A recent analysis by Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs found that muscle relaxants were relatively ineffective and potentially dangerous.  Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith, for example, reportedly abused the muscle relaxant carisoprodol (Soma and generic), in combination with other drugs.  Consumers should avoid carisoprodol because it may be more likely than other muscle relaxants to lead to addiction and abuse.  Muscle relaxants can also cause sedation, which increases the risk of car crashes, falls, and other accidents.

Spasms, stemming from back or neck pain, fibromyalgia, headaches, or other forms of musculoskeletal pain, often respond to heating pads or hands-on therapies such as massage or spinal manipulation.  Chiropractic care, for example, was the most effective treatment for lower-back pain in a recent Consumer Reports survey.   Other research suggests that acupuncture, biofeedback, progressive muscle relaxation, and yoga may help some people, too.  If those nondrug measures don’t help, over-the-counter acetaminophen (Tylenol and generic) or ibuprofen (Advil and generic) generally work as well as muscle relaxants.  If these options don’t work, then it’s worth exploring the use of a muscle relaxant. Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs recommends generic cyclobenzaprine. Log on to www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org and click on “Prescription Drugs” to access Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs.

ANTI-AGING, FROM HEAD TO TOE

A special report published in the March issue of Consumer Reports on Health looks at seven key strategies for anti-aging, from head to toe.  The report notes that as more people live into their 80s, 90s, and beyond, researchers are increasingly asking what it takes not just to survive but to thrive in later years.  The Consumer Reports Health guide to better aging identifies steps to exercise the brain (use it or lose it), keep eyes and ears sharp (get tested), stay young at heart (consider aspirin therapy), guard your gut (watch your weight), strengthen your back (stay strong), protect hips and knees (strength train to ease the pain), and stay steady on your feet (keep your balance).

Consumer Reports Health emphasizes that lifestyle choices can make a big difference. A recent report published in the Journal of Gerontology notes that those who aged with little disability tended to have a moderate-to-high income. But their lifestyle choices also helped set them apart: They didn’t smoke, drank alcohol in moderation, maintained a positive outlook, and reported less stress. 

A copy of this special report is available on request.

INCREASING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS DARK CHOCOLATE MAY BE BENEFICIAL 

More studies suggest that dark chocolate on its own—stripped away of accompanying creams, frostings, and fillings—may actually be quite healthful (at least when eaten in moderation).

The latest findings come from a review of studies about dark chocolate and the risk of stroke. The researchers found three studies that met their quality criteria. One concluded that eating dark chocolate made no difference to stroke risk. But another found that eating small amounts each week reduced the risk of stroke by 22 percent, and the third reported that people were 45 percent less likely to die after a stroke if they regularly ate chocolate.

This review joins an array of studies suggesting that eating dark chocolate may be good for you in one way or another. Dark chocolate (usually described as containing at least 70 percent cocoa solids) is rich in plant pigments called flavonoids, which have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease and cancer. And research also suggests that eating dark chocolate may help to lower stress.   Read more at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org. 

IS IT A COLD OR THE FLU?

People often confuse the cold and the flu, because some symptoms can overlap and be eased by the same self-care measures and over-the-counter medications.  But it’s important to distinguish between the two, for several reasons.  First, people who are at an increased risk for becoming seriously ill from the flu – including young children, seniors, and people with chronic illness or weakened immunity – may need a prescription antiviral drug fast.  In addition, it’s critical for people with flu to limit their contact with others, so as not to spread the virus. 

In a recent blog, Marvin Lipman, M.D., chief medical adviser for Consumer Reports, notes that two of the flu’s main symptoms are extreme fatigue and weakness. But older people and those with a chronic illness might already have such complaints.  In that case, it's important to watch for sudden worsening.   “Sudden,” he says, is the key word.  The most characteristic sign of flu is its abrupt onset.  A cold can build over a few days, but the flu strikes hard and fast—fever, chills, severe muscle aches, a hacking cough, and general malaise.  Fever is a good yardstick, because a cold rarely raises body temperature more than a degree or so.  

WHAT TO DO WHILE WAITING FOR THE DOCTOR

Waits in the doctor’s office can be frustrating, but they don’t need to be a waste of time.  In a recent “Office Visit” column in the January issue of Consumer Reports on Health, Orly Avitzur, M.D., medical adviser to Consumer Reports, urges patients to use their extra time constructively.  Ideally, many of these things can be done in advance of a doctor’s appointment, but if not, then one can use the “waiting” time to do the following:

• Make a list of their top health concerns, symptoms, and complaints.
• Jot down questions to ask the doctor during their visit.
• Write a list of all the medications they’re taking, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements.
• Ask the office to check for results of any tests they’ve had since their last visit.
• Confirm that the office has the correct insurance information.
• Read something besides the magazines, such as informational brochures and pamphlets.