Sharper Minder & Body In 3 Weeks With 1 Supplement
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We’ve written before about supplements that can boost cognitive performance and often physical performance too, for example:
- Bacopa Monnieri: Bacopa Monnieri: A Well-Evidenced Cognitive Enhancer
- Citicoline: Citicoline: Better Than Dietary Choline?
- Creatine: Creatine: Very Different For Young & Old People
- Lemon Balm: Lemon Balm For Stressful Times And More
- Lion’s Mane: What Does Lion’s Mane Mushroom Actually Do, Anyway?
- L-Theanine: L-Theanine: What’s The Tea?
- Phosphatidylserine: How To Rebuild Your Neurons’ Myelin Sheaths
And those are all great, but today we’ll be looking at something in quite a different category, insofar as it has only one mechanism of action (which should be enough for you to guess what it is):
The pill that’ll please
Researchers (Dr. Diletta Barbiani et al.) researchers tested whether a placebo—either deceptive or openly acknowledged—could improve cognitive, physical, and psychological function in older adults over 3 weeks.
Placebo (which word is Latin for “I will please”) is popularly misunderstood, and understandably so, as it was never conceived with this sort of purpose in mind. Its original purpose was to placate patients who wanted medical attention but for whom the doctor felt sure nothing was really wrong.
Nowadays, people think of the placebo effect as “imagining things”, but it’s not, it’s about the real measurable effect that placebo has on our body and its systems. Of course, placebo will work better for some things than others. It’s typically much better at reducing pain than it is at regrowing limbs, for example. But its effects can go far beyond the subjective—it can cause skin conditions to clear up, and cancers to shrink away. Not by magic, but because of how our own physiology adapted to deliver the expected result.
That said, it can fail too, so please don’t rely on placebo alone, especially if it’s something critical/existential!
Back to Dr. Barbiani’s study: 90 healthy adults aged 65–90 were randomized into three groups (no treatment, deceptive placebo, and open-label placebo) and completed both self-reports and objective tests before and after the intervention.
Those groups were necessary because of otherwise running into a similar problem to: How Does One Test Acupuncture Against Placebo Anyway?
In this case (Dr. Barbiani’s study), for clarity:
- Deceptive placebo = the participants taking this were told it did contain an active ingredient that will improve various metrics of their health
- Open-label placebo = the participants taking this were told that it was placebo, and/but that as such, it can still be beneficial to the health in various ways
And the results?
- Cognitive gains: memory and attention improved by 14.6% in the deceptive placebo group and 21.5% in the open-label placebo group
- Physical gains: physical performance increased by 7% in the deceptive placebo group and 9.2% in the open-label placebo group
- Stress reduction: the open-label placebo group showed a clear reduction in perceived stress compared with both other groups
You can read the paper in full, here: Placebo mechanisms in aging: A randomized controlled trial comparing deceptive and open-label placebos on psychological, cognitive, and physical functioning in older adults
Want to learn more?
For our own main feature on the placebo effect, see:
How To Leverage Placebo Effect For Yourself
Enjoy!
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Are Squats the Ultimate Game-Changer?
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Dr. Jess Grochowsky, PT, DPT, MTC, CLT, CMPTP, says the answer is yes, and here’s why:
The most complete exercise
Squats are a powerful full-body exercise that targets legs, core, and (when weights are used) upper body. All in all, they enhance strength, mobility, metabolism, and joint health, making them essential for longevity and maintaining quality of movement throughout life.
In particular, they allow a much greater range of movement through more dimensions than most exercises do, meaning that (unlike a lot of more linear exercises) they build functional strength that sees us well in everyday life—mobility, joint control, and muscle stability.
Proper Squat Technique:
- The squat involves lowering the center of mass (which is slightly behind your navel and slightly down; exact position depends on your body composition and proportions) toward the floor.
- Use the “head to hips” principle to maintain a straight spine: as the head moves forward, the hips go back.
- Different foot positions (sumo, narrow, etc) target various muscles.
4 key variables to adjust squats:
- Base of support: the surface you stand on (firm vs unstable like a Bosu ball) affects stability and muscle engagement.
- Foot position: wide stances increase stability and target inner thighs and glutes; narrow stances focus more on quads.
- Weights: can use free weights, kettlebells, or bars. Adding weights increases intensity and can incorporate upper body exercises (e.g. bicep curls, overhead presses, etc).
- Squat depth: ranges from partial to deep squats, depending on functional goals.
Types of squats and variations given in the video:
- Firm surface squats: provide stability and allow even weight distribution.
- Unstable surface squats: engage smaller stabilizing muscles.
- Yoga ball squats: shift the center of mass backward, increasing quad and glute activation.
- Weighted squats: add resistance to increase muscle load and core stability (e.g. one-sided weights for oblique engagement).
- Dynamic weighted squats: incorporate quick movements, like kettlebell swings, for power and coordination.
- Single-leg squats: enhance balance and increase workload on one side of the body.
For more on all of these plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Take care!
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Statins: Study Insights
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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Q: Can you let us know about more studies that have been done on statins? Are they really worth taking?
That is a great question! We imagine it might have been our recent book recommendation that prompted it? It’s quite a broad question though, so we’ll do that as a main feature in the near future!
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A Correction, And A New, Natural Way To Boost Daily Energy Levels
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
First: a correction and expansion!
After yesterday’s issue of 10almonds covering breast cancer risks and checks, a subscriber wrote to say, with regard to our opening statement, which was:
“Anyone (who has not had a double mastectomy, anyway) can get breast cancer”
❝I have been enjoying your newsletter. This statement is misleading and should have a disclaimer that says even someone who has had a double mastectomy can get breast cancer, again. It is true and nothing…nothing is 100% including a mastectomy. I am a 12 year “thriver” (I don’t like to use the term survivor) who has had a double mastectomy. I work with a local hospital to help newly diagnosed patients deal with their cancer diagnosis and the many decisions that follow. A double mastectomy can help keep recurrence from happening but there are no guarantees. I tried to just delete this and let it go but it doesn’t feel right. Thank you!❞
Thank you for writing in about this! We wouldn’t want to mislead, and we’re always glad to hear from people who have been living with conditions for a long time, as (assuming they are a person inclined to learning) they will generally know topics far more deeply than someone who has researched it for a short period of time.
Regards a double mastectomy (we’re sure you know this already, but noting here for greater awareness, prompted by your message), a lot of circumstances can vary. For example, how far did a given cancer spread, and especially, did it spread to the lymph nodes at the armpits? And what tissue was (and wasn’t) removed?
Sometimes a bilateral prophylactic mastectomy will leave the lymph nodes partially or entirely intact, and a cancer could indeed come back, if not every last cancerous cell was removed.
A total double mastectomy, by definition, should have removed all tissue that could qualify as breast tissue for a breast cancer, including those lymph nodes. However, if the cancer spread unnoticed somewhere else in the body, then again, you’re quite correct, it could come back.
Some people have a double mastectomy without having got cancer first. Either because of a fear of cancer due to a genetic risk (like Angelina Jolie), or for other reasons (like Elliot Page).
This makes a difference, because doing it for reasons of cancer risk may mean surgeons remove the lymph nodes too, while if that wasn’t a factor, surgeons will tend to leave them in place.
In principle, if there is no breast tissue, including lymph nodes, and there was no cancer to spread, then it can be argued that the risk of breast cancer should now be the same “zero” as the risk of getting prostate cancer when one does not have a prostate.
But… Surgeries are not perfect, and everyone’s anatomy and physiology can differ enough from “textbook standard” that surprises can happen, and there’s almost always a non-zero chance of certain health outcomes.
For any unfamiliar, here’s a good starting point for learning about the many types of mastectomy, that we didn’t go into in yesterday’s edition. It’s from the UK’s National Health Service:
NHS: Mastectomy | Types of Mastectomy
And for the more sciency-inclined, here’s a paper about the recurrence rate of cancer after a prophylactic double mastectomy, after a young cancer was found in one breast.
The short version is that the measured incidence rate of breast cancer after prophylactic bilateral mastectomy was zero, but the discussion (including notes about the limitations of the study) is well worth reading:
Breast Cancer after Prophylactic Bilateral Mastectomy in Women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 Mutation
❝[Can you write about] the availability of geriatric doctors Sometimes I feel my primary isn’t really up on my 70 year old health issues. I would love to find a doctor that understands my issues and is able to explain them to me. Ie; my worsening arthritis in regards to food I eat; in regards to meds vs homeopathic solutions.! Thanks!❞
That’s a great topic, worthy of a main feature! Because in many cases, it’s not just about specialization of skills, but also about empathy, and the gap between studying a condition and living with a condition.
About arthritis, we’re going to do a main feature specifically on that quite soon, but meanwhile, you might like our previous article:
Keep Inflammation At Bay (arthritis being an inflammatory condition)
As for homeopathy, your question prompts our poll today!
(and then we’ll write about that tomorrow)
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Plum vs Raspberries – 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 plums to raspberries, we picked the raspberries.
Why?
Both are great! But…
In terms of macros, raspberries have more than 4x the fiber for the same carbs and protein, winning this first round easily.
In the category of vitamins, plums have more vitamin A (whence the color of the flesh), while raspberries have more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, C, E, and K, sweeping this round just as easily as the first.
Looking at minerals next, plums have a tiny bit more potassium, while raspberries have more much calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc, winning their third round in a row.
In other considerations, plums have some specific anticancer properties that we can’t claim for raspberries, and/but raspberries are much higher in polyphenols, so we’ll call this final round a tie.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for raspberries, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
- Top 8 Fruits That Prevent & Kill Cancer ← plums are high on the list here
- 21 Most Beneficial Polyphenols & What Foods Have Them
Enjoy!
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Chestnuts vs Dates – 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 chestnuts to dates, we picked the chestnuts.
Why?
Both are great! But…
In terms of macros, they are comparable for fiber and protein while dates have more carbs, giving dates the higher glycemic index, thus generally making chestnuts the better option in this category.
In the category of vitamins, chestnuts have more of vitamins A, B1, B3, B6, B9, and C, while dates have more of vitamins B3 and B5, giving chestnuts a 6:2 win in this round.
Looking at minerals, chestnuts have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium, while dates have (slightly) more zinc, thus yielding a 7:1 victory to chestnuts here.
In other considerations, they’re both good for polyphenols, but chestnuts have more, with an entire 1g/100g of ellagic acid and gallic acid, which is a huge number rarely seen in such measurements.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for chestnuts, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is great, unless you have a nut allergy, in which case, please do stick to the dates on this one!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
21 Most Beneficial Polyphenols & What Foods Have Them
Enjoy!
Don’t Forget…
Did you arrive here from our newsletter? Don’t forget to return to the email to continue learning!
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What’s the difference between hot sweat and cold sweat?
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Imagine two scenarios. In the first, you’re hiking uphill on a warm day, beads of sweat rolling down your forehead. In the second, you’ve just remembered you have an exam tomorrow and now the palms of your hands are cold and damp.
Both involve sweating but the causes and implications are different.
One scenario produces hot sweat, the other cold sweat. So what’s the difference?
HUUM/Unsplash What is hot sweat?
This type of sweat is also called thermoregulatory sweat. It’s the body’s natural response to increased core body temperature, which most often comes from physical exertion. As sweat evaporates from the skin, it cools down the body to help prevent overheating.
When you’ve been exercising, or are outside on a hot day, your body warms up, then sends a message to the hypothalamus region of your brain.
Your hypothalamus likes to keep your body in an optimum temperature range. So to reduce heat stress it sends signals down the spinal cord and into peripheral nerves (nerves outside the spinal cord and brain). This stimulates secretion of sweat from the eccrine glands in your skin.
Humans have millions of eccrine glands, which are packed at a density of 250–550 glands per square centimetre on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Places where you have hair (such as the face, trunk and limbs) have a lower density of eccrine glands.
Sweat from eccrine glands is mostly water and salt.
What is cold sweat?
Cold sweat is also called psychological sweat. It appears when you’re experiencing stress, anxiety, fear or pain.
These activate the amygdala, the brain region that helps you feel and respond to emotions. The amygdala then activates the hypothalamus.
The hypothalamus performs multiple functions simultaneously. It sends signals down the spinal cord and into peripheral nerves to stimulate eccrine glands in the skin.
It also sends a message to the adrenal glands sitting above the kidneys to release norepinephrine (also called noradrenaline) and epinephrine (adrenaline) hormones. These hormones travel through the blood and affect a different type of sweat gland in the skin, the apocrine glands.
Apocrine glands are mainly in the armpit, breasts, face and perineum (where the external genitalia are). Sweat from apocrine glands contains lots of lipids (fats), proteins, sugar and ammonia.
As cold sweat triggers eccrine and apocrine glands, you can sweat all over your body.
Which type smells more?
Sweat itself – whether hot or cold – does not smell. But when bacteria on your skin feed on sweat, this produces volatile organic compounds. And it’s these that smell. Blame bacteria such as Corynebacterium, Staphyloccocus and Cutibacterium.
A small study from Japan showed stress, not exercise, triggered unpleasant body odours in people who normally don’t have body odour.
That’s probably because bacteria prefer the cold sweat from apocrine glands. It’s a tasty meal, full of fat, protein and sugars.
Another study analysed the results of 26 earlier studies involving 1,652 people. This showed that when we’re frightened, we give off specific smells via our sweat.
So yes, fear and stress really do have a distinctive smell that should warn others to stay away.
In a nutshell
The terms hot and cold sweat don’t refer to the temperature of the sweat itself. The fluid released is always at body temperature.
Producing hot sweat is normal and an effective way for your body to lose heat. Cold sweat signals to others that you’re distressed in some way.
If you’re concerned about your sweating, see your GP. This is especially important if you start sweating more, less, or differently on either side of your body, without changing your lifestyle.
Amanda Meyer, Senior Lecturer, Anatomy and Pathology in the College of Medicine and Dentistry, James Cook University and Monika Zimanyi, Associate Professor in Anatomy, James Cook University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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