Better Sex Through Mindfulness – by Dr. Lori Brotto
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Female sexuality is such a taboo topic that, if one searches for (ob/gyn professor, women’s health research director, and psychologist) Dr. Brotto’s book on Google or Amazon, it suggests only “lori brotto mindfulness book”. So, for those brave enough to read a book that would have shocked Victorians, what does this one contain?
The focus is on, as the title suggests, better sex, by and for women. That said, it’s mostly because typically women are more likely to experience the problems described in the book; it’s nothing actually intrinsic to womanhood. A man with the same problems could read this book and benefit just the same.
While the book covers many possible problems between the sheets, the overarching theme is problems of the mind, such as:
- Not getting into the mood in the first place
- Losing the mood quickly and easily, such as by becoming distracted
- Difficulty achieving orgasm even when mechanically everything’s delightful
- Physical discomfort creating a barrier to enjoyment
…and yes, that last one is in part mind-stuff too! Though Dr. Brotto isn’t arguing that mindfulness is a panacea, just an incredibly useful tool. And, it’s one she not only explains very well, but also explains from the position of a wealth of scientific evidence… Enough so, that we see a one-star Amazon reviewer from Canada complained that it was too well-referenced! For us, though, it’s what we like to see.
Good science, presented clearly and usefully, giving practical tips that improve people’s lives.
Bottom line: if you’ve ever lost the mood because you got distracted into thinking about taxes or that meeting on Tuesday, this is the book for you.
Click here to check out Better Sex Through Mindfulness—you can thank us later!
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The Surprising Link Between Vitamin D & Pain
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Most people, or at least most women of a certain age, know that vitamin D is especially important to us as we get older (women of a certain age, because: increased osteoporosis risk especially for women and especially with untreated menopause, because estrogen and progesterone are also essential for healthy bone turnover*)
*Unless you’re a man with typical manly hormones, in which case, testosterone has you covered! But for the rest of us, estrogen and progesterone are what’s needed to avoid the increased risk, and for all of us, vitamin D is necessary to for health bone rebuilding.
However! While vitamin D is well-known amongst our demographic to be important for bone health (and quite well-known for being relevant to immune health*, too), its effects on some other systems are not so widely understood, and that’s what we’ll talk about today.
*See for example: Does Vitamin D Help Against COVID? ← short answer: vitamin D does so many things for your immune system, and/but no, protecting you from COVID is not one of them. However, it may reduce the risk of long COVID, at least.
First though, a quick vitamin D primer for anyone catching up:
- Vitamin D2 vs Vitamin D3: What You Would Benefit From Knowing
- Vit D + Calcium: Too Much Of A Good Thing? ← this also talks about safe and effective doses, and what goes wrong if you take too much
- How Taking Vitamin D Supplements Can Sabotage Your Vitamin D Levels
So, what’s this about vitamin D and pain?
It’s about how the body responds
Researchers (Dr. Mahdy Abdelhady et al.) investigated this matter and found that women with vitamin D deficiency who underwent surgery were about 3x more likely to experience moderate to severe postoperative pain and used substantially more opioid medication afterwards.
In numbers:
- It was an observational study with 184 women undergoing surgery between September 2024 and April 2025, with half of the participants deficient in vitamin D and half having higher levels.
- Patients with vitamin D levels below 30nmol/L were classified as deficient, while those above that threshold formed the comparison group (we could call it a control group, but since it was an observational study rather than a RCT, we don’t say that).
- Patients with low vitamin D required more fentanyl during* surgery and, on average, used 112 mg more tramadol after surgery through patient-controlled pain pumps.
- None of the patients reported extremely severe pain, but the vitamin D deficient group had many more cases of moderate pain scores between 4 and 6 on a 10-point scale.
- Nausea after surgery was more common in the vitamin D deficient group, and vomiting occurred only in that group, although the vomiting difference wasn’t statistically significant.
*Yes, pain relief is needed even while unconscious during general anesthesia, for reasons explained here: How Does Anesthesia Work?
As for why this happened the way it did: it’s an observational study so we can’t say for 100% sure, but the researchers believe it is likely mostly because of how vitamin D influences pain processing through its effects on inflammation and the immune system, which in turn also affect how the body responds to injury.
You can read this paper in full here: Association between preoperative vitamin D level and postoperative pain in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery: a prospective observational study
Want to learn more?
We’ve written quite a bit about pain management, including:
- Before You Reach For That Tylenol…
- How To Stop Pain Spreading
- How To Dial Down Your Pain
- Managing Chronic Pain (Realistically!)
- Get The Right Help For Your Pain
- The 7 Approaches To Pain Management
- Science-Based Alternative Pain Relief (When Painkillers Aren’t Helping, These Things Might)
Take care!
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The Anti-Inflammatory Diet – by Dale Pinnock
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We previously reviewed this author’s “The Medicinal Chef”, which focus on a “eat this to improve that” approach on a system-by-system basis through the body. This time, it’s purely about fighting inflammation.
This is important, because inflammation is a root cause of many diseases, and the diseases it doesn’t outright cause, it makes nearly all of them worse.
Thus, Pinnock takes us through a simple explanation of the biology of inflammation, the impact of chronic inflammation on health, and non-dietary lifestyle drivers of such, plus the all-important gut-inflammation connection.
Thereafter, he presents dietary solutions: being aware of foods that “fuel the fire” of inflammation, to avoid or at least minimize those, and then how to “power your plate” with actively anti-inflammatory foods that stand a tier above the “well, at least they don’t make it worse” middle-range foods, to instead give your body everything it needs to dial down inflammation the most effectively. And yes, there are recipes (80 of them).
For those who like step-by-step “do this, do that” plans, that’s what the “6 simple steps” mentioned in the subtitle are (it’s a 6-week plan), and this is toward the end of the book, to bring together everything learned over the course of the book, and integrate those learnings into one’s kitchen and life.
The style is the lightest of light pop-science, which is what one might expect from a TV chef who isn’t a scientist or doctor, but the scientific content is nevertheless sound, and well-referenced.
Bottom line: if you’d like to reduce your inflammation in an easy, step-by-step fashion, this book can definitely help with that.
Click here to check out The Anti-Inflammatory Diet, and dial down your inflammation!
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The Life-Changing Manga Of Tidying Up – by Marie Kondo
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Everyone knows the slogan “does this spark joy?”, but there’s a whole method to the magic that goes far beyond that. It spans all manner of things from the over-arching strategy of taking on a house-sized tidying project, to practical little tips like “store these things this way instead; now they’re safe, tidy and accessible—and look good too!”.
You may be wondering: why are we reviewing this book instead of the much more famous “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up”?
It’s simple: here at 10almonds, we like things to be super simple and easy to digest.
This book is smaller, simpler, and more digestible than her more famous book, without sacrificing content. And you know what? We held it in our hands and it sparked joy
Bottom line is: it’s useful, it’s beautiful, it will change your life (and your underwear drawer).
PS: this 10almonds team-member gifted a copy to her 12-year-old son. He implemented it the same day, unbidden. Magic indeed!
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Carrot vs Turnip – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing carrots to turnips, we picked the carrots.
Why?
In terms of macros, carrots have 50% more fiber, 50% more carbs, and approximately the same protein. All in all, that makes carrots the “more plant per plant” option in the macros category and thus the winner in this first round.
In the category of vitamins, carrots have more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, E, and K, scoring especially highly in vitamins A, E, and K, while turnips are higher only in vitamin C. All in all, a clear second-round win for carrots.
Looking at minerals, carrots have more calcium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and potassium, while turnips have more copper, selenium, and zinc, yielding a 5:3 win for carrots in this round.
In other considerations, they’re about equal on polyphenols, but carrots are (shocking nobody) higher in carotenoids, and score an extra point here.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for carrots, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?
Enjoy!
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Does the flu vaccine give you the flu? 5 questions about the vaccine answered
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Winter is coming, and with the cold weather comes respiratory viral infections, including influenza.
So now’s a good time to protect yourself and others with the flu vaccine. It’s effective, free and widely available for many high-risk groups. Even if you don’t qualify for a free vaccine, it’s still recommended for you and your family.
Here are five common questions you might have about the flu and the flu vaccine, and our answers.
FatCamera/Getty 1. Is the flu really so bad?
Most flu infections are relatively mild and uncomplicated – but not all. Experimental studies, where volunteers are infected with the flu virus or rhinovirus (a cause of the common cold), show the flu is associated with more intense symptoms that last longer.
The flu weakens the natural defences of the lung. This can allow bacterial or fungal infection to become established, leading to secondary pneumonia.
The flu is also thought to trigger heart attacks, stroke and other cardiovascular disease. In young children, it can trigger febrile seizures (childhood seizures caused by a sudden spike in body temperature).
Uncommonly, the flu virus can directly infect body organs other than the lungs, leading to often severe and devastating diseases. These include infection of the brain (causing encephalitis) or heart (myocarditis).
Frail, older people may have a limited capacity to cope with the stress of infection. So for them, the flu can trigger confusion (delirium), dehydration and cause other body systems to fail.
The groups with the highest risk of flu-related hospitalisation are at each end of the age spectrum – young infants and children, and older people, particularly those with other chronic (long-term) illnesses.
The flu is associated with some of the highest rates of hospitalisation compared with other common respiratory viruses, in children and adults.
In 2025, Australia had an estimated 1,744 deaths involving the flu.
2. Do kids really need a flu vaccine?
Of half a million flu cases diagnosed in Australia in 2025, about two in five were diagnosed in those under 18 years. This results in thousands of children admitted to hospital with the flu each year.
Although children with underlying health conditions are more likely to develop complicated influenza, over half of hospitalised cases occur in healthy children.
According to one study, flu was involved in at least 29 children’s deaths in Australia in 2018–23, mostly as a direct cause. Around half of these children were healthy before they contracted the flu.
Two out of three Australian children will avoid a flu infection or flu-related complications with a flu vaccine. That’s a vaccine effectiveness of about 65%.
So a flu vaccine is recommended, every year for every Australian child from six months of age.
3. Does the flu vaccine give you the flu?
There are two types of flu vaccine.
Injectable flu vaccines
Injectable flu vaccines do not contain the flu virus, so cannot give you the flu. These vaccines contain purified haemagglutinin, a protein present on the surface of the flu virus. When you receive this vaccine, your immune system is “primed” to recognise it in the future, should it encounter the flu virus.
Common symptoms after this type of flu vaccine include pain at the injection site, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain. These symptoms can easily be mistaken for the flu, but they’re actually your body’s response to the haemagglutinin.
Nasal spray vaccine
This year, the flu vaccine delivered as a nasal spray (FluMist) became available in Australia. It’s registered for use in children 2–17 years, and is available for free in some jurisdictions for certain age groups.
This is what’s called a live-attenuated vaccine. It contains a weakened “live” form of the flu strain that replicates only in the nose rather than deeper inside the body.
After administration, more than half of children will have a blocked or runny nose, and around one in ten have a fever or headache. This occurs as the immune system responds locally, in the nose, to the weakened “live” flu strain.
FluMist does not lead to infection of the lungs and lower airways. So it cannot cause the serious illness or complications we can see with a normal flu infection.
4. Can the flu vaccine ‘overwhelm’ your immune system?
Flu vaccines work by training the immune system on antigens – small, harmless components of the virus.
We are exposed to hundreds of different antigens every day. For example, one study found healthy humans have demonstrable immune responses to hundreds of antigens in food. We are also constantly exposed to antigens on our skin and in our gut, and through natural infection. So a small dose of a few antigens in a flu vaccine is not able to “overload” or “overwhelm” the immune system.
We routinely combine vaccines and vaccination. Sometimes that’s in a combination vaccine such as the combined diphtheria-tetanus-whooping cough vaccine or by administering more than one vaccine at a time. Our routine national childhood immunisation schedule usually recommends between two and four vaccines at a time. For adults, it’s recommended to have your flu vaccine at the same time as a COVID booster or the new vaccine against RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).
There’s no evidence any of these methods “overload” or “overwhelm” your immune system.
5. Is the flu vaccine safe if I’m pregnant?
Pregnant women, their unborn babies and newborns are at high risk of flu complications. So women are recommended a flu vaccine at any stage of their pregnancy.
Studies have examined the safety of flu vaccines in pregnancy. One systematic review compiled results from 40 studies. It found no evidence the injectable flu vaccine was associated with birth defects or stillbirth. Flu vaccines were however associated with lower rates of preterm birth and low birthweight.
Flu vaccines are not generally effective in infants younger than six months. But antibodies transfer from the mother to the baby via the placenta following immunisation, providing protection against infection.
An injectable flu vaccine in pregnancy provides protection to pregnant women, their unborn infant and their newborn baby.
Christopher Blyth, Paediatrician, Infectious Diseases Physician and Clinical Microbiologist, The Kids Research Institute Australia, The University of Western Australia and Allen Cheng, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Monash University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Delicious Quinoa Avocado Bread
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They’re gluten-free, full of protein and healthy fats, generous with the fiber, easy to make, and tasty too! What’s not to love? Keep this recipe (and its ingredients) handy for next time you want healthy burger buns or similar:
You will need
- 2½ cups quinoa flour
- 2 cups almond flour (if allergic, just substitute more quinoa flour)
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and mashed
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
- Optional: seeds, oats, or similar for topping the buns
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Preheat the oven to 350℉/175℃.
2) Mix the flaxseed with ⅓ cup warm water and set aside.
3) Mix, in a large bowl, the quinoa flour and almond flour with the baking powder and the MSG or salt.
4) Mix, in a separate smaller bowl, the avocado and lime.
5) Add the wet ingredients to the dry, slowly, adding an extra ½ cup water as you do, and knead into a dough.
6) Divide the dough into 4 equal portions, each shaped into a ball and then slightly flattened, to create a burger bun shape. If you’re going to add any seeds or similar as a topping, add those now.
7) Bake them in the oven (on a baking sheet lined with baking paper) for 20–25 minutes. You can check whether they’re done the same way you would a cake, by piercing them to the center with a toothpick and seeing whether it comes out clean.
8) Serve when sufficiently cooled.
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- Gluten: What’s The Truth?
- Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts!
- Monosodium Glutamate: Sinless Flavor-Enhancer Or Terrible Health Risk?
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
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