The Daily Valet. - 2/8/22, Tuesday

✔️ A Smarter Approach

Tuesday, February 8th Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Turns out, whispering sweet nothings actually does something.

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today’s edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

Supplements Get Smarter

Americans are more interested in hacking our health with personalized pills and drinks

How are you feeling? Did you take your vitamins today? Do you take any supplements? How about during the height of the pandemic? I’ll admit that I upped my daily intake looking to boost my immunity. But I’m always up to try something new and healthy-adjacent to see if I feel ... something.

While COVID-19 continues to wax and wane, the market for immune health products appears to be leveling off somewhat. For instance, in 2020 an ingredient like elderberry saw a 169% sales increase as Americans spent over $266 million on the immune-boosting ingredient.

Those spikes are less these days, but according to Nutritional Outlook, there’s still plenty of people buying supplements, calling it “more of a correction than a decline.” Where people are moving is towards personalized and customized nutrition.

Bloomberg reports that it will only bigger. Much bigger. The personalized nutrition market size will be worth $17 billion by 2026, they predict. And that’s on top of the global wellness market, which is already worth more than $1.5 trillion.

Personalization is key because we now know that all these diets and bio-hacks affect every single one of us differently, based on our own genetic makeup, writes Andrea Hernandez in her popular newsletter Snaxshot.

Just think of all the custom vitamins we can get now. Care/of, Persona, Vitl, Nourished—there seems to be more and more each day. I now get personalized protein powder from Gainful. And Hernandez just introduced me to an “on-demand Keto” drink which replaces fasting with taking a shot of this special liquid. Does this mean I can have my cake and ketones too?

↦ Dig Deeper: Harvard Medical School reports that while supplements are popular and can serve specific functions, there is still limited evidence that a daily supplement offers any significant health benefits.

Did You Hear That?

ASMR is real—and might even work on you

Shhhhhhhh [*Reads in a whisper]: Anyone who's watched YouTube, flipped through TikTok or listened to podcasts, has no doubt encountered some ASMR—aka the Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.

But it turns out, the brain-tingling sensation those soft, staticky noises, gentle tapping and crunching sounds produce does a body good. It's not just hype.

Those tingles have long been suggested as a way of treating symptoms like stress or insomnia, but there's been little more than anecdotal evidence for the mental health benefits. But British researchers found that those who are able to feel ASMR had reduced anxiety after just five minutes of listening.

Another study at Dartmouth College put people undergoing ASMR sensations in an MRI machine to detect changes in the brain during the experience. “They found that the medial prefrontal cortex, an evolutionarily advanced part of the brain associated with self-awareness, social information processing, and social behaviors, was activated,” reports Psychology Today. Other areas of the brain's reward system and emotional arousal systems were also implicated. Well, I know what I'll be listening to this afternoon.

↦ Meanwhile: The New York Times reports that 200+ ASMR videos are being posted to YouTube each day.

Partner

Looking for a cheeky Valentine's Day gift? Consider vintage-inspired apparel that is sensual without being over the top.

Serious Spinal Cord Advancements

Scientific advancements offer hope for paralyzed people

Here's some good news: Israeli scientists have made paralyzed mice walk by giving them spinal cord implants, and say they are less than three years away from doing the same for humans in clinical trials.

The world-first experiment took place at Tel Aviv University, where a large team engineered spinal cord tissue from human cells, and implanted them into 15 mice with long-term paralysis—12 of which were able to walk again.

Meanwhile, Newsweek reports that new medical technology developed by Swiss researchers has allowed three paralyzed people to walk again.

The research published Monday in the Nature Medicine journal said that in the ongoing clinical trial testing electrical spinal implants, three individuals who had “complete sensorimotor paralysis” saw improvements in just one day and eventually were able to “stand, walk, cycle, swim and control trunk movements.”

↦ FYI: Males account for about 78% of new spinal cord injury cases.

Spirit and Frontier Airlines Will Merge

They promise better deals and service; critics aren’t so sure

Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines, the two largest ultralow-cost carriers in the U.S., have agreed to merge, creating what will become the fifth-largest airline in the country.

Both airlines are known for essentially the same thing: cheap fares, uncomfortable seats and lack of Biscoff cookies. Now they plan to create what they call the country's “most competitive ultra-low fare” airline.

According to CNN, the companies have yet to say what brand they'll fly under or who would lead management of the new airline. But the combined company should offer more than 1,000 daily flights to over 145 destinations—putting them just behind the four major airlines that control about 80% of the nation's air traffic.

But consumer advocates aren't so sure that travelers will have more choices and cheaper fares as a result of the merger. “That's what merging airlines have always claimed,” William J. McGee of Consumer Reports tells NPR. “And as we've seen, consolidation has not been good for consumers and it's only reduced their choices.”

In Other News

↦ Supreme Court Allows Alabama Voting Maps That Advocates Say Disenfranchise Black Voters

↦ Spotify CEO Says Canceling Joe Rogan Isn’t ‘the Answer’

↦ Forget America’s Great Resignation. It’s the Great Upgrade.

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Oscar noms

Male body image

This globe-trotting Olympian

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Cheeky Valentine’s Day Gifts

Looking for a unique gift this Valentine's Day? Playboy's popular collection of merchandise has everything from fragrance and jewelry to vintage-inspired apparel and lingerie. Featuring Tokyo Club inspired hoodies, comfy loungewear with throwback graphics, and the best-selling Alpha Industries collaboration, everything is sensual without being over the top.

Tokyo Club Bunny cropped hoodie, $75

Bunny Huggie hoops, $128

August 1965 cropped T-shirt, $35

Make The Cover fragrance, $35

Satin pajamas, $85

Lace bra set, $45

↦ Want more gifts? Shop Playboy’s Valentine’s Day gift guide

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The Key to Great Valentine’s Day Sex

Promescent modern sexual wellness products

It's a day for romance. It's a day for sweet gestures. And, with any luck, it's a day for sex. But not just run-of-the-mill action between the sheets. This is a holiday to celebrate love. Like your birthday, but for the both of you. So why not upgrade your love making? That's where Promescent comes in.

The modern sexual wellness brand's goal is to help you deliver plenty of bang in the bedroom. Dial up the pleasure with some of their best sellers. These products have all been created to ensure your sessions are fun, fulfilling and long-lasting.

Delay Spray

Clinically proven to help you have longer-lasting, more enjoyable intimacy, the bottle is designed to dole out a metered dose.

$22.95 / $19.51 by Promescent

Delay Wipes

These utilize all of the same delay spray technology, but in a simple-to-apply individually wrapped wipe that you can take anywhere and apply discreetly.

$19.95 / $16.96 by Promescent

Warming Female Arousal Gel

The long-lasting gel hybrid is silky and slippery—designed to be used with a partner or solo. It provides a gentle buzzing sensation that you begin feeling within five minutes of application.

$19.95 / $16.96 by Promescent

VitaFlux

This popular supplement provides a myriad of benefits, from increased energy and cognitive function to faster recovery times from injury or illness.

$49.95 / $42.46 by Promescent