View All Editions

Daily Edition • Saturday, July 11

Your Handwriting May Offer Clues About Brain Health

A person writing in a spiral-bound notebook with a blue pen, seated outdoors.

A. C./Unsplash

You Should Know: There are a lot of theories out there about what you can tell about a person from their handwriting. Does messy handwriting mean you’re creative? Do big letters mean you’re outgoing? While there’s not much science behind using handwriting to judge personality traits, research suggests it may hold some clues about our cognitive health.

Going Deeper: In one recent study, healthy and cognitively impaired residents in assisted-living facilities completed several writing tasks, which were analyzed for speed, smoothness, stroke count, and other characteristics. When transcribing new information, participants who used more pen strokes, were slower to write a sentence after hearing it aloud, or wrote letters larger vertically showed greater signs of cognitive decline.

Takeaway: Writing by hand is a complicated process — it requires a combination of hand-eye-brain coordination, incorporating dexterity, fine motor skills, thinking, and memory all at the same time. These findings were less about handwriting style, and more so focused on what it revealed about how efficiently the brain processed information and translated it into movement on the page.

Bottom Line: This was a small study, and more research is needed, but it suggests our handwriting mechanics may offer insight into our cognitive health — and could one day become a simple way to identify cognitive changes earlier.

✲

The Odd Morning Routine That’s Getting New Attention

A person in a red hoodie walks along a sunlit, leaf-strewn country road surrounded by trees.

Emma Simpson/Unsplash

Castor oil has been around forever, but lately it’s showing up in a new wellness routine aimed at people over 40 who feel like their energy, digestion, or weight have gotten harder to manage.

The interesting part? This approach does not involve drinking it. This short video explains how castor oil is being used externally as part of a simple morning habit meant to support the body’s natural detox process.

It’s not a magic fix, and it should not replace medical advice. But if you’re curious why castor oil is suddenly getting another look, this is a quick place to start.

See The Method

Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.

◐

Mindfulness

Why Gen Z Is Taking the Plunge

A woman in a black swimsuit kneels beside a hot tub filled with ice, surrounded by lush green plants.

Diana Light/Unsplash

The Trend: Not long ago, cold plunges were mostly reserved for elite athletes or hardcore biohackers. But now, they’ve moved from a niche wellness trend to a mainstream practice — you can even find them at your local spas or gyms (and all over social media). Alongside saunas, they’ve become a legitimate wellness market, and some reports suggest Gen Z and millennials are increasingly treating a cold plunge like a group hangout.

What People Are Saying: Young people have found community and bonded over the shared discomfort of an icy plunge, and many have added the practice to their weekly wellness routines. But beyond the hype, do they actually offer health benefits? Cold water triggers your blood vessels to constrict quickly, which is linked to improved mood and better sleep. It can also ease soreness and calm inflammation after a workout. However, some research suggests post-workout ice baths may blunt strength and muscle gains compared with active recovery.

What to Know: For many plungers, the appeal isn’t about a specific recovery benefit or longevity hack — it’s about how they feel afterward. Whether it’s a sense of accomplishment, adrenaline rush, or energy boost, cold plunges have become a ritual many find rewarding. So if it fits your routine and you enjoy it, keep taking the plunge.

☾

Sleep

Reinforcing the Body’s Internal Clock May Boost Stroke Recovery

A person in a green coat and pants jogs with a large clock on their side, surrounded by leaves and plants.

Midjourney

Back on Track: Some of us hate routine; others need it to function. Love it or hate it, there’s no arguing against the long list of mental and physical benefits of maintaining a routine — improved sleep, reduced stress and anxiety, and increased productivity, just to name a few. New research adds to the list: Reinforcing the body’s natural routine might help stroke patients recover quicker and better.

The Study: Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the study found that strengthening the body’s natural circadian rhythms may improve recovery after stroke. The researchers used interventions such as time-restricted feeding, timed light exposure, melatonin, and a drug that targets the circadian clock in mouse models of stroke. Even though the interventions began three days post-stroke, they enhanced the brain’s glymphatic system, which clears waste and inflammatory molecules. The mice showed better motor recovery, smaller brain lesions, and lower inflammation than untreated animals.

The Takeaway: While the findings have not yet been tested in humans, they suggest that restoring healthy daily rhythms could become a promising addition to stroke rehabilitation, potentially extending the window for effective recovery.

Keep in Mind: This study was performed on mice, so the results don’t necessarily translate to people who have suffered strokes.

➺

Quick Picks

Cloudy Thinking — What causes menopause brain fog?

Get the Blood Flowing — Here’s how to stretch on a long flight.

Keep Your Head — Managing negative emotions may be key to mental aging.

Bittersweet — Can artificial sweeteners mess with your metabolism?

Hydration Upgrade — These 10 drinks may hydrate better than water.

✾

What We're Cooking

Spicy Watermelon With Tomatoes, Prosciutto & Salted-Lime Yogurt

A black platter features watermelon cubes, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, prosciutto, and mint, drizzled with sauce.

Courtesy: Food52

Serves: 4 | Cook Time: 10 minutes

This summer salad requires no cooking, but it’s still packed with sweet, spicy, salty, and tangy flavors. A refreshing mix of watermelon, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers forms the base, all tossed with salt and fresh lime juice. Rich slices of prosciutto are layered among the produce, while herbs, black sesame seeds, and chile crisp on top add texture and a nice heat. Everything sits on a bed of salted-lime yogurt, which brings a cool, creamy contrast to the chili’s subtle kick. The result is a salad that’s easy and light, but still totally satisfying and filling.

Get The Full Recipe

By clicking, you are agreeing to receive a daily recipe from Better Plates.

☞

This, Not That

The Better Crunch

Roasted chickpeas scattered on a baking sheet, some seasoned with spices and golden in color.

THIS

Freshly baked pretzels sprinkled with coarse salt on parchment paper.

NOT THAT

Adrienne Leonard/Unsplash, Natalie Behn/Unsplash

This: Roasted Chickpeas
Not That: Pretzels

Pretzels feel light but are basically refined flour and salt. Roasted chickpeas offer that same crunchy satisfaction with added protein and fiber to help keep you full. Toss canned chickpeas with olive oil and spices, roast until crisp, and you’ve got a snack that actually fuels you.

✲

The Wellness Habit People Still Underrate

We talk a lot about sleep, movement, and nutrition. But the thoughts you carry around all day matter, too. BetterHelp connects you with a licensed therapist online, so getting support can feel less like another appointment to squeeze in and more like something that actually fits your life. New members get 25% off their first month.

See How It Works

Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.

❦

HEALTHY HABIT

Step Outside Before You Open Your Laptop

Before diving into email, take two minutes outside. Morning light, fresh air, and a quick reset can help your body register that the day has started. You don’t need a full walk — just a little daylight before the screen takes over.

★

Final Thought

Snow-capped mountains rise above a lush green forest under a partly cloudy sky.

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because, as has been said, ‘it is the quality which guarantees all others.

– Winston Churchill, Great Contemporaries

Daniel J. Schwarz/Unsplash