How To Heal Injuries More Quickly

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The 10almonds Team

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 😎

❝I find I don’t heal as quickly as I used to, I’m sure it’s “just aging”, but is there anything that can be done about it? Thank you❞

The short answer: yes 🙂

The nuanced answer: it depends on what you’re healing; some things call for slightly different strategies, but there is a lot of overlap too.

So, let’s look into that…

Skin deep?

If what you’re healing is primarily skin, then there are several considerations:

  1. Avoid infection, which would do the opposite of help. To this end, a simple antiseptic cream is an excellent choice, especially if you get one that’s moisturizing too, like this one.
  2. Put away that hydrocortisone. While it may promise relief from itching and redness, its steroidal anti-inflammatory effects reduce immune response (making infection easier) and slow down healing. Simply, hydrocortisone really is not good for broken skin.
  3. Look after your skin health from the inside. Here we’re talking especially good hydration, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc.
  4. Consider the restorative oil options we talked about here: Beyond Castor: Vegetable Oils That Regenerate Your Skin
  5. Protect your skin from the sun. When your skin is healing, what it doesn’t need more of is radiation damage from exposure to the untamed fury of an ongoing nuclear reaction so massive that it’s hundreds of thousands of times the size of the Earth, and the only reason it’s not exploding to consume us entirely in nuclear fire is that it’s physically held back by the weight of its own incredible mass. That’s a dramatic way of putting it, yes, but it’s good sometimes to remember what things really are! All this to say… Wear a hat?
  6. Consider some “secret weapon” plant-based fixer-uppers, for example bromelain and/or mimosa, both of which accelerate wound healing (details on the pages we linked, those are previous main features of ours)
  7. You might also consider red light therapy, which has proven benefits for superficial wound healing; see: Casting Yourself In A Healthier Light

If your skin wound is technically healed already, but has scars you’d like to minimize, then check out: Scars? How To Minimize & Heal Them

Down to the bone

If, however, it’s something else like a musculoskeletal injury, including things like broken bones, torn ligaments, tendonitis, or cartilage damage, then most of those things aren’t so relevant.

The bromelain can still help, though, albeit this time less through its skin-healing properties and more due to its potent (and unique) anti-inflammatory effect!

However, for most of these things, targetted healing methods are needed.

The bones will heal themselves, of course, assuming they have been set correctly and immobilized if necessary, and assuming your bone health is otherwise good. Consider for example: 21% Stronger Bones in a Year at 62? Yes, It’s Possible (No Calcium Supplements Needed!)

Sprained joints, torn ligaments, pulled muscles, and anything else of that nature, please consult a physio, and follow their advice to the letter. But important will be sleep, non-sleep rest, and gentle movement (within your physio’s guidelines). See also: When Bad Joints Stop You From Exercising (5 Things To Change)

Cartilage damage is subject to a popular myth, that it simply cannot be regrown. It can, you just have to do it in a very specific way: How To Rebuild Your Cartilage

For everything from skin to bones, check out: Collagen For Your Skin, Joints, & Bones: We Are Such Stuff As Fish Are Made Of

Want to learn more?

For simple post-workout things, do consider: Overdone It? How To Speed Up Recovery After A Workout (According To Actual Science)

And for treating your own back, your own own hip, your own knee, and so forth, you might want to try the highly recommendable:

“Treat Your Own…” series of books by Robin McKenzie ← he’s a physiotherapist and not a doctor, but with 40 years of practice to his name and 33 letters after his name (CNZM OBE FCSP (Hon) FNZSP (Hon) Dip MDT Dip MT), he seems to know his stuff. His work is very well-respected, and almost any English-speaking physiotherapist will have read his books.

Take care!

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  • Black Forest Chia Pudding

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    This pudding tastes so decadent, it’s hard to believe it’s so healthy, but it is! Not only is it delicious, it’s also packed with nutrients including protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats (including omega-3s), fiber, vitamins, minerals, and assorted antioxidant polyphenols. Perfect dessert or breakfast!

    You will need

    • 1½ cups pitted fresh or thawed-from-frozen cherries
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    3) Add 1 tbsp ground chia seeds to each, and stir until evenly distributed

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  • 16 Signs & Symptoms Of Kidney Disease

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    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.

    Chronic kidney disease is often called a silent killer, because 90% of people don’t notice they have it until the disease has progressed to an extreme level.

    While none of these signs or symptoms are guaranteed to appear, especially in the early phases, if they do show up then they are cause for getting a check-up done:

    Watch out for…

    These should serve as alarm bells:

    1. Foamy urine: persistent dense foam (like beer head) in urine suggests protein (albumin) leakage due to kidney filter damage
    2. Swelling (pitting edema): especially in the legs, feet, or around the eyes, caused by low blood albumin leading to fluid leakage into tissues
    3. Nocturia (peeing at night): frequent nighttime urination due to kidneys losing the ability to concentrate urine
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    5. Calcinosis cutis: hard white-yellow skin bumps from calcium phosphate deposits due to high blood phosphate
    6. Artery calcification: hardened arteries visible on X-ray caused by phosphate-induced bone-like deposits in blood vessel walls
    7. Muscle cramps: especially at night, due to low calcium, low magnesium, or high blood acidity from impaired kidney function
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    10. Restless legs syndrome: irresistible urge to move legs at night due to iron deficiency from chronic inflammation and hepcidin overproduction
    11. Metallic taste in mouth: due to urea breakdown in saliva causing ammonia and other metallic-tasting compounds
    12. Loss of appetite: also, potentially, nausea and vomiting triggered by toxins activating brain regions that sense food poisoning
    13. Easy bruising: from reduced platelet stickiness, leading to frequent unexplained bruises, gum bleeding, or nosebleeds
    14. Uremic frost: white crystalline powder on the skin in advanced kidney failure due to urea excreted through sweat
    15. Pericarditis: inflammation of the sac around the heart causing chest pain and a scratchy sound due to uremic toxins
    16. Fatigue (anemia): low red blood cell count from reduced erythropoietin production by kidneys, leading to extreme tiredness

    Attentive readers will have noticed two things here:

    • Many of these could indicate a lot of other things (e.g. fatigue can be almost anything, osteoporosis isn’t something one sees unless one checks for it, loss of appetite can be many things, etc), which helps mask kidney disease.
    • Dr. Deshauer says “17 signs” in her title, so where’s the 17th? The answer is that she listed in 17th place “no symptoms”, because many people have no noticeable symptoms until the disease reaches moderate or advanced stages.

    Both of those factors contribute to kidney disease’s “silent killer” status, but with good vigilance, we can stay as healthy as possible.

    For more on each of these, plus some visual illustrations where appropriate, enjoy:

    Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!

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    Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy (Especially After 60) ← there’s a lot more to it than just hydration!

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  • The Optimal Morning Routine, Per Neuroscience

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    The foundations of a good day

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  • Save Your Heart!

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    Heart disease doesn’t have to be a one-way street—it can often be reversed:

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    • Including if it’s in advanced stages; as a general rule of thumb, if it’s still beating, it can still get better if treated better

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    Lifestyle first

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    But for most people most of the time? Lifestyle can go a very long way.

    See: Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Lifestyle Modifications on Coronary and Carotid Atherosclerotic Burden

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    • Being more active
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      • Obviously this is only a thing if you smoke already, but if you do the quitting should be your top priority unless your doctor advises you otherwise (rare and strange if that happens, but occasionally something else may take priority).
    • Getting healthy sleep
      • Above all, sleep regularity is critical, as this has a huge impact (positive or negative, per how regular or irregular your sleep is) on heart health.
        • Learn more: How Regularity Of Sleep Can Be Even More Important Than Duration ← A recent, large (n=72,269) 8-year prospective* observational study of adults aged 40-79 found a strong association between irregular sleep and major cardiovascular events, to such an extent that it was worse than undersleeping.
          • *this means they started the study at a given point, and measured what happened for the next eight years—as opposed to a retrospective study, which would look at what had happened during the previous 8 years.
    • Managing weight
    • Managing cholesterol
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        • A lot of people get confused by this topic, so if that’s you, hop on over to Demystifying Cholesterol and be confused no longer 🙂
    • Managing blood sugars
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    • Managing blood pressure
      • Just like plumbing is more likely to fail if the water pressure isn’t right (springing a leak if it’s too high, or just not getting water to where it needs to be if it’s too low), the same goes for our own internal plumbing and blood pressure.

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  • Going for a bushwalk? 3 handy foods to have in your backpack (including muesli bars)

    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.

    Margaret Murray – Swinburne University of Technology

    This time of year, many of us love to get out and spend time in nature. This may include hiking through Australia’s many beautiful national parks.

    Walking in nature is a wonderful activity, supporting both physical and mental health. But there can be risks and it’s important to be prepared.

    You may have read the news about hiker, Hadi Nazari, who was recently found alive after spending 13 days lost in Kosciuszko National Park.

    He reportedly survived for almost two weeks in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales by drinking fresh water from creeks, and eating foraged berries and two muesli bars.

    So next time you’re heading out for a day of hiking, what foods should you pack?

    Here are my three top foods to carry on a bushwalk that are dense in nutrients and energy, lightweight and available from the local grocery store.

    Leah-Anne Thompson/Shutterstock

    1. Muesli bars

    Nazari reportedly ate two muesli bars he found in a mountain hut. Whoever left the muesli bars there made a great choice.

    Muesli bars come individually wrapped, which helps them last longer and makes them easy to transport.

    They are also a good source of energy. Muesli bars typically contain about 1,500–1,900 kilojoules per 100 grams. The average energy content for a 35g bar is about 614kJ.

    This may be a fraction of what you’d usually need in a day. However, the energy from muesli bars is released at a slow to moderate pace, which will help keep you going for longer.

    Muesli bars are also packed with nutrients. They contain all three macronutrients (carbohydrate, protein and fat) that our body needs to function. They’re a good source of carbohydrates, in particular, which are a key energy source. An average Australian muesli bar contains 14g of whole grains, which provide carbohydrates and dietary fibre for long-lasting energy.

    Muesli bars that contain nuts are typically higher in fat (19.9g per 100g) and protein (9.4g per 100g) than those without.

    Fat and protein are helpful for slowing down the release of energy from foods and the protein will help keep you feeling full for longer.

    There are many different types of muesli bars to choose from. I recommend looking for those with whole grains, higher dietary fibre and higher protein content.

    2. Nuts

    Nuts are nature’s savoury snack and are also a great source of energy. Cashews, pistachios and peanuts contain about 2,300-2,400kJ per 100g while Brazil nuts, pecans and macadamias contain about 2,700-3,000kJ per 100g. So a 30g serving of nuts will provide about 700-900kJ depending on the type of nut.

    Just like muesli bars, the energy from nuts is released slowly. So even a relatively small quantity will keep you powering on.

    Nuts are also full of nutrients, such as protein, fat and fibre, which will help to stave off hunger and keep you moving for longer.

    When choosing which nuts to pack, almost any type of nut is going to be great.

    Peanuts are often the best value for money, or go for something like walnuts that are high in omega-3 fatty acids, or a nut mix.

    Whichever nut you choose, go for the unsalted natural or roasted varieties. Salted nuts will make you thirsty.

    Nut bars are also a great option and have the added benefit of coming in pre-packed serves (although nuts can also be easily packed into re-usable containers).

    If you’re allergic to nuts, roasted chickpeas are another option. Just try to avoid those with added salt.

    Handful of natural nuts with other nuts on a dark background
    Nuts are nature’s savoury snack and are also a great source of energy. Eakrat/Shutterstock

    3. Dried fruit

    If nuts are nature’s savoury snack, fruit is nature’s candy. Fresh fruits (such as grapes, frozen in advance) are wonderfully refreshing and perfect as an everyday snack, although can add a bit of weight to your hiking pack.

    So if you’re looking to reduce the weight you’re carrying, go for dried fruit. It’s lighter and will withstand various conditions better than fresh fruit, so is less likely to spoil or bruise on the journey.

    There are lots of varieties of dried fruits, such as sultanas, dried mango, dried apricots and dried apple slices.

    These are good sources of sugar for energy, fibre for fullness and healthy digestion, and contain lots of vitamins and minerals. So choose one (or a combination) that works for you.

    Don’t forget water

    Next time you head out hiking for the day, you’re all set with these easily available, lightweight, energy- and nutrient-dense snacks.

    This is not the time to be overly concerned about limiting your sugar or fat intake. Hiking, particularly in rough terrain, places demands on your body and energy needs. For instance, an adult hiking in rough terrain can burn upwards of about 2,000kJ per hour.

    And of course, don’t forget to take plenty of water.

    Having access to even limited food, and plenty of fresh water, will not only make your hike more pleasurable, it can save your life.

    Margaret Murray, Senior Lecturer, Nutrition, Swinburne University of Technology

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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  • Doctor Explains: 15 Signs Of Hypothyroidism

    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.

    The 10almonds Team

    Dr. Siobhan Deshauer explains the signs (and in some cases, symptoms) that can point to this oft-underdiagnosed condition:

    Watch out for these

    We’ll not keep them a secret, the signs/symptoms are…

    1. Goiter: enlarged thyroid gland, visible in the neck and may cause difficulty swallowing or breathing.
    2. Dry skin: due to reduced production of skin oils, leading to rough, cracked skin.
    3. Asteatotic eczema: cracked, mosaic-like dry skin often called “crazy paving.”
    4. Palmoplantar keratoderma: thickening and buildup of skin on hands and feet due to improper shedding.
    5. Hair thinning: hair becomes dull, brittle, and sheds excessively, including scalp, eyebrows, and body hair.
    6. Brittle or thickened nails: poor quality nail growth, vertical ridges, and nails prone to splitting or lifting.
    7. Queen Anne’s sign: loss of the outer third of the eyebrows.
    8. Myxedema: swelling, especially around the eyes, hands, and feet, caused by buildup of gelatinous material in the skin.
    9. Obstructive sleep apnea: enlarged tongue due to myxedema can block the airway during sleep.
    10. Carpal tunnel syndrome: swelling compresses the median nerve, causing numbness and tingling in the hands.
    11. Facial palsy: rare nerve compression causing one-sided facial droop.
    12. Cold intolerance: feeling unusually cold due to slowed metabolism.
    13. Myxedema coma: a severe, life-threatening form of hypothyroidism causing confusion, low body temperature, and organ shutdown. This may seem a strange (and rather severe) one to sandwich in between “feeling a bit cold” and “skin discoloration”, but we’re just reporting on what’s in the video!
    14. Carotenemia: yellow-orange discoloration of the skin, especially palms and soles, due to impaired conversion of beta-carotene.
    15. Depression: reduced neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, leading to mood changes and mental fog.
    16. Menstrual changes: heavier, longer, or irregular periods caused by hormonal imbalance.
    17. Chronic fatigue: constant tiredness and low energy.
    18. Constipation: slowed digestion due to decreased metabolism.
    19. Unexplained weight gain: often mild to moderate, caused by a slower metabolic rate.

    For more on each of these plus visual illustrations where appropriate, enjoy:

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    Want to learn more?

    You might also like:

    The Three Rs To Boost Thyroid-Related Energy Levels

    Take care!

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