Quit Drinking – by Rebecca Dolton
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Many “quit drinking” books focus on tips you’ve heard already—cut down like this, rearrange your habits like that, make yourself accountable like so, add a reward element this way, etc.
Dolton takes a different approach.
She focuses instead on the underlying processes of addiction, so as to not merely understand them to fight them, but also to use them against the addiction itself.
This is not just a social or behavioral analysis, by the way, and goes into some detail into the physiological factors of the addiction—including such things as the little-talked about relationship between addiction and gut flora. Candida albans, found in most if not all humans to some extent, gets really out of control when given certain kinds of sugars (including those from alcohol); it grows, eventually puts roots through the intestinal walls (ouch!) and the more it grows, the more it demands the sugars it craves, so the more you feed it.
Quite a motivator to not listen to such cravings! It’s not even you that wants it, it’s the Candida!
Anyway, that’s just one example; there are many. The point here is that this is a well-researched, well-written book that sets itself apart from many of its genre.
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What Your Skin Says About Your Health
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Dr. Siobhan Deshauer explains:
The largest organ of the body has a lot to say!
It’s not too surprising, as everything affects everything else and the skin surrounds all the other organs.
So, with that in mind, here’s your guide to what your skin says about your health:
- Dermatitis herpetiformis (celiac disease): small, fluid-filled blisters grouped together—often on elbows and knees—caused by an autoimmune reaction to gluten; antibodies attack enzymes in the small intestine and skin, linking gut and skin inflammation. Can be confirmed by biopsy showing fluorescent antibodies, and resolves (as you probably know) with a gluten-free diet.
- Xanthoma (high cholesterol): fatty plaques under the skin that can indicate dangerously high lipid levels, diabetes, or liver disease. Their placement can reveal the lipid type involved—eruptive xanthomas on shoulders, arms, or buttocks signal high triglycerides, while tendon xanthomas (such as on the Achilles tendon) suggest familial hypercholesterolemia and high LDL cholesterol.
- Gouty tophi (uric acid buildup): hard, lumpy deposits on your joints, fingers, toes, or ears formed by uric acid crystals. These are associated with gout, a painful arthritis once known as the “disease of kings” due to meaty diets. Untreated, the crystals can damage kidneys and cause stones; now treatable with uric acid–lowering medication, but obviously, prevention is better than cure, so easing up the meat is a good idea.
- Skin tags (diabetes warning): small, soft growths on areas of friction—neck, eyelids, or armpits—often harmless but potentially linked to insulin resistance or diabetes, especially when numerous. Screening with a hemoglobin A1c blood test is advised.
- Seborrheic keratosis (age spots): waxy, raised brown growths nicknamed “barnacles of ageing.” Usually benign, but a sudden widespread eruption (the Leser–Trélat sign) can indicate an internal cancer and requires medical evaluation.
- Jaundice (yellow skin): yellowing of skin or eyes from bilirubin buildup, a sign of liver malfunction, bile duct blockage, or excessive red blood cell breakdown. Requires immediate attention. A harmless exception is Gilbert’s syndrome, a genetic condition where mild jaundice appears during stress or illness, sometimes linked to reduced heart disease and cancer risk due to bilirubin’s antioxidant effects.
- Itchy skin (pruritus): can result from dryness, allergies, or irritation, but widespread itching without a rash may signal liver disease, kidney failure, or certain cancers. In pregnancy, bile acid buildup can cause severe itching and risk to the baby, often prompting early delivery. Persistent itch beyond a few weeks warrants a medical check.
- Spider nevi (spider angioma): small, red, web-like blood vessel clusters that blanch when pressed. Having one or two is normal, but multiple lesions may suggest liver cirrhosis or (extremely) high estrogen levels. They also appear commonly in pregnancy and usually fade afterwards.
- Malar rash vs. rosacea: lupus malar rash forms a butterfly pattern over cheeks and bridge of nose but typically spares the nasolabial folds; rosacea often includes the folds, flares with heat, alcohol, spicy foods, and affects appearance rather than internal organs.
- Quick “glass test” for vasculitis: press a clear glass on the rash—if it blanches, blood is inside vessels (less concerning); if it doesn’t blanch, blood has leaked outside vessels, raising concern for vasculitis, low platelets, or serious infection (including, famously, meningitis).
- Eczema vs. psoriasis: eczema favors flexor surfaces (inner elbows, wrists, behind knees), is intensely itchy, and clusters with hay fever and asthma; psoriasis favours extensor surfaces (elbows, knees), has thick silvery scale, and carries higher risks of arthritis and heart disease due to systemic inflammation.
- Acquired hypertrichosis lanuginosa: sudden growth of fine, downy hair can be a paraneoplastic sign—often linked to internal malignancy—so it warrants urgent cancer screening.
- Acanthosis nigricans: velvety, darker skin in body folds (neck, armpits) is commonly tied to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, or PCOS; improving insulin sensitivity can make it fade.
- Adult-onset or suddenly worse acne: new, persistent acne in adults may reflect hormonal disorders such as PCOS, Cushing’s syndrome, or androgen-secreting tumours—evaluate if other signs (weight change, hirsutism, purple striae) are present.
- Livedo reticularis: a purplish, net-like pattern—often benign with cold exposure, especially in infants—but can signal vasculitis or antiphospholipid syndrome in adults if persistent or symptomatic.
- Dermatomyositis: look for heliotrope rash (eyelids), Gottron’s papules (knuckles), V sign (chest), and Shawl sign (back/shoulders) plus proximal muscle weakness; in older adults, screen for cancer (notably lung or stomach).
- Hives (urticaria) red flags: typical wheals come and go within hours; lesions lasting >24 hours, leaving bruising, or feeling painful/burning rather than itchy suggest urticarial vasculitis—seek assessment.
- Tripe palms: thick, ridged, velvety palms/soles strongly associate with internal cancers—most often gastric—so prompt investigation is essential.
For more on each of these plus visual illustrations, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Are Age Spots Inevitable? And What Do They Mean For Skin Health?
Take care!
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The Brain Health Kitchen – by Dr. Annie Fenn
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This is a cookbook built around the MIND diet, which we talked about in our “Four Ways To Upgrade The Mediterranean Diet” article.
As such, it’s a top-tier gold-standard diet to be following for brain health, and having it as a book of recipes makes actually eating this way a lot easier!
The book does talk about the science first before getting to the recipes, so don’t worry, you won’t have to reverse engineer the dietary guidelines from the recipes; everything is explained well.
The recipes (of which there are 100) are diverse enough to be interesting without being so complicated as to be difficult. The ingredients are largely nutritional powerhouses, and most if not all can be found in your nearest reasonable-sized supermarket. Also, the recipes are (as you might reasonably expect), very plant-forward, but not entirely plant-based (as you might have guessed from the salmon on the front cover).
Bottom line: if you’d like to eat more healthily for your brain, but are a little stumped on what to do with the four ingredients you remember are brain-healthy, this book will help expand your horizons—not to mention your culinary repertoire!
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Nutrition To Combat Lymphedema & Lipedema
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Dr. Kelly Sturm is a rehab specialist (Doctor of Physical Therapy), and also a certified lymphedema therapist. Here’s what helps her patients with lymphedema and lipedema:
Don’t fan the flames
Lymphedema and lipedema are inflammatory lymphatic diseases affecting mostly women. As such, an anti-inflammatory diet will be important, but there are other factors too:
- Anti-inflammatory diet: this is to reduce the chronic inflammation associated with lymphatic diseases. This means eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, especially berries and leafy greens, and avoiding things like sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and processed foods. And of course, don’t smoke.
- Intermittent fasting: this also helps by giving the body a chance to correct itself; when the body isn’t digesting food, it has a lot more resources to devote to its favorite activity: maintenance. This results in lower inflammation, and better fat redistribution.
- Weight loss: not a bandwagon we often get on at 10almonds as it’s rarely the most important thing, but in this case it is of high importance (second only to dealing with the inflammation), as excess weight around the lymph nodes and vessels can lead to dysfunction and swelling. Thus, reducing the weight can ease that and allow the body to heal.
For more details on all of the above, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
- Eat To Beat Inflammation ← also some non-dietary advice in there too
- Ask Not What Your Lymphatic System Can Do For You…
- Lose Weight, But Healthily ← more useful than just trying to run a calorie deficit
Take care!
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Aging Minds: Normal vs Abnormal Cognitive Decline
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.
Having a “senior moment” and having dementia are things that are quite distinct from one another; while we may very reasonably intend to fight every part of it, it’s good to know what’s “normal” as well as what is starting to look like progress into something more severe:
Know the differences
Cognitive abilities naturally decline with age, often beginning around 30 (yes, really—the first changes are mostly metabolic though, so this is far from set in stone). Commonly-noticed changes include:
- slower thinking
- difficulty multitasking
- reduced attention
- weaker memory.
Over time, these changes have what is believed to be a two-way association (as in, each causes/worsens the other) with changes in brain structure, especially reduced hippocampal and frontal lobe volume.
- Gradual cognitive changes are normal with age, whereas dementia involves a pathological decline affecting memory, problem-solving, and behavior.
- Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) involves noticeable cognitive decline without disrupting daily life, while dementia affects everyday tasks like cooking or driving.
- Dementia causes significant impairments, including motor challenges like falls or tremors, and dementia-induced cognitive decline symptoms include forgetfulness, getting lost, personality changes, and planning difficulties, often worsening with stress or illness.
To best avoid these, consider: regular exercise, a nutritious diet, good quality sleep, social interaction, and mentally stimulating activities.
Also, often forgotten (in terms of its relevance at least): managing cardiovascular health is very important too. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: what’s good for your heart is good for your brain (since the former feeds the latter with oxygen and nutrients, and also takes away detritus that will otherwise build up in the brain).
For more on all of this, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Is It Dementia? Spot The Signs (Because None Of Us Are Immune) ← we go into more specific detail here
Take care!
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Grain Brain – by Dr. David Perlmutter
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.
If you’re a regular 10almonds reader, you probably know that refined flour, and processed food in general, is not great for the health. So, what does this book offer more?
Dr. Perlmutter sets out the case against (as the subtitle suggests) wheat, carbs, and sugar. Yes, including wholegrain wheat, and including starchy vegetables such as potatoes and parsnips. Fruit does also come under scrutiny, a clear distinction is made between whole fruits and juices. In the latter case, the lack of fiber (along with the more readily absorbable liquid state) allows for those sugars to zip straight into our blood.
The book includes lots of stats and facts, and many study citations, along with infographics and clear explanations.
If the book has a weakness, it’s when it forgets to clarify something that was obvious to the author. For example, when he talks about our ancestors’ diets being 75% fat and 5% carbs, he neglects to mention that this is 75% by calorie count, not by mass or volume. This makes a huge difference! It’s the difference between a fat-guzzling engine, and someone who eats mostly fruit and oily nuts but also some very high-fat meat/organs.
The book’s strengths, on the other hand, are found in its explanation, backed by good science, of what wheat, along with excessive carbohydrates (especially sugar) can do to our body, including (and most focusedly, hence the title) our brain, leading the way to not just obvious metabolic disorders like diabetes, but also inflammatory diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Bottom line: you don’t have to completely revamp your diet if it’s working for you, but data is data, and this book has lots, making it well-worth a read.
Click here to check out Grain Brain, and learn about how to avoid inflaming yours!
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What to Eat When – by Drs. Michael Roizen and Michael Crupain
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.
Here at 10almonds, we cover a lot of the “what to eat”, but tend to only sometimes touch on the “when”—and indeed, this is a reflection of a popular focus. But what if we were to pay a little more attention to that “when”; what would it get us?
According to Drs. Roizen and Crupain… Quite a bit!
In this work, they take into account the various factors affecting the benefit (or harm!) of what we eat when:
- in the context of our circadian rhythm
- in the context of our insulin responses
- in the context of intermittent fasting
The style throughout is very focused on practical actionable advice. For example, amongst other lifestyle-adjustment suggestions, the authors make the case for front-loading various kinds of food earlier in the day, and eating more attentively and mindfully when we do eat.
They also offer a lot of “quick tips” of the kind we love here at 10almonds! Ranging from “how about this breakfast idea” to “roasting chickpeas like this makes a great snack” to “this dessert is three healthy foods disguised as a sundae”
All in all, if you’d like a stack of small tweaks that can add up to a big difference in your overall health, this is a book for you.
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