unusual Challenges Leading to Successes in Print-on-Demand Services Jozsef Kovacs
The Truth Is Simple and Simply Stated, So Why Is There Endless Discussion? Vic Shayne
A Special Forces Soldier Taught Me How Leadership Works in Three Words Joshua Mason
Saving the Last Virgin Forests of Europe from a Photographer’s Point of View Silviu-Florin Salomia
Why Should We Care About Fungi As Much As Bacteria or Viruses Dr Mehmet Yildiz
You Can’t Find a Coloured Crayon in an Empty Tin Gill McCulloch
Oscar season is my favorite time of year in my Scene to Screen class. Denise P King
When Religion Collides With Politics, Frozen Embryos Feel the Heat Wayne Stelk, PhD
Sleep Regulation: Neurobiology of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Dr Mehmet Yildiz
The “Win-Win Volley” in Sustainable Relationships Kenneth Silvestri
Why Medical Doctors Should Write More and Consider Creative Writing Too Dr. Julian Barkan
Transgender People: Everything I Ever Wanted to Know About Them But Was Afraid to Ask Martin D. Hirsch
Musicals Had a Strange Effect on My Offbeat Family Rebecca Romanelli
Biochemistry of Ketosis Simplified with Nuanced Perspectives and Personal Experiences Dr Mehmet Yildiz
The Origin and Evolution of Black Comic Book Characters William Spivey
How Xbox’s Video Game, Skate, Helps My Special Needs Son Safely Navigate His Environment Alexandra Christensen
Vibrant Synaesthesia: The Inner Workings of a Color-Drenched Brain Donn K. Harris
Finding Reciprocal Love After Failing at Relationships Holly Paige
I Made Over $500,000 by Writing on the Internet — Here Are 50 Lessons I Wish I Had Learned Sooner Sinem Günel
Boosted Stories in February 2024
Less Spoken Nuances of DHEA Hormone with Informed Perspectives from the Literature Dr Mehmet Yildiz
AI Can Now Create Photorealistic Videos From Just a Text Prompt Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
My Perspectives on the Ukraine Invasion Two Years Later as a Ukrainian Descendant Oksana Kukurudza’s Sunflowers Rarely Break
We need a materialist approach to fighting racism Rebecca Ruth Gould
How I managed to be productive at every level in the company. Lisa Bage
Pregnancy Requires as Much Energy as Extreme Endurance Sports Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
It Took Two Divorces for Me to Learn What Destroys a Marriage Holly Paige
25 Years After Starting a First-Aid Business With a 6-Month-Old Baby, We’re Still Thriving Gill McCulloch
The Most Interesting Thing About Being a Scuba Diving Instructor Happened After I Quit Andy Murphy
Our New Hearing Aids — Startling Surprises in the Family Bill Myers
What I Think About Wedding Photography After 12 Years Silviu-Florin Salomia
The Power of Placebo To Boost High Performance and Self-Belief Sean Kernan
I Harvested 10 Lessons When I Weeded My Portfolio Garden Mark Armstrong
I Stumped Google’s Gemini — But Not ChatGPT Wayne Stelk, PhD
What Evolutionary Biology Says About the Future of AI Eliot Bush
How the Election of Barack Obama Changed Race Relations in America William Spivey
What Happened When I Pushed My Body Past the Breaking Point Joshua Mason 🔱
The Chess Match: Employees vs. Companies in the Fast Food Industry Luay Rahil
How Self-Discovery Leads to a More Conscious Parenting Style Gabriela Trofin-Tatár
How to Deal with Painful Emotions from Our Past: Mickey Singer’s Tough Love Teaching David Gerken
If You Don’t Believe in Angels, This Could Change Your Mind Bebe Nicholson
Why Women in Pakistan Are Not Oppressed, But They Thrive Ammara Hassan
Navigating the Maze of Modern Loneliness with Observations and Interactions Jussi Luukkonen — your curiosity guide
Discovering Bratislava: A Captivating Gem in Central EuropeJozsef
Finding Comfort in Blocks: How Minecraft Eased My First Time Loneliness and Intense Grief at 17 Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
4 Well-Research Benefits of Trimethylglycine (TMG) as a Methyl Donor Addressing Homocysteine Dr Mehmet Yildiz
MTHFR Polymorphisms or Mutations: Getting Checked to Prevent Cardiovascular Issues Dr Mehmet Yildiz
I’ll Never Forget the Lesson I Learned on My First Day of teaching Dr. Daniel H. Shapiro
A New Discovery Reveals How Eating More Protein After Exercise Fuels Muscle Growth Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Enjoying and Making Sense of My Life Beyond Deaf Silence Joellyn Rose Keener, Author of Deaf and Determined
Working Hard and Doing the Right Thing Will No Longer Get You the American Dream Toni Crowe
Design-Wise Clues: The Twentieth Century and Beyond Matthew Bamberg
Understanding Black History in America Requires That One Knows Where “White” Originated William Spivey
Let’s Talk about Atheists and Firm Believers in the God of Abraham Marcus aka Gregory Maidman
How Adult Children Can Boost Their Mother’s Happiness Sean Kernan
I Wrote a Novel: Here Are 5 Laws of Creativity I Learned in the Process Kyle Chastain
Class Is More Determinative of Success and Safety in America Than Race William Spivey
A Ukrainian Woman’s First-Hand Account of Forced Labor in Nazi Germany Oksana Kukurudza’s Sunflowers Rarely Break
Boosted Stories in January 2024
What Car Shows Mean to Me and How They Enriched My Life Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
Vitamin B12 Deficiency Rises, Concerning Me As It Was My Big Problem Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Timing Will Never Be Perfect; Do What You’re Meant to Do Now Vincent Van Patten
Why Do We Love to Believe Wacky and Weird Stuff? James Alexander, MATheol, MA, PhD
This Teacher’s Act Made Me Look For Him After 43 Years. Am I Too Late? Wendy King
The Good Clime Retrieves The Sunken Heart — One Mild Allusion To Settle The Harmed Mind — Goodness… The Doctor — Joanie Adams
Temple Trails Abroad: My Journey Through Balinese Hinduism Somil Gupta
Surprising Life Lessons I Learned from Army Reserve Officer Training Danielle Spinks Earl
Come Take a Peek Into the Minds, Lives, and Fears … of Queers Brian Feutz
Things I Miss About the U.S. As an American Living in Paris Jolie Porter
How To Safely Transform Dietary Protein Into Healthy Longevity? Dr. Lutz Kraushaar
The Day the Moon Wobbled Over Planet Earth Adelia Ritchie, PhD
Common Medical Myths That Many People Continue to Believe Despite Proof to the Contrary David Mokotoff, MD
Is It Possible to Completely Heal from Covert Narcissistic Abuse? Melissa Kalt, MD
Returning to Tibet to Find Happiness Lorwen Harris Nagle, PhD
What We Learned When My Fiancée Was Hospitalised for Life-Threatening Anaemia Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Navigating the Abyss: When a Navy Helicopter Plunged into the Ocean Russell Carr MD
Insider Insights: 10 Guidelines for Excelling as a Patient From an ER Doctor Joan Naidorf MD
Humor Succeeds When It’s Relevant To Your Target Audience Mark Armstrong
What Us Introverts Can Learn From Extroverts (and Vice-a-Versa) Sean Kernan
Defining Spiritual Faith in a Life of Distraction Pernoste & Dahl
When Helping Is Hurting: AI is Hurting Our Students Denise P King
LSD’s Renaissance in Mental Health Treatment Matthew Bamberg
A Personal Account of Live Aid — the Day Musicians United to Fight World Hunger Gill McCulloch
Evolution and aging: do the dinosaurs have anything to do with human senescence? Eliot Bush
The Year Arrives with a Cancer Diagnosis in the Family Bebe Nicholson
Unravelling Rafflesia- A Most Unusual Parasitic Plant Rich Sobel
Boosted Stories in December 2023
Understanding the Nuances of 4 Types of Obesity Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Gaming, Fun, and Humor: The Lifelines That Rescued Me From Social Media’s Grip on My Life Aiden (Illumination Gaming)
Which Type of Intermittent Fasting is Best for Weight Loss and Health? Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Can Companion Robots Solve the Loneliness Epidemic Among Elders? Mark Sanford, Ph.D.
Echoes of Immortality — A Hero’s Final Anthem Donn K. Harris
How I Learned to Meditate Again After a 40-Year Lapse, and What I Get From It Martin D. Hirsch
Does Your Academic Performance Determine the Rest of Your Life? Clarissa Ai Ling Lee, PhD
Lessons From the Frontline: Managing an International, Three-Year IT Integration Project Jozsef Kovacs
Insights from a Scientist with a Poet’s Soul Pernoste & Dahl
2004 Boxing Day Tsunami: Our Dad’s Heart Attack May Have Saved His Youngest Daughter Gill McCulloch
Soulful Connections: Finding Meaning in Mammadou’s Childhood Letters Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Thinking Back on an Unsustainable Diet in a 12-Step Program and a Dramatic Weight Loss The Sturg
Soulful Connections: Finding Meaning in Mammadou’s Childhood Letters Dr Mehmet Yildiz
The Real Reason Medicine and Science Cannot Give You Exact Guidelines David Mokotoff, MD
The Artistic Meaning of Images Within Images Lorwen Harris Nagle, PhD
Cats and Copyediting: Using Illustration to Market a Book Mark Armstrong
If You Want to Lose Weight, You Must Lose the Heavy Thinking First Elaine Hilides
My Daughter’s Transgender Identity Didn’t Make Sense Tony Leo
6 Poor Coping Mechanisms Which Made My Trauma Worse Leon Macfayden
What’s So Wrong About Secretly Working Two Full-Time Jobs at Once Remotely? Luay Rahil
Our Family Trip to Beautiful Kalam Valley in Pakistan: A Tale of Beauty and Adventure Ammara Hassan
Do Eating and Breathing Noises Drive You Crazy? There May Be a Reason Elaine Hilides
How I Mastered 4 Essential Requirements to Become a Better Leader and Served My Clients Jozsef Kovacs
Describing the Human Predicament: The Sun, the Clouds and Us David Gerken
Gigantic Genomes and Supersized Salamander Cells Surprise Scientists and Put a Wrinkle in… Rich Sobel
Beyond Blind Spots: A Multi-Perspective Journey Toward Greater Understanding George M Pantazis
Who Is in Charge Here?–How Our Minds Control the Body Dr Emmanuel Ogamdi
Can We Lose Fat and Gain Muscle At the Same Time? Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Seeing a Cop In Line At Starbucks Gave Me The Jitters G Correia
Boosted Stories in November 2023
Mr. Speaker, There’s No Such Thing as a “Bible-Believing” Christian Guy Nave
Recent Discoveries and Potential Breakthroughs in Microbiome Health Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
If You Eat a Healthy Diet, Save Your Money Because You Don’t Need Probiotics and Prebiotics David Mokotoff, MD
Future Doctors and Nurses Don’t Want to See Patients Dr. Julian Barkan
5 Surprising Links Between Fitness and Photography Zacc Rowlands
Synaesthesia I: A Life of Colors, The Early Years Donn K. Harris
The Gap in Male/Female Life Expectancy Keeps Growing Dr. Julian Barkan
When The Great Himalayas Went Grey on Us, Literally Somil Gupta
Examining the Impact of Rice Consumption on Type 2 Diabetes Prevalence Antonio Segovia, MD.
Shutting Down the Inner Critic to Liberate Your True Self Mark Sanford, Ph.D.
Why Business Organizations Must Implement the Zero Trust Security Strategy and Execute It… David Pui | Digital Transformation Architect
New Discoveries that Redefine our View of Diet, Weight Gain, Exercise, and Health Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
How to Be Safe in the World of Cybercrime Jussi Luukkonen — your curiosity guide
Why Ban “Divisive” Teachings While Protecting Divisive Confederate Monuments? Guy Nave
Overcoming Post-COVID-19 Long-Lasting Olfactory Issues Antonio Segovia, MD.
How My Grandmother’s Legacy Goes Beyond the Wrinkles Gabriela Trofin-Tatár
Stories Boosted in October 2023
Should Doctors Be Less or More Empathetic? Dr. Julian Barkan
How Cholesterol Levels Impact Your Heart Health Dr. K P Vasudeva Rao
How discovering microbes transformed our understanding of life and health Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Four Ways to Balance Your Content Creation Obsession by Clayton Moulynox
Neuroscience Behind Why I Read 1000 Books With My Son Before He Turned 5 Prashansa Gadgil
Can I Connect with My Transgender Daughter as I Connected with My Son? Tony Leo
How Ōura Got the Fitness Geeks and Insomniacs Around Its Little Finger Jussi Luukkonen — your curiosity guide
How Survivorship Bias Colors Our World: Impact and How to Overcome It Sridhar Pai Tonse — Leadgen Coach- Tech Startups
Lessons from the Grave Sara Fellers on ChannSpirations and Coincidences
Grandma and God Brought Me Home AJ on ChannSpirations and Coincidences
Facing the Judge and Jury of Your Inner Critic jules — Miz Mindful
The Island Odyssey: A Weeklong Adventure in Rhodes Jozsef Kovacs
Organically Boosted Stories of Dr Yildiz
As mentioned below, Medium curators also directly boost stories without nomination. Dr. Yildiz shared some of his stories, so we added them here as samples to guide our writers.
Here’s How I Train My Brain Daily for Mental Clarity and Intellectual Productivity.
Meditation Can Boost the Cortical Thickness in the Brain and Prevent the Thinning of It
Here’s How to Make the Nervous System More Flexible and Functional
A New Clinical Trial Found a Low-Carb Diet Better Than the Dash.
How Writers Can Attract More Readers by Using Design Thinking Principles
Here’s Why I Focus on Nutritional Biochemistry Rather Than Diets
Queer Organisms: Nature’s Lesson for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality
Thank you for reading these wonderful stories.
I began featuring writers by analyzing their stories and educating our writers about common patterns that boosted those stories. Here are the four episodes in his series:
Lessons Learned from Boosted Stories — Episode #1 Dr Mehmet Yildiz
Lessons Learned from Boosted Stories — Episode #2 Matt Williams-Spooner, Ph.D.
Lessons Learned from Boosted Stories : Episode #3 — Joan Naidorf
Lessons Learned from Boosted Stories : Episode #4 Jozsef Kovacs
I look forward to your stories in all our publications, and we will choose well-crafted, memorable, and impactful stories through our nominators. In addition, Medium curators also organically boosted hundreds of stories from ILLUMINATION, which we plan to share in another collection.
How to access updated submission guidelines
New writers need to review these guidelines before submitting their stories to relevant publications. ILLUMINATION publications do not accept all types of stories anymore. We want all writers to change this perception.
ILLUMINATION Videos and Podcasts: Submission Guidelines 2023
Publishing and Conduct Guidelines for the Lampshade of ILLUMINATION
If you are interested in joining our editorial team, please feel free to contact our chief editor Dr Mehmet Yildiz, on Illumination’s Slack Workspace.
You may check out the criteria for our volunteer editorial role.
Supporting Friends of Medium Subscribers
One of our goals to create curated collections is to support Friends of Medium, who follow our publications. Dr Mehmet Yildiz wrote about the value of this program and shared his vision, strategy, and tactics to support these members they contribute to the income of our writers four times more than other members. You may review his stories to gain insights.
Importance and Value of Medium Friendship for Writers and Readers
Celebrating My Reading Anniversary with My Upgraded Subscription to New Medium Friendship
To support our writers,I also upgraded my account to Friends of Medium and wrote a story about it. I look forward to more and readers to upgrade to FoM subscription to create more vitality in this beautiful platform.
Meet Our New Writers
New writers are welcome to create a BIO introducing themselves from their pen.
Invitation to New Writers
ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications are inclusive and diverse, supporting 28,000+ contributors. Different levels of writers, from absolute beginners to the most accomplished ones, delight our readers with their educative and engaging content.
To join our vibrant publications, please send a request via this link. We will help you gain visibility and succeed as a writer on Medium. Please mention the publication name with your Medium account ID in the request.
ILLUMINATION Integrated Publications include:
ILLUMINATION, ILLUMINATION-Curated, ILLUMINATION’ S MIRROR, ILLUMINATION Book Chapters, Technology Hits, SYNERGY, Readers Hope, Illumination on YouTube, Illumination Gaming, Lampshade of Illumination, ILLUMINATION’s Blog, EUPHORIA by Dr Mehmet Yildiz
New writers, when you need help please don’t hesitate to contact me on Slack workspace or Discord server. I introduce these services below.
I also enjoy introducing writers on YouTube. So if you are interested you may contact me on Slack or Discord.
Here is some info about Slack and Discords
About Me
I write articles in my field covering gaming, film-making, social media, and design. I am also a YouTuber. Thank you for subscribing to my account to get notifications when I post on Medium. I created a new website to share my content for free and promote stories of writers contributing to my publications on Medium. I also have a Substack newsletter. Let’s connect on Twitter and LinkedIn.
I own two publications on Medium. One for video gamers and another for YouTubers and Podcasters. I also support Illumination Integrated Publications as a volunteer editor and participate in collaborative activities in the Slack Workspace.
Writer applications for my publications can be sent via this weblink. Please add your Medium ID. I also enjoy email marketing using Cliqly, which is my affiliate link.
