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Science-Based Alternative Pain Relief
Plus: a new science-based strategy for aging well
The 10almonds Team
November 19, 2023
Today’s almonds have been activated by:
❝Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it❞
⏰ IN A RUSH?
Today’s 30-Second Summary
If you don’t have time to read the whole email today, here are some key takeaways:
Pain can be, well, a pain. And painkillers are often not great, and also have their limits.
Other options abound, though, from acupuncture to CBD to (our top pick for today, frankly) frankincense!
Buying supplements is often such a lottery. What’s really in them? Where did it come from? Is it actually in a form my body can use?
Today’s sponsor, Ritual, has made every stage of its production process transparent to the public, and they also cut no corners when it comes to quality and efficacy. Sounds pricy? You’re in luck; there’s a 40% off Black Friday sale!
Read on to learn about these things and more…
👀 WATCH AND LEARN
How to make the juiciest steaks, vegan (12:36)
Prefer text? Here you go…
Steak ingredient:
Lion’s mane mushroom (you may remember its health benefits!)
Steak methods (choose one):
Press method: press first to shape then marinade and cook to finish
Raw method: marinade first, pressing while marinading and press while cooking
Marinade ingredients:
1 cup boiling water
2 shots red wine
1 shot olive oil
1 shot soy sauce
2 tablespoons beet powder
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, granulated
1 tablespoon onion, granulated
1 tablespoon black pepper
Marinade method:
Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl then add boiling water and wet ingredients and whisk together—that’s it!
Want to watch it, but not right now? Bookmark it for later 🔖
😌 MAIN FEATURE
When Painkillers Aren't Helping, These Things Might
Maybe you want to avoid painkillers, or maybe you’ve already maxed out what you can have, and want more options as an extra help against the pain.
Today we’ll look at some science-backed alternative pain relief methods:
First: when should we try to relieve pain?
There is no such thing as “this pain is not too much”. The correct amount of pain is zero. Maybe your body won’t let you reach zero, but more than that is “too much” already.
You don’t have to be suffering off the scale to deserve relief from pain!
So: if it hurts, then if you can safely get relief from the pain, it’s already wise to do so.
A couple of things we covered previously
CBD and THC are technically drugs, but are generally considered “alternative” pain relief, so we’ll give a quick mention here:
Short version:
CBD can treat some kinds of treatment-resistant pain well (others, not so much—try it and find out if it works for you)
THC can offer some people respite not found from other methods—but beware, because there are many health risks to consider.
Acupuncture
Pain relief appears to be its strongest suit:
Cloves
Yes, just like you can get from the supermarket.
In its medicinal uses, it’s most well-known as a toothache remedy, but it has a local analgesic effect wherever you put it (i.e., apply it topically to where the pain is), thanks to its eugenol content:
Boswellia (frankincense)
The resin of the Boswellia serrata tree, this substance has an assortment of medicinal properties, including pain relief, anti-inflammatory effect, and psychoactive (anxiolytic and antidepressant) effects:
And as for physical pain? Here’s how it faired against the pain of osteoarthritis (and other OA symptoms, but we’re focusing on pain today), for example:
Here’s an example product on Amazon, but feel free to shop around as there are many options, including for example this handy roll-on 😎
Further reading
Intended for chronic pain, but in large part applicable to acute pain also:
Take care!
❤️ OUR SPONSORS MAKE THIS PUBLICATION POSSIBLE
Ritual | Quality, Transparency, Efficacy
Imagine if you could make your own personal supplements in your private lab at home… We bet you’d cut no corners when it comes to quality!
That’s the philosophy that Ritual takes, too.
A thing about their products is that they’re rigorously independently tested and certified, and every stage of their production (ingredients, sources, manufacturing, etc) is made transparent to you, so that you know there's no "funny business" anywhere along the line.
And the products themselves are optimized, as well! We especially love their "synbiotic+" gut health product—it's a prebiotic, probiotic, and postbiotic, all in one—and its capsule form means it gets safely to your colon where it needs to be, instead of being released into your stomach full of acid!
That’s not all they have to offer though… They also have multivitamin blends tailored by age and sex, as well as products for gut health, skin hydration, sleep, and more—so do check out their full range 😎
Please do visit our sponsors—they help keep 10almonds free
🌍 AROUND THE WEB
What’s happening in the health world…
Study shows environment's pivotal role in healthy aging and disease prevention
This wireless, handheld, non-invasive device detects Alzheimer's and Parkinson's biomarkers
Cycle of fasting and feeding is crucial for healthy aging
Overdose prevention centers (for supervised drug consumption) don’t lead to more crime
How climate change could be affecting your brain
Survey finds many Americans are letting their guard down during respiratory illness season
Exercise at consistent times could realign body clock for better skeletal health and performance, scientists suggest
More to come tomorrow!
📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW
Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well – by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
Obesity kills a lot of people (as does medical neglect and malpractice when it comes to obese patients, but that is another matter), but often the biggest problem is not "too much fat" but rather "too little muscle". This gets disguised a bit, because these factors often appear in the same people, but it's a distinction that's worthy of note.
Dr. Lyon lays out a lot of good hard science in this work, generally in the field of protein metabolism, but also with a keen eye on all manner of blood metrics (triglycerides, LDL/HDL, fasting blood sugars, assorted other biomarkers of metabolic health).
The style of this book is two books in one. It's a very accessible pop-science book in its primary tone, with an extra layer of precise science and lots of references, for those who wish to dive into that.
In the category of criticism, the diet plan section of the book is rather meat-centric, but the goal of this is protein content, not meat per se, so substitutions can easily be made. That's just one small section of the book, though, and it's little enough a downside that even Dr. Mark Hyman (a popular proponent of plant-based nutrition) highly recommends the book.
Bottom line: if you'd like to be less merely fighting decline and more actually becoming healthier as you age, then this book will help you do just that.
What did you think of today's newsletter?We always love to hear from you, whether you leave us a comment or even just a click in the poll if you're speeding by! |
Wishing you a happy and healthy weekend,
The 10almonds Team