What Should (& Shouldn’t) You Do If You Cut Off A Finger?
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Kitchen accidents are common, yet most severed fingers can’t be usefully reattached, because most people don’t have all the “necessaries” in order. So, how to be better-prepared than most?
You’ll want to watch this now, with (presumably) a full complement of fingers, rather than having to do a panicked internet search and finding it’s harder than you thought to unlock and use your phone with a severed finger.
Dr. Jason Hoellwarth explains:
Can it be saved?
An example of how everything can go right: Dr. Priya cleanly severs her finger at home (unintentionally, not just for our education), and:
- cleans it,
- bandages it,
- avoids ibuprofen,
- preserves the finger in a clean moist towel in a cooler,
- gets rapid surgical repair,
- completes a course of specialized physical therapy (to re-establish the brain-muscle connection via the newly connected nerves)
…thus enjoying a full recovery.
Good news: severed digits can survive a few hours* without blood supply; cooling can extend this to 6–12 hours before tissue death makes reattachment impossible.
*This is a big difference contrasted with the brain, which under normal circumstances has a 5-minute oxygen window after which currently irreversible tissue death occurs (cooling can extend this though, as is seen with people who fall into icy lakes, clinically die, and can be “brought back to life” quite a bit later because paradoxically, the hypothermia saved them).
Bad news: many hospitals lack equipment or specialists for urgent reattachments, and nerve repair is particularly difficult and rarely restores full sensation or movement.
That said, there are some modern advances that are a big help if available, for example surgically anchoring implants into bone creates a direct skeletal connection, reducing weight strain, improving comfort, and allowing some sensory feedback.
Failing that, Dr. Hoellwarth recommends getting a good prosthetic, or just opting to go on with one finger fewer.
For more on all of this, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
What is a virtual emergency department? And when should you visit one?
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Tips For Avoiding/Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Avoiding/Managing Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis is the umbrella term for a cluster of joint diseases involving inflammation of the joints, hence “arthr-” (joint) “-itis” (suffix used to denote inflammation). These are mostly, but not all, autoimmune diseases, in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks our own joints.
Inflammatory vs Non-Inflammatory Arthritis
Arthritis is broadly divided into inflammatory arthritis and non-inflammatory arthritis.
You may be wondering: how does one get non-inflammatory inflammation of the joints?
The answer is, in “non-inflammatory” arthritis, such as osteoarthritis, the damage comes first (by general wear-and-tear) and inflammation generally follows as part of the symptoms, rather than the cause. So the name can be a little confusing. In the case of osteo- and other “non-inflammatory” forms of arthritis, you definitely still want to keep your inflammation at bay as best you can, but it’s not as absolutely critical a deal as it is for “inflammatory” forms of arthritis.
We’ll tackle the beast that is osteoarthritis another day, however.
Today we’re going to focus on…
Rheumatoid Arthritis
This is the most common of the autoimmune forms of arthritis. Some quick facts:
- It affects a little under 1% of the global population, but the older we get, the more likely it becomes
- Early onset of rheumatoid arthritis is most likely to show up around the age of 50 (but it can show up at any age)
- However, incidence (not onset) of rheumatoid arthritis peaks in the 70s age bracket
- It is 2–4 times more common in women than in men
- Approximately one third of people stop work within two years of its onset, and this increases thereafter.
Well, that sounds gloomy.
Indeed it’s not fun. There’s a lot of stiffness and aching of joints (often with swelling too), loss of joint function can be common, and then there are knock-on effects like fatigue, weakness, and loss of appetite.
Beyond that it’s an autoimmune disorder, its cause is not known, and there is no known cure.
Is there any good news?
If you don’t have rheumatoid arthritis at the present time, you can reduce your risk factors in several ways:
- Having an anti-inflammatory diet. Get plenty of fiber, greens, and berries. Fatty fish is great too, as are oily nuts. On the other side of things, high consumption of salt, sugar, alcohol, and red meat are associated with a greater risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
- Not smoking. Smoking is bad for pretty much everything, including your chances of developing rheumatoid arthritis.
- Not being obese. This one may be more a matter of correlation than causation, because of the dietary factors (if one eats an anti-inflammatory diet, obesity is less likely), but the association is there.
There are other risk factors that are harder to control, such as genetics, age, sex, and having a mother who smoked.
See: Genetic and environmental risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis
What if I already have rheumatoid arthritis?
If you already have rheumatoid arthritis, it becomes a matter of symptom management.
First, reduce inflammation any (reasonable) way you can. We did a main feature on this before, so we’ll just drop that again here:
Next, consider the available medications. Your doctor may or may not have discussed all of the options with you, so be aware that there are more things available than just pain relief. To talk about them all would require a whole main feature, so instead, here’s a really well-compiled list, along with explanations about each of them, up to date as of this year:
Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication List (And What They Do, And How)
Finally, consider other lifestyle adjustments to manage your symptoms. These include:
- Exercise—gently, though! You do not want to provoke a flare-up, but you do want to maintain your mobility as best you can. There’s a use-it-or-lose-it factor here. Swimming and yoga are great options, as is tai chi. You may want to avoid exercises that involve repetitive impacts to your joints, like running.
- Rest—while keeping mobility going. Get good sleep at night (this is important), but don’t make your bed your new home, or your mobility will quickly deteriorate.
- Hot & cold—both can help, and alternating them can reduce inflammation and stiffness by improving your body’s ability to respond appropriately to these stimuli rather than getting stuck in an inappropriate-response state of inflammation.
- Mobility aids—if it helps, it helps. Maybe you only need something during a flare-up, but when that’s the case, you want to be as gentle on your body as possible while keeping moving, so if crutches, handrails etc help, then by all means get them and use them.
- Go easy on the use of braces, splints, etc—these can offer short-term relief, but at a long term cost of loss of mobility. Only you can decide where to draw the line when it comes to that trade-off.
You can also check out our previous article:
Managing Chronic Pain (Realistically!)
Take good care of yourself!
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Broccoli vs Kale – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing broccoli to kale, we picked the kale.
Why?
Both are great, but there was a very clear winner:
In terms of macros, kale has more fiber, carbs, and protein, winning this round.
In the category of vitamins, broccoli has more vitamin B5 and choline, while kale has more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B7, B9, C, E, and K, winning easily.
Looking at minerals, broccoli has more selenium, while kale has more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, scoring its third win in a row.
In other considerations, kale has more polyphenols, and carotenoids too (which are by definition not polyphenols, but fulfil a similarly beneficial role).
Adding up the sections makes for a clear win for kale, but by all means enjoy either or both; broccoli really is great as well—it just doesn’t look it when standing next to kale!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Enjoy!
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Dandelion Greens vs Mustard Greens – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing dandelion greens to mustard greens, we picked the dandelions.
Why?
Despite our best efforts to find something to unseat dandelion greens from the “most nutritious greens” throne, they still come out on top:
In terms of macros, dandelion greens have more fiber, carbs, and protein, making them the most nutritionally dense option in this category.
In the category of vitamins, dandelion greens have more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B7, B9, C, E, K, and choline, while mustard greens have more vitamin B5 (the vitamin that’s found in all foods). A very clear win for dandelion greens here.
Looking at minerals, dandelion greens have more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc, while mustard greens have (slightly) more selenium. Another easy win for dandelion greens.
When it comes to polyphenols, we weren’t able to get figures for mustard greens, but we know that dandelion greens have lots and have beaten every other kind of greenery we’ve pitted them against so far. Probably mustard greens are good for this too, but we can’t comment without data.
Adding up the sections (skipping over polyphenols, on account of the absence of data for mustard greens) makes for an overall strong win for dandelion greens, but by all means enjoy either or both; diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?
Enjoy!
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Is dark chocolate healthier than milk chocolate? 2 dietitians explain
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Easter chocolate is all over supermarket shelves. Some people reach straight for milk chocolate eggs while others pause at the darker varieties, assuming they’re healthier.
Dark chocolate has gained a reputation as the “better” choice because it usually contains more cocoa and less sugar than milk chocolate.
But is dark chocolate actually healthier?
Let’s see how the evidence stacks up.
Alexander Grey/Unsplash How do they compare?
All chocolate begins with the cocoa (or cacao) bean. Cocoa beans are the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree, a tropical plant native to Central and South America.
Processing the bean gives you cocoa solids (the bitter part) and cocoa butter (the fat part that gives chocolate its smooth texture).
Chocolate is made from cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sugar. Milk chocolate also contains milk powder or condensed milk.
Dark chocolate typically contains a much higher proportion of cocoa solids, usually 50–90%.
Milk chocolate generally contains 20–30% cocoa solids, with the remaining bulk made up of milk ingredients and sugar.
How about nutritional benefits?
Because dark chocolate contains more cocoa solids than milk chocolate, it naturally provides slightly higher amounts of certain minerals.
This table shows the differences between milk chocolate (30% cocoa) and dark chocolate (more than 60% cocoa) per 20-gram serve. That’s about one row of a Lindt chocolate block.
As you can see, dark chocolate provides more minerals such as magnesium, iron and zinc. It also contains noticeably more caffeine (but far less than in a typical cup of coffee, which would contain about 100mg).
Milk chocolate offers significantly more calcium due to its milk solids, but it generally contains more added sugar.
Cocoa is naturally rich in plant compounds called polyphenols. These act as antioxidants in the body, helping to protect the body’s cells from damage.
Because dark chocolate contains more cocoa, it naturally contains higher levels of these compounds. In fact, dark chocolate contains roughly five times more flavanols (a type of polyphenol) than milk chocolate.
Compared to other foods often praised for their antioxidant content, cocoa contains around 17 times more catechins (another type of polyphenol) per serving than black tea. It also contains around three times more than red wine.
Does dark chocolate improve your health?
Research into cocoa and dark chocolate has produced some interesting findings, particularly about heart health.
Cocoa flavanols appear to help blood vessels relax and support better blood flow. Some clinical trials have reported small reductions in blood pressure and improvements in measures of blood vessel function after consuming cocoa products.
There is also broader evidence suggesting diets rich in flavanols may be linked with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease overall.
However, these findings come with important caveats.
Many of these trials use cocoa extracts containing high levels of flavanols. Others contain specially formulated chocolate rather than the typical chocolate bars or Easter eggs you’d find in supermarkets. The doses tested are also often far larger and far more concentrated than what people normally consume.
A large umbrella review (a review of reviews) involving more than one million participants did find links between eating chocolate and lower risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes.
But the overall quality of evidence was rated as weak or very low, largely because many of the studies were observational. Observational studies can identify patterns, but they cannot prove chocolate itself caused those benefits.
The bottom line is that cocoa does contain beneficial plant compounds but the chocolate most of us enjoy is not a health supplement.
But I thought dark chocolate has less sugar?
Choosing dark chocolate doesn’t automatically make it the healthier option, especially where sugar is concerned. Some dark chocolate contains surprisingly high amounts.
Depending on the cocoa percentage and recipe, some dark chocolate products contain 40–50% sugar.
So a 150g dark chocolate Easter bunny containing 50% sugar, for example, can contain about 19 teaspoons of added sugar.
This applies to Easter eggs too. Some dark chocolate Easter eggs sold in supermarkets still list sugar as one of their first and main ingredients, ahead of cocoa butter. This means sugar makes up a significant chunk of what you’re eating.
So it’s always worth flipping the packet over and checking the ingredients list and nutritional panel to be sure.
What to choose this Easter?
Dark chocolate has a nutritional advantage over milk chocolate. But how much depends on the cocoa percentage and how it’s been made.
As a general rule, aim for 70% cocoa or more, and flip the packet over before you buy. In a higher-quality dark chocolate, cocoa should appear first in the ingredients list – not sugar.
A higher-quality dark chocolate might have its ingredients listed in this order: cocoa mass, cocoa powder, cocoa butter, sugar, vanilla.
A lower-quality dark chocolate might look like this: sugar, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, emulsifiers, flavour, milk solids.
If sugar is listed first, it’s the largest ingredient by weight.
Beyond that, choose chocolate you actually enjoy and watch your portion size. Remember that your overall diet matters far more than a few Easter eggs.
The real health benefit of Easter chocolate? The enjoyment of sharing it.
Lauren Ball, Professor of Community Health and Wellbeing, The University of Queensland and Emily Burch, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Lecturer, Southern Cross University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Stop Checking Your Likes – by Susie Moore
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You might think this one’s advice is summed up sufficiently by the title, that there’s no need for a book! But…
There’s a lot more to this than “stop comparing the worst out-takes of your life to someone else’s highlight reel”, and there’s a lot more to this than “just unplug”.
Instead, Susie Moore discusses the serious underlying real emotional considerations of the need for approval (and even just acceptance) by our community, as well the fear of missing out.
It’s not just about how social media is designed to hijack various parts of our brain, or how The Alogorithm™ is out to personally drag your soul through Hell for a few more clicks; it’s also about the human element that would exist even without that. Who remembers MySpace? No algorithm in those days, but oh the drama potential for those “top 8 friends” places. And if you think that kind of problem is just for young people 20 years ago, you have mercifully missed the drama that older generations can get into on Facebook.
Along with the litany of evil, though, Moore also gives practical advice on how to overcome those things, how to “see the world through comedy-colored glasses”, how to ask “what’s missing, really?”, and how to make your social media experience work for you, rather than it merely using you as fuel. ← link is to our own related article!
Bottom line: if social media sucks a lot of your time, there may be more to it than just “social media sucks in general”, and there are ways to meet your emotional needs without playing by corporations’ rules to do so.
Click here to check out Stop Checking Your Likes, and breathe easy!
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Tricks For Daily Life: The Art of Being Unflappable
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From Stoicism to CBT, thinkers through the ages have sought the unflappable life.
Today, in true 10almonds fashion, we’re going to distil it down to some concentrated essentials that we can all apply in our daily lives:
The Trickiest & Most Common/Impactful Cognitive Distortions To Catch (And Thus Avoid)
These are like the rhetorical fallacies with which you might be familiar (ad hominem, no true Scotsman, begging the question, tu quoque, straw man, etc), but are about what goes on between your own ears, pertaining to your own life.
If we learn about them and how to recognize them, however, we can catch them before they sabotage us, and remain “unflappable” in situations that could otherwise turn disastrous.
Let’s take a look at a few:
Catastrophizing / Crystal Ball
- Distortion: not just blowing something out of proportion, but taking an idea and running with it to its worst possible conclusion. For example, we cook one meal that’s a “miss” and conclude we are a terrible cook, and in fact for this reason a terrible housewife/mother/friend/etc, and for this reason everyone will probably abandon us and would be right to do so
- Reality: by tomorrow, you’ll probably be the only one who even remembers it happened
Mind Reading
- Distortion: attributing motivations that may or may not be there, and making assumptions about other people’s thoughts/feelings. An example is the joke about two partners’ diary entries; one is long and full of feelings about how the other is surely dissatisfied in their marriage, has been acting “off” with them all day, is closed and distant, probably wants to divorce, may be having an affair and is wondering which way to jump, and/or is just wondering how to break the news—the other partner’s diary entry is short, and reads “motorcycle won’t start; can’t figure out why”
- Reality: sometimes, asking open questions is better than guessing, and much better than assuming!
All-or-Nothing Thinking / Disqualifying the Positive / Magnifying the Negative
- Distortion: having a negative bias that not only finds a cloud in every silver lining, but stretches it out so that it’s all that we can see. In a relationship, this might mean that one argument makes us feel like our relationship is nothing but strife. In life in general, it may lead us to feel like we are “naturally unlucky”.
- Reality: those negative things wouldn’t even register as negative to us if there weren’t a commensurate positive we’ve experienced to hold them in contrast against. So, find and remember that positive too.
For brevity, we put a spotlight on (and in some cases, clumped together) the ones we think have the most bang-for-buck to know about, but there are many more.
So for the curious, here’s some further reading:
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