Can a chiropractor treat low back pain?

By Robert H. Shmerling, M.D.
Posted on March 10, 2020

If you’ve ever seen a doctor for back pain, you’re not alone. An estimated 85% of people experience back pain severe enough to see a doctor at some point in their life. Yet despite how common it is, the precise cause of pain is often unclear. And a single, best treatment for most low back pain is unknown. “Standard care” includes a balance of rest, stretching and exercise,... READ MORE

U.S. life expectancy rises (for a change)

By Mike Stobbe
Posted on March 10, 2020

Life expectancy in the United States is up for the first time in four years. The increase is small — just a month — but marks at least a temporary halt to a downward trend. The rise is due to lower death rates from cancer and drug overdoses. “Let’s just hope it continues,” said Robert Anderson, who oversaw the report released in January by the Centers for Disease ... READ MORE

How the jojoba plant can help your skin

By Suzy Cohen
Posted on March 09, 2020

There is a plant with beautiful foliage that provides year-round food for deer, so they call it the deer nut plant. But you might know it as jojoba (pronounced huh-hoé-ba). Just like cactus plants, jojoba is a desert plant that can tolerate high heat, long hours of sunlight and very little water. It’s botanically known as Simmondsia chinensis. Other delightful, hilarious names... READ MORE

Wash hands to keep yourself, others well

By Courtesy of Cleveland Clinic
Posted on March 06, 2020

The single most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick and to stop the spread of disease-causing germs is to wash your hands — often. All it takes is soap and water, 20 seconds of scrubbing hands and wrists and then a good rinse. Viruses that cause colds and the flu are most often transmitted by hands. People commonly catch colds when they rub their nose or their eyes... READ MORE

Knee pain? Options to try before surgery

By Courtesy of the University of Michigan
Posted on March 05, 2020

When cartilage inside the knee joint starts to break down, a person may begin to experience pain. “If you were to look inside a healthy knee joint, you’d see a thick cushioning of cartilage that covers and protects the ends of your bones, as well as another type of cartilage, called the meniscus, that acts like a shock absorber between the bones,” said Andrew Urquhart, M.D., a... READ MORE

How to best prevent muscle loss with age

By Margaret Foster
Posted on March 04, 2020

After age 30, adults lose as much as 5% of muscle mass every decade. That phenomenon is called sarcopenia, or aging-related loss of muscle. It’s a vicious circle: If you don’t exercise, you become weaker and even less able to exercise. “If you’re unable to be as active and do as much physical activity, then you’re setting yourself up for a worsening of the problem,” said... READ MORE

Do face masks protect from coronavirus?

By Carla K. Johnson
Posted on March 04, 2020

People around the world are buying protective face masks in hopes of keeping the new virus from China at bay. Some companies have required them for employees. Schools in South Korea have told parents to equip their children with masks and hand sanitizer. But do the masks work? It depends. All viruses are small enough to get through a typical strap-on medical mask, but the germs... READ MORE

Seeking to improve hip fracture recovery

By Margaret Foster
Posted on March 02, 2020

If you know anyone who has broken a hip, you know how traumatic the injury can be. Every year more than 300,000 people over age 65 are hospitalized after hip fractures, according to the Centers for Disease Control. One in four are women, who may have weak, brittle bones because of osteoporosis. Furthermore, up to 75% of people who break a hip never fully recover. “It’s a sentinel... READ MORE

NIH seeks leukemia patients for studies

By Margaret Foster
Posted on February 28, 2020

Fatigue. Weight loss. Night sweats. Frequent infections. Some people with these symptoms are shocked when their doctor diagnoses them with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a slow-moving cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Although the disease is serious, a diagnosis is not an immediate death sentence; in fact, doctors don’t treat early-stage CLL at all, preferring to monitor its... READ MORE

Mindful eating (and why you should try it)

By Cynthia Sass
Posted on February 27, 2020

Mindfulness is a major buzzword right now and rightly so. Becoming more mindful — that is, aware of the present moment — can be life-changing. It can help you react more calmly and thoughtfully in any situation, whether you’re stuck in traffic, dealing with a difficult boss or making food choices. And mindfulness isn’t just a New Age theory. Its benefits are backed by plenty... READ MORE