Medical breakthroughs: Eureka! For the latest updates and trends in Western and alternative treatments, stay right here

(1) BONING UP

There's good news for people with osteoporosis. You can safely take the popular bone-building drug Fosamax for a long time, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Postmenopausal women who took 10 milligrams of Fosamax daily for 10 years showed increased bone density in their spine, hips and thighs, and had no ill effects.

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(2) NOT ALL FIBER IS EQUAL

Cereal and fruit fibers lowered the risk of dying from heart disease by 25 percent and 30 percent, respectively, according to a recent review of studies in Archives of Internal Medicine. Vegetable fiber offered no such protection, but that's likely due to our love affair with the potato. The stress on the pancreas from eating too many starchy vegetables may outweigh the fiber benefits, says lead author Mark Peraira. You're better served making your vegetable picks from among the green and leafy.

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(3) THE NO-CARB BLUES

Before you bid goodbye to bagel breaks, consider that researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that carbohydrates are essential in stimulating serotonin, the neurochemical that helps boost mood and quell appetite. The brain makes serotonin only after you eat sweet or starchy carbs, accompanied by little or no protein. Because women naturally have less serotonin than men, Atkins-style diets may leave them especially blue, cranky and hungry.

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(4) AN HERBAL PRESCRIPTION THAT STICKS

Licorice extract shows highly promising results in treating atopic dermatitis, according to a study in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment. Thirty men and women rubbed a 2 percent licorice-extract gel over their eczema. After two weeks, 60 percent to 80 percent of their symptoms had disappeared.

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(5) A HELL OF A REMEDY

A sugar compound in devil's claw takes the demon out of osteoarthritis. According to a recent study in Phytotherapy Research, 75 people with arthritic hips or knees reported nearly 25 percent less pain and stiffness after taking 2,400 mg of devil's-claw extract daily for 12 weeks. Researchers attribute the relief to a natural anti-inflammatory found in the root, which is native to southern Africa.

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(6) CLOSE THE COLD GATES

Don't flood a chest cold with fluids. Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia found no evidence for the popular belief that people with respiratory colds benefit from super-hydrating. Colds, like bronchitis and pneumonia, cause extra secretion of an anti-diuretic hormone that signals the body to conserve fluids. Drinking too much water can flush out your body's sodium, making you confused, tired and irritable. Let thirst be the guide, says researcher Chris Del Mar, M.D.

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COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
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