Mythbusting The Mask Debate

Plus: why 80% of autoimmune sufferers are women

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The 10almonds Team
October 14, 2023

Today’s almonds have been activated by:

Loading Screen Tip: copper, and by extension brass (which is an alloy of copper and zinc) has natural antimicrobial properties.

If you can, consider switching non-brass doorhandles for brass ones, to greatly reduce how many germs are passed that way!

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⏰ 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:

  • Masks do reduce respiratory virus infection rates, but they’re not magical amulets, and also need to be the correct kind of mask, in the correct condition, worn correctly.

  • Masks are not unhygienic—so long as they’re clean when you put them on!

  • Masks do reduce VO₂max under peak athletic performance conditions, but even then don’t reduce blood oxygenation enough to be a health problem, only a “my running time was 14% less good” problem. If you’re wearing one for just going about, it shouldn’t be an issue for most people.

  • Good nutrition advice is “eat the rainbow” (no, Skittles don’t count). But it can be tricky to do so every day, can’t it?

Read on to learn about these things and more…

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👀 WATCH AND LEARN

Why 80% of Autoimmune Sufferers Are Women | Dr. Gabor Maté (7:35)

Dr. Gabor Maté talks about the hidden variables, societal influences, and biological reasons that contribute to this:

Prefer text? Dr. Maté has a wealth of resources on his website 🙂

We’ve also previously reviewed his excellent book:

😷 MAIN FEATURE

Mythbusting The Mask Debate

We asked you for your mask policy this respiratory virus season, and got the above-depicted, below-described, set of responses:

  • A little under half of you said you will be masking when practical in indoor public places

  • A little over a fifth of you said you will mask only if you have respiratory virus symptoms

  • A little under a fifth of you said that you will not mask, because you don’t think it helps

  • A much smaller minority of you (7%) said you will go with whatever people around you are doing

  • An equally small minority of you said that you will not mask, because you’re not concerned about infections

So, what does the science say?

Wearing a mask reduces the transmission of respiratory viruses: True or False?

True… with limitations. The limitations include:

  • The type of mask

    • A homemade polyester single-sheet is not the same as an N95 respirator, for instance

  • How well it is fitted

    • It needs to be a physical barrier, so a loose-fitting “going through the motions” fit won’t help

  • The condition of the mask

    • And if applicable, the replaceable filter in the mask

  • What exactly it has to stop

    • What kind of virus, what kind of viral load, what kind of environment, is someone coughing/sneezing, etc

More details on these things can be found in the link at the end of today’s main feature, as it’s more than we could fit here!

Note: We’re talking about respiratory viruses in general in this main feature, but most extant up-to-date research is on COVID, so that’s going to appear quite a lot. Remember though, even COVID is not one beast, but many different variants, each with their own properties.

Nevertheless, the scientific consensus is “it does help, but is not a magical amulet”:

Wearing a mask is actually unhygienic: True or False?

False, assuming your mask is clean when you put it on.

This (the fear of breathing more of one’s own germs in a cyclic fashion) was a point raised by some of those who expressed mask-unfavorable views in response to our poll.

There have been studies testing this, and they mostly say the same thing, “if it’s clean when you put it on, great, if not, then well yes, that can be a problem”:

❝A longer mask usage significantly increased the fungal colony numbers but not the bacterial colony numbers.

Although most identified microbes were non-pathogenic in humans; Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Cladosporium, we found several pathogenic microbes; Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Aspergillus, and Microsporum.

We also found no associations of mask-attached microbes with the transportation methods or gargling.

We propose that immunocompromised people should avoid repeated use of masks to prevent microbial infection.❞

Wearing a mask can mean we don’t get enough oxygen: True or False?

False, for any masks made-for-purpose (i.e., are by default “breathable”), under normal conditions:

However, wearing a mask while engaging in strenuous best-effort cardiovascular exercise, will reduce VO₂max. To be clear, you will still have more than enough oxygen to function; it’s not considered a health hazard. However, it will reduce peak athletic performance:

…so if you are worrying about whether the mask will impede you breathing, ask yourself: am I engaging in an activity that requires my peak athletic performance?

Also: don’t let it get soaked with water, because…

Writer’s anecdote as an additional caveat: in the earliest days of the COVID pandemic, I had a simple cloth mask on, the one-piece polyester kind that we later learned quite useless. The fit wasn’t perfect either, but one day I was caught in heavy rain (I had left it on while going from one store to another while shopping), and suddenly, it fitted perfectly, as being soaked through caused it to cling beautifully to my face.

However, I was now effectively being waterboarded. I will say, it was not pleasant, but also I did not die. I did buy a new mask in the next store, though.

tl;dr = an exception to “no it won’t impede your breathing” is that a mask may indeed impede your breathing if it is made of cloth and literally soaked with water; that is how waterboarding works!

Want up-to-date information?

Most of the studies we cited today were from 2022 or 2023, but you can get up-to-date information and guidance from the World Health Organization, who really do not have any agenda besides actual world health, here:

At the time of writing this newsletter, the above information was last updated yesterday.

Take care!

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❤️ OUR SPONSORS MAKE THIS PUBLICATION POSSIBLE

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🌏 AROUND THE WEB

What’s happening in the health world…

More to come tomorrow!

📖 ONE-MINUTE BOOK REVIEW

Better Sex Through Mindfulness: How Women Can Cultivate Desire – by Dr. Lori Brotto

Female sexuality is such a taboo topic that, if one searches for (ob/gyn professor, women’s health research director, and psychologist) Dr. Brotto's book on Google or Amazon, it suggests only "lori brotto mindfulness book". So, for those brave enough to read a book that would have shocked Victorians, what does this one contain?

The focus is on, as the title suggests, better sex, by and for women. That said, it's mostly because typically women are more likely to experience the problems described in the book; it's nothing actually intrinsic to womanhood. A man with the same problems could read this book and benefit just the same.

While the book covers many possible problems between the sheets, the overarching theme is problems of the mind, such as:

  • Not getting into the mood in the first place

  • Losing the mood quickly and easily, such as by becoming distracted

  • Difficulty achieving orgasm even when mechanically everything's delightful

  • Physical discomfort creating a barrier to enjoyment

...and yes, that last one is in part mind-stuff too! Though Dr. Brotto isn't arguing that mindfulness is a panacea, just an incredibly useful tool. And, it's one she not only explains very well, but also explains from the position of a wealth of scientific evidence... Enough so, that we see a one-star Amazon reviewer from Canada complained that it was too well-referenced! For us, though, it's what we like to see.

Good science, presented clearly and usefully, giving practical tips that improve people's lives.

Bottom line: if you've ever lost the mood because you got distracted into thinking about taxes or that meeting on Tuesday, this is the book for you.

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Wishing you a wonderful Friday the 13th*,

*Bonus information: Jason in the movies wears the wrong kind of mask for public health!

The 10almonds Team