The NIH Committee on the Consequences of Sodium Reduction… reports it might be time to entertain second thoughts on the importance of salt restriction.

It was just a matter of time. (more…)

During EPI/NPAM 2013 — Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2013 Scientific Sessions — researchers from Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston, reported that drinking large amounts of sugary beverages was associated with an increase in body-mass index (BMI), which in turn was linked with BMI-related deaths from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. (more…)

Two more research studies warn against having a cavalier approach to cannabis.

First, researchers at University of Sydney, in Australia, determined the prevalence of recent alcohol, nicotine, or cannabis use in young persons presenting for mental healthcare. (more…)

Khat (Catha edulis) is a shrub from northeast Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, with stimulant effects similar to but less intense than cocaine or methamphetamine.

Researchers at Hamad General Hospital, in Doha, Qatar, studied its effects in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) — a condition associated with insufficient blood flow to the heart.

As you read this summary it might be useful to consider that addicts can detox from drugs in New York.

(more…)

Prof. Ernst and colleagues reviewed the evidence and they aren’t sanguine. (more…)

FDA is warning consumers that Reumofan Plus, marketed as a natural dietary supplement for pain relief and other serious conditions, contains several active pharmaceutical ingredients not listed on the label that could be harmful.

Here’s what we know. (more…)

Researchers in the UK studied whether motivationalinterviewing (aka talk therapy) might benefit mood and mortality poststroke. (more…)

For decades, politicians like Mayor Michael Bloomberg of NYC have tried to get Americans to eat less salt.

Now Scientific American asks, “But if the US does conquer salt, what will we gain?”

Answer: bland french fries. (more…)

Eating antioxidant-rich foods may reduce the risk of stroke.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, in Stockholm, Sweden, examined the association between dietary total antioxidant capacity and stroke incidence in 2 groups of women. (more…)

During the American Diabetes Association 71st Scientific Sessions, researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio reported on (abstract 0062-OR) the relationship between drinking diet soft drinks and long-term changes in waist circumference. (more…)

After more than 2 decades of warning us about the evils of too much salt in the diet, an international group of researchers looked for an association between estimated urinary sodium and potassium excretion (surrogates for intake) and cardiovascular events in patients with established cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus. (more…)

Dr. Donald Murphy is Clinical Director of the Rhode Island Spine Center and a member of the Clinical Faculty at Brown University School of Medicine and the Postgraduate Faculty of 4 chiropractic schools.

Here’s his perspective on cervical manipulation, stroke, and what does it mean for the chiropractic profession. (more…)

Researchers at The Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio, determined the effect of smoking in noncardiac surgical patients. (more…)

Exposure to methylmercury from eating fish is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Researchers in the US looked for a relationship between mercury exposure and coronary heart disease, stroke, or total cardiovascular disease. (more…)

A couple of years ago, researchers at the University of Florence, in Italy, reviewed the effects of the Mediterranean diet on the risk of death and the occurrence of Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s diseases.

Now, they’ve updated their findings. (more…)

Researchers in Spain report the results of the PREDIMED-Reus Nutrition intervention study. (more…)

Researchers at the Royal Children’s Hospital, in Victoria, Australia looked for an association between skipping breakfast and cardiometabolic risk factors in adulthood.

They’ve come across a finding that’s particularly interesting. (more…)

The beneficial effects of soy protein, soy isoflavones, and their metabolites on women’s health are unclear.

So, the North American Menopause Society convened a seminar of experts in the field. (more…)

Orthosis is a device applied to a human limb in order to control or enhance movement or prevent bone movement or deformity. An example is shown in the photo.

Researchers at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, in The Netherlands, evaluated whether community-dwelling chronic stroke patients wearing an ankle-foot orthosis would benefit from changing to functional electrical stimulation of the peroneal nerve. (more…)

Studies of the association between coffee drinking and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease have reported conflicting results.

Researchers in Boston assessed the association between filtered caffeinated coffee mortality during up to 24 years of follow-up in women with cardiovascular disease from the Nurses’ Health Study. (more…)