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Three types of acupuncture therapy, an individually tailored program, standard therapy and a simulation involving toothpicks at key acupuncture points, are equally effective for chronic low back pain, even though the third option is probably only a placebo. How can we tell what’s real and what’s fake?

Researcher Daniel Cherkin says, “Back pain is the leading reason for visits to licensed acupuncturists, and medical acupuncturists consider acupuncture an effective treatment for back pain.”
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Sure, fish are good for you, but not if they’re full of drugs!

A recent study showed that eating salmon or other fatty fish just once a week helped reduce men’s risk of heart failure, adding to growing evidence that omega-3 fatty acids are of benefit to cardiac health BUT researchers working with the EPA have detected low-level residues of several human medications and personal care products in fish collected from effluent-dominated rivers, including the residue of one pharmaceutical in wild fish that has not been previously reported. What’s an eater to do?
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We recently wrote that verbs are the parts of speech that become extinct the most quickly. Now we’ve learned that if you want to perform at your peak, at school or on the job, you should carefully consider how you discuss your past actions. Also, why are some words considered attractive while their synonyms are thought of as repugnant? And finally, some residents of Alaska have coined a new verb, based on moon dust!
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Most people consume far too much salt, and researchers are trying to figure out why we crave it. It might put us in a better mood (but there are other things that do this as well).

Psychologist Kim Johnson found that when rats are deficient in sodium chloride (common table salt) they shy away from activities they normally enjoy, like drinking a sugary substance or pressing a bar that stimulates a pleasant sensation in their brains. Johnson days, “[This] leads us to believe that a salt deficit and the craving associated with it can induce one of the key symptoms associated with depression.” (Who would have guessed it? The last food we heard was good for depression was chocolate).
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