Should everyone cut back on salt? There's still no consensus.

In November 2009, an Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee held its final information-gathering session on ways to reduce sodium consumption in the United States. The panel will issue its findings in a report due out in February 2010. The IOM's mission is to bring our sodium intake down to the levels recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (www.health.gov/DietaryGuidelines) — namely, for the average adult, no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day, the amount in about a teaspoon of ordinary iodized table salt. Lower consumption — no more than ...

 

In the journals Yoga therapy helps relieve chronic lower back pain Once regarded as an esoteric Eastern discipline, yoga is now a familiar part of the health and fitness scene in the United States. A national survey released in 2008 found that nearly 16 million Americans — more than 11 million of them women — currently practice yoga. Another nine million Americans say they plan to try yoga within the year. Although many people adopt the practice to ease stress and improve overall health, a growing number have specific medical aims and are following the recommendations of their clinicians.

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In the journals  

Weight lifting eases lymphedema symptoms in breast cancer survivors One of the most common and most troublesome consequences of breast cancer treatment is lymphedema — fluid accumulation and tissue swelling from damage to the lymph drainage system. The condition often develops after lymph node biopsy and radiation therapy affecting the armpit. Symptoms include swelling, discomfort, and a heightened susceptibility to infection in the associated arm. Breast cancer survivors have long been advised to go easy on the arm, and in particular, to avoid heavy lifting and resistance-training exercise. As a result, women with lymphedema often favor ...

In the journals  

Nonsurgical approach unlocks contracted fingers A study in the Sept. 3, 2009, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) reports a new treatment for Dupuytren's contracture, a disabling condition of the hands that results in chronically bent finger joints. The condition develops when abnormal scarlike tissue in the palm causes the hand to contract, leaving one or more fingers bent inward. The new treatment, developed by researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook, involves injections of an enzyme called collagenase clostridium histolyticum — a technique that had been tested ...

Flu update This year, reducing your risk for the flu will require two kinds of shots In a typical year, 5% to 20% of Americans get the flu, more than 200,000 require hospitalization, and about 35,000 die from the infection. However, 2009 isn't a typical year. We're in the midst of a flu pandemic (a pandemic is a worldwide epidemic) caused by a virus that first emerged in Mexico in February — 2009 H1N1, formerly known as "novel H1N1" or "swine flu." For many of us, that may mean getting two kinds of flu vaccine: one for ordinary, seasonal flu ...

The Women's Health Initiative found that hormone therapy wasn't helpful for avoiding dementia there was some suggestion that it might even cause cognitive problems. Am I at risk for dementia by continuing hormone therapy?

What do you think about using inversion tables to relieve back pain?