Your health: Salt affects overall health

Impact of salt

Many studies have shown that cutting sodium consumption lowers blood pressure. But it may not necessarily be good for overall health, according to a new analysis.

The Washington Post reports that the research was conducted by Niels Graudal of Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark for the Cochrane Collaboration, a highly respected international group that assesses scientific evidence about health issues. Graudal and his colleagues analyzed 167 studies conducted between 1950 and 2011 that compared people who consumed low-sodium vs. high-sodium diets.

Low-sodium diets did cut blood pressure levels in people with high and normal blood pressure, the researchers found. But it also significantly increased other risk factors for heart disease, such as cholesterol levels, triglycerides, adrenaline and renin, the researchers reported in the American Journal of Hypertension.

Think before you eat

Prevailing logic and countless antacid commercials suggest that high stress and a bad mood will lead to an upset stomach. But it might be the other way around.

In this month's issue of Whole Living, the magazine writes that your gut and what you put in it have a bigger effect on your brain than you may think.

Whole Living suggests some easy, hippie-dippy ways to keep the works — and, by proxy, your mind — running smoothly. To start, make sure you're keeping a healthy amount of microbes and other bacteria in your digestive system. So avoid processed foods and go easy on the antibiotics if possible. Also, consume leafy greens to get sufficient fiber, and try to eat a couple of tablespoons of ground flaxseed each day, to keep things moving along.

Phoning it in

Anxiety is a condition that affects only a few adults and must be treated with drugs, right? Wrong. Tens of millions of Americans suffer from long-term anxiety, and drugs are only a partial solution, according to “Worried Sick: Living With Anxiety Disorders,” an article in the newsletter of the National Institutes of Health.

Cognitive behavior therapy, a form of talk therapy, has proven helpful, according to The Washington Post. Denise Chavira, a psychologist at the University of California at San Diego, is studying ways to make CBT more accessible to kids in rural areas by using the good, old-fashioned telephone to teach parents how use CBT with their kids.

“The phone is a less intense form of treatment, given that it only involves the parents and sessions are shorter. But even that mode can be really effective,” Chavira said.