Healing Arthritis – by Dr. Susan Blum

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We previously reviewed another book by this author, her Immune System Recovery Plan, and today it’s more specific: healing arthritis

Of course, not all arthritis is rooted in immune dysfunction, but a) all of it is made worse by immune dysfunction and b) rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease, affects 1% of the population.

This book tackles all kinds of arthritis, by focusing on addressing the underlying causes and treating those, and (whether it was the cause or not) reducing inflammation without medication, because that will always help.

The “3 steps” mentioned in the subtitle are three stages of a plan to improve the gut microbiome in such a way that it not only stops worsening your arthritis, but starts making it better.

The style here is on the hard end of pop-science, so if you want something more conversational/personable, then this won’t be so much for you, but if you just want the information and explanation, then this does it just fine, and it has frequent references to the science to back it up, with a reassuringly extensive bibliography.

Bottom line: if you have arthritis and want a book that will help you to get either symptom-free or as close to that as is possible from your current condition (bearing in mind that arthritis is generally degenerative), then this is a great book for that.

Click here to check out Healing Arthritis, and heal yours!

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    Fish beats chicken for heart health and longevity, say the latest studies! Choose wisely: your heart will thank you.

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  • Red Potatoes vs Russet Potatoes – 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 red potatoes to russet potatoes, we picked the russet.

    Why?

    In terms of macros, russet potatoes have more fiber, carbs, and protein; the ratio of fiber and carbs also gives them the lower glycemic index*, so really, a complete win for russets in the macros category.

    *Glycemic index of potatoes change a lot depending on what you do to them, but this statement (about russets having the lower GI) continues to hold true on a like-for-like basis, i.e. assuming we continue to compare the potatoes having been cooked the same way as each other. They’re poisonous raw, so please don’t eat them that way. We right now are looking at stats for potatoes “flesh and skin, baked“, which is generally considered the healthiest way to eat potatoes. Obviously, if you make them into mash then the glycemic index will be sky-high, and if you make them into fries they’ll now have lots of fat added, etc. So let’s just stick to the baked potatoes for now.

    In the category of vitamins, red potatoes have more vitamin C, while russet potatoes have more vitamin B6. All the other minerals are close enough between both potatoes to be within reasonable margins of variation/error (in particular, they are both fair sources of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, and B9), so it’s really just between those two vitamins, so we’ll call this round a tie.

    When it comes to minerals, red potatoes have more copper, phosphorus, and zinc, while russet potatoes have more calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and potassium. Thus, a win for russets here.

    Adding up the sections gives an overall win for russets, but by all means, enjoy either or both; diversity is good!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like:

    What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?

    Enjoy!

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  • What Are “Adaptogens” Anyway? (And Other Questions Answered)

    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.

    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 tried to use your calculator for heart health, and was unable to enter in my height or weight. Is there another way to calculate? Why will that field not populate?❞

    (this is in reference to yesterday’s main feature “How Are You, Really? And How Old Is Your Heart?“)

    How strange! We tested it in several desktop browsers and several mobile browsers, and were unable to find any version that didn’t work. That includes switching between metric and imperial units, per preference; both appear to work fine. Do be aware that it’ll only take numerical imput, though.

    Did anyone else have this problem? Let us know! (You can reply to this email, or use the handy feedback widget at the bototm)

    ❝I may have missed it, but how much black pepper provides benefits?❞

    So, for any new subscribers joining us today, this is about two recent main features:

    As for a daily dosage of black pepper, it varies depending on the benefit you’re looking for, but:

    • 5–20mg of piperine is the dosage range used in most scientific studies we looked at
    • 10mg is a very common dosage found in many popular supplements
    • That’s the mass of piperine though, so if taking it as actual black pepper rather than as an extract, ½ teaspoon is considered sufficient to enjoy benefits.

    ❝I loved the health benefits of pepper. I do not like pepper. Where can I get it as a supplement?❞

    You can simply buy whole black peppercorns and take a few with water as though they were tablets. Your stomach acid will do the rest. Black pepper is also good for digestion, so taking it with a meal is best.

    You can buy piperine (black pepper extract) by itself as a supplement in powder form, but if you don’t like black pepper, you will probably not like this powder either. We couldn’t find it readily in capsule form.

    You can buy piperine (black pepper extract) as an adjunct to other supplements, with perhaps the most common/popular being turmeric capsules that also contain 10mg (or more) piperine per capsule. Shop around if you like, but here’s one that has 15mg piperine* per capsule, for example.

    *They call it “Bioperine®” but that is literally just piperine. Same goes if you see “Absorbagen™”, it’s still just piperine.

    ❝What do you mean when you say that something is adaptogenic?❞

    Simple version: it means it helps the body adapt to stress, by adjusting the body’s natural responses. Thus, adaptogenic supplements can be contrasted with tranquilizing drugs that mask stress by brute force, for example.

    Technical version: adaptogenic activity refers to improving physiological stress resilience, such as by moderating and modulating hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis signaling, and/or by regulating levels of endogenic compounds involved in the cellular stress response.

    Read more (technical version):

    Effects of Adaptogens on the Central Nervous System and the Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Their Stress-Protective Activity

    Read more (simple version):

    European Medicines Agency’s Reflection Paper On The Adaptogenic Concept

    Enjoy!

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  • Fixing Fascia

    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.

    Fascia: Why (And How) You Should Take Care Of Yours

    Fascia is the web-like layer of connective tissue that divides your muscles and organs from each other. It simultaneously holds some stuff in place, and allows other parts to glide over each other with minimal friction.

    At least, that’s what it’s supposed to do.

    Like any body part, it can go wrong. More on this later. But first…

    A quick note on terms

    It may seem like sometimes people say “myofascial” because it sounds fancier, but it does actually have a specific meaning too:

    • Fascia” is what we just described above
    • Myofascial” means “of or relating to muscles and fascia

    For example, “myofascial release” means “stopping the fascia from sticking to the muscle where it shouldn’t” and “myofascial pain” means “pain that has to do with the muscles and fascia”. See also:

    Myofascial vs Fascia: When To Use Each One? What To Consider

    Why fascia is so ignored

    For millennia, it was mostly disregarded as a “neither this nor that” tissue that just happens to be in the body. We didn’t pay attention to it, just like we mostly don’t pay attention to the air around us.

    But, much like the air around us, we sure pay attention when something goes wrong with it!

    However, even in more recent years, we’ve been held back until quite new developments like musculoskeletal ultrasound that could show us problems with the fascia.

    What can go wrong

    It’s supposed to be strong, thin, supple, and slippery. It holds on in the necessary places like a spiderweb, but for the most part, it is evolved for minimum friction.

    Some things can cause it to thicken and become sticky in the wrong places. Things such as:

    • Physical trauma, e.g. an injury or surgery—but we repeat ourselves, because a surgery is an injury! It’s a (usually) necessary injury, but an injury nonetheless.
    • Compensation for pain. If a body part hurts for some reason, and your posture changes to accommodate that, doing so can mess up your fascia, and cause you different problems somewhere else entirely.
      • This is not witchcraft; think of how, when using a corded vacuum cleaner, sometimes the cord can get snagged on something in the next room and we nearly break something because we expected it to just come with us and it didn’t? It’s like that.
    • Repetitive movements (repetitive strain injury is partly a myofascial issue)
    • Not enough movement: when it comes to range of motion, it’s “use it or lose it”.
      • The human body tries its best to be as efficient as possible for us! So eventually it will go “Hey, I notice you never move more than 30º in this direction, so I’m going to stop making fascia that allows you to go past that point, and I’ll just dump the materials here instead”

    “I’ll just dump the materials here instead” is also part of the problem—it creates what we colloquially call “knots”, which are not so much part of the muscle as the fascia that covers it. That’s an actual physical sticky lumpy bit.

    What to do about it

    Firstly, avoid the above things! But, if for whatever reason something has gone wrong and you now have sticky lumpy fascia that doesn’t let you move the way you’d like (if you have any mobility/flexibility issues that aren’t for another known reason, then this is usually it), there are things can be done:

    • Heat—is definitely not a cure-all, but it’s a good first step before doing the other things. A heating pad or a warm bath are great.
    • Massage—ideally, by someone else who knows what they are doing. Self-massage is possible, as is teaching oneself (there are plenty of video tutorials available), but skilled professional therapeutic myofascial release massage is the gold standard.
      • Foam rollers are a great no-skill way to get going with self-massage, whether because that’s what’s available to you, or because you just want something you can do between sessions. Here’s an example of the kind we mean.
    • Acupuncture—triggering localized muscular relaxation, an important part of myofascial release, is something acupuncture is good at.
      • See also: Pinpointing The Usefulness Of Acupuncture ← noteworthily, the strongest criticism of acupuncture for pain relief is that it performs only slightly better than sham acupuncture, but taken in practical terms, all that really means is “sticking little needles in does work, even if not necessarily by the mechanism acupuncturists believe”
    • Calisthenics—Pilates, yoga, and other forms of body movement training can help gradually get one’s fascia to where and how it’s supposed to be.
    • This is that “use it or lose it” bodily efficiency we talked about!

    Remember, the body is always rebuilding itself. It never stops, until you die. So on any given day, you get to choose whether it rebuilds itself a little bit worse or a little bit better.

    Take care!

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Related Posts

  • Bored of Lunch – by Nathan Anthony
  • Egg Noodles vs Soba Noodles – 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 egg noodles to soba noodles, we picked the soba.

    Why?

    First of all, for any unfamiliar, soba noodles are made with buckwheat. Buckwheat, for any unfamiliar, is not wheat and does not contain gluten; it’s just the name of a flowering plant that gets used as though a grain, even though it’s technically not.

    In terms of macros, egg noodles have slightly more protein 2x the fat (of which, some cholesterol) while soba noodles have very slightly more carbs and 3x the fiber (and, being plant-based, no cholesterol). Given that the carbs are almost equal, it’s a case of which do we care about more: slightly more protein, or 3x the fiber? We’re going with 3x the fiber, and so are calling this category a win for soba.

    In the category of vitamins, egg noodles have more of vitamins A, B12, C, D, E, K, and choline, while soba noodles have more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B9. That’s a 6:6 tie. One could argue that egg noodles’ vitamins are the ones more likely to be a deficiency in people, but on the other hand, soba noodles’ vitamins have the greater margins of difference. So, still a tie.

    When it comes to minerals, egg noodles have more calcium and selenium, while soba noodles have more copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. So, this one’s not close; it’s an easy win for soba noodles.

    Adding up the sections makes for a clear win for soba noodles, but by all means, enjoy moderate portions of either or both (unless you are vegan or allergic to eggs, in which case, skip the egg noodles and just enjoy the soba!).

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    Egg Noodles vs Rice Noodles – Which is Healthier?

    Take care!

    Don’t Forget…

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  • Edamame vs Brussels Sprouts – 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 edamame to Brussels sprouts, we picked the edamame.

    Why?

    We were curious to see if something could unseat Brussels sprouts from the vegetable throne!

    In terms of macros, edamame have more than 3x the protein and and nearly 50% more fiber, for the same amount of carbs. An easy win for edamame.

    In the category of vitamins, edamame have more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B9, and choline, while Brussels sprouts have more of vitamins A, B6, C, E, and K, meaning a marginal 6:5 win for edamame this time.

    When it comes to minerals, things are quite one-sided: edamame have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, while Brussels sprouts have more selenium. Another easy win for edamame!

    Adding up the sections makes it clear that edamame win the day, but of course, by all means, enjoy either or both; diversity is good!

    Want to learn more?

    You might like to read:

    What Do The Different Kinds Of Fiber Do? 30 Foods That Rank Highest

    Enjoy!

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  • Thai-Style Kale Chips

    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.

    …that are actually crispy, tasty, and packed with nutrients! Lots of magnesium and calcium, and array of health-giving spices too.

    You will need

    • 7 oz raw curly kale, stalks removed
    • extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
    • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
    • 2 tsp red chili flakes (or crushed dried red chilis)
    • 2 tsp light soy sauce
    • 2 tsp water
    • 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter (pick one with no added sugar, salt, etc)
    • 1 tsp honey
    • 1 tsp Thai seven-spice powder
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • 1 tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt

    Method

    (we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

    1) Pre-heat the oven to 180℃ / 350℉ / Gas mark 4.

    2) Put the kale in a bowl and drizzle a little olive oil over it. Work the oil in gently with your fingertips so that the kale is coated; the leaves will also soften while you do this; that’s expected, so don’t worry.

    3) Mix the rest of the ingredients to make a sauce; coat the kale leaves with the sauce.

    4) Place on a baking tray, as spread-out as there’s room for, and bake on a middle shelf for 15–20 minutes. If your oven has a fierce heat source at the top, it can be good to place an empty baking tray on a shelf above the kale chips, to baffle the heat and prevent them from cooking unevenly—especially if it’s not a fan oven.

    5) Remove and let cool, and then serve! They can also be stored in an airtight container if desired.

    Enjoy!

    Want to learn more?

    For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

    Take care!

    Don’t Forget…

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