Wellness

Lowering sodium intake, a drumbeat of doctors’ efforts to improve patient health, may have the opposite effect if taken to the extreme, scientists said.

“We may be jumping the gun,” says one expert. “While there is cognitive decline with normal aging, if we pull out people with brain disease, there’s not enough of a decline for us to worry about older peoples’ ability to make financial decisions.”

Wanting to leverage the new fitness facility to better help employees manage their work balance, Brocade launched a WellFit council made up of a cross-functional group of about 10 people.

Merck & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Roche Holding AG have opened a new front against cancer with the next generation of experimental drugs that use the human immune system to seek and destroy tumor cells.

A test from Genomic Health Inc. helps predict whether prostate cancer is aggressive or slow- growing and is available now.

U.S. hospitals charge prices that, at times, can be thousands of dollars different for the same medical procedures, even within towns or states, according to federal data released today.

Guest blogger Heath Shackelford suggests employers’ focus on measuring the return on investment for wellness programs is distracting from the real effects these programs can have.

An analysis of the most common uterine cancer suggests the disease should be reclassified into four categories that may help lead to more targeted treatments.

In the hunt for return on investment, employers are taking a closer look at financial disincentives in wellness.

Employers, experts pay closer attention to getting the best return on investment for expenditures on wellness incentives.

A two-year study from UnitedHealthcare shows its disease management program for diabetes can help people with the condition manage it more effectively, while also reducing related costs for employers.

A mere 12 ounces serving size of sugar-sweetened soft drink a day may increase the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, according to a study published recently by Diabetologia.

Reinforcing other studies, Truven finds that more than two-thirds of the 6.5 million emergency department visits during the study period for those under the age of 65 were avoidable and could have saved employers and health plans millions.

The epilepsy drug was also tied to a three-fold increase of autism spectrum disorder, which includes Asperger syndrome and other developmental disorders, according to research published Tuesday.

Chili peppers and migraines have traits in common, a fact scientists are exploiting to develop drugs capable of preventing the debilitating headache’s painful symptoms before they attack.

Reducing surgical complications could cost hospitals money, according to a study that researchers say may help explain why the medical providers haven’t fully embraced quality improvement efforts.

About 232,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and an estimated 40,000 will die of the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The 25,000 square-foot Associates’ Family Health Center offers not just occupational care, but full primary care services for BMW employees and their dependents, as well as some retirees.

Jimmy Flemming, a HealthyWage cofounder, says all of its programs “are well-suited to the workplace because that’s what they’ve been optimized for.” Those programs have a common factor: Participants are betting on their own success.

Wellness programs may suffer or change direction with the arrival of the health care exchange marketplace.