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If there?s one thing that can ruin a perfectly good picnic, it?s a nasty case of food poisoning. If you?re planning to grill this 4th-of-July weekend, here are some important guidelines to help keep your family and friends safe.

Safe storage

Safe handling starts at the supermarket, so when buying raw meat and poultry, the USDA recommends separating it from other food in your shopping cart. And to avoid cross-contamination put packages of meat into plastic bags. Once you?re home, refrigerate meat and poultry within 2 hours of buying it and within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees outside to minimize bacteria growth. Keep it refrigerated until you?re ready to grill it.

Once you?re ready to grill, don?t use the same platter and utensils for raw and cooked meat and poultry to avoid spreading harmful bacteria. If you?re grilling, but not in your own backyard, be sure you have access to water for prep and clean up. Or pack clean cloths and wet towelettes for cleaning surfaces and hands.

Safe cooking

Undercooking and overcooking food are both common grilling mistakes. Many barbecue gourmets know the dangers of undercooking, but you may not know that eating beef, chicken, lamb, pork, or fish grilled until it's overcooked, or burnt and charred, might increase the risk of developing certain cancers. The National Cancer Institute recommends cooking meats below 325 degrees F, marinating meat?which has been shown to reduce the cancer-causing compounds, called HCAs?and not cooking directly over the flame since dripping fat or marinade can create flare-ups that contribute to HCAs.

To check doneness of meat, insert an instant-read thermometer into the side of steaks and chops or into the thickest part of burgers and chicken to ensure proper temperatures have been reached. Cook food to at least the following internal temperatures, as recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. When reheating fully cooked meats like hot dogs, grill to 165 degrees F or until steaming hot.

Have a healthful holiday

No July 4th celebration is complete without hot dogs and burgers?but you can dig into traditional favorites and still be healthy by trying to:

Add veggies. Throw some zucchini, squash, and tomatoes on the grill?they taste great, and because they?re high in nutrients, you?ll feel a little less guilty about that second or third helping of potato salad.

Reach for veggie burgers. We know you love beef, but veggie burgers are lower in calories and fat than a conventional burger and higher in fiber. We recently tested 12 veggie burger brands and found 10 that ranked ?very good.? Take a look at our Ratings (subscribers only).

Cut the fat. Hot dogs are packed with sodium, additives, and fat. Consider one of the lower-fat franks in our taste test: Hebrew National Kosher Reduced Fat Beef Franks, Boar?s Head Lite Skinless Beef Franks, Oscar Mayer Light Beef Franks, and Ball Park Lite Franks.

Cut the salt. An afternoon of barbecued goodies can easily push you over your daily limit of sodium. Scale back the amount of salt you use this weekend?look for no-salt-added condiments and salad dressings.

?Ginger Skinner

Get more tips on how to avoid foodborne illness, read the USDA?s Safe Food Handling guidelines, and see our Safety blog for more on grill safety. And don?t forget fireworks safety!

Image: TheBusyBrain

After spending a day out in the sun, my eyelids get red and sore as if they were sunburned. Should I put sunscreen on them? ?A.G., Port Chester, N.Y.

That depends. It?s safe to apply sunscreen to eyelids, but swimming or sweating may cause it to run into your eyes and irritate them. You may have better luck using a moisturizer or eye cream with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, which is absorbed more easily into the lid and less prone to run into your eyes. The best strategy might be to wear wraparound sunglasses that block ultraviolet (UV) light and a wide-brimmed hat to protect both the delicate skin around your eyes and the clear membrane covering the front of the eyeball. (In severe cases that membrane can get burned, a condition called snow blindness because it often happens in winter when the snow reflects sunlight.)

Check out our sunscreen poll for more on who's more likely to use sunscreen?men or women. And take a look at our latest Ratings (subscribers only) to find out which 3 sunscreens performed better than the rest.

$1 trillion and $600 billion?

Technically speaking the answer is $400 billion. The real question is: What is the difference between the Congressional Budget Office?s (CBO) $1 trillion estimate of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee?s health reform plan from June 15th, and the roughly $600 billion estimate over ten years that is being discussed today?

For starters, the earlier bill was incomplete. It didn?t include a public plan option, employer mandates (also known as ?pay or play?), individual mandates, or other important cost-cutting features of reform that were still being negotiated. Now, HELP Committee leaders, Edward Kennedy (D-Mass) and Chris Dodd (D-CT), are circulating a letter describing two new components of reform, along with a revised CBO estimate of $611 billion. That significantly lowers the cost of the plan, and HELP leaders write that it, ?combined with the work being done...in the Finance Committee, will dramatically reduce the number of uninsured - fully 97 percent of Americans will have coverage.?

The two new components of the plan, according to the letter, are:   

1)    A national public plan option that would be available in every state, run by the department of Health and Human Services.
2)    Employer mandates that would require businesses to offer insurance to their employees, or pay $750 a year per full time employee?$350 per part-time employee?to help pay for their health insurance. Small businesses with less than 25 employees would be exempt from the mandate. The fee would generate about $52 billion over ten years to fund health care subsidies for those who can?t afford it, according to HELP leaders.   

The $611 billion estimate is less even than what was to be set aside as a ?down payment? in the Obama administration?s budget. So could health reform really be done at that price over ten years?

Not likely. The reason is that this new proposal is also incomplete. As Jonathan Cohn at the New Republic and Ezra Klein at the Washington Post point out, the Senate HELP committee doesn?t have jurisdiction over some of the components of reform that would be necessary parts of a final health reform bill. The Senate Finance Committee will have to expand Medicaid in order for the plan to cover 97 percent of the population. And that could add billions to the final tally. In the end, the $611 billion dollar plan could end being a $1 trillion plan, which is about what reform experts have predicted all along.

So just as the high estimates a couple of weeks didn?t include important cost-cutting measures, today?s estimate doesn?t include the total cost of reform.  The bottom line is we?re going to see a lot of estimates of a lot of plans get thrown around between now, and well, whenever the health reform plans get voted on. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the trillion-or-so-dollar ride.

?Kevin McCarthy, associate editor

Here?s the text of the HELP Committee letter:

Dear HELP Committee Member:
No issue is more important to our constituents - or to our economy - than health care reform. As President Obama has said - and as even those who disagree about the particulars of reform understand inaction is not an option. The status quo isn't just unacceptable, it' s unsustainable.

As you know, last month we distributed initial legislative language for the HELP Committee markup of the "Affordable Health Choices Act." With bipartisan cooperation and a great deal of hard work, we have already made significant progress and completed our work on issues ranging from prevention to quality of care to the elimination of waste and fraud. Meanwhile, we have continued to discuss and incorporate good ideas from a variety of perspectives and both political parties - already, we have accepted 87 Republican amendments, and in the corning days we hope to work out many more.

Today, we are circulating language for two remaining portions of the bill: a strong public insurance option to offer consumers a reliable and affordable alternative, and a provision for the shared responsibility of employers.

The Congressional Budget Office has carefully reviewed our complete bill, and we are pleased to report that the CBO has scored it at $611.4 billion over 10 years, with the new coverage provisions scored at $597 billion - a significant reduction from earlier estimates.

The completed bill virtually eliminates the dropping of currently covered employees from employer-sponsored health plans. In addition, our bill, combined with the work being done by our colleagues in the Finance Committee, will dramatically reduce the number of uninsured - fully 97 percent of Americans will have coverage, a major achievement.

A strong public option

Like the President and a strong majority of Americans, we believe that a strong public option is an important component of any health reform bill that keeps costs down, expands coverage, and offers American families a wide variety of affordable options. Backed by the government for the public good, not private profit, our public option - called the Community Health Insurance Option - will be a strong, effective national plan that provides Americans with a real alternative to traditional, for-profit insurance.

Here's how it works:
? Our public option will be a national plan, available in each state and territory and administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will negotiate rates and premiums.
? Like private insurance plans, it will be available through the Health Insurance Gateway.
Enrollees will be entitled to the same tax credits as those enrolled in the private plans available through the Gateway.
? And, of course, participation in the public option will be just that - an option for American consumers who will be able to decide what plan is best for their families.

For the 47 million Americans currently living without health insurance, a public option will represent an opportunity to access quality, affordable care. For those who have insurance but stilt struggle to get the care they and their families need, the healthy competition provided by our proposal will offer a wider variety of options while keeping costs down.

And for the many Americans who have good coverage, nothing will change. They will still be able to keep their doctor, their hospital, and their insurance plan. What our proposal offers these families is stability - no longer will Americans with good health care have to worry about losing everything if they lose or change their job, or if someone in their family becomes sick or injured.

Even in the face of scare tactics and false claims that a public option would destroy consumer choice or the insurance industry, a vigorous public option is what Americans want. According to two recent public polls, three out of four Americans support the establishment of a public option to compete with private insurance plans and offer families better choices when making health care decisions.

Moreover, a strong public option isn't just what Americans want - it 's what America needs. All of us understand the importance of the work we're doing. The health of our economy and our families rely on it. But if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. The Senate must not, and the HELP Committee will not, shy away from this challenge. We must not settle for legislation that merely gestures at reform.

We must deliver on the promise of true change.

Enhanced employer responsibility

A core value of our bill is shared responsibility. To solve the nation's health care crisis, everyone must be part of the solution, including insurance companies, medical providers, the government, individual Americans - and employers. Most employers offer quality health insurance to their workers and their families. These employers, especially smaller ones, need support to continue meeting this responsibility, and our legislation will provide that support.

Americans whose employer chooses not to provide adequate coverage will now have an opportunity to get the care they need through private insurance plans or the public option. But those employers should still share in the responsibility for ensuring that everyone is covered. So those employers (excluding small firms with fewer than 25 employees) that do not offer health insurance would be assessed a modest annual fee of $750 per full-time worker, or $375 per part-time workers, to help pay for their employees' health insurance coverage.

We look forward to discussing this legislation as the HELP Committee continues its historic and long-overdue effort to implement comprehensive health care reform.

Sincerely,

Edward M. Kennedy
Chairman

Christopher J. Dodd
U.S. Senator

French fries are an American fast-food favorite, but they catch a lot of flack?too much fat, too much salt, not to mention too many calories. But now that Burger King, McDonald?s, and Wendy?s have cut the trans fats from their fries, you can enjoy them with a little less guilt. Our taste testers recently tried the new trans-fat free fries from the three fast-food restaurants, and found some good news: they all taste about the same as they used to. Take a look at the french-fry face-off results.

Of course, you?ll want to keep your health in mind?these fries are still considerably high in fat and calories. A medium-sized order of McDonald?s fries comes in at 380 calories and 19 grams of fat, Wendy?s has 430 calories and 20 grams of fat, and Burger King topped out at a whopping 480 calories and 23 grams of fat. A high intake of saturated fat can lead to obesity and high cholesterol?precursors for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and stroke.

So what?s the skinny? Keep french-fry runs to a minimum, particularly if you?re already at risk.

?Ginger Skinner

Lately I've been noticing a lot of people riding their bicycles, young and old alike. It?s the season here in New York, and amazingly, many people are riding without a bicycle helmet. I know they didn?t exist when some of us were kids or when many people learned to ride a bike, but they?re here now.

True, we lived, but many others got seriously injured or worse. Think of it as cheap insurance. A properly fitted and adjusted helmet will not only help prevent serious head injuries, but it also can be easy to use, cool your head as you ride, and look good to boot. You will you protect yourself and will be setting a good example for younger riders.

So be safe, be cool, and wear a helmet.

?Rich Handel, project leader and guest blogger, Consumers Union

Before you buy a helmet, see our advice on how to get a good fit and take a look at our latest bicycle helmet Ratings for kids (subscribers only), including a review of the Hot Wheels and Hannah Montana models.

The Food and Drug Administration today said smoking cessation drugs varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Zyban and generics) must now carry a "black box" warning that they can increase the risk of psychological side effects. These include unusual changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, suicidal thoughts, and attempted suicide.

People who are taking Chantix or Zyban and "experience any serious and unusual changes in mood or behavior or who feel like hurting themselves or someone else should stop taking the medicine and call their health-care professional right away," the FDA says. Additionally, if friends and family members notice these behavioral changes, they should counsel the person to stop taking the drug and call his or her doctor.

The FDA said it detected the increased risk for the side effects from reviewing reports of adverse events associated with the drugs.

The news about Chantix is not surprising. We first reported on potential serious side effects from Chantix, including aggressive behavior and suicide, more than a year ago. Bupropion was originally approved as an antidepressant (Wellbutrin and generic), and there have been some concerns about potential risks from that drug. But FDA officials said they included bupropion in the review, along with nicotine replacement therapies, to determine if reports of adverse events for Chantix were unusually high.

They concluded that the two drugs had similar rates of adverse events. According to the FDA, there have been about 188 reports of patients using Chantix who have attempted suicide, and 98 completed suicides. For bupropion, there have been 17 reported attempts at suicide, and 14 completed suicides. But these figures are rough and do not give an idea of the overall rates of such events. FDA officials did not see the same side effects with nicotine replacement therapies, such as nicotine patches.

The FDA also ordered the manufacturers of the drugs to conduct clinical trials to gauge the risk in the general population, as well as in those with mental illness. It?s currently unknown if these side effects are more likely to be seen in those with a history of depression or mental illness.

The "black box" warning means that the makers of these drugs must list side effects in any advertising and will not be able to air "reminder ads," which highlight a drug?s name but don?t mention the condition it treats. The warning won?t have an effect on "help-seeking ads," which mention a condition, but not drug names?like the one we dissected in the AdWatch video to your right.

CR?s Take: We recommend talking to your doctor to choose the best drug therapy to help you quit smoking. There are a number of time-tested treatments that can be effective, including nicotine replacement therapies. Chantix and bupropion may be effective, but you might want to try safer alternatives first. If you do use these treatments, make sure you are aware of the warning signs and are monitored closely for side effects.

?Kevin McCarthy, associate editor

Read more tips on how to quit smoking, and see our Treatment Ratings (subscribers only) for more on nicotine replacement therapies and what works best in helping you quit.

The dangers of the painkiller acetaminophen, which include liver damage and death from overdosing, have long been a concern, and Tuesday, a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended the agency take strong action to protect the public, including banning widely used prescription pain drugs, such as Percocet and Vicodin, that combine acetaminophen with a narcotic opioid.

Acetaminophen is hard to avoid because it?s in so many products, from Percocet and Vicodin to hundreds of over-the-counter medicines, such as cough syrups and the pain relievers Excedrin and Tylenol. And that makes it dangerous, because people who are taking a few of these drugs at the same time can unwittingly take too much acetaminophen, which can lead to liver damage and even death.

Among the advisory panel?s other recommendations were that the highest allowed dose of acetaminophen in over-the-counter pills be reduced from its current level of 500 mg to 325 mg and that the maximum daily dosage be dropped to less than 4,000 mg. The panel also recommended that acetaminophen products contain a black box warning about the risk of liver damage, the most serious warning the FDA bestows.

The FDA is not bound by its advisory committee?s recommendations, but it often follows their advice. While the agency is considering how it will respond, our medical advisors remind you to follow directions on acetaminophen (and all drug) labels. Don't exceed the labeled maximum dosage, avoid acetaminophen if you drink heavily or have liver disease, and don't use more than one acetaminophen product at a time.

Be aware that many combination products?especially those sold for coughs, colds, and flu?may contain acetaminophen, so be sure to always read the label.

?Steve Mitchell, associate editor, Best Buy Drugs

Read more on how to take acetaminophen, watch our video on overusing OTC painkillers (above), and if you have concerns about your medications, take a look at some questions to ask your pharmacist. You can also read our coverage of recommendations in May from an FDA working group to improve the safety of acetaminophen-containing products.

One image in particular sticks in my mind from my husband's days as a heavy smoker?him, huddled under the eaves at our back door, smoking an Old Gold cigarette as sheets of rain poured down. I remember thinking "He can't be enjoying that," and indeed he wasn't. But his need for a cigarette fix at that moment was stronger than any consideration for bodily comfort, so powerful is the sway of nicotine addiction.

Like President Obama and many other smokers, my husband struggled to give up his nicotine habit. He finally succeeded (10 years ago and counting), but quitting remains an elusive goal for many, despite public-awareness campaigns on the health risks of smoking, heavy taxation of cigarettes, and restrictions on smoking in public places. True, the number of smokers has dropped in recent decades with the help of such public health initiatives. But a new study finds that the ranks of heavy smokers has actually remained steady, suggesting that other approaches are necessary to help these smokers kick the habit.

Unlike previous research on smoking, the new study sought to separate occasional smokers from those with a true nicotine dependence. The researchers gathered information from a survey* of more than 40,000 adults on alcoholism and related conditions and addictions. As part of the survey, participants were asked questions about smoking, including more than 40 to gauge nicotine dependence.

To get a sense of how smoking patterns have changed over time, the researchers divided the participants into four groups based on age. (They excluded people over 55, as smoking-related deaths had likely reduced the number of smokers in this group.)

Smokers were defined as those who'd smoked 100 or more cigarettes. As expected, the older groups had more smokers than the younger groups, supporting the notion that public-awareness campaigns and other measures have kept some people from smoking. However, the number of current smokers deemed nicotine-dependent was nearly the same for all age groups, holding steady at around 20 percent of adults surveyed. This meant that while the overall number of smokers had dropped, the portion of smokers who were nicotine-dependent had actually risen.

What you need to know. Looking at different age groups doesn't provide a perfect measure of smoking changes over time, but these findings do suggest that more needs to be done to help hard-core smokers quit. Studies show that nicotine addiction can be as tough to treat as cocaine addiction. But while treatment programs for cocaine discourage heavy users from battling on their own, smokers are often left to fend for themselves. Indeed, insurance coverage for smoking programs is often limited and difficult to obtain. But the longer someone smokes, of course, the higher their risk of serious health problems. And this can cost the insurer (not to mention the individual) plenty.

?Sophie Ramsey, patient editor, BMJ Group

ConsumerReportsHealth.org has partnered with The BMJ Group to monitor the latest medical research and assess the evidence to help you decide which news you should use.

Take a look at some common myths about smoking, see our tips on how to quit smoking, and to find out how nicotine replacement therapy can help you quit, see our Treatment Ratings (subscribers only).

In a USA Today editorial today, Steven Findlay, senior health policy analyst at Consumers Union, sheds some light on the myths about health-care reform, many of which have frightened Americans. In it he debunks the notion that our system is headed toward socialized, government-run medicine with a side of rationed care:

"Cookbook and rationed care? This fear stems from concerns that the government aims to dictate what doctors do and cut costs by limiting access to care. These notions are wrong. Rather, what [President] Obama and both Democratic and Republican leaders want to do is aggressively measure the quality of care that doctors and hospitals deliver and change the way those providers get paid so quality of care?rather than quantity?is rewarded. That's hardly a socialistic notion."

So what must be done to fix the system? Findlay urges creative thinking and proposes that the medical industry be challenged to cut costs and change its "General Motors gas-guzzler mindset" by reducing waste and inventing more efficient systems.

Consumers Union fully agrees that it will indeed take creative thinking from the government and medical industry to reform health care. In our latest report on how we?d fix the system, we examine five of the worst fears about health reform, including the myths that "comparing the relative effectiveness of treatments and drugs will lead to rationing," and "health reform means a government takeover of medicine as in England and Canada." We stand behind a public plan that covers everyone?even the sick, gives patients the freedom to choose a health plan that gives them affordable, portable, and quality coverage, and focuses on the importance of primary care?which would not only allow doctors to be doctors, but would also cut health costs by an estimated 20 to 30 percent.

?Ginger Skinner

We?d like to hear from you: What myths about health reform resonate with you? And what are your biggest fears about reform?

A sample of raw cookie dough collected at a Nestlé plant in Danville, Va. has tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. The sample was taken last week, the Food and Drug Administration reported this week.

Earlier this month, Nestlé recalled all its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough after it was suspected as the cause of a foodborne illness outbreak that so far has sickened 69 persons in 29 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Of those, 34 have been hospitalized and nine have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious complication.

Read this full post on our Safety blog, and read more on how to protect yourself from foodborne illness. For more on the recall and what you should do if you've recently eaten a recalled Nestlé product, see the FDA's Q&A.

An initial list of 100 research priorities and recommendations* for the future was sent to Congress and the Administration today by the Institute of Medicine, an independent group that advises the government on health policy. The list will serve as a guidepost for spending the $1.1 billion that Congress authorized for "comparative effectiveness research" as part of this year?s stimulus bill. This type of research compares two or more medical treatments or approaches for a given condition. The results help doctors, patients, and caregivers weigh the benefits, harms, and value of various treatments and prevention methods.

Jim Guest, Consumer Union?s President, was part of the committee that chose the priorities. We sat down with him today to discuss what comparative effectiveness funding means for consumers, patients and health-care providers.

What was it like to be a consumer rep amid all the medical experts helping to set priorities for medical research?

I was one of a small group of consumer representatives on a 23-member committee that included professors, medical school chancellors, health-care providers, and other research experts. At first I wasn?t sure how receptive the group would be to the consumer point of view. A lot of experts take a "just leave it to us" attitude. But I found the group really listened and realized the value of input from consumers, patients, and caregivers in deciding what topics to tackle and how to maximize the practical impact of research. In the future, I?d also like to have periodic surveys of consumers and practicing doctors to find out what disease areas and treatment options they think would be most valuable to evaluate and compare in order to make well-informed medical decisions.

With all the reams of medical research being published, why did the federal government need to fund comparative effectiveness research?

Consumers usually think that doctors already have great scientific information at their fingertips?and in some cases they do. But some researchers estimate that up to a third of medical spending is for care and services that don?t seem to improve the health of patients, and may in fact make things worse. When it comes to questions about whether one test, procedure, drug, or treatment is better than another, there?s often very little comparative research. In part that?s because pharmaceutical companies, which fund a lot of the medical research, are focused on developing new drugs they can sell and lack motivation to actually compare different treatments since their own product might lose the race. Indeed, while  new treatments and drugs are heavily promoted to doctors and patients, sometimes they?re no better, or even worse, than older ones, which are neglected because no one?s making much money selling them anymore. Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs, which is based on comparative effectiveness research, has turned up many examples of this.

Which of the more than 2,600 topics nominated for inclusion impressed you the most?

I focused on topics that I thought would make the broadest difference in improving quality of care for large numbers of people and the overall health of the population, so that consumers and professionals could have the knowledge they need to make the best decisions. Some that made the cut: What are the right steps for checking someone with heart issues? How do we improve rates of smoking cessation among underserved populations? What works best in tackling obesity?

What are you most proud of in the IOM report?

The report calls for "substantial" involvement of consumers, patients, and caregivers in all aspects of comparative effectiveness research, from setting priorities to participating in oversight boards to helping make sure that results are described in a way that consumers can easily understand. I hope that raises the bar in the future, and sets a precedent for substantial consumer involvement in government and private sector health research. I was also pleased to see reference to the IOM?s recent report on conflict of interest in medicine, because I think it?s essential to avoid completely, if at all possible, and certainly to minimize, any conflicts of interest among those doing comparative effectiveness research. I?m also proud of how quickly the committee managed to get the work done. IOM usually works much more slowly, and as a publisher it was great to see the team meet Congress? deadline of June 30 for this report!

?Ronni Sandroff, Editor/Director, Health & Family

*links to PDF

It may only take a few minutes to park your car and run into the supermarket to buy a gallon of milk. But the next time you park?even if it?s for ?just a minute,? don?t leave your child in the car. Sunlight and heat get trapped inside a parked car, and in direct sunlight on an 80-degree day with no ventilation, the temperature can rapidly reach up to 131 degrees, according to the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). In just 10 minutes, a child?s body temperature can go as high as 106 degrees F, leading to damage to the brain and vital organs, heat stroke, dehydration, seizures, and death.

According to our Safety blog, six children this year already have died in overheated cars. In one case, a child died after his father forgot he in the back seat and left him in the car all day. The temperature outside was only in the 60s, but reports say the air in the car topped 100 degrees.

Follow these important tips from the ACEP to keep your child safe:

?Ginger Skinner

For more on deadly car cautions, watch our video (above) and read our new report.

Readers who have lower-back pain have written us a lot since the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center Survey results were released in April. We?ve heard from chiropractic fans and chiropractic detractors, readers who have problems with opioid medications and readers who use such narcotics without a problem.

Many writers remarked that our coverage had failed to mention treatments that worked well for them. There was a spinal decompression success story as well as a "compression shirt" success story. There were those who were helped by a therapy called the Feldenkrais Method® and those who swore by another called the Alexander Technique. There was a reader who touted the book "Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection," by John E. Sarno, M.D., and another who touted Esther Gokhale?s "8 Steps to a Pain-Free Back." There was even a reader who advised patience: "Mother Nature's treatment method was just as effective as that provided by the medical professionals, and she didn't charge a fee."

Letters also reminded us that our survey had neglected to ask about a variety of practitioners, including pain psychologists, physiatrists (physicians who specialize in physical medicine and rehabilitation), pain management doctors, muscular therapists, and osteopaths.

In response to several compelling letters, we added a section on osteopathic medicine to our back-pain package. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is another type of hands-on care (for subscribers), a category of treatment that respondents with lower-back pain ranked as very helpful in our survey. Osteopaths use OMT to complement conventional treatment by moving muscles and joints with techniques such as stretching, gentle pressure, and resistance. Indeed, one of our experts, James N. Weinstein, D.O. ,M.S, director of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, was trained as an osteopath.

The wide variety of lower-back pain treatment options is the reason we asked more than 14,000 respondents to tell us what worked for them, including medications, physical treatments, products, and lifestyle changes. But we recognize that there are many more and, as always, appreciate hearing from you.

?Orly Avitzur, M.D., Consumer Reports medical adviser

Find out what type of lower-back pain you have, and see our Treatment Ratings (subscribers only) for a comparison of 23 lower-back treatments, including spinal manipulation, massage, and drug therapies.

Everyone worries about memory problems as they get older. But U.S. seniors may have less reason to worry than their peers in England?they do a whole lot better on a standard memory test.

Several thousand people over the age of 65 were given the test, in both countries. The test consisted of listening to a list of 10 common words, then repeating them back immediately and again after 5 minutes.

The Americans did far better on the delayed memory test than the English. Researchers said the difference was what you'd normally expect to see over the course of a decade?so Americans age 75 had the memory of English people age 65.

The point of the study wasn't just to crow, however. The researchers are looking hard at the rest of the data from the surveys to try to spot the causes for the difference.

So far, they've found that American seniors were on average wealthier, and had more years of education, than English seniors. That accounted for some of the difference, because wealth and education usually coincide with less of a decline in memory with age. English seniors were more likely to report symptoms of depression, which can affect memory. Another study suggested that depressed older people in the United Kingdom were less likely to be treated with antidepressants than they would be in the U.S.

Finally, there's the connection with cardiovascular health. While more U.S. seniors were diagnosed with a condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, they were also more likely to be receiving medication for their condition. We know that cardiovascular problems can increase the chance of memory problems, either from stroke or from the brain not getting enough blood or oxygen. So more aggressive drug treatment might help preserve memory better for U.S. seniors.

What you need to know. While the reasons for Americans' better performance on memory aren't certain, the study suggests that getting treatment for cardiovascular problems may be important. Those blood pressure pills may not just protect your heart?they may protect your precious memories, too.

?Anna Sayburn, patient editor, BMJ Group

ConsumerReportsHealth.org has partnered with The BMJ Group to monitor the latest medical research and assess the evidence to help you decide which news you should use.

Take a look at 5 ways to keep your memory sharp, find out how having a parent with dementia can affect your memory, and read our Treatment Ratings for dementia (subscribers only).

Image: maveric2003

I buy strawberries year-round and now that they?re in season, my refrigerator is stocked up. I add them to breakfast cereal, salad greens, and?on a less healthful note?to vanilla ice cream. And I?m not alone?one in five households reported eating more strawberries in the last year, according a survey by the California Strawberry Commission. Those respondents said strawberries are "one of the most healthy fruits you can eat", and are "one of the fundamentals of a healthy diet."

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, a good source of fiber and folate?a crucial nutrient for pregnant women. Strawberries also have quite a bit of potassium and are one of the richest sources of disease-fighting antioxidants. Studies are being conducted on the effects of strawberries on age-related cognitive functioning and on reducing high blood pressure.

Not all strawberry news is good news, though, particularly if you have allergies. Strawberries contain a common allergen as well as natural salicylate, an aspirin-like compound. And they contain oxalic acid, which can aggravate kidney and bladder stones for some.

Does size matter?

Is there a trick to buying the best berries? I tend to go for the medium-sized, darker reds. When selecting strawberries?size doesn?t determine flavor?choose shiny, firm ones with a bright red color and fresh, green, and intact caps. And stay away from the green-ish yellow berries?those will taste sour. Here are more ways to get the best berry for your money:

Buy in season. Some fresh fruits and vegetables are less expensive when they?re in season?all summer-long for strawberries. When it comes to strawberries, it?s a good idea to go for organic versions since conventionally-grown strawberries are more likely to harbor pesticide residues.

Get extra. Sales and 2-for-1 deals on strawberries are a great incentive to buy extra. If you can?t eat them right away, don?t worry?they can be frozen (see our storing tips below).

Try frozen. Frozen strawberries can be a bargain, and are a good option when fresh produce is not available. Add them to pancakes and desserts?and use them to make your breakfast smoothie. Be sure to choose those without added sugar, syrup, or other ingredients that will add calories. 

Use em? or lose ?em (or freeze ?em)

There?s nothing more disappointing than finding moldy, shriveled, mushy strawberries in the bottom of your fridge. The shelf life of strawberries is around one to three days, so if you plan on having a longer relationship with your berries, proper storage is a must. Here?s some advice from the California Strawberry Commission:

If you?d like to hold onto your strawberries a bit longer, freeze them. First, wash berries in cold water and pat dry. Then cut off the caps and place whole berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet. After they?ve frozen completely, transfer the berries into freezer containers or bags. Frozen berries should last approximately ten months to one year.

?Ginger Skinner

Did you know there are 200 tiny seeds on every strawberry? Get more on facts on strawberries and healthful, fun recipes at the CDC?s Web site www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov. And to find strawberries grown locally, look for a Greenmarket or farmer?s market near you.