The Nutrient: Hot springs for pain relief, Chores and desire, ADA goes holistic

Research

Hot springs relieve joint pain and muscle pain

My family and I went hot potting this week in Paradise, Montana, which got me thinking about the health benefits of sitting in hot, mineral-rich water. It's relaxing, but is it medicine?

A study from 2021 included 1,279 participants with muscle pain, joint pain, or arthritis. The pain was mostly in their knees, hips, and ankles, which sounds familiar. Participants were asked to rank their pain at the beginning of the study and then after 3–10 days of hot spring soaks that lasted for at least 30 minutes per day.

"Of the total number of study participants, 1064 (83.2%) reported complete relief from the complaints they had at the start of the bath."

It only took 3 days for most participants to experience significant pain relief, especially joint pain from rheumatoid arthritis.

It's funny to look for scientific evidence to explain something that we understand intuitively–hot springs may not be the fountain of youth, but they can definitely relieve your pain.

Article

When women do more household labor, they see their partner as a dependent and sexual desire dwindles

"the decline in sexual desire may be related to two factors: 1) the perception that the labor division is unfair and 2) perceiving their partner as dependent on them."

Just a reminder that your wife is not your mother, and she probably isn't looking for another child either. I remember seeing a survey showing that cleaning and sanitizing the bathroom is people's most disliked household chore, so maybe I'll start there.

News

American Diabetes Association acknowledges the impact of holistic health on blood sugar

You're more likely to learn about sweating, sleep quality, and strength-training from a naturopath than an endocrinologist, but that might change as conventional medicine catches up to the holistic model.

"A healthy diet, regular physical activity, good sleep hygiene, psychological well-being, tobacco cessation are essential for diabetes care."

Plus, check out this detailed chart they made:

Words of the week

"I’ve come to believe that those labeled as mentally ill are, in fact, the canaries in the coal mine, sounding an alarm with exquisite sensitivity in service of the rest of us. Their symptoms, including fatigue, insomnia, ceaseless unrest and worry, disconnection, and deep sadness, carry the message of unrecognized physical, emotional, and even spiritual factors. They are telling us all that something is missing, very “off,” and we need to wake up and pay attention to find it and correct it in order to survive and be happy."
–Kelly Brogan, MD

Take care,

Dr. Rondo