The Nitric Oxide (NO) Solution – by Dr. Nathan Bryan & Janet Zand
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Typically we review books, not authors, but here it’s worth mentioning that the authors are an interesting pairing, qualification-wise:
- Dr. Nathan Bryan is a leading expert on nitric oxide, and assistant professor of molecular medicine at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine of the School of Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
- Janet Zand is a homeopath, herbalist, and acupuncturist whose qualifications are not widely recognized even by acupuncture organizations.
The result is a book that is neither overly scientific nor overly unscientific.
By this we mean, the authors explain the functioning of nitric oxide (not to be mistaken for nitrous oxide or nitrogen dioxide), and, for that matter, the dysfunctioning of nitric oxide (i.e. what happens when we don’t make enough), and how to fix it by giving our body the things it needs to do it better.
But they explain these things in broad terms, and they mention research without actually citing it, e.g. “a team of researchers found” without saying who, or “a study published in the Journal of Such-and-Such showed…” without saying what study, etc.
Thus, we learn about the decline of nitric oxide production in the body, what causes such (age over 40, and some lifestyle factors), and how to counter it (diet & exercise, but, specific dietary things, especially leafy greens, for example, and amino acid supplements (l-arginine and l-citrulline) that make it easier for the body to produce the enzymes that in turn play their part in the production of nitric oxide.
The benefits (mostly vs CVD and inflammatory diseases) are possibly overstated as much research on this topic has been done on non-human animals and/or has produced mixed results, but there is rarely much that can go wrong with eating more leafy greens, getting in amino acids, and exercising—so for most people the advice remains good regardless.
Bottom line: this is a very interesting book that’s quite light-reading as an introduction to the machinations of nitric oxide in our physiology, and why we might want to promote that. Provided you don’t want more details or need sources, it’s a good book.
Click here to check out The Nitric Oxide (NO) Solution, and say NO to disease!
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5 Daily Habits That Make You Age Faster (And What to Do Instead!)
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Dr. Alyssa Kuhn, arthritis specialist, gives advice that goes for us all, with or without arthritis:
Keep it moving
Fun fact: the phrase “the quick and the dead” might seem like a strange comparison (what about all those who are neither quick nor dead?), but the word “quick” is originally from the Proto-Germanic “kwikwaz”, and simply meant “alive”.
However: there is something to be said for keeping things moving if we do not want to be stilled forever!
To this end, Dr. Kuhn recommends being mindful of the following 5 bad habits, and doing their healthier (more lively!) counterparts instead:
- Treating pain with pills rather than movement: this makes your body weaker and less mobile. So…
- Gentle, consistent movement helps joints and muscles stay younger. In other words, take the pills as well if you must, but don’t let it delay you also moving your body. As we say, gentle movements are fine! But do move.
- Skipping strength training: after 40, muscle loss accelerates (sarcopenia). So…
- Strength-focused exercises like sit-to-stand, step-ups, and wall push-ups are needed, since walking alone isn’t enough.
- Only moving in straight lines: avoiding sideways or backwards movement reduces mobility. So…
- Practicing side steps, taps, or backwards walking keeps the body adaptable.
- Ignoring balance: poor balance often doesn’t get noticed as a problem until some disaster occurs. So…
- Daily practice like tandem stance, single-leg stance, or single-leg deadlifts improves stability and reduces fall risk.
- Avoiding the floor: not practicing getting down and up makes the skill harder to maintain and more dangerous to lose.
- Safe, regular practice maintains independence and mobility; find a way to build it into your daily routine 🙂
For more on each of these plus visual demonstrations of some exercises where appropriate, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
The Most Important Mobility Moves Everyone Needs
Take care!
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- Treating pain with pills rather than movement: this makes your body weaker and less mobile. So…
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Banana vs Guava – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing banana to guava, we picked the guava.
Why?
Both are great, but it wasn’t close:
In terms of macros, bananas have more than 2x the carbs while guavas have more than 2x the fiber and protein; an easy win for guava.
In the category of vitamins, bananas have more of vitamins B2 and B6, while guavas have a lot more of vitamins A, B1, B3, B5, B7, B9, C, E, and K, sweeping this round easily as well.
Looking at minerals, bananas have more magnesium, manganese, and selenium, while guavas have more calcium, copper, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, winning guavas’ third round in a row.
In other considerations, guavas also have more polyphenols, so that’s another round to guavas.
Adding up the sections makes for an overwhelming overall win for guavas, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?
Enjoy!
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The Kindness Method – by Shahroo Izadi
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Shahroo Izadi here covers everything from alcohol addiction to procrastination to weight loss. It’s a catch-all handbook for changing your habits—in general, and/or in whatever area of your life you most feel you want or need to.
She herself went from yo-yo dieting to a stable healthy lifestyle, and wants to share with us how she did it. So she took what worked for her, organized and dilstilled it, and named it “the kindness method”, which…
- promotes positivity not in a “head in the sand” sense but rather: you have strengths, let’s find them and use them
- offers many exploratory exercises to help you figure out what’s actually going to be best for you
- plans support in advance—you’re going to be your own greatest ally here
Basically it’s about:
- being kind to yourself rather than setting yourself up to fail, and “judging a fish by how well it can climb a tree”
- being kind to yourself by being compassionate towards your past self and moving on with lessons learned
- being kind to yourself by getting things in order for your future self, because you need to treat your future self like a loved one
In fact, why not buy a copy of this book as a gift for your future self?
Click Here To Order Your Copy of “The Kindness Method” on Amazon Today!
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Asbestos has been found in children’s coloured sand. What’s the risk to kids?
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Multiple schools and early learning centres in the Australian Capital Territory have shut on Friday after asbestos was found in coloured sand used for children’s art and sensory play. At least one school in Brisbane has also closed due to potential exposure.
On Thursday, WorkSafe ACT issued a contamination notice after laboratory testing confirmed traces of chrysotile, a type of asbestos, in Kadink Decorative Sand.
It follows a recall notice by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for Educational Colours Rainbow Sand (1.3kg), Creatistics Coloured Sand (1kg) and Kadink Sand (1.3kg) in various colours. This was because of a different type of asbestos, tremolite.
The sand subject to the recall was manufactured in China and sold by several Australian retailers, including Officeworks and Woolworths.
Examples of the recalled sand products. Australian Competition and Consumer Competition. Parents will understandably be feeling worried about kids’ potential exposure to asbestos, which has been banned in Australia since 2003. But the risks in this case are low. Here’s what you need to know – and how to get rid of contaminated sand safely.
Natalia Alkema/Getty What was found in the sand?
There are six different types of asbestos. All are dangerous.
Information about which kind was found in these sand products differs according to the agency issuing the alert:
- the ACCC recall says the products “may contain tremolite asbestos”
- WorkSafe Qld says they “contain a low level of tremolite and/or chrysotile asbestos”
- WorkSafe ACT says its testing (of Kandink Sand) found it “contains chrysotile”.
Fortunately, the most dangerous type – crocidolite asbestos or “blue” asbestos – has not been reported as a contaminant.
According to the ACCC, the recalled products have been sold throughout Australia between 2020 and 2025. But if regular testing has occurred it’s likely the contamination is more recent, and could be limited to a single batch. However we do not have the information at this stage.
How could it end up in sand?
The children’s play sand was manufactured overseas, and we don’t know how it was contaminated. But there are several possibilities.
If the sand was taken from a beach then it is unlikely to be contaminated with asbestos. But if the sand was manufactured by crushing rocks, then potentially asbestos – which is a naturally occurring mineral – could have been in the source product.
Asbestos is still used as a heat-shielding material or as a building product in many places in the world. So it’s also possible the processes used to dye the sand could also be another potential source of contamination.
What are the health risks? Are kids more vulnerable?
Asbestos is most dangerous when it becomes airborne and can be inhaled, for example during demolitions and renovations of older homes, where it was a common building material.
Inhaling any form of asbestos (fibres, dust, microparticles) can cause mesothelioma – a cancer that affects organ tissue, particularly the lungs – as well as lung cancer and asbestosis, a chronic lung disease that causes shortness of breath.
There is no safe level of exposure. However the risks increase with the amount you’re exposed to.
This means a small amount can be dangerous. But those who encounter asbestos once or twice in small amounts have a far lower risk of developing health complications, compared to people continually exposed to large quantities, as we’ve seen in the construction and mining industries.
We don’t have much research about the impact in children. But we know the younger someone is when exposed, the greater the risk is they will develop cancer or asbestosis. This is because the health effects can take decades to develop. So younger people have a higher chance of living long enough to see them emerge.
So, what is the risk?
WorkSafe ACT hasn’t released the levels it found through lab testing. But a statement on its website says: “The risk of exposure to traces of chrysotile is low.” This suggests very low levels were found.
The potential of exposure should be taken very seriously, as asbestos can be deadly. But it is not a cause for panic; the risk in this case is low.
Remember, it is likely everyone has been exposed to asbestos at some point, but most of us report no health complications as a result.
How should I dispose of the sand safely?
Detailed instructions are available at WorkSafe ACT.
You should wear:
- disposable gloves, tucked into cuffs, and any gaps sealed with tape
- a P2-rated face mask (not a standard dust mask)
- protective eyewear.
When disposing of the sand:
- do everything you can to prevent dust or fibres becoming airborne
- carefully double-wrap the sand, its container, and related materials in heavy duty (200-micron) plastic bags
- seal with tape and clearly label the package as asbestos waste.
Information about asbestos disposal in your state or territory is available at the Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency website.
If you are worried about your exposure or your child’s, contact your GP.
Brian Oliver, Professor, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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What Harm Can One Sleepless Night Do?
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We’ll not bury the lede: a study found that just one night of 24-hour sleep deprivation can alter immune cell profiles in young, lean, healthy people to resemble those of people with obesity and chronic inflammation.
Chronic inflammation, in turn, causes very many other chronic diseases, and worsens most of the ones it doesn’t outright cause.
The reason this happens is because in principle, inflammation is supposed to be good for us—it’s our body’s defenses coming to the rescue. However, if we imagine our immune cells as firefighters, then compare:
- A team of firefighters who are in great shape and ready to deploy at a moment’s notice, are mostly allowed to rest, sometimes get training, and get called out to a fire from time time, just enough to keep them on their toes. Today, something in your house caught fire, and they showed up in 5 minutes and put it out safely.
- A team of firefighters who have been pulling 24-hour shifts every day for the past 20 years, getting called out constantly for lost cats, burned toast, wrong numbers, the neighbor’s music, a broken fridge, and even the occasional fire. Today, your printer got jammed so they broke down your door and also your windows just for good measure, and blasted your general desk area with a fire hose, which did not resolve the problem but now your computer itself is broken.
Which team would you rather have?
The former team is a healthy immune system; the latter is the immune system of someone with chronic inflammation.
But if it’s one night, it’s not chronic, right?
Contingently true. However, the problem is that because the immune profile was made to be like the bad team we described (imagine that chaos in your house, now remember that for this metaphor, it’s your body that that’s happening to), the immediate strong negative health impact will already have knock-on effects, which in turn make it more likely that you’ll struggle to get your sleep back on track quickly.
For example, the next night you may oversleep “to compensate”, but then the following day your sleep schedule is now slid back considerably; one thing leads to another, and a month later you’re thinking “I really must sort my sleep out”.
See also: 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.
What about sleep fragmentation?
In other words: getting sleep, but heavily disrupted sleep.
The answer is: basically the same deal as with missed sleep.
Specifically, elevated proinflammatory cytokines (in this context, that’s bad) and an increase in nonclassical monocytes—as are typically seen in people with obesity and chronic inflammation.
Remember: these were young, lean, healthy participants going into the study, who signed up for a controlled sleep deprivation experiment.
This is important, because the unhealthy inflammatory profile means that people with such are a lot more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and many more things besides. And, famously, most people in the industrialized world are not sleeping that well.
Even amongst 10almonds readers, a health-conscious demographic by nature, 62% of 10almonds readers do not regularly get the prescribed 7–9 hours sleep (i.e. they get under 7 hours).
You can see the data on this one, here: Why You Probably Need More Sleep ← yes, including if you are in the older age range; we bust that myth in the article too!*
*Unless you have a (rare!) mutated ADRB1 gene, which reduces that. But we also cover that in the article, and how to know whether you have it.
With regard to “most people in the industrialized world are not sleeping that well”, this means that most people in the industrialized world are subject to an unseen epidemic of sleep-deprivation-induced inflammation that is creating vulnerability to many other diseases. In short, the lifestyle of the industrialized world (especially: having to work certain hours) is making most of the working population sick.
Dr. Fatema Al-Rashed, lead researcher, concluded:
❝In the long term, we aim for this research to drive policies and strategies that recognize the critical role of sleep in public health.
We envision workplace reforms and educational campaigns promoting better sleep practices, particularly for populations at risk of sleep disruption due to technological and occupational demands.
Ultimately, this could help mitigate the burden of inflammatory diseases like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.❞
You can read the paper in full here: Impact of sleep deprivation on monocyte subclasses and function
What can we do about it?
With regard to sleep, we’ve written so much about this, but here are three key articles that contain a lot of valuable information:
- Get Better Sleep: Beyond The Basics
- Calculate (And Enjoy) The Perfect Night’s Sleep
- Safe Effective Sleep Aids For Seniors
…and with regard to inflammation, a good concise overview of how to dial it down is:
How To Prevent Or Reduce Inflammation
Take care!
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How Internal Organs Can Be Affected By Spicy Foods (Doctor Explains)
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.
Capsaicin has an array of health-giving properties in moderation, but consumed in immoderation and/or without building up tolerance first, can cause problems—serious health issues such as heart attacks, brain spasms, torn esophagus, and even death can occur.
Heating up
Capsaicin, the compound that gives peppers their “heat”, is a chemical irritant and neurotoxin that activates pain receptors (TRPV1) tricking the brain into sensing heat, leading to a burning sensation, sweating, and flushing. The pain signal can also trigger the fight-or-flight response, causing a surge of adrenaline. Endorphins are eventually released, creating a pain-relief effect similar to a runner’s high, and ultimately it reduces systemic inflammation, boosts the metabolism, and increases healthy longevity.
However, in cases of extreme consumption and/or lack of preparation, woe can befall, for example:
- A man ruptured his esophagus after vomiting from eating a ghost pepper.
- A participant experienced severe brain blood vessel constriction (reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome) after eating a Carolina reaper.
- A 25-year-old suffered permanent heart damage from cayenne pepper pills due to restricted blood flow.
- A teenager died after the “one chip challenge,” although the cause of death was undetermined.
So, what does moderation and preparation look like?
Moderation can be different to different people, since genetics do play a part—some people have more TRPV1 receptors than other people. However, for all people (unless in case of having an allergy or similar), acclimatization is important, and a much bigger factor than genetics.
Writer’s anecdote: on the other hand, when my son was a toddler I once left the room and came back to find him cheerfully drinking hot sauce straight from the bottle, so it can be suspected that genetics are definitely relevant too, as while I did season his food and he did already enjoy curries and such, he didn’t exactly have a background of entering chili-eating competitions.
Still, regardless of genes (unless you actually have a medical condition that disallows this), a person who regularly eats spicy food will develop an increasing tolerance for spicy food, and will get to enjoy the benefits without the risks, provided they don’t suddenly jump way past their point of tolerance.
On which note, in this video you can also see what happens when Dr. Deshauer goes from biting a jalapeño (relatively low on the Scoville heat scale) to biting a Scotch bonnet pepper (about 10x higher on the Scoville heat scale):
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Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Capsaicin For Weight Loss And Against Inflammation
Take care!
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