Swapping salt out for the salt substitute potassium chloride lowers blood pressure, and thereby the risk of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular disease, a new analysis finds. “It’s in processed and prepared foods where most people in developed countries get their salt,” explained senior researcher Dr. Bruce Neal, executive director of the George Institute for…  read on >  read on >

Cigarettes are still responsible for far too many cancer deaths every year in the United States, a new study finds. In 2019, nearly 123,000 U.S. cancer deaths were from cigarette smoking (30% of all U.S. cancer deaths), leading to nearly $21 billion in annual lost earnings. These losses were much higher in states with weaker…  read on >  read on >

When people have backaches bad enough to send them to the doctor, prompt physical therapy may be a wise choice, a new study suggests. Researchers found that when those patients had “early” PT — within a couple weeks of seeing a doctor — they were less likely to need other, often pricey, types of medical…  read on >  read on >

Flooding, heat waves and drought have made 58% of infectious diseases worse, a new analysis claims. For the review of previous studies, published Aug. 8 in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers found that 218 of the known 375 infectious diseases have been made worse by climate change, including malaria, hantavirus, cholera and anthrax. The…  read on >  read on >

TUESDAY, Aug. 9, 2022 (American Heart Association News) — In the past, school cafeterias might have served as a source for more punchlines than nutrition. But lunch is a more dynamic and, these days, healthy part of students’ lives than many people realize. Some of its importance is obvious. “You really don’t need to do…  read on >  read on >