Tell Yourself a Better Lie – by Marissa Peer

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As humans, we generally lie to ourselves constantly. Or perhaps we really believe some of the things we tell ourselves, even if they’re not objectively necessarily true:

  • I’ll always be poor
  • I’m destined to be alone
  • I don’t deserve good things
  • Etc.

Superficially, it’s easy to flip those, and choose to tell oneself the opposite. But it feels hollow and fake, doesn’t it? That’s where Marissa Peer comes in.

Our stories that we tell ourselves don’t start where we are—they’re generally informed by things we learned along the way. Sometimes good lessons, sometimes bad ones. Sometimes things that were absolutely wrong and/or counterproductive.

Peer invites the reader to ask “What if…”, unravel how the unhelpful lessons got wired into our brains in the first place, and then set about untangling them.

“Tell yourself a better lie” does not mean self-deceit. It means that we’re the authors of our own stories, so we might as well make them work for us. Many things in life are genuinely fixed; others are open to interpretation.

Sorting one from the other, and then treating them correctly in a way that’s helpful to us? That’s how we can stop hurting ourselves, and instead bring our own stories around to uplift and fortify us.

Get Your Copy of “Tell Yourself A Better Lie” on Amazon Today!

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    Support a friend with cancer: listen with empathy, offer practical help, understand their journey, and stick by them through recovery.

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  • Heart Health vs Systemic Stress

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    At The Heart Of Good Health

    This is Dr. Michelle Albert. She’s a cardiologist with a decades-long impressive career, recently including a term as the president of the American Heart Association. She’s the current Admissions Dean at UCSF Medical School. She’s accumulated enough awards and honors that if we list them, this email will not fit in your inbox without getting clipped.

    What does she want us to know?

    First, lifestyle

    Although Dr. Albert is also known for her work with statins (which found that pravastatin may have anti-inflammatory effects in addition to lipid-lowering effects, which is especially good news for women, for whom the lipid-lowering effects may be less useful than for men), she is keen to emphasize that they should not be anyone’s first port-of-call unless “first” here means “didn’t see the risk until it was too late and now LDL levels are already ≥190 mg/dL”.

    Instead, she recommends taking seriously the guidelines on:

    • getting plenty of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein
    • avoiding red meat, processed meats, refined carbohydrates, and sweetened beverages
    • getting your 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise
    • avoiding alcohol, and definitely abstaining from smoking

    See also: These Top Five Things Make The Biggest Difference To Health

    Next, get your house in order

    No, not your home gym—though sure, that too!

    But rather: after the “Top Five Things” we linked just above, the sixth on the list would be “reduce stress”. Indeed, as Dr. Albert says:

    ❝Heart health is not just about the physical heart but also about emotional well-being. Stress management is crucial for a healthy heart❞

    ~ Dr. Michelle Albert

    This is where a lot of people would advise mindfulness meditation, CBT, somatic therapies, and the like. And these things are useful! See for example:

    No-Frills, Evidence-Based Mindfulness

    …and:

    How To Manage Chronic Stress

    However, Dr. Albert also advocates for awareness of what some professionals have called “Shit Life Syndrome”.

    This is more about socioeconomic factors. There are many of those that can’t be controlled by the individual, for example:

    Adverse maternal experiences such as depression, economic issues and low social status can lead to poor cognitive outcomes as well as cardiovascular disease.

    Many jarring statistics illuminate a marked wealth gap by race and ethnicity… You might be thinking education could help bridge that gap. But it is not that simple.

    While education does increase wealth, the returns are not the same for everyone. Black persons need a post-graduate degree just to attain similar wealth as white individuals with a high school degree.

    ~ Dr. Michelle Albert

    Read in full: AHA president: The connection between economic adversity and cardiovascular health

    What this means in practical terms (besides advocating for structural change to tackle the things such as the racism that has been baked into a lot of systems for generations) is:

    Be aware not just of your obvious health risk factors, but also your socioeconomic risk factors, if you want to have good general health outcomes.

    So for example, let’s say that you, dear reader, are wealthy and white, in which case you have some very big things in your favor, but are you also a woman? Because if so…

    Women and Minorities Bear the Brunt of Medical Misdiagnosis

    See also, relevant for some: Obesity Discrimination In Healthcare Settings ← you’ll need to scroll to the penultimate section for this one.

    In other words… If you are one of the majority of people who is a woman and/or some kind of minority, things are already stacked against you, and not only will this have its own direct harmful effect, but also, it’s going to make your life harder and that stress increases CVD risk more than salt.

    In short…

    This means: tackle not just your stress, but also the things that cause that. Look after your finances, gather social support, know your rights and be prepared to self-advocate / have someone advocate for you, and go into medical appointments with calm well-prepared confidence.

    Take care!

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  • Next-Level Metabolism – by Dr. Jade Teta

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    This book starts with the preface that “this is not a diet book”, but all the diet books nowadays say that, even when the title is “The Such-And-Such Diet”. So, is this one a diet book?

    No, it isn’t. It’s rather an informational explanation of how metabolism works, and the very many things that can affect it, ranging from genes and epigenetics to diet and exercise to stress and sleep, and more.

    Where this book most excels is in the personalization aspect; it describes how to assess your own system inputs and outputs (which are a lot more things than just calories in, calories out), and read your own body’s cues in terms of what’s going on with you metabolically.

    Because the truth is, we’re all a bit different (aside from, perhaps, identical twins etc living identical lifestyles in all respects, down to having the same meals and the same schedule), and while there definitely are some universal truths of metabolism (e.g. whole fruit is always going to be better than high-fructose corn syrup), when it comes to the finer details on the other hand, what goes for one person genuinely may not go for another, and there can be a multitude of reasons why. This book helps identify those, and go with what actually works for you.

    The style is half pop-science, half pep-talk. The book could have been a lot shorter without all the pep talk, but for those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like.

    Bottom line: if you’d like to understand your metabolism (as opposed to some clinically standardized average of metabolism), then this book can help you do that.

    Click here to check out Next-Level Metabolism, and level-up your understanding of it!

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  • The Anti-Viral Gut – by Dr. Robynne Chutkan

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    Some people get a virus and feel terrible for a few days; other people get the same virus and die. Then there are some who never even get it at all despite being in close proximity with the other two. So, what’s the difference?

    Dr. Robynne Chutkan outlines the case for the difference not being in the virus, but in the people. And nor is it a matter of mysterious fate, but rather, a matter of the different levels of defenses (or lack thereof) that we each have.

    The key, she explains, is in our microbiome, and the specific steps to make sure that ours is optimized and ready to protect us. The book goes beyond “eat prebiotics and probiotics”, though, and goes through other modifiable factors, based on data from this pandemic and the last one a hundred years ago. We also learn about the many different kinds of bacteria that live in our various body parts (internal and external), because as it turns out, our gut microbiome (however important; hence the title) isn’t the only relevant microbiome when it comes to whether or not a given disease will take hold or be eaten alive on the way in.

    The style is very polished—Dr. Chutkan is an excellent educator who makes her points clearly and comprehensibly without skimping on scientific detail.

    Bottom line: if you’d like your chances of surviving any given virus season to not be left to chance, then this is a must-read book.

    Click here to check out The Anti-Viral Gut, and make your body a fortress!

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Related Posts

  • It’s Not You, It’s Your Hormones – by Nicki Williams, DipION, mBANT, CNHC
  • Studies of Parkinson’s disease have long overlooked Pacific populations – our work shows why that must change

    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.

    A form of Parkinson’s disease caused by mutations in a gene known as PINK1 has long been labelled rare. But our research shows it’s anything but – at least for some populations.

    Our meta-analysis revealed that people in specific Polynesian communities have a much higher rate of PINK1-linked Parkinson’s than expected. This finding reshapes not only our understanding of who is most at risk, but also how soon symptoms may appear and what that might mean for treatment and testing.

    Parkinson’s disease is often thought of as a single condition. In reality, it is better understood as a group of syndromes caused by different factors – genetic, environmental or a combination of both.

    These varying causes lead to differences in disease patterns, progression and subsequent diagnosis. Recognising this distinction is crucial as it paves the way for targeted interventions and may even help prevent the disease altogether.

    Shutterstock/sfam_photo

    Why we focus on PINK1-linked Parkinson’s

    We became interested in this gene after a 2021 study highlighted five people of Samoan and Tongan descent living in New Zealand who shared the same PINK1 mutation.

    Previously, this mutation had been spotted only in a few more distant places –Malaysia, Guam and the Philippines. The fact it appeared in people from Samoan and Tongan backgrounds suggested a historical connection dating back to early Polynesian migrations.

    One person in 1,300 West Polynesians carries this mutation. This is a frequency well above what scientists usually classify as rare (below one in 2,200). This discovery means we may be overlooking entire communities in Parkinson’s research if we continue to assume PINK1-linked cases are uncommon.

    A world map shows the incidence of PINK1-linked Parkinson’s, adjusted for population.
    This world map shows people in some Polynesian communities have a much higher rate of PINK1-linked Parkinson’s than the global population. Eden Yin, CC BY-SA

    Traditional understanding says PINK1-linked Parkinson’s is both rare and typically strikes younger people, mostly in their 30s or 40s, if they inherit two faulty copies of the gene. In other words, it’s considered a recessive condition, needing two matching puzzle pieces before the disease can unfold.

    Our work challenges this view. We show that even one defective PINK1 gene can cause Parkinson’s at an average age of 43, much earlier than the typical onset after 65. That’s a significant departure from the standard belief that only people with two defective gene copies are at risk.

    Why this matters for people with the disease

    It’s not just genetics that challenge long-held views. Historically, PINK1-linked Parkinson’s was thought to lack some of the classic features of the disease, such as toxic clumps of alpha-synuclein protein.

    In typical Parkinson’s, alpha-synuclein builds up in the brain, forming sticky clumps known as Lewy bodies. Our results, contrary to prior beliefs, show that alpha-synuclein pathology is present in 87.5% of PINK1 cases. This finding opens up a promising new avenue for future treatment development.

    The biggest concern is early onset. PINK1-linked Parkinson’s can begin as early as 11 years old, although a more common starting point is around the mid-30s. This early onset means living longer with the disease, which can profoundly affect education, work opportunities and family life.

    Current treatments (such as levodopa, a precursor of dopamine) help manage symptoms, but they’re not designed to address the root cause. If we know someone has a PINK1 mutation, scientists and clinicians can explore therapies for specific genetic pathways, potentially delivering relief beyond symptom management.

    Sex differences add a layer of complexity

    In Parkinson’s, generally, men are at higher risk and tend to develop symptoms earlier. However, our findings suggest the opposite pattern for PINK1-linked cases. Particularly, women with two defective copies of the gene experience onset earlier than men.

    This highlights the need to consider sex-related factors in Parkinson’s research. Overlooking them risks missing key elements of the disease.

    Genetic testing could be a game-changer for PINK1-linked Parkinson’s. Because it often appears earlier, doctors may not recognise it immediately, especially if they are more familiar with the common, later-onset form of Parkinson’s.

    Early genetic testing could lead to a faster, more accurate diagnosis, allowing treatment to begin when interventions are most effective. It would help families understand how the disease is inherited, enabling relatives to get tested.

    In some cases, where appropriate and culturally acceptable, embryo screening may be considered to prevent the passing of the faulty gene.

    Knowing you have a PINK1 mutation could also make finding the right treatment more efficient. Instead of a lengthy trial-and-error process with different medications, doctors could use emerging therapies designed to target the underlying PINK1 mutation rather than relying on general Parkinson’s treatments meant for the broader population.

    Addressing research gaps

    These findings underscore how crucial it is to include diverse populations in health research.

    Many communities, such as those in Samoa, Tonga and other Pacific nations, have had little to no involvement in global Parkinson’s genetics studies. This has created gaps in knowledge and real-world consequences for people who may not receive timely or accurate diagnoses.

    Researchers, funding bodies and policymakers must prioritise projects beyond the usual focus on European or industrialised countries to ensure research findings and treatments are relevant to all affected populations.

    To better diagnose and treat Parkinson’s, we need a more inclusive approach. Recognising that PINK1-linked Parkinson’s is not as rare as previously thought – and that genetics, sex differences and cultural factors all play a role – allows us to improve care for everyone.

    By expanding genetic testing, refining treatments and ensuring research reflects the full spectrum of Parkinson’s, we can move closer to more precise diagnoses, targeted therapies and better support systems for all.

    Victor Dieriks, Research Fellow in Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau and Eden Paige Yin, PhD candidate in Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

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

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  • Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts!

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    Time to go nuts for nuts!

    Nuts, in popular perception, range from “basically the healthiest food anyone can eat” to “basically high calorie salty snacks”. And, they can be either!

    Some notes, then:

    • Raw is generally better that not
    • Dry roasted is generally better than the kind with added oils
    • Added salt is neither necessary nor good

    Quick tip: if “roasted salted” are the cheapest or most convenient to buy, you can at least mitigate that by soaking them in warm water for 5 minutes, before rinsing and (if you don’t want wet nuts) drying.

    You may be wondering: who does want wet nuts? And the answer is, if for example you’re making a delicious cashew and chickpea balti, the fact you didn’t dry them before throwing them in won’t make a difference.

    Now, let’s do a quick run-down; we don’t usually do “listicles” but it seemed a good format here, so we’ve picked a top 5 for nutritional potency:

    Almonds

    We may have a bias. We accept it. But almonds are also one of the healthiest nuts around, and generally considered by most popular metrics the healthiest.

    Not only are they high in protein, healthy fat, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but they’re even a natural prebiotic that increases the populations of healthy gut bacteria, while simultaneously keeping down the populations of gut pathogens—what more can we ask of a nut?

    Read more: Prebiotic effects of almonds and almond skins on intestinal microbiota in healthy adult humans

    Pistachios

    Not only are these super tasty and fun to eat (and mindful eating is all but guaranteed, as shelling them by hand slows us down and makes us more likely to eat them one at a time rather than by the handful), but also they contain lots of nutrients and are lower in calories than most nuts, so they’re a great option for anyone who’d like to eat more nuts but is doing a calorie-controlled diet and doesn’t want to have half a day’s calories in a tiny dish of nuts.

    See: Effects of Pistachio Consumption in a Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention on Weight Change, Cardiometabolic Factors, and Dietary Intake

    Walnuts

    Popularly associated with brain health (perhaps easy to remember because of their appearance), they really are good for the brain:

    Check it out: Beneficial Effects of Walnuts on Cognition and Brain Health

    Cashews

    A personal favorite of this writer for their versatility in cooking, food prep, or just as a snack, they also do wonders for metabolic health:

    Learn more: The Effect of Cashew Nut on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

    Brazil nuts

    The most exciting thing about these nuts is that they’re an incredibly potent source of selenium, which is important not just for hair/skin/nails as popularly marketed, but also for thyroid hormone production and DNA synthesis.

    But don’t eat too many, because selenium is definitely one of those “you can have too much of a good thing” nutrients, and selenium poisoning can make your hair (however beautiful and shiny it got because of the selenium) fall out if you take too much.

    Know the numbers: Brazil nuts and selenium—health benefits and risks

    Bottom line on nuts:

    • Nuts are a great and healthful part of almost anyone’s diet
      • Obviously, if you have a nut allergy, then we’re sorry; this one won’t have helped you so much
    • Almonds are one of the most healthful nuts out there
    • Brazil nuts are incredibly potent, to the point where moderation is recommended
    • A handful of mixed nuts per day is a very respectable option—when it comes to food and health, diversity is almost always good!

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  • How to Prepare for Your First Therapy Session

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    Everyone (who ever has therapy, anyway) has a first therapy session. So, how to make best use of that, and get things going most effectively? Dr. Tori Olds has advice:

    Things to prepare

    Questions that you should consider, and prepare answers to beforehand, include:

    • Why are you here? Not in any deep philosophical sense, but, what brought you to therapy?
    • What would you like to focus on? Chances are, you are paying a hefty hourly rate—so having considered this will allow you to get your money’s worth.
    • How will you know when you’ve met your goal? Note that this is really two questions in one, because first you need to identify your goal, and then you need to expand on it. If you woke up tomorrow and all your psychological problems were solved, how would you know? What would be different? What does it look like?

    If you have a little time between now and your first session, journaling can help a lot.

    Remember also that a first therapy session can also be like a mutual interview, to decide whether it’s a good match. Not every therapist is good at their job, and not every therapist will be good for you specifically. Sometimes, a therapist may be a mismatch through no fault of their own. Considering what those reasons might be can also be a good thing to think about in advance, to help find the best therapist for you in fewer tries!

    For most on these ideas, 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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