The Blue Zones, Second Edition – by Dan Buettner
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Eat beans & greens, take walks, have a purpose; you can probably list off the top of your head some of the “advices from Blue Zones”, so what makes this book stand out?
This is perhaps one of the most thoughtful investigations; the author (a National Geographic researcher) toured and researched all the Blue Zones, took many many notes (we get details), and asked a lot of questions that others skipped.
For example, a lot of books about the Blue Zones mention the importance of community—but they don’t go into much detail of what that looks like… And they certainly don’t tend to explain what we should do about it.
And that’s because community is often viewed as environmental in a way that we can’t control. If we want to take supplements, eat a certain way, exercise, etc, we can do all those things alone if we want. But if we want community? We’re reliant on other people—and that’s a taboo in the US, and US-influenced places.
So, one way this book excels is in describing how exactly people foster community in the Blue Zones (hint: the big picture—the form of the community—is different in each place, but the individual actions taken are similar), with particular attention to the roles actively taken on by the community elders.
In a similar vein, “reduce stress” is good, but what mindsets and mechanisms do they use that are still reproducible if we are not, for example, Okinawan farmers? Again, Buettner delivers in spades.
Bottom line: this is the Blue Zones book that digs deeper than others, and makes the advices much more applicable no matter where we live.
Click here to check out The Blue Zones, and build these 9 things into your life!
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What Causes Kidney Stones?
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This is one of those cases where prevention is a lot more fun than cure:
This too shall pass
Passing a kidney stone is usually not on most people’s lists of favorite things to do.
But how and why do they form in the first place?
Urine naturally contains (amongst many other things) calcium, sodium, potassium, oxalate, uric acid, and phosphate, and when these compounds become too concentrated or your urine becomes too acidic or alkaline, they can crystallize and gradually grow into stones over weeks, months, or years.
Of these, most (around 80%) are calcium oxalate stones, while less common types include calcium phosphate, uric acid, infection-related struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate), and stones caused by certain genetic disorders or medications.
These don’t create symptoms at first, until they move into the ureters and, later, the urethra, where they can scratch the sensitive tissue, and cause a lot of pain and inflammation. It can get worse if the stone blocks the flow of urine, because then you have the regular kidney stone problems plus you’re now doing damage to your kidneys with backed up urine, plus this throws a large part of your body’s homeostatic system out of balance, which is very serious.
Fortunately, stones smaller than 5mm usually pass on their own, with doctors typically recommending drinking plenty of water and taking pain meds.
If that doesn’t work, there are more heavy-duty methods:
- First line options: alpha blockers can relax your ureter to help larger stones pass, while potassium citrate can make your urine less acidic and help dissolve certain stones.
- Second line options: extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy uses focused ultrasonic pulses to vibrate and fracture medium-sized stones up to about10 mm into smaller fragments that are easier to pass.
- Third line options: doctors may insert a ureteral stent, use laser pulses delivered through optical fibers to break up the stone, or surgically remove it through an incision in your back or groin.
As for how to prevent them, the video touches on this, but for much more information, see our “learn more” section below, as the same advice applies as for preventing kidney disease in general.
Meanwhile, for more on all of this, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Keeping Your Kidneys Healthy (Especially After 60) ← there’s a lot more to it than just hydration!
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N-Acetyl Cysteine For The Liver & More
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N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) is best-known for its liver support properties, but the benefits extend much further than that, and even include direct brain bonuses (as it does pass the blood-brain barrier):
More than just the liver
Inka Land, neuropsychologist, talks about her use of NAC over the course of the past year or so.
Most people take NAC to support liver health; for which it is considered safe and effective for reversing fatty liver disease, now also known as hepatic steatosis or steatotic liver disease.
For her, the most noticeable difference is that previously, she had 15–20 migraines a month plus cluster/tension headaches, whereas after taking 1.2g of NAC daily for 1–2 years, those migraines reduced to 1–3 per month, sometimes none, and the attacks themselves became shorter, milder, and easier to manage.
How it works: NAC acts as a precursor for glutathione (a key antioxidant in the brain and the rest of the body), counteracts oxidative stress, lowers inflammation, and helps balance neurotransmitters like that drive nerve overactivity.
NAC is able to do this because it crosses the blood–brain barrier and promotes natural glutathione production inside cells, while oral glutathione is usually less bioavailable (except the liposomal form, which is more expensive).
While she didn’t get to enjoy these benefits herself, because she didn’t have the initial problems they relieve, she also cites studies showing benefits alleviating some repetitive OCD-like symptoms (e.g. hair-pulling, nail-biting, skin-picking) and addictions (e.g. nicotine, alcohol, gambling).
As for dosage, research shows doses over 1 g per day are most effective, but you might want to bear in mind that for some people (based on her personal experience) it may cause nausea if taken on an empty stomach, making it best taken about 30 minutes before food (why 30 minutes before? Because that’s how long it takes for a cellulose capsule to get where it’s going and dissolve).
For more on all of this, enjoy;
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Skin Care Down There (Incl. Butt Acne, Hyperpigmentation, & More)
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Dr. Sam Ellis, dermatologist, gives us the low-down:
Where the sun don’t shine
Common complaints and remedies that Dr. Ellis covers in this video include:
- Butt acne/folliculitis: most butt breakouts are actually folliculitis, not traditional acne. Folliculitis is caused by friction, sitting for long periods, or wearing tight clothes. Solutions include antimicrobial washes like benzoyl peroxide and changing sitting habits (i.e. to sit less)
- Keratosis pilaris: rough bumps around hair follicles can appear on the butt, often confused with acne.
- Boils and abscesses: painful, large lumps; these need medical attention for drainage.
- Hidradenitis suppurativa: recurrent painful cysts and boils in skin creases, often in the groin and buttocks. These require medical intervention and treatment.
- Ingrown hairs: are common in people who shave or wax. Treat with warm compresses and gentle exfoliants.
- Hyperpigmentation: is often caused by hormonal changes, friction, or other irritation. Laser hair removal and gentle chemical exfoliants can help.
In the event that the sun does, in fact, shine on your genitals (for example you sunbathe nude and have little or no pubic hair), then sun protection is essential to prevent further darkening (and also, incidentally, reduce the risk of cancer).
For more on all of this, plus a general introduction to skincare in the bikini zone (i.e. if everything’s fine there right now and you’d like to keep it that way), enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
The Evidence-Based Skincare That Beats Product-Specific Hype
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Brown Rice vs Oats – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing brown rice to oats, we picked the oats.
Why?
Both are great, but ultimately, rice cannot compete with the nutritional heavyweight that is oats:
In terms of macros, brown rice has more carbs, while oats have nearly 3x the fiber nearly 2x the protein; an easy first-round win for oats.
In the category of vitamins, brown rice has more of vitamins B3 and B6, while oats have more of vitamins B1, B2, B5, B7, and B9, winning another round.
Looking at minerals next, brown rice is not higher in any minerals, while oats have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, winning their third round in a row.
Adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for oats, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
The Best Kind Of Fiber For Overall Health? ← it’s β-glucan, the kind find abundantly in oats!
Enjoy!
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When And Why Do We Pick Up Our Phones?
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The School of Life’s Alain de Botton makes the argument that—if we pay attention, if we keep track—there’s an understory to why we pick up our phones:
It’s not about information
Yes, our phones (or rather, the apps therein) are designed to addict us, to draw us back, to keep us scrolling and never let us go. We indeed seek out information like our ancestors once sought out berries; searching, encouraged by a small discovery, looking for more. The neurochemistry is similar.
But when we look at the “when” of picking up our phones, de Botton says, it tells a different story:
We pick them up not to find out what’s going on with the world, but rather specifically to not find out what’s going with ourselves. We pick them up to white out some anxiety we don’t want to examine, a line of thought we don’t want to go down, memories we don’t want to consider, futures we do not want to have to worry about.
And of course, phones do have a great educational potential, are an immensely powerful tool for accessing knowledge of many kinds—if only we can remain truly conscious while using them, and not take them as the new “opiate of the masses”.
De Botton bids us, when next we pick up our phone. ask a brave question:
“If I weren’t allowed to consult my phone right now, what might I need to think about?”
As for where from there? There’s more in the video:
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Further reading
Making Social Media Work For Your Mental Health
Take care!
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Altered Traits – by Dr. Daniel Goleman & Dr. Richard Davidson
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We know that meditation helps people to relax, but what more than that?This book explores the available science.
We say “explore the available science”, but it’d be remiss of us not to note that the authors have also expanded the available science, conducting research in their own lab.
From stress tests and EEGs to attention tests and fMRIs, this book looks at the hard science of what different kinds of meditation do to the brain. Not just in terms of brain state, either, but gradual cumulative anatomical changes, too. Powerful stuff!
The style is very pop-science in presentation, easily comprehensible to all. Be aware though that this is an “if this, then that” book of science, not a how-to manual. If you want to learn to meditate, this isn’t the book for that.
Bottom line: if you’d like to understand more about how different kinds of meditation affect the brain differently, this is the book for you.
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