Eye Drops: Safety & Alternatives
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Itโs Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? You can always hit โreplyโ to any of our emails, or use the feedback widget at the bottom!
In cases where weโve 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 tooโthereโs always more to say!
As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, weโll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, weโll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!
So, no question/request too big or small
โBefore important business meetings my father used to use eye drops to add a “sparkle” to his eyes. I think that is a step too far, but what, short of eye drops, can we do to keep our eyes bright throughout the day?โ
Firstly, weโd indeed not recommend eye drops unless advised to do so by your doctor to treat a specific health condition:
- Infections from over-the-counter artificial tears
- Are my eye drops safe to use?
- More eye drops recalled due to infection danger
Those eye drops that โadd sparkleโ are often based on astringents such as witch hazel. This means that the capillaries in the eye undergo vasoconstriction, becoming much less visible and the eye thus appears much whiter and thus brighter.
There isnโt a way to do the same thing from the inside, as taking a vasoconstrictor will simply increase your general blood pressure, making the capillaries of your eyes more, rather than less, visible.
However, what you can do isโฆ
- look after your general vasculature (cardiovascular health)
- in particular, reduce hypertension
- that includes limiting salt
- stay away from vasoconstrictors (including caffeine)
- reduce your resting cortisol levels
- that certainly also means reducing alcohol consumption
- maintain good hydration
Take care!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
Recommended
Learn to Age Gracefully
Join the 98k+ American women taking control of their health & aging with our 100% free (and fun!) daily emails:
-
Half Of Americans Over 50 Have Hemorrhoids, But They Can Be Prevented!
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Itโs Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!
In cases where weโve 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 tooโthereโs always more to say!
As ever: if the question/request can be answered briefly, weโll do it here in our Q&A Thursday edition. If not, weโll make a main feature of it shortly afterwards!
So, no question/request too big or small
โHello. I was hoping you could give some useful tips about how to avoid a painful ailment that has affected Ernest Hemingway, Karl Marx, David Livingstone, Napoleon, Marilyn Monroe, King Alfred, and Martin Luther, and, I confess, me from time to time โฆ namely, hemorrhoids. Help!โ
Firstly: that list could be a lot longer! We donโt have global stats, but in the US for example, half of adults over 50 have hemorrhoids.
So, youโre certainly not alone. People just donโt talk about it.
But, there are preventative things you can do:
Fiber, fiber, fiber. See also:
Level-Up Your Fiber Intake! (Without Difficulty Or Discomfort)
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
This oneโs simple enough. If you are dehydrated, constipation is more likely, and with it, hemorrhoids.
Watch your medsโฆ
Some medications can cause constipationโpainkillers containing codeine are a common culprit, for example.
When you go, go!
Not only can prolonged straining promote hemorrhoids, but also (if youโll pardon the phrasingโthereโs only so delicately we can say this) simply sitting with things partway โopenโ down there is not good for its health; things can quickly become irritated, and that can lead to hemorrhoids.
So: when you go, go. Leave your phone in another room!
Washโbut carefully.
Beyond your normal showering/bathing routine, a bidet is a great option for keeping things happy down there, if you have that option available to you.
However, if you have hemorrhoids, donโt use soap, as this can cause irritation and make it worse.
Warm water is fine, as is a salt bath, and pat dry and/or use gentle wet-wipes rather than rougher paper.
You can follow up with a hemorrhoid cream of your choice (or hydrocortisone, unless thatโs contraindicated by another condition you have)
Know when to seek help
Hemorrhoids will usually go away by themselves if not exacerbated. But if itโs getting unduly difficult, and/or youโre bleeding down there, itโs time to see a doctor.
Note on bleeding: even if youโre 100% sure you have hemorrhoids, there are still other reasons you could be bleeding, and so it needs checking out.
Hemorrhoid treatment, if needed, will vary depending on severity. Beyond creams and lotions, there are other options that are less fun but sometimes necessary, including injections, electrotherapy, banding, or surgery.
Take care!
Share This Post
-
The Obesity Code โ by Dr. Jason Fung
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Firstly, if you have already read Dr. Fung’s other book, The Diabetes Code, which we reviewed a little while ago, you can probably skip this one. It has mostly the same information, presented with a different focus.
While The Diabetes Code assumes you are diabetic, or prediabetic, or concerned about avoiding/reversing those conditions, The Obesity Code assumes you are obese, or heading in that direction, or otherwise are concerned about avoiding/reversing obesity.
What it’s not, though, is a weight loss book. Will it help if you want to lose weight? Yes, absolutely. But there is no talk here of weight loss goals, nor any motivational coaching, nor week-by-week plans, etc.
Instead, it’s more an informative textbook. With exactly the sort of philosophy we like here at 10almonds: putting information into people’s hands, so everyone can make the best decisions for themselves, rather than blindly following someone else’s program.
Dr. Fung explains why various dieting approaches don’t work, and how we can work around such things as our genetics, as well as most external factors except for poverty. He also talks us through how to change our body’s insulin response, and get our body working more like a lean machine and less like a larder for hard times.
Bottom line: this is a no-frills explanation of why your body does what it does when it comes to fat storage, and how to make it behave differently about that.
Share This Post
-
Is Dairy Scary?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Is Dairy Scary?
Milk and milk products are popularly enjoyed as a good source of calcium and vitamin D.
In contrast, critics of dairy products (for medical reasons, rather than ethical, which is another matter entirely and beyond the scope of this article) point to risks of cancer, heart disease, andโcounterintuitivelyโosteoporosis. Weโll focus more on the former, but touch on the latter two before closing.
Dairy & Cancer
Evidence is highly conflicting. There are so many studies with so many different results. This is partially explicable by noting that not only is cancer a many-headed beast that comes in more than a hundred different forms and all or any of them may be affected one way or another by a given dietary element, but alsoโฆ Not all milk is created equal, either!
Joanna Lampe, of the Public Health Sciences division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, writes:
โDairy products are a complex group of foods and composition varies by region, which makes evaluation of their association with disease risk difficult. For most cancers, associations between cancer risk and intake of milk and dairy products have been examined only in a small number of cohort studies, and data are inconsistent or lackingโ
In her systematic review of studies, she noted, for example, that:
- Milk and dairy products contain micronutrients and several bioactive constituents that may influence cancer risk and progression
- There’s probable association between milk intake and lower risk of colorectal cancer
- There’s a probable association between diets high in calcium and increased risk of prostate cancer
- Some studies show an inverse association between intake of cultured dairy products and bladder cancer (i.e., if you eat yogurt you’re less likely to get bladder cancer)
Since that systemic review was undertaken, more research has been conducted, and the results areโฆ Not conclusive, but converging towards a conclusion:
- Dairy products can increase or decrease cancer risk
- The increase in cancer risk seems strongest when milk is consumed in quantities that result in too much calcium. When it comes to calcium, you can absolutely have too much of a good thingโjust ask your arteries!
- The decrease in cancer seems to be mostly, if not exclusively, from fermented dairy products. This usually means yogurts. The benefit here is not from the milk itself, but rather from the gut-friendly bacteria.
You may be wondering: โHardened arteries, gut microbiome health? I thought we were talking about cancer?โ and yes we are. No part of your health is an island unrelated to other parts of your health. One thing can lead to another. Sometimes we know how and why, sometimes we donโt, but itโs best to not ignore the data.
The bottom line on dairy products and cancer is:
- Consuming dairy products in general is probably fine
- Yogurt, specifically, is probably beneficial
Dairy and Heart Disease
The reason for the concern is clear enough: itโs largely assumed to be a matter of saturated fat intake.
The best combination of โlargeโ and โrecentโ that we found was a three-cohort longitudinal study in 2019, which pretty much confirms what was found in smaller or less recent studies:
- There is some evidence to suggest that consumption of dairy can increase all-cause mortality in general, and death from (cancer and) cardiovascular disease in particular
- The evidence is not, however, overwhelming. It is marginal.
Dairy and Osteoporosis
Does dairy cause osteoporosis? Research here tends to fall into one of two categories when it comes to conclusions, so weโll give an example of each:
- โResults are conflicting, saying yes/no/maybe, and basically we just donโt knowโ
- โResults are conflicting, but look: cross-sectional and case-control studies say yes; cohort studies say maybe or no; we prefer the cohort studiesโ
See them for yourself:
- Osteoporosis: Is milk a kindness or a curse?
- Consumption of milk and dairy products and risk of osteoporosis and hip fracture
Conclusion: really, the jury is very much still out on this one
Summary:
- Moderate consumption of dairy products is almost certainly fine
- More specifically: it probably has some (small) pros and some (small) cons
- Yogurt is almost certainly healthier than other dairy products, and is almost universally considered a healthy food (assuming not being full of added sugar etc, of course)
- If youโre going to have non-dairy alternatives to milk, choose wisely!
Thatโs all we have time for today, but perhaps in a future edition weโll do a run-down of the pros and cons of various dairy alternatives!
Share This Post
Related Posts
-
Garlic vs Ginger โ Which is Healthier?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Our Verdict
When comparing garlic to ginger, we picked the ginger.
Why?
Both are great, and it is close!
Notwithstanding that (almost?) nobody eats garlic or ginger for the macros, let’s do a moment’s due diligence on that first: garlic has more than 3x the protein and about 2x the fiber (and slightly higher carbs). But, given the small quantities in which people usually consume these foods, these numbers aren’t too meaningful.
In the category of micronutrients, garlic has a lot more vitamins and minerals. We’ll not do a full breakdown for this though, because again, unless you’re eating it by the cupful, this won’t make a huge difference.
Which means that so far, we have two nominal wins for garlic.
Both plants have many medicinal properties. They are both cardioprotective and anticancer, and both full of antioxidants. The benefits of both are comparable in these regards.
Both have antidiabetic action also, but ginger’s effects are stronger when compared head-to head.
So that’s an actual practical win for ginger.
Each plant’s respective effects on the gastrointestinal tract sets them further apartโginger has antiemetic effects and can be used for treating nausea and vomiting from a variety of causes. Garlic, meanwhile, can cause adverse gastrointestinal effects in some peopleโbut it’s usually neutral for most people in this regard.
Another win for ginger in practical terms.
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
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:
-
The Joy of Saying No โ by Natalie Lue
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Superficially, this seems an odd topic for an entire book. โJust say noโ, after all, surely! But it’s not so simple as that, is it?
Lue looks into what underpins people-pleasing, first. Then, she breaks it down into five distinct styles of people-pleasing that each come from slightly different motivations and ways of perceiving how we interact with those around us.
Lest this seem overly complicated, those five styles are what she calls: gooding, efforting, avoiding, saving, suffering.
She then looks out how to have a healthier relationship with our yes/no decisions; first by observing, then by creating healthy boundaries. “Healthy” is key here; this isn’t about being a jerk to everyone! Quite the contrary, it involves being honest about what we can and cannot reasonably take on.
The last section is about improving and troubleshooting this process, and constitutes a lot of the greatest value of the book, since this is where people tend to err the most.
Bottom line: this book is informative, clear, and helpful. And far from disappointing everyone with “no”, we can learn to really de-stress our relationships with othersโand ourselves.
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:
-
How Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) Suppresses Endocannabinoids
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
โฆcontrary to all expectations (and how this can lead to more effective acetaminophen-like pain relief, without the toxicity!
It’s well known that acetaminophen (international name: paracetamol, most well-known brand name in the US: Tylenol) is a mild painkiller and anti-fever agent; what’s not well understood is how it actually works.
Recently, a team of researchers (Dr. Michaela Dvorakova et al.) looked into this, and found something that was quite surprising, to understate it considerably.
That sounds like a clickbait headline (“and what they discovered will shock you!”) but well, we don’t do clickbait and our own headline covers it: acetaminophen suppresses endocannabinoids, when generally for painkilling purposes we want more endocannabinoids, not less.
Before we get into that, let’s take a moment to note some of the bad parts of acetaminophen’s safety profile, which is to say: it’s really not very safe.
Rather than repeat ourselves though, we’ll link to where we did a whole main feature about that, here: Before You Reach For That Tylenolโฆ
Now, about acetaminophen and endocannabinoids
In the lead researcher’s words:
โThere are hypotheses, but we still don’t know precisely how it works. Up until now we thought that elevated endocannabinoids in our body meant less pain, but our study shows that in the case of 2-AG, it might be the opposite. Actually, reduced levels of 2-AG leads to decreased pain.โ
~ Dr. Michaela Dvorakova
You may be wondering: what’s 2-AG?
And the answer is that it’s 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, which is a cannabinoid naturally made by the human body (thus, endogenous cannabinoid, or usually written: endocannabinoid).
What the researchers found is that acetaminophen inhibits an enzyme that makes that endocannabinoid, namely, diacylglycerol lipase ฮฑ (DAGLฮฑ) โ as in, this is the name of the enzyme that makes it.
Thus, inhibiting the enzyme means inhibiting endocannabinoid production. So, what gives, and why does this work as a painkiller, when it looks like it’s doing the opposite?
The researchers propose… Well, we’ll quote them:
โThis gives rise to the counterintuitive hypothesis that decreasing endocannabinoid production by DAGLฮฑ inhibition may be antinociceptive in certain settings.
Supporting this hypothesis, we find that diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL) inhibition by RHC80267 is antinociceptive in wild-type but not CB1 knockout mice in the hot-plate test.
We propose (1) that activation of DAGLฮฑ may exacerbate some forms of nociception and (2) a mechanism for the antinociceptive actions of acetaminophen, whereby acetaminophen inhibits a DAGLฮฑ/CB1-based circuit that plays a permissive role in at least one form of nociception.โ
Translating from sciencese: by stopping the endocannabinoid production, the body is triggered to engage a different, more effective method of killing pain.
You can read the paper in full here: Acetaminophen inhibits diacylglycerol lipase synthesis of 2-arachidonoyl glycerol: Implications for nociception
As for what the implications are? Per the researchers, it means that if we understand that inhibiting the enzyme DAGLฮฑ triggers a painkilling response, then new drugs can be designed to target DAGLฮฑ without the toxicity of acetaminophen.
So, keep an eye out for that, and you heard it hear first!
Want to learn more?
Weโve written quite a bit about pain management, including:
- 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 Arenโt Helping, These Things Might)
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:
