Why Does Hitting Your “Funny Bone” Feel Like That?
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There’s nothing humerus about it:
No, seriously:
There really is nothing humerus about it, because the humerus is the long bone in your upper arm, while the long bones in the lower arm are the radius and ulna, and this sensation has to do with the ulnar nerve, which runs down the (you guessed it) ulna.
As for what’s going on anatomically: across from the medial epicondyle (which latter feature is part of the adjacent humerus), the ulnar nerve passes through the cubital tunnel and becomes much less protected than along the rest of its path. Further, bending your elbow flattens the ulnar nerve against the bone, displaces surrounding tissue, and leaves the nerve covered mainly by skin and ligament, making it easier to strike.
As a result, a blow to this area stimulates the nerve fibers themselves, causing a burst of nerve signals that produces the intense pins-and-needles sensation known as transient paresthesia, which radiates down your forearm into outermost fingers.
Worse, repeated pressure on the bent elbow can compress the ulnar nerve in the cubital tunnel, trapping the nerve there and leading to chronic tingling, numbness, pain, and weakness in your forearm and hand. This is called cubital tunnel syndrome.
Rarely, an unusually forceful impact has occasionally caused temporary loss of consciousness, possibly by briefly disrupting nerve signaling and blood flow.
Happily, you can reduce the risk: if you regularly straighten your elbows, stretch your arms, avoid prolonged elbow flexion or leaning on your elbows, and take frequent breaks to relieve pressure and maintain healthy blood flow to the ulnar nerve, your chances of coming to harm are very slim.
For more on all of this delightful topic, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Peripheral Neuropathy: How To Avoid It, Manage It, Treat It
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How Bones Can Actually Get Stronger With Osteoporosis
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Dr. Alyssa Kuhn explains:
By the science
Bones are living tissue that constantly break down and rebuild, and weakness happens when breakdown outpaces rebuilding.
The “construction crew” for bones are living cells, and their cue to make things stronger is movement and exercise, and too little or too-easy movement doesn’t send a strong enough signal to rebuild. The body is very efficient like that, and won’t “waste” resources where it doesn’t see they’re needed.
Consequently, exercises must feel difficult enough to trigger adaptation, not just familiar or comfortable.
Due to Wolff’s law, it’s important to have variety: changing directions, speeds, and movement patterns (sideways, backwards, uphill) applies new stresses at different angles, and that’s what stimulate bone growth.
Since the level of resistance is also a factor, adding weights, resistance bands, or controlled impact increases bone-loading and improves rebuilding efficiency.
Some notes on some common strategies:
- Jumping practice: jumping can strengthen bones, but only when the landing creates enough force and when your joints and muscles are ready.
- Also, generally a bad idea if your bones are already very weak, as the landing may create enough force to also fracture a bone, which you don’t want.
- Balance training: improving balance reduces fall risk and strengthens hips, core, and posture, which indirectly protects bones.
- Obviously, do it in a way that ensures your safety so you don’t fall while training.
- Rebounding training: mini trampolines improve fitness and balance but absorb impact too much to significantly strengthen bones.
- And if you land badly with weak bones, you may not rebound into good health.
- Weight vest use: light vests during normal walking are usually underdosed and less effective than targeted resistance training.
- On the bright side, they’re less likely to cause harm than the other approaches above.
- Vibration plate use: vibration plates show small benefits but are weaker than resistance and weight-based exercises.
- They are, nevertheless, probably the lowest-risk approach.
Some exercises to consider:
- Chair squats: squats are effective because difficulty can be increased with lower chairs, added weight, or more volume.
- Balance pass: standing on one leg while passing a weight challenges balance, hips, and core simultaneously.
- Heel drops: controlled heel drops provide mild impact when jumping isn’t appropriate.
- Step-up variations: step-ups build bone when height, load, or direction is varied beyond daily stair use.
In summary: bone strengthening works best when movement is challenging, varied, progressive, and done consistently over time.
For more on all of this plus some visual demonstrations, enjoy:
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Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Osteoporosis & Exercises: Which To Do (And Which To Avoid)
Take care!
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- Jumping practice: jumping can strengthen bones, but only when the landing creates enough force and when your joints and muscles are ready.
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Living with PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ can be distressing. Not knowing if they’re making you sick is just the start
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When we talk about the health effects of PFAS, we commonly think about any physical effects on the body.
For instance, does exposure to these long-lasting, per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals increase our risk of cancer, liver disease or pregnancy complications?
What’s less talked about is the psychological distress of living in a community affected by PFAS pollution – the uncertainty of whether your sickness is down to PFAS or something else, the stigma of living there, or the financial stress of watching property values drop, among other factors.
Later today, a Senate select committee is set to release its final report on the extent, regulation and management of PFAS in Australia.
Here’s what we know about the psychological impact of living with PFAS pollution.
If people eat food grown with contaminated water, PFAS chemicals can accumulate in their blood. Karola G/Pexels What are PFAS chemicals?
Since the 1950s, companies have used PFAS chemicals in consumer goods from non-stick pans through to makeup and fast-food wrappers. Firefighters have used PFAS-based foams to put out high-temperature industrial fires, particularly at airports and during fire training.
These chemicals persist in the environment and accumulate in animals and humans. In humans, PFAS are mainly present in the blood and blood-rich organs, such as the liver.
There are thousands of different PFAS chemicals. However, health authorities have focused on three common ones: perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorohexanesulfonic acid (PFHxS).
The average time it takes for them to be eliminated from the human body by 50% is 2.7–5.3 years, depending on the chemical.
Their extensive use in consumer goods now means most people have low levels in their blood, even in remote parts of Australia.
But health effects are uncertain
Health researchers have conducted hundreds of studies into the health effects of PFAS. However, the results are difficult to interpret and sometimes contradictory. This has led to uncertainty about their health effects.
Health authorities consider exposure to PFAS is potentially associated with:
- elevated cholesterol levels
- lowered antibody responses to some vaccines
- changes in liver enzymes (evidence of liver inflammation or damage)
- pregnancy-induced hypertension (high blood pressure) and preeclampsia (a pregnancy complication that can be life-threatening for mother and baby)
- small decreases in birth weight
- kidney and testicular cancer.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that PFOA is a human carcinogen (meaning it can cause cancer) and PFOS is possibly carcinogenic. This was not based on human epidemiological studies due to lack of evidence, but on experimental studies in animals and the potential mechanisms of action in humans.
An expert panel convened by NSW Health concluded earlier this year that most health effects from PFAS are likely to be small.
How PFAS affects communities
Some communities have become contaminated with PFAS, usually due to firefighting activities around airports, defence force bases and firefighting training grounds.
That’s because PFAS from firefighting foams can leach into ground water and surrounding waterways. If people drink this water or eat food grown with it PFAS may accumulate in their blood.
This has led to community members becoming concerned about the potential health effects, and telling us they were distressed.
My research team conducted the PFAS Health Study between 2018 and 2021 in three affected communities: Williamtown in New South Wales; Oakey in Queensland; and Katherine, in the Northern Territory.
Residents and workers who had higher levels of PFAS in their blood also had higher cholesterol levels. However, we found limited evidence of other health effects despite an extensive investigation.
We found evidence of psychological distress among community members due to a range of reasons, including:
- uncertainty about the health effects
- not understanding what high PFAS levels in the blood means
- being exposed to larger amounts of PFAS at work
- financial pressures from property losses, either from having to sell up and move away or falling property values in affected areas
- interactions with government agencies responding to the contamination
- stigma from living in a contaminated area.
In a survey we conducted, one in three participants in these towns were “very” or “extremely” concerned about their health. One in five said they were “very” or “extremely” concerned about their mental health.
One resident told us about the psychological distress associated with uncertainty about the health effects of PFAS exposure:
you get sick and you don’t know whether to [attribute] it to the pollution here […] is what I’ve got caused by this or is it something else?
Another told us about a worrying decline in property prices:
20 acres, $100,000 four bedroom house. I don’t know anywhere else in Australia that you’d get something like that, maybe [the other PFAS-affected sites].
Many residents talked about feeling stuck. One told us:
We’ve been there 30 years and you can’t walk away and where do you live?
How to respond?
We found the effects of PFAS contamination on communities go far beyond any physical impact on the body. So any response needs to also factor in the psychological impact of living with PFAS if we are to support communities immediately after contamination is recognised, and into the future.
Government agencies are often responsible for dealing with these “slow-moving disasters”. So it is important they ask communities what they need so support them, beyond addressing the source of contamination and their physical needs, such as providing uncontaminated drinking water. This may be the support of counsellors, psychologists or other services.
The response to these events can occur over many years. So we may also need to factor in longer-term psychological consequences of PFAS contamination when planning health services and providing support.
Martyn Kirk, Professor, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Will knee injections help your osteoarthritis? Here’s what the evidence says
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Knee osteoarthritis is a complex disease that affects the whole joint, including bone, cartilage, ligaments and muscles. Osteoarthritis is a common cause of pain and movement difficulty, affecting 8.3% of people in Australia.
When pain persists, many people look for quick, convenient options, such as injections. Clinics offer several types of knee injections, including:
- corticosteroids
- hyaluronic acid
- platelet-rich plasma
- stem cells.
Some are heavily marketed with promises to “repair” or “regenerate” the joint. But what does the evidence actually say about these claims, or the ability of knee injections to reduce pain and improve mobility?
Corticosteroid injections
Corticosteroids are anti-inflammatory medications that can reduce pain and swelling in the joint.
They are conditionally recommended in guidelines because they can be helpful for short-term relief, particularly during a flare-up.
However, a 2024 systematic review found meaningful benefits only in the first few weeks. They lose their effectiveness after about six weeks.
There are also some concerns about repeated use. One trial found corticosteroid injections every three months over two years did not improve pain, and were associated with greater cartilage loss than a placebo.
For this reason, guidelines recommend using corticosteroid injections cautiously for short-term relief rather than ongoing treatment.
Hyaluronic acid injections
Hyaluronic acid is a substance naturally found in joint fluid. These injections aim to improve “lubrication” or “shock absorption” within the joint.
While this may sound promising, a large systematic review found the benefits are small and unlikely to be meaningful. There was also a higher risk of serious adverse events compared to placebo.
Because of this, guidelines do not recommend these injections for knee osteoarthritis.
Platelet-rich plasma injections
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections use a person’s own blood, which is processed to concentrate platelets and then injected into the joint.
As platelets contain growth factors, chemicals that help signal the body to heal tissue, the idea is they may help repair the joint.
These injections are widely marketed but expensive: typically A$300–$900 per injection, or up to $2,700 for a course of three injections.
It’s generally considered safe, with the main risks being those of any joint injection, such as infection.
Some systematic reviews report benefits, but findings vary considerably, with other reviews finding weak effects when compared to placebo. Some larger, rigorous trials show little or no benefit. So the overall picture is mixed.
A key problem is lack of standardisation, with different clinics using different concentrations and methods. This makes it hard to know what works for pain and mobility. However there is no good evidence platelet-rich plasma injections repairs or regrows joint cartilage.
Current guidelines do not recommend platelet-rich plasma injections, though this may change with more high-quality research.
Stem cell injections
Stem cells are often promoted as a way to regenerate damaged tissue. They can be taken from a person’s own body, or prepared from donor cells in a laboratory. But despite the hype, the evidence is still very limited.
A recent Cochrane review found stem cell injections may provide small improvements in pain and function. But the results were uncertain and from low-quality evidence.
There is also a small risk of adverse events, including infection.
So far, no published studies have evaluated whether they repair cartilage or change osteoarthritis progression.
Guidelines currently recommend against their use due to limited evidence, high costs (often $5,000 or more per injection), and regulatory concerns about how they are made and prepared, and how they are marketed to patients.
More high-quality research is underway, including a clinical trial in Australia measuring whether they can slow osteoarthritis progression.
Why isn’t the evidence clearer?
Many studies are small or low quality.
Placebo effects are also particularly large with injections, meaning studies without placebo controls may overestimate the benefits.
For platelet-rich plasma injections and stem cells, variable methods used across clinics further complicates interpretation.
So what can I try for my knee osteoarthritis?
Treatments that are recommended include:
- any type of exercise
- weight loss, if appropriate
- over-the-counter medications, such as short-term use of anti-inflammatories.
These approaches are backed by high-quality evidence, are generally safe, and are less expensive than injections.
What if I want to try an injection?
If other recommended treatments haven’t helped and you decide to try an injection without a strong evidence base, such as platelet-rich plasma injections, there are a few things worth keeping in mind.
First, weigh up the costs, risks and benefits. All injections carry a small risk of joint infection, so it’s not completely risk-free.
It’s also worth knowing it’s unclear exactly how these injections work.
Some of the benefits you may experience could be related to placebo effects rather than the injection itself.
If you do go ahead, any reduction in pain should become apparent within six weeks, or sooner with corticosteroids.
Bottom line
Most injections offer limited or uncertain long-term benefit for knee osteoarthritis. Despite the marketing, there is no good evidence any injection can repair the joint.
A corticosteroid injection can be a reasonable short-term option during a bad pain flare. There may be some evidence to support platelet-rich plasma injections, but preparations aren’t standardised. Hyaluronic acid and stem cell injections are not currently recommended.
Before paying for any injection, consider what the evidence says and whether your time and money might be better spent on options such as exercise and weight loss, which have higher-quality evidence and additional health benefits beyond the knee.
Belinda Lawford, Senior Research Fellow in Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne; Kim Bennell, Professor of Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne, and Travis Haber, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Physiotherapy, The University of Melbourne
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Pink Himalayan Salt: Health Facts
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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Q: Great article about the health risks of salt to organs other than the heart! Is pink Himalayan sea salt, the pink kind, healthier?
Thank you! And, no, sorry. Any salt that is sodium chloride has the exact same effect because it’s chemically the same substance, even if impurities (however pretty) make it look different.
If you want a lower-sodium salt, we recommend the kind that says “low sodium” or “reduced sodium” or similar. Check the ingredients, it’ll probably be sodium chloride cut with potassium chloride. Potassium chloride is not only not a source of sodium, but also, it’s a source of potassium, which (unlike sodium) most of us could stand to get a little more of.
For your convenience: here’s an example on Amazon!
Bonus: you can get a reduced sodium version of pink Himalayan salt too!
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Exhausted To Energized – by Dr. Libby Weaver
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There are very many possible causes of low energy; some are obvious; some are not.
Dr. Weaver goes through a comprehensive list that goes beyond the common, to encompass also the “not rare” options—how to test for them where appropriate, and how to improve/fix them where appropriate.
Thus, she talks us through the marvels of mitochondria (including how to keep them happy and healthy and how to promote the generation of new ones), antioxidant defense mechanisms, coenzyme Q10 and friends, B vitamins of various kinds, macronutrients, the autonomic nervous system, sleep and its many factors, blood oxygenation, digestive issues, what’s going on in the spleen, the gallbladder, the liver, the kidneys, the adrenal glands, our thyroid goings-on in all its multifarious wonders, minerals like iodine, iron, magnesium, zinc, our epigenetic factors, and even psychological considerations ranging from stress to grief. In short—and we have shortened the list to pick out particularly salient points—quite a comprehensive rundown of the human body to make your human body less run-down.
The style is on the very readable pop-science, and/but she does bring her professional knowledge to bear on topic (her doctorate is a PhD in biochemistry, and it shows; a lot of explanations come from that angle).
Bottom line: if you are often exhausted and would rather be energized, this this book almost certainly address at least a couple of things you probably haven’t considered—and even just one would make it worthwhile.
Click here to check out Exhausted To Energized, go from exhausted to energized!
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How To Avoid Slipping Into (Bad) Old Habits
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Treating Bad Habits Like Addictions
How often have you started a healthy new habit (including if it’s a “quit this previous thing” new habit), only to find that you slip back into your old ways?
We’ve written plenty on habit-forming before, so here’s a quick recap before we continue:
How To Really Pick Up (And Keep!) Those Habits
…and even how to give them a boost:
How To Keep On Keeping On… Long Term!
But how to avoid the relapses that are most likely to snowball?
Borrowing from the psychology of addiction recovery
It’s well known that someone recovering from substance addiction should not have even a small amount of the thing they were addicted to. Not one sip of champagne at a wedding, not one drag of a cigarette, and so forth.
This can go for other bad habits too; make one exception, and suddenly you have a whole string of “exceptions”, and before you know it, it’s not the exception anymore; it’s the new rule—again.
Three things that can help guard against this are:
- Absolutely refuse to romanticize the bad habit. Do not fall for its marketing! And yes, everything has marketing even if not advertising; for example, consider the Platonic ideal of a junk-food-eating couch-potato who is humble, unassuming, agreeable, the almost-holy idea of homely comfort, and why shouldn’t we be comfortable after all, haven’t we earned our chosen hedonism, and so on. It’s seductive, and we need to make the choice to not be seduced by it. In this case for example, yes pleasure is great, but being sick tired and destroying our bodies is not, in fact, pleasurable in the long run. Which brings us to…
- Absolutely refuse to forget why you dropped that behavior in the first place. Remember what it did to you, remember you at your worst. Remember what you feared might become of you if you continued like that. This is something where journaling helps, by the way; remembering our low points helps us to avoid finding ourselves in the same situation again.
- Absolutely refuse to let your guard down due to an overabundance of self-confidence in your future self. We all can easily feel that tomorrow is a mystical land in which all productivity is stored, and also where we are strong, energized, iron-willed, and totally able to avoid making the very mistakes that we are right now in the process of making. Instead, be that strong person now, for the benefit of tomorrow’s you. Because after all, if it’s going to be easy tomorrow, it’s easy now, right?
The above is a very simple, hopefully practical, set of rules to follow. If you like hard science more though, Yale’s Dr. Steven Melemis offers five rules (aimed more directly at addiction recovery, so this may be a big “heavy guns” for some milder habits):
- change your life
- be completely honest
- ask for help
- practice self-care
- don’t bend the rules
You can read his full paper and the studies it’s based on, here:
Relapse Prevention and the Five Rules of Recovery
“What if I already screwed up?”
Draw a line under it, now, and move forwards in the direction you actually want to go.
Here’s a good article, that saves us taking up more space here; it’s very well-written so we do recommend it:
The Abstinence Violation Effect and Overcoming It
this article gives specific, practical advices, including CBT tools to use
Take care!
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