On call: Hot or cold for back pain?
Heat or cold can both relieve discomfort from lower back pain. Most experts recommend cold to relieve swelling and heat for spasm or stiffness.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Month: October 2013
Omega-3-rich foods: Good for your heart
Research is finding that omega-3 fatty acids have real heart benefits. They help lower heart rate and blood pressure, and improve blood vessel health. Experts recommend that people get their omega-3s by eating two servings of fatty fish a week.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
What you need to ask before getting an imaging test
Before having any medical imaging test, such as a CT scan or x-ray, a woman should ask her doctor how the test will be used to guide her treatment and whether the benefits outweigh the risks.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Heart failure prevention essentials: Take these steps
A heart attack, heart disease, or high blood pressure increase the risk of heart failure. Healthy lifestyle and medication can prevent heart failure or slow its progression. Exercise, diet, not smoking, and moderating alcohol are all key steps.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Research we’re watching: Women may not be getting optimal stroke treatment
Women are less likely than men to receive clot-dissolving medicine for an ischemic stroke (caused by a blockage in an artery to the brain), likely because they are delayed in getting to the hospital for treatment.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
That pain in your side could be diverticular disease
Diverticulosis, the development of pouchlike structures in the colon wall, is usually harmless. Trouble comes when the pouches get inflamed, infected, or bleed (diverticulitis). Getting adequate dietary fiber helps prevent flare-ups of diverticulitis.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Ask the doctor: What’s the best way to treat toenail fungus?
Thick, discolored nails may be signs of a fungal nail infection. These infections are often treated with oral antifungal drugs.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Computer-based brain training could help keep your mental tools sharp
Software training programs may help maintain cognitive fitness with aging, but only if they are engaging and continually challenging-and not intimidating. The programs raise scores on standard tests, but it is unclear how this helps in daily life.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
In the journal: Lung cancer screening now recommended for those at high risk
A panel of experts recommends that smokers ages 55 to 80 who have a history of smoking a pack a day for 30 years or more, or who have quit within the past 15 years, should have a CT scan for hidden lung cancer.
Content restricted. Requires subscription
Research we’re watching: High blood sugar linked to mental decline
Having high blood sugar, even without diabetes, can increase the risk for dementia. The higher blood sugar rises, the more that risk goes up.
Content restricted. Requires subscription