Heart Healthy Benefits of Yogurt

Yogurt cuts the risk of a stroke for women. Women who eat at least a half a cup of yogurt each day appear to be less likely to develop a buildup of plague in the vessels that supply the blood to their brains. That in turn may lead to reduced risks for stroke, heart attack, and other health related issues such as heart disease, and diabetes. Thick plague in the carotid arteries creates less space for the blood to travel through the blood vessels of the body. In addition to lower carotid artery thickness, women who ate up to a cup of yogurt per day were found to have higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.

The Multiple Benefits of Antioxidants

Two new studies highlight the advantages of taking daily multivitamin/mineral supplements. An 11 year study of nearly 24,000 Germans found that those who were taking antioxidant vitamin supplements at the start of the trial were significantly less likely to die of cancer and other causes. And in France adults who received daily supplementation with vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin E, selenium, and zinc for eight years had better memory scores several years later than those who received a placebo.

How Massage treatment Beats Meds for Back Pain

A new study conducted by the Group Health Research Institute of Seattle suggests that massage therapy may be better than conventional medicine alone when it comes to treating back pain. Researchers recruited 400 patients with chronic back pain and found that those receiving a series of either relaxation or structional massage spent fewer days in bed and were more active then those receiving there usual medical care ranging from painkillers to anti inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants to physical therapy. Lead study author Daniel Cherin, director of the institute concluded "if your having continuing problems with back pain, even after trying usual medical care, massage may be be a good thing to do. I think that the results are pretty strong"It has also been well documented that massage has many other additional benefits as well for example massage helps to improve our circulation which is very beneficial in relieving sore and tired muscles as well as any aches and pains that are associated with every day use. Funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the U.S. National Institutes of health, this study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.