Air Quality & Your Heart

Happy Friday 👋

It’s the 4th of July, and for Americans that often means grilling things, drinking things, and blowing things up—needless to say, it’s a day when there’s a spike in trips to the emergency room. Burns, cuts, falls, and vehicular accidents feature strongly.
We know we have a very health-conscious readership here, so maybe you won’t be doing those things, but if you (and/or your loved ones) are, consider making a plan in advance for how you will stay safe and well!
See also: How To Reduce The Harm Of Holiday Drinking (Without Abstaining)

In today’s email we cover the week’s health news, including how even low levels of air pollution can scar the muscle of the heart (and why that’s a problem), how to get rid of a sebaceous cyst, and leveraging relaxation for better health.

We know that 10almonds readers know the importance of regularly enjoying new things, so we think you’ll love today’s sponsored offer from Groupon, offering up to 70% off (that’s a lot, isn’t it?!) unforgettable experiences ranging from chefs’ tasting menu nights to luxurious spa days, all local to you. Click here to see today’s deals ← some great examples here!

Today’s Main Feature

Recommended Reading

Watch and Learn

How To Get Rid Of A Sebaceous Cyst

As Dr. Andrea Suarez explains, there is only one way to do it:

Prefer text? The above video will take you to a 10almonds page with a text overview, as well as the video!

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This Or That?

Vote on Which is Healthier

Yesterday we asked you to choose between edamame and pinto beans—both great options, but there was a clear winner and we picked the edamame (click here to read about why), as did 73% of you!

Now for today’s choice:

Click on whichever you think is better for you!

Bonus (Sponsored) Recommendation

We know 10almonds readers love learning in a convenient, bite-size fashion. Check out this list of other newsletters our readers also enjoy!

One-Minute Book Review

Relaxation Revolution: The Science and Genetics of Mind Body Healing – by Dr. Herbert Benson & Dr. William Proctor

Stress management makes a huge difference to a lot of aspects of physical health, yet it’s a very commonly overlooked area for improvement. Everyone’s all “I must eat better and exercise more”, but the truth is that being able to relax is just as important.

The premise of this book is to first do something that we should find not at all arduous or unpleasant to do (that is: relax) and then weaponize that against all manner of ailments.

Of course, it’s not a panacea, but stress makes almost every bodily process worse (aside from some of those actually needed in an acute crisis, e.g. to fight a tiger), which means that relaxation makes almost every bodily process better.

The style of the book is a mix of old-school pop-science, anecdotes, and direct, practical “do this, do that” advice, often in the form of meditative exercises to perform, as well as what doesn’t get called CBT in the book, but it is.

We’ll also mention that there are 22 pages of bibliography at the back, which is sufficiently respectable for a book of this size (good rule of thumb = if the bibliography is at least 10% of the size of the main content section of the book, it’s probably decent).

Bottom line: if you’d like to be walked through the process of leveraging relaxation to improve your body’s ability to look after (and restore and repair) itself, then this book can help with that.

Click here to check out Relaxation Revolution, and indeed relax!

Penny For Your Thoughts?

May today see you well-prepared for the coming weekend,

The 10almonds Team