Anticancer: A New Way Of Life – by Dr. David Servan-Schreiber
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A cancer survivor himself, Dr. Servan-Schreiber found himself unimpressed with the advice he was given upon diagnosis, and set out to find better. This, he achieved.
He first provides an introductory overview of cancer, and then devotes most of the book to detailing how to create a “terrain” (the environment of your body and all that you do with/to it) that is hostile to cancer.
This includes things like diet, of course, but also exercise (the right way!), mindset, and much more. He doesn’t cover much about standard medical treatments, as he assumes the reader will already be advised about those by their oncologist, and in any case, such treatments are constantly changing as new discoveries are made. It’s worth mentioning that while he advocates strongly for complementary medicine, he does also make clear it should be just that—complementary—and not a replacement for regular treatments in cases where such are recommended.
The style is comprehensible pop-science, written for the lay reader, and yet with copious scientific references—more than 30 pages thereof. But as well as that, it’s a personal account, often revisiting his own cancer journey to illustrate one point or another, be it something that went well for him or badly, there’s always something to learn.
Bottom line: this book is important for anyone facing cancer, and useful for anyone who simply would like to improve their odds in a more informed fashion. As he notes, “all of us have cancer cells in our bodies, but not all of us will develop cancer”, and it’s good to try to be on the healthiest side of that.
Click here to check out Anticancer, and live an anticancer life!
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Hitting the beach? Here are some dangers to watch out for – plus 10 essentials for your first aid kit
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Summer is here and for many that means going to the beach. You grab your swimmers, beach towel and sunscreen then maybe check the weather forecast. Did you think to grab a first aid kit?
The vast majority of trips to the beach will be uneventful. However, if trouble strikes, being prepared can make a huge difference to you, a loved one or a stranger.
So, what exactly should you be prepared for?
FTiare/Shutterstock Knowing the dangers
The first step in being prepared for the beach is to learn about where you are going and associated levels of risk.
In Broome, you are more likely to be bitten by a dog at the beach than stung by an Irukandji jellyfish.
In Byron Bay, you are more likely to come across a brown snake than a shark.
In the summer of 2023–24, Surf Life Saving Australia reported more than 14 million Australian adults visited beaches. Surf lifesavers, lifeguards and lifesaving services performed 49,331 first aid treatments across 117 local government areas around Australia. Surveys of beach goers found perceptions of common beach hazards include rips, tropical stingers, sun exposure, crocodiles, sharks, rocky platforms and waves.
Sun and heat exposure are likely the most common beach hazard. The Cancer Council has reported that almost 1.5 million Australians surveyed during summer had experienced sunburn during the previous week. Without adequate fluid intake, heat stroke can also occur.
Lacerations and abrasions are a further common hazard. While surfboards, rocks, shells and litter might seem more dangerous, the humble beach umbrella has been implicated in thousands of injuries.
Sprains and fractures are also associated with beach activities. A 2022 study linked data from hospital, ambulance and Surf Life Saving cases on the Sunshine Coast over six years and found 79 of 574 (13.8%) cervical spine injuries occurred at the beach. Surfing, smaller wave heights and shallow water diving were the main risks.
Rips and rough waves present a higher risk at areas of unpatrolled beach, including away from surf lifesaving flags. Out of 150 coastal drowning deaths around Australia in 2023–24, nearly half were during summer. Of those deaths:
- 56% occurred at the beach
- 31% were rip-related
- 86% were male, and
- 100% occurred away from patrolled areas.
People who had lived in Australia for less than two years were more worried about the dangers, but also more likely to be caught in a rip.
Safety Beach on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Still bring your first aid essentials though. Julia Kuleshova/Shutterstock Knowing your DR ABCs
So, beach accidents can vary by type, severity and impact. How you respond will depend on your level of first aid knowledge, ability and what’s in your first aid kit.
A first aid training company survey of just over 1,000 Australians indicated 80% of people agree cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is the most important skill to learn, but nearly half reported feeling intimidated by the prospect.
CPR training covers an established checklist for emergency situations. Using the acronym “DR ABC” means checking for:
- Danger
- Response
- Airway
- Breathing
- Circulation
A complete first aid course will provide a range of skills to build confidence and be accredited by the national regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority.
What to bring – 10 first aid essentials
Whether you buy a first aid kit or put together you own, it should include ten essential items in a watertight, sealable container:
- Band-Aids for small cuts and abrasions
- sterile gauze pads
- bandages (one small one for children, one medium crepe to hold on a dressing or support strains or sprains, and one large compression bandage for a limb)
- large fabric for sling
- a tourniquet bandage or belt to restrict blood flow
- non-latex disposable gloves
- scissors and tweezers
- medical tape
- thermal or foil blanket
- CPR shield or breathing mask.
Before you leave for the beach, check the expiry dates of any sunscreen, solutions or potions you choose to add.
If you’re further from help
If you are travelling to a remote or unpatrolled beach, your kit should also contain:
- sterile saline solution to flush wounds or rinse eyes
- hydrogel or sunburn gel
- an instant cool pack
- paracetamol and antihistamine medication
- insect repellent.
Make sure you carry any “as-required” medications, such as a Ventolin puffer for asthma or an EpiPen for severe allergy.
Vinegar is no longer recommended for most jellyfish stings, including Blue Bottles. Hot water is advised instead.
In remote areas, also look out for Emergency Response Beacons. Located in high-risk spots, these allow bystanders to instantly activate the surf emergency response system.
If you have your mobile phone or a smart watch with GPS function, make sure it is charged and switched on and that you know how to use it to make emergency calls.
First aid kits suitable for the beach range in price from $35 to over $120. Buy these from certified first aid organisations such as Surf Lifesaving Australia, Australian Red Cross, St John Ambulance or Royal Life Saving. Kits that come with a waterproof sealable bag are recommended.
Be prepared this summer for your trip to the beach and pack your first aid kit. Take care and have fun in the sun.
Andrew Woods, Lecturer, Nursing, Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University and Willa Maguire, Associate Lecturer in Nursing, Southern Cross University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Celery vs Parsley – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing celery to parsley, we picked the parsley.
Why?
Firstly, you may be thinking: “What kind of a comparison is this?! Parsley is a seasoning or a garnish; who uses it as a salad option option?!” and the answer is that nobody can stop you from using herbs as a main greenery option, and in fact, we recommend it (both for adding a lot of flavor to your plate, and getting in a lot of nutrients).
So, with that in mind, let’s get to it:
In terms of macros, parsley has 2x the fiber for 2x the carbs and 5x the protein, winning in this category easily.
In the category of vitamins, celery is not higher in any vitamins, while parsley has a lot more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, C, E, and K, sweeping its second round completely.
Looking at minerals, celery does have more selenium, while parsley has a lot more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, convincingly winning its third round in a row.
In other considerations, they both are great sources of polyphenols, though celery (albeit notably the leaves thereof, not the stalks so much) does have more flavonoids specifically, and may arguably pick up a point here.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for parsley, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
(Unless you are allergic to celery, in which case, definitely do stick the parsley!)
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Invigorating Sabzi Khordan ← another great way to enjoy parsley as main ingredient rather than just a seasoning
Enjoy!
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Lettuce vs Arugula – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing lettuce to arugula, we picked the arugula.
Why?
These two salad leaves that often fulfil quite similar culinary roles (base of a green salad) are actually of different families, and it shows…
In terms of macros, arugula is lower in carbs, and much higher in protein and fiber—to the point that the protein content in arugula is almost equal to the carb content, which for leaves, is not that common a thing to see.
When it comes to vitamins, things are more even: lettuce has more of vitamins A, B1, B3, B6, and K, while arugula has more of vitamins B5, B9, C, E, and choline. All in all, we can comfortably call it a tie on the vitamin front.
In the category of minerals, things are once again more decided: arugula has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. In contrast, lettuce boasts only more selenium. An easy win for arugula.
Both of these plants have plenty of health-giving phytochemicals, including flavonoids and carotenoids along with other less talked-about things, and while the profiles are quite different for each of them, they stack up about the same in terms of overall benefits in this category.
Taking the various categories into account, this of course adds up to an easy win for arugula, but do enjoy both, especially as lettuce brings benefits that arugula doesn’t in the two categories where they tied!
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You might like to read:
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Dealing With Waking Up In The Night
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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? You can always hit “reply” to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!
In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!
As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, we’ll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, we’ll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!
So, no question/request too big or small
❝I’m now in my sixties and find that I invariably wake up at least once during the night. Is this normal? Even if it is, I would still like, once in a while, to sleep right through like a teenager. How might this be achieved, without pills?❞
Most people wake up briefly between sleep cycles, and forget doing so. But waking up for more than a brief moment is indeed best avoided. In men of your age, if you’re waking to pee (especially if it’s then not actually that easy to pee), it can be a sign of an enlarged prostate. Which is again a) normal b) not optimal.
By “without pills” we’ll assume you mean “without sleeping pills”. There are options to treat an enlarged prostate, including well-established supplements. We did a main feature on this:
Prostate Health: What You Should Know
If the cause of waking up is something else, then again this is common for everyone as we get older, and again it’s not optimal. But since there are so many possible causes (and thus solutions), it’s more than we can cover in less than a main feature, so we’ll have to revisit this later.
Meanwhile, take care!
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How Some Brains Are Hardwired For Procrastination
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It has to do with faulty dopamine-signalling, and working around it can be tricky, but not impossible. Dr Tracey Marks, psychiatrist, explains:
When “no worries” is an illusion
People with ADHD can seem to go through life with no worries, but in reality, it’s more like “yes worries, however…” and an inability to translate that worry into action.
Back in the 1970s, there was a famous experiment wherein some rats were lobotomized to be completely insensitive to dopamine signalling. They died, because they did not do the things necessary for survival, including drinking water. Those rats will have experienced thirst, and will have known what to do about that, but the normal brain response for translating that into action was simply not functioning. If they had had human-level verbal cognition, they would have died thinking “I really should go and get a drink”.
In other words, a lot like the neuropsychology of ADHD. In the ADHD brain, dopamine signalling isn’t completely broken (hence people with ADHD do still take some actions), but it doesn’t work very well (due to fewer dopamine transport proteins), meaning that what for most people will give some chemical sense of reward, won’t, for the ADHD brain. And we’re not talking “just took cocaine and won the lottery and had an orgasm” levels of reward, we’re talking “brushed teeth and now have clean teeth” levels of reward. Thus, small mildly-rewarding activities are now simply not rewarding, so the brain won’t facilitate their completion.
Stimulant medications can work by boosting dopamine, but the effects are temporary and not always sufficient.
So, what else can be done about it?
Motivation in ADHD is influenced by four key factors: interest, urgency, challenge, and novelty. Boosting one or more of these can make tasks feel more doable and engaging:
- Interest can be increased by finding a way to make the task more fun, which can include gamifying it (making it a game somehow) or by “temptation bundling”, that is to say, doing something enjoyable at the same time.
- Urgency can often not really be usefully increased. Dr. Marks will advise in the video, as many do, creating false deadlines, using timers, and so forth. However, false deadlines will be recognized as such and thus ignored (and let’s face it, the ADHD brain will often disregard real deadlines, too—many people struggle for example with not paying their bills despite having the money, or not filing taxes on time, or being consistently late for social events), and timers can be run out. That said, timers can at least be useful for getting into a “flow” state, thus engaging interest, rather than urgency.
- Challenge is an interesting paradox; if one finds the challenge of [very easy thing] somehow too difficult, one can increase the challenge for a greater chance of success! This ties back into interest, for example by gamifying things, But watch out! Because, increase the challenge too much, and the brain will simply go “nope, the small reward is not worth that effort” and shut down one’s motivation.
- Novelty helps to “reset” things, and makes a challenge new and fresh, and can revitalize interest by sparking curiosity and imagination (in contrast, doing the same thing all the time will give rapidly diminishing marginal returns on effort).
For more on all of this, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
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How To Make Your Body Fat Heart-Healthier
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It matters where and how fat is stored, and the good news is, you can influence that!
Where it goes
Firstly, there’s an important distinction between subcutaneous fat (the squishable stuff just underneath your skin) and visceral fat (you can’t squish this; it’s under your abdominal muscles, surrounding your organs).
Subcutaneous fat is good in moderation, with a fairly wide margin for error. The healthiest body fat percentages are (assuming normal hormones) generally considered to be in the range of 20–25% for women and 15–20% for men. You can read more about this here: Is A Visible Six-Pack Obtainable Regardless Of Genetic Predisposition?
Visceral fat is generally bad. We technically do need some, but almost everyone has either the right amount or too much, and its presence is very strongly associated with metabolic health problems, well beyond the kind of health risks that can be attributed to systemic failures in the healthcare system when it comes to those with merely more subcutaneous fat than most (see: Fat’s Real Barriers To Health). So whereas subcutaneous fat tends to get scapegoated a lot for largely unrelated things, excess visceral fat is genuinely an undeniable problem metabolically.
We wrote more about visceral fat, here: Visceral Belly Fat & How To Lose It ← “visceral belly fat” is actually a redundant tautology repeated more than once unnecessarily (since the only place we get it is the viscera of the abdominal cavity), but including both terms makes the article easier to find when using our website’s search function 😉
Recently (the paper was published two days ago, at time of writing) researchers (Dr. Vladimir Losev et al.) analysed UK Biobank data from 21,241 people, using whole body and heart imaging and AI to calculate a “heart age” compared with chronological age.
What they found: excess visceral fat around organs was linked to faster aging of the heart and blood vessels, even in people who appear fit and have a “healthy” BMI.
We put that “healthy” in quotation marks there, because BMI isn’t very reliable for anything, and in this study, BMI didn’t predict heart age well, showing that fat location is more important than overall weight. See also: When BMI Doesn’t Quite Measure Up
Why this happens: people think of fat as being “just there”, but in reality it’s metabolically active, releasing cytokines, hormones, and chemokines; visceral fat promotes insulin resistance, inflammation, and lipid problems, while subcutaneous fat differs developmentally and functionally
They also found: hormonally-driven sex differences, notably that women have less visceral fat (54% of men’s level) but more subcutaneous fat (38% higher), and as such:
- men with “apple-shaped” fat distribution (belly fat) showed faster heart aging
- women with “pear-shaped” fat (hips and thighs) had slower heart aging
… and, confirming that hypothesis further, higher estrogen levels were found to be protective against heart aging.
For more on that, see: What Menopause Does To The Heart
As for this study we’ve been talking about, you can read the paper in full here: Sex-specific body fat distribution predicts cardiovascular ageing
What to do about it
Firstly, see our previous article: Visceral Belly Fat & How To Lose It for the dos and don’ts of getting healthier (which for most people means: lower) visceral fat levels.
Next up, see also: Body Fat & Pelvic Floor Problems: What Matters Most Is Where The Fat Is for more about those “apple or pear” distributions, and how to switch it up.
You may also be wondering: Can We Do Fat Redistribution? And the answer is yes, and we are doing it all the time whether we want to or not, so we might as well know what things affect our fat distribution in various body parts. The article we just linked there shows how.
While we’re at it, one other place you really don’t want excess fat, for metabolic reasons, is your liver. So: How To Unfatty A Fatty Liver
One more thing…
Did you know that even our subcutaneous fat is divided into kinds that are “better” or “worse” than others?
Learn about it here: The BAT-pause! ← this is about Brown Adipose Tissue (the best kind of subcutaneous fat) and how/why its levels often lower with menopause, and what to do about it.
Take care!
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