Are Grounding Mats Grounded In Good Science?
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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!
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 😎
❝Could you research grounding mats? Fact or fiction?❞
We could! There are a couple of layers to this:
The Down-to-Earth basics (No mats yet)
Grounding, also called earthing, is first and foremost a matter of making literal contact with the ground. The Earth’s surface contains (usually) a negative electrical charge, meaning that it is expected that an ion exchange will happen when we touch it. Specifically, we’ll gain electrons. This is not proven, since it’s hard to measure rigorously, but the principle is reasonable, simple science, and is broadly uncontentious. There are scenarios in which something can be expected to play out differently, if something unusual is going on electrically for example (e.g. thunderstorm, Van de Graaff generator, just rubbed yourself against a nylon carpet for some reason, etc), but for the most part: the ground indeed has a negative charge and touching it should usually cause us to gain electrons unless we also were negatively charged.
So, the first question is: why would we want that?
It’s suggested that grounding has many health benefits, including reduction of inflammation, pain, and stress, improvement of blood flow, sleep, and vitality:
That’s a paper in the International Journal of Psychophysiology, which is neither a very well-known journal, nor a journal of ill-repute. As best we can tell, it is a legitimate journal functionally, i.e. it doesn’t appear to be a scam journal etc, but the standard of evidence looks to us to be quite low. For example, many of the references are not from high quality sources, and some are simply dead links.
This means that meaningful evidence for these claimed benefits is, ironically, thin on the ground.
Should-be-decent sources that we were able to follow up on, i.e. that were peer-reviewed studies, were methodologically weak insofar as they relied on subjective reports of stress reduction, inflammation symptoms (when there are clear biomarkers of inflammation that could have been measured), sleep improvement, and so forth.
Most of the other papers we could access had Gaétan Chevalier as an author, whose PhD is from Quantum University, which is not accredited, and appears to be a diploma mill.
See also: Quantum University Misuses Physics to Train Fake Doctors
What about grounding mats?
Grounding mats aim to recreate the benefit of the ground, without actually having to get one’s feet dirty. Bearing in mind that most modern shoes are already sufficient to insulate against the very modest ion exchange that could otherwise be occurring.
So, with a grounding mat, it’s possible to do it without going outside, and indeed while living on the tenth floor of an apartment block or such.
How do they work? Usually it involves a conductive wire running from the mat to the Earth itself, or to the Earth/ground port of an electrical outlet.
Yes, that does create an electric shock risk if something is incorrectly connected, so do be careful about that.
So, do they help? In all honestly, probably not. Or at least, not beyond placebo.
Which is not nothing! A benefit that’s “just” placebo is still a benefit, but there are other ways to leverage placebo effect (yes, even if we know about it) that don’t involve connecting yourself the mains:
How To Leverage Placebo Effect For Yourself
And if you do want to practice grounding/Earthing, the best way to do so is a) in direct contact with the actual Earth b) somewhere that you’ve checked is safe to stand barefooted (please don’t cut your feet, get tetanus, etc).
Take care!
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Cabbage vs Onion – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing cabbage to onion, we picked the cabbage.
Why?
In terms of macros, cabbage has more fiber while onion has more carbs, making cabbage the winner in this category as most people need more fiber, and especially a better fiber-to-carbs ratio.
In the category of vitamins, cabbage has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, C, E, and K, while onions are not higher in any vitamins, giving cabbage a complete win in this round.
Looking at minerals, cabbage has more calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and zinc, while onions have more copper, phosphorus, and selenium, meaning cabbage enjoys a 6:3 win here.
In other considerations, polyphenols will vary a lot for these, but both are strong contenders in this regard and we say it averages out to a tie in this round.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for cabbage, but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Enjoy Bitter Foods For Your Heart & Brain
Enjoy!
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The Doctor’s Kitchen – by Dr. Rupy Aujla
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We’ve featured Dr. Aujla before as an expert-of-the-week, and now it’s time to review a book by him. What’s his deal, and what should you expect?
Dr. Aujla first outlines the case for food as medicine. Not just “eat nutritionally balanced meals”, but literally, “here are the medicinal properties of these plants”. Think of some of the herbs and spices we’ve featured in our Monday Research Reviews, and add in medicinal properties of cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetables, bananas with dopamine and dopamine precursors, berries full of polyphenols, hemp seeds that fight cognitive decline, and so forth.
Most of the book is given over to recipes. They’re plant-centric, but mostly not vegan. They’re consistent with the Mediterranean diet, but mostly Indian. They’re economically mindful (favoring cheap ingredients where reasonable) while giving a nod to where an extra dollar will elevate the meal. They don’t give calorie values etc—this is a feature not a bug, as Dr. Aujla is of the “positive dieting” camp that advocates for us to “count colors, not calories”. Which, we have to admit, makes for very stress-free cooking, too.
Dr. Aujla is himself an Indian Brit, by the way, which gives him two intersecting factors for having a taste for spices. If you don’t share that taste, just go easier on the pepper etc.
As for the medicinal properties we mentioned up top? Four pages of references at the back, for any who are curious to look up the science of them. We at 10almonds do love references!
Bottom line: if you like tasty food and you’re looking for a one-stop, well-rounded, food-as-medicine cookbook, this one is a top-tier choice.
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Prozac’s Effect On Neuroplasticity
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Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to change over time, in accordance with our experiences, and what things we practise.
For example, before the ubiquity of GPS, taxi-drivers tended to get unusually well-developed in areas of the brain associated with memory and spatial reasoning. In contrast, your writer here, a person who does a lot of reading and writing and also uses at least 3+ languages daily, doubtlessly has overdeveloped language centers. A visual artist might develop much better visual centers. And so forth.
These changes are in large part physical, and very easy to measure (with the right equipment). It’s not hard to see when a certain part of the brain has proportionally more volume than usual, for example.
So, what does Prozac have to do with it?
More than a mood-brightener
Aside from the obvious primary intended effect of antidepressants (i.e., to treat depression by increasing relevant neurotransmitter levels), antidepressants have a bad reputation for side effects.
For example: How Serious Are Antidepressant Side Effects?
Some side effects are often exaggerated in popular (mis)understanding, such as: How Much Weight Gain Do Antidepressants Cause? ← the answer being: often less weight than people gain per year when not on antidepressants (although weight gain can happen, especially if one was previously under-eating while depressed)
When it comes to Prozac (the most well-known brand name for fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which works by increasing serotonin levels in the brain by decreasing the rate at which the brain “loses” serotonin), it’s worth initially noting that while serotonin is mostly associated with happiness, it does other things too; see: Serotonin For More Than Just Happiness
The study we wrote about in that article found that it’s not just a matter of how much serotonin we have, but also where in the brain in accumulates, and which parts of the brain get prioritized. Sound familiar?
Recently, researchers (Dr. Ilida Suleymanova et al.) investigated the effects of serotonin on neuroplasticity, and found that indeed fluoxetine (Prozac) does more than boost serotonin—it also reshapes how certain brain cells manage energy and plasticity.
This happens as quickly as the first two weeks; for example, parvalbumin interneurons in the prefrontal cortex, which normally keep brain activity balanced, became less rigid after two weeks of treatment (which makes further changes much more possible), bearing in mind that since depression is linked to overly rigid brain circuits, this means that fluoxetine can “soften” these networks, allowing rewiring and flexibility.
- Specifically, mitochondria in these rigidity-inducing braincells got disempowered by reduced expression of energy-production genes (remember, people think of genes as unchangeable, but they can be turned on and off by hormones/neurotransmitters, amongst other things).
- Even more specifically, genes tied to adaptability were upregulated, and perineuronal nets that restrict plasticity were weakened.
To read this paper in full, see: Chronic treatment with fluoxetine regulates mitochondrial features and plasticity-associated transcriptomic pathways in parvalbumin-positive interneurons of prefrontal cortex
This becomes extra important as we age, because neurogenesis (the brain’s ability to produce new brain cells) is an important factor in neuroplasticity.
Contrary to popular belief, we continue to do this all the way through life, albeit it does usually slow down in older age, but there are things that affect how much this happens, and when.
To learn more about that, see: Building Your Brain At Every Age
Finally, if you’ve been considering antidepressants but haven’t been sure if they’d be right for you, then before you rush to your doctor to get a prescription for Prozac, you might want to check out: Antidepressants: Personalization Is Key! ← because it makes a difference which one you pick
Alternatively, if you don’t love the idea of having to keep taking something, you might consider: Psychedelics: Yes Even Once? ← since a single dose can have a lasting (positive!) effect on cognitive flexibility
Want to learn more?
You might like this book we reviewed a little while ago:
Take care!
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No Equipment Muscle Gain Routine for Ages 50+
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Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass commonly associated with aging, can be a big problem as it leaves us vulnerable to injury (and also isn’t great for the metabolism—keeping adequate muscle mass ensures keeping the metabolism ticking over nicely). Will Harlow, over-50s specialist physiotherapist, is here to share a routine that works without weights:
Where it counts
There’s a fair amount of emphasis here on the lower body and core. That’s because in practical terms, this is what matters more for our health than having bulging biceps:
- First exercise: donkey calf raises to build strength in the calves using a chair.
- Second exercise: single-leg elevated lunge to work the quads and glutes, using a step or books for elevation.
- Third exercise: slow sit-to-stand for quads, glutes, and core strength, focusing on a slow descent.
- Fourth exercise: wall press-up to strengthen the chest, shoulders, and arms, with a variation using towels for increased resistance.
- Final exercise: shoulder raises using bottles or similar weights to target the shoulders and rotator cuffs.
Ok, so that last one was a slight cheat on his part as it does require grabbing a weight, but it’s not specialist equipment at least, and can just be something you grabbed at home. It’s also the least important of the five exercises, and can be skipped if necessary.
For more on all of these plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
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Wakefulness, Cognitive Enhancement, AND Improved Mood?
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Old Drug, New Tricks?
Modafinil (also known by brand names including Modalert and Provigil) is a dopamine uptake inhibitor.
What does that mean? It means it won’t put any extra dopamine in your brain, but it will slow down the rate at which your brain removes naturally-occuring dopamine.
The result is that your brain will get to make more use of the dopamine it does have.
(dopamine is a neutrotransmitter that allows you to feel wakeful and happy, and perform complex cognitive tasks)
Modafinil is prescribed for treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness. Often that’s caused by shift work sleep disorder, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, or narcolepsy.
Read: Overview of the Clinical Uses, Pharmacology, and Safety of Modafinil
Many studies done on humans (rather than rats) have been military experiments to reduce the effects of sleep deprivation:
Click Here To See A Military Study On Modafinil!
They’ve found modafinil to be helpful, and more effective and more long-lasting than caffeine, without the same “crash” later. This is for two reasons:
1) while caffeine works by blocking adenosine (so you don’t feel how tired you are) and by constricting blood vessels (so you feel more ready-for-action), modafinil works by allowing your brain to accumulate more dopamine (so you’re genuinely more wakeful, and you get to keep the dopamine)
2) the biological half-life of modafinil is 12–15 hours, as opposed to 4–8 hours* for caffeine.
*Note: a lot of sources quote 5–6 hours for caffeine, but this average is misleading. In reality, we are each genetically predisposed to be either a fast caffeine metabolizer (nearer 4 hours) or a slow caffeine metabolizer (nearer 8 hours).
What’s a biological half-life (also called: elimination half-life)?
A substance’s biological half-life is the time it takes for the amount in the body to be reduced by exactly half.
For example: Let’s say you’re a fast caffeine metabolizer and you have a double-espresso (containing 100mg caffeine) at 8am.
By midday, you’ll have 50mg of caffeine left in your body. So far, so simple.
By 4pm you might expect it to be gone, but instead you have 25mg remaining (because the amount halves every four hours).
By 8pm, you have 12.5mg remaining.
When midnight comes and you’re tucking yourself into bed, you still have 6.25mg of caffeine remaining from your morning coffee!
Use as a nootropic
Many healthy people who are not sleep-deprived use modafinil “off-label” as a nootropic (i.e., a cognitive enhancer).
Read: Modafinil for cognitive neuroenhancement in healthy non-sleep-deprived subjects: A systematic review
Important Note: modafinil is prescription-controlled, and only FDA-approved for sleep disorders.
To get around this, a lot of perfectly healthy biohackers describe the symptoms of sleep pattern disorder to their doctor, to get a prescription.
We do not recommend lying to your healthcare provider, and nor do we recommend turning to the online “grey market”.
Such websites often use anonymized private doctors to prescribe on an “informed consent” basis, rather than making a full examination. Those websites then dispense the prescribed medicines directly to the patient with no further questions asked (i.e. very questionable practices).
Caveat emptor!
A new mood-brightener?
Modafinil was recently tested head-to-head against Citalapram for the treatment of depression, and scored well:
See its head-to-head scores here!
How does it work? Modafinil does for dopamine what a lot of anti-depressants do for serotonin. Both dopamine and serotonin promote happiness and wakefulness.
This is very promising, especially as modafinil (in most people, at least) has fewer unwanted side-effects than a lot of common anti-depressant medications.
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The Best Exercise to Stop Your Legs From Giving Out
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Dr. Doug Weiss, seniors-specialist physio, has an exercise that stops your knees from being tricked into collapsing (which is very common) by a misfiring (also common) reflex.
Step up…
Setup to step up thus:
- Use a sturdy support like a countertop or chair.
- Have an aerobic step or similar firm surface to step onto.
When you’re ready:
- Stand facing away from the step.
- Place one hand on the support for stability.
- Step backwards up onto the step with your right leg, then your left leg, so both feet are on the step.
- Step forward to come back down.
Once you’re confident of the series of movements, do it without the support, and do it for a few minutes each day. Don’t worry about how easy it becomes; this is not, first and foremost, a strength-training exercise; you don’t have to start adding weights or anything (although of course you can if you want).
How it works: there’s a part of you called the Golgi tendon organ, and it can trigger a Golgi tendon reflex, which is one of the body’s equivalents of a steam valve. However, instead of letting off steam to avoid a boiler explosion, it collapses a joint to save it from overload. However, if not exercised regularly, it can get overly sensitive, causing it to mistake your mere bodyweight for an overload. So, it collapses, thinking it is saving you from snapping a tendon, but it’s not. By exercising in the way described, the Golgi tendon reflex will go back to only being triggered by an actual overload, not the mere act of stepping.
Meanwhile, for more on all of the above plus a visual demonstration, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
What Nobody Teaches You About Strengthening Your Knees
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
