Hello to all our readers in 28 countries around the world! I started this series last year, in the wake of so much global darkness and uncertainty. I need hope, inspiration and wonder to thrive, so I began hunting for amazing breakthroughs in medicine, longevity, tech, science, climate solutions and other areas to lift me up. Sharing them with the Womancake community has been my pleasure, and I’ll continue to do it every month so we can all stay as positive as possible.
Let’s start with one that made me jump up and lunge: an important study appears to show a conclusive link between strong thighs and a strong brain. Our leg muscles are big, and when we work them out they release significant amounts of myokines into our blood stream. Among these myos is something called BDNF, which is sort of like fertilizer for our brain. It crosses the blood-brian barrier and starts to stimulate new neural pathways, and reduce shrinkage of the hippocampus, which holds our memory. Look, I started working out ten years ago just to, y’know… keep my ass up off the pavement? But I can report that as I’ve added heavier weight to my dumbbell squats, my thinking does seem to be slightly clearer the next day. Weird, but cool!
Some more good news for legs: a pre-biotic supplement reduces osteoarthritis knee pain, and even seems to improve grip strength and increase pain tolerance. To put a finer point on this discovery, it’s actually about the gut-brian connection, and the ways that our microbiome can kick ass. The supplement is inulin, which is found in chicory root, Jerusalem artichokes and some other vegetables. Nature is amazing! We can eat stuff and heal! Here’s a recipe for Jerusalem artichokes with tarragon.
Aging may soon become (somewhat) reversible: scientists have created a lab-grown enzyme that clears one of the most common aging proteins from human tissue. It seems to actually turn back the clock at the cellular level, repairing tissue and allowing cells to “act younger.” In the lab they were able to take 70-year-old skin and make it more like that of a 30-year-old!! Think about every injury you’ve ever gotten, and all the aging that you can see on your face and feel in your body. Can you imagine an injection that could literally repair your body from the inside out? I can, and I’ll be keeping an eye on this study!
Huge news in planetary science: a new planet has been discovered, and its atmosphere is “within the habitable zone!” Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to leave Earth. I like it here, mostly, and I still hope we can shift to sustainability for all creatures. I think of other planets as like, places that billionaires should travel to and stay there (EX: Mars is just the right place for you-know-who). But discovering new life forms on other planets would be fascinating. This discovery has the potential to change the way we view our position in the Universe, and I am here for it.
Get ready, manatees, cause this one’s for you: Florida bioscientists are creating a “coastal corridor” of life-saving ocean projects. Here’s the scoop: the Florida Fish and Wildlife Department already did something like this on 18 million acres of land, establishing a safe corridor for vulnerable species to travel and engage. Now the ocean people are taking inspiration from that success by creating artificial reefs that will enable ocean species to form new habitats in which to thrive. This could also help bring back fish for commercial fishing, which could add more jobs to the state. Respect for and protection of biodiversity is the key to all of it.
BONUS BREAKTHROUGHS:
Sharing my latest beauty breakthrough: My perimenopausal scalp has been acting weird, dry and tight but also sometimes greasy. I wandered into Aveda last month, and bought this scalp serum that seems to have made all the difference. It contains salicylic acid, the same stuff in your high-school zit cream, but formulated gently enough to slough away dead skin without further drying. Now my scalp and my hair look and feel soothed and soft.
Have I ever shared my Covid cooking breakthrough? It’s carrot hummus! Peel, chop and steam 4 large carrots until they’re super-soft. Put them in a bowl and mash them with some olive oil, a grated clove of garlic, a squeeze of half-lemon and some salt (you can even throw in a few canned chickpeas if you wanna). Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with flat bread and cucumber. I call it Pandemic Paste, cause I made it every single day back then.
