Health

One minute you’re reaching for an item on a shelf, picking up a child or simply getting out of bed. The next, a sudden stab of pain in your lower back leaves you wondering what just happened. Many people call it “throwing out” their back. The phrase generally describes low back pain that starts suddenly, says Dr. Min Yoo, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist at Mayo Clinic in Arizona who has subspecialty training in pain medicine.

Two studies examining commercial tobacco use in Native American communities underscore the importance of culturally responsive prevention and a deeper understanding of how substance use fits into people’s everyday lives.

The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) has released a new clinical guideline for tobacco treatment in the inpatient setting. Published in the journal CHEST, the guideline contains six evidence-based recommendations that synthesize the existing literature to inform key components of inpatient tobacco treatment.

Salt can make or break a dish. A little too much or too little can throw everything off, leaving even the most luxurious ingredients tasting off. But get the balance right, and salt can bring out the flavor in even the simplest ingredients. The brain relies on a similar balancing act for healthy function and memory. While we are aware of the ill effects of having too much salt, what happens when we consume too little?

New research presented at the Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Milan, Italy (Sept 28 – Oct 2) and appearing in The Lancet Regional Health Americas journal shows that in people who have developed early-onset type 2 diabetes (EOT2D) (aged under 45 years), around half these T2D cases can be reversed with a low-energy diet combined with a structured exercise program.

Puzzles, brain-training games and hobbies have long been said to stave off cognitive decline. But while some research has shown that intensive brain-training programs done over several weeks can reduce cognitive impairment, such interventions aren’t very practical in daily life.

Exercise benefits nearly every part of the body, including the liver and metabolism. But new research from the University of Missouri School of Medicine suggests those benefits may not look the same in males and females. The findings are published in the journal Cell Reports.

A new study has shown that faith leaders would be willing to partner on hypertension screenings and education, despite challenges in past health collaborations.

When it’s time for another vaccine, many people may ask themselves a familiar question: Do I really need another one? The answer may depend, at least in part, on how protected they think they already are.

Researchers from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, found that biological aging may accelerate as early as young adulthood. In addition to lifestyle factors, environmental exposures and living environments may contribute to faster biological aging.

A new study from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) finds that chewing tobacco use contributed to an estimated 251,000 deaths globally in 2023, with health loss overwhelmingly concentrated in South Asia.