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Q&A: Pinched nerve treatment?

I have a painful pinched nerve in my lower back. What’s the best treatment for this condition? —H.H.H., Morganton, Ga.

In most cases, simple measures you can do on your own are all that's necessary. Those include using over-the-counter pain relievers and avoiding activities such as high-impact sports. The pain, which can result when the disk cushioning two vertebrae ruptures and pushes on a nerve, usually goes away on its own within four to six weeks. So imaging tests usually aren't needed and often turn up unrelated abnormalities that lead to unnecessary treatment. But talk with your doctor if the pain persists for longer than six weeks, radiates into the legs, is accompanied by fever or night sweats, follows a recent accident or infection, or if you have osteoporosis or a history of cancer.

Read more on the risk factors for back pain, and see our Treatment Ratings for short-term back pain.

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Tip of the day: Add weights to your walking workout

For an easy way to get more from your walking workout, add weights to your routine. Weights will instantly boost walking's aerobic benefit. Belts or vests with pockets for inserting weights are the safest method, since they distribute weight evenly over the upper body. Wearing a backpack filled with groceries or books also works well, as long as it's well balanced and fits properly.

Strapping on ankle or wrist weights, or carrying hand weights, is not recommended. Using them can increase the risk of injury to the joints, because they concentrate weight on only one part of the body and can compromise the overall mechanics of your walk, potentially slowing you down.

Read more on how to get more from your walking workout, see our new Ratings for pedometers (subscribers only), and take a look at our DIY Exercise & Dieting Guide for more on how to get fit in '09.

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4 baby budget cuts you should never make

Having a new baby can dent your finances—an average of $13,590 in your child’s first year alone for a typical middle-income family with one child. There are ways to stretch your budget and spend less, of course. But your baby’s health and safety should always be your top priority.

Here are four cost-cutting measures we never recommend because they can be dangerous.

NEVER: Stretch infant formula with extra water. Improperly diluted formula can cause malnutrition and water intoxication, a condition in which a baby’s developing kidneys can’t excrete water fast enough. As a result, water builds up in the body and dilutes the electrolyte balance of the blood, which can cause seizures, coma, or even death. When preparing concentrated or powdered formula, always follow label directions exactly. If you use different brands of powdered formula, don’t mix up the scoopers. They may hold different amounts.

NEVER: Buy a used car seat. Although there are many baby items you can borrow or buy secondhand, don't make a car seat one of them if you can avoid it. A used seat may have been in a crash or recalled. The manufacturer's instructions may be missing, which are crucial for installing the car seat properly.

NEVER: Use an heirloom crib. It doesn’t meet today’s safety standards. Even if a crib has been in your family for three generations, don’t use it.

NEVER: Buy toys for your baby and your 3-year-old to share. Instead, look for manufacturer’s recommended age ranges on the toy package—and take them seriously. More than a helpful hint, age-grading can alert you to a possible choking hazard, the presence of small parts, and other dangers. In general, toys meant for children under 3 years, for example, must not have small parts, such as small balls or marbles, that could pose a choking, ingestion, or inhalation hazard. Age grading also relates to a toy’s play value. Don’t assume your little genius is ahead of the curve, or that buying more advanced toys will enhance your child’s development. They could be a source of frustration if they’re inappropriate for your child’s stage of development.

See our reports on baby formula, car seats, cribs, and toys for babies and young children for more information.

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GPS goes green

GPS can already keep you from getting lost and save you time by avoiding traffic. Now the technology seems ripe for saving the planet, too.

At the International Intelligent Transportation Society’s World Congress in New York last month, we learned about ongoing developments in smart, connected infrastructure development, an exciting field focused on the ability for cars and roadways to share information.

In an interesting application of this technology, Audi and Nissan demonstrated GPS systems that allow drivers to choose the least polluting and most efficient routes. By mapping traffic data down to individual lanes, such systems can show drivers which lanes are least congested, enabling drivers to reduce pollution and fuel consumption.

Going a step further, by interfacing with traffic signals and surrounding GPS units, GPS-equipped trucks and emergency vehicles will be able to prioritize traffic lights to minimize emissions from these heavy polluters, while also balancing traffic flow.

If all that sounds too good, it’s only partially true. The know-how exists, but the infrastructure for GPS systems to communicate with each other and with roadways, and to collect traffic data with such specificity is in its infancy. On the consumer side, it will take many connected cars and portable devices, and cities will have to invest in upgrading a lot of intersections before it will work. And both Audi and Nissan said they have no plans to roll out their systems until the infrastructure becomes more widespread.

Still, we found it encouraging to see technology promising a way to tread a little safer and lighter.

—Eric Evarts

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Forum Friday: Lots of talk about washers and dryers

Based on the chatter in our appliances forum, prices for washers and dryers are falling fast. One member is seeking help deciding between LG and Whirlpool Duet models. Feel free to toss in your own opinion on these brands.

It pays to remember that choosing the best laundry appliances for your home includes a number of factors, not just the overall score in our Ratings of washers and dryers (available to subscribers). These include capacity, cycle time, vibration, water and energy consumption, brand repair history, warranty length, style, and more.

You'll also want to remember these mistakes to avoid when buying a washer and dryer, which could save you a bundle. Once you have your new washer at home, these repairs for your washing machine can help extend its life, saving you even more money and the hassle of shopping for a new machine.

Essential information: Visit our washers and dryers product pages for buying advice for these laundry appliances.

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What's on your mind: Our most popular blog posts of 2008

Before we get too far into 2009, we thought we'd look back at the most popular posts on the Home & Garden blog from 2008. The 10 blogs below generated the most buzz last year.

Inside CR Test Labs: Sewing machines
This sneak peak at our March 2009 report on sewing machines (shown) generated quite a thread in the comment box. Around 150 readers chimed in, including the commenter who implored, "please don't lump in embroidery machines with general sewing machines." Roger that, as you'll see in the full report, coming in the upcoming story, whose issue is on sale and online in February.

Own a tankless water heater? Take our survey
Some 1,200 readers answered that call (another 100 commented directly to the item). The results of the online survey informed our October 2008 report on tankless water heaters, in which we revealed significant variations in installation costs, energy savings, and overall satisfaction.

Mold can be a problem for some front-loading washers
Here, we reported on the buildup of mold that many readers told us was occurring in the rubber gasket of the door to their front-loading washer. Sixty commenters jumped into the issue, some supporting the claim with tales of foul-smelling clothes, others reporting no complaints with their front-loading washing machine.

Why Consumer Reports doesn't rate specific models of mattresses
Not everyone rested easy with our explanation of why we don't rate mattress models. Wrote one commenter: "I subscribed to CR specifically for a mattress report and instead get a report on why you don't do a mattress report." Visit our new mattress product page for more details on mattress shopping.

Buying Advice: Portable air conditioners
Cooling the air was obviously hot on readers' minds when this blog posted on June 20. Our take on portable air conditioners is lukewarm at best—not only do they deliver less relief than manufacturers claim but the units also tend to be pricey.

Greener cleaners go mainstream
The launch of a line of natural cleaners from Clorox prompted this March 24 post.

Buyer's guide to pellet- and wood-burning stoves
Surging home-heating costs in recent years has fueled interest in alternative ways to keep warm during the winter. Hence the flurry of comments to this buying guide. In fact, there's been so much interest that we're now planning a testing-based report on these products.

Buzzword: Radon
Of all our 2008 Buzzwords, none resulted in as many comments as this entry on radon. Several weeks later, The New York Times ran a story covering concerns about radon in countertops, raising the buzz again.

Tip of the Day: Don't get ripped off by an alarm company
Dozens of readers responded to this blog with their own experiences with alarm companies, crooked and credible alike. One unlucky homeowner tells how she was swindled out of $360.

Are EdenPure space heaters just a lot of hot air?
That question spurred significant interest from readers. Some defended their EdenPure space heater, others didn't recommend these appliances. Read our report on space heaters for more information.—Daniel DiClerico

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Looking ahead while checking the rear view mirror

2008 was certainly a banner year for product safety. Despite ongoing problems with the safety of products imported from China, we made some major strides toward enhancing product safety in the future. Most importantly, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was signed into law in August. Among other things, this massive bill will breathe some fresh air into the foundering Consumer Product Safety Commission, place tighter restrictions on how children’s products are made and sold, and require manufacturers to test children’s products before they’re sold.

Other important laws were passed in 2008. The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act addresses some automobile dangers—it enhances rearward visibility of vehicles to prevent back-over incidents, makes power windows safer, and helps prevent the accidental roll-away of vehicles. The Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act closes a loophole that had exempted gas cans from requiring child-resistant closures. In addition, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act took effect just a two weeks ago. This bill helps eliminate drain entrapments in pools and spas, and earmarks federal funds for education campaigns to reduce drowning incidents, the second leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 14.

Consumers Union helped to get these laws passed by testifying before congressional committees, discussing the issues with congressional representatives and their staffs on a regular basis, speaking out at press conferences on Capitol Hill, and engaging our consumer activists to help push our safety agenda. And of course, we used the power of the media, including this blog, to keep consumers informed.

There’s more to do. In the year ahead we will continue to actively watch how the new administration enforces the safety laws. We will continue to push for new regulations that will make vehicles safer. We will work to develop stronger safety standards for children’s products, including cribs. And we will focus our efforts on enhancing the safety of our food supply to prevent contamination from chemicals such as melamine and from bacteria like salmonella. We’re pleased with the safety achievements of 2008 and look forward to meeting the challenges of 2009.

Happy New Year!

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New Year's Resolution: Cut Those Cell-Phone Bills

I'd bet you have better things to do with your money than forking it over to your cell-phone provider. Here are three simple ways to slash your cell costs:

Examine your talk-time. Look at your bills for the past six months and average the billable and free minutes used. Look for a plan that fits your usage. A 700-minute-a-month plan might sound good, but a cheaper 450-minute plan with free night and weekend minutes, as well as unlimited in-network time, could save you plenty. For example, AT&T offers a 450-minute Nationwide plan with 5,000 free night and weekend minutes, and unlimited in-network minutes for $40 a month. If travel or a family crisis causes a spike in usage, switch to a plan with more minutes until things return to normal. Carriers no longer require a contract extension for such changes.

Go local. That national plan with a "home" area that covers the entire lower 48 is appealing. But more localized plans cost a lot less, provided you're sure you won't be calling areas with roaming charges. For example, Metro PCS gives you unlimited local calling for as little as $30 a month prepaid. But it's available in only 11 areas. Also check out offerings from Alltel and Boost.

Bundle text messaging and Internet access. If you're a heavy texter, don't go a la carte with that feature. Instead, consider a monthly bundle. T-Mobile, for example, was offering 400 messages for $5 at press time. Don't forget Internet access: Alltel, Sprint, and T-Mobile offer unlimited access for $6 a month.

—Donna Tapellini

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Next up from Nextar GPS: Free traffic

Nextar is the latest maker of portable GPS navigation devices to announce free lifetime traffic information, coming with the launch of their new Q4-LT in the third quarter of 2009.

The Q4-LT will join devices from Garmin and Navigon already available with free real-time traffic. Like the Garmin Nuvi 265WT, Nextar’s traffic info will be advertising supported, with what the company describes as discreet ads and special promotions based on the user’s location. (The recently tested Navigon 2200T and 7200T, have free lifetime traffic without ads, as does the 8100T now being evaluated.)

Other Q4-LT features include a 4.3-inch screen, spoken street names, maps of the full United States and Canada, an MP3 player, and a photo viewer. Suggested retail price has been set at $249.99, though as we have seen on Nextar units heavily marketed during the holiday season, lower prices will likely be available.

—Jim Travers

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Trip tip: How to 'childproof' someone else's home

When traveling with a toddler and visiting friends, grandparents, or other relatives, it is important to make their home a safety zone to minimize the dangers in your child’s environment. Toddlers, especially, are curious and fast, so you’ll want to think one step ahead.

Here, some precautions to consider:

• Bring safety gates.
• Use a crib or play yard. 
• Be mindful of medicines.
• Keep your eyes peeled for choking and suffocation hazards.
• Bring a car seat and use it every time your baby rides in a vehicle.

For details on these precautions, see the full post.

For related information, check out our guide to childproofing and safety.

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Ringing in an energy-efficient new year

If your New Year's Eve plans include watching the festivities on TV, be sure to tune in at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, when a bigger, brighter, and more energy-efficient ball will start to drop over New York City's Times Square. I saw the ball up close during its unveiling last month, and it's a stunning spectacle.

The first Times Square New Year's Eve ball drop took place in 1907, when a 700-pound wood-and-iron ball signaled the start of 1908. This year's ball is twice as big as any previous version, a geodesic sphere that weighs nearly 12,000 pounds (shown). It's covered in 2,668 Waterford crystals and powered by more than 32,000 Philips Luxeon Rebel lights. These LED lights can create more than 16 million colors and billions of patterns, producing a magical kaleidoscope effect. The ball consumes the same amount of electricity per hour as it takes to heat two ovens, making this the most energy efficient ball ever, Philips claims.

The ball will be on display throughout 2009, so if you plan to visit New York City next year, stop by Times Square at night to see the ball.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Learn more about LED lights and check out our Buzzword on solid-state lighting.

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Ratings of cell-phone service: Where’s Houston?

As you look over our Ratings of cell-phone services (available to subscribers), you may notice that one big city is missing. We separated our Houston results from the rest of the Ratings this year because our annual survey, sent via e-mail, hit respondents just as Hurricane Ike roared into town.

Their experiences, captured in our Ratings, provide a rare snapshot into the effects of a disaster on cell-phone service. Respondents were asked to rate their experiences with the services over the previous seven days, which were perfectly timed with Ike and its aftermath.

The result: Connectivity scores were down across the board for all four providers rated—AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Many respondents weren't able to use their phones: Either there was no service at all, or circuits were full, or calls were dropped midstream. All but Verizon endured more static than usual.

All not surprising, considering the demands placed on cellular services during a weather emergency: Evacuees and others on the road boost call traffic, and wind, floodwaters, and lightning attack cell-transmission sites and towers.

Overall scores, however, were based on more than just the connectivity results, so they weren't very different from those in other cities. Overall scores in Houston ranged from 80 for Verizon to 70 for T-Mobile, 69 for AT&T, and 57 for Sprint.

—Donna Tapellini

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The ‘poop’ on diaper pails

In the market for a diaper pail? Here’s the lowdown on this necessary nursery product to help you pick the right one and make diaper duty easier.

Don’t be swayed by capacity. Diaper-pail makers claim pails hold between 24 and 50-plus disposable diapers, although our tests have shown that capacity is often overstated, so you have to empty the pail sooner than you think. Keep in mind that diaper-pail capacity decreases as your baby grows into bigger diapers.

Look for a child-resistant lid. A disposables pail, which can also be used as a “dry” pail for cloth diapers, should have a child-resistant locking button or mechanism that makes it difficult for a child to break in, such as a step-pedal opener. Be especially careful with pails that use regular garbage bags; this thin plastic film is a suffocation hazard. A wet pail requires a locking lid to prevent any young child from falling in; children can drown in an inch of water.

Consider comfort. If you’re going the cloth route and choose a wet pail, pick one with a pouring lip and comfortable handles.

Ease of use. In general, diaper pails have gotten easier to use, but a pedal or motion detector opening mechanism makes disposal faster and easier. Consider height, too. A taller pail, such as the Diaper Genie II Elite, means you won’t have to bend as far to ditch your diapers. When you’re changing diapers all day, every day, anything that helps you out is a plus.

Consider add-on costs. Some pails require special plastic liners, which add to the cost of diapering, while others use regular garbage or plastic bags. The cost of refills will depend on the brand of diaper pail you choose. Standard garbage bags are not specially designed to trap odors, but diaper-pail liners are, which contributes to their cost. Depending on the sensitivity of your nose, you may feel the extra cost is worth it.

See our reports on diaper pails, disposable diapers, and cloth diapers for related information.

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Fuel consumption calculators

Last July, with gas prices soaring, we covered a study that showed how mpg numbers for fuel economy often mislead consumers and cause them to make poor decisions. (See our original posting, “Not all mpgs are created equal.”)

Now the Duke University professors who did the original study have published online calculators to help you see the real effect of choosing a particular car with higher or lower gas mileage. The bottom line is, high-mileage cars are a game of diminishing returns. You get more bang for your buck improving the mileage of poor performing cars than by replacing a car with good mileage with one that gets a really impressive mpg number.

Try the calculators yourself at www.mpgillusion.com. A couple of notes: You need the latest Flash player to see the calculators. And once you get there, you can’t find fuel consumption figures for ranges of less than 100 miles. Still, computing fuel consumption from mpg isn’t easy in your head. So these calculators are a good starting point to understand the effects of improving gas mileage.

You can find fuel economy test results in our New Car Selector and on individual model pages, accessed through our A-Z index or the pulldown menus on major ConsumerReports.org Cars pages.

—Eric Evarts

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10 Questions for . . . Libby Langdon, Interior Designer

In this installment of 10 Questions for . . . , Senior Editor Daniel DiClerico speaks with Libby Langdon, a New York City-based interior designer who appears on HGTV's Small Space, Big Style; her new book, Small Space Solutions, is due out in March 2009. Here, Langdon reveals her favorite paint colors, shares several space-expanding tricks, and talks about the latest in lightbulbs.

What's your attraction to small spaces?
While traveling the country for my first show, Design Invasion, I saw that people have space constraints everywhere you go. I realized that I have a lot of tips for people who are intent on making their tight quarters feel larger and function better.

What are a few of your favorite tricks of the trade?
• Use full-scale shelves and cabinets. Pieces that go all the way up to the ceiling visually draw the eye upward making the ceiling seem higher and your space feel larger.
• Put your walls to work by mounting shelving to display collections and store items that would otherwise waste precious table space and create clutter.
• When hanging drapes, mount the rod where the ceiling meets the walls. This will also expand the space visually.
• Avoid using all wood furniture, which gives a room a clunky feel. Mix in glass-topped tables to give the room a lighter, airier and more open appearance.
• Position a large mirror on the wall directly opposite a window or a door with panes in it. This will amplify the available natural light.

Can color be used to expand a space?
People are often petrified to paint a small space a color because they think it's going to make it look smaller. That can be the case if you paint all four walls a bold hue. Instead, choose an accent wall, maybe the wall that your headboard is on in the bedroom (see picture) or that your sofa is on in the living room. Paint that accent wall a rich, wonderful color and keep the other three walls a neutral, mellow color, like a soft tan. What happens visually is that the dark wall recedes and it tricks the eye into thinking the space is bigger than it is. (Learn more about specialty paints.)

What advice do you have for choosing paint colors?
Flip through a few design magazines to find colors you like. Nine times out of 10 they'll list the names of the colors in the resource guide at the back of the magazine.

What role does lighting play in opening up a space?
Layers of light add depth and dimension and make a small space seem visually much larger. This might mean a combination of overhead fixtures, undercabinet lighting, wall sconces, and table lamps. Always try to light all four corners of a room. If you can't see a corner, it's as if it isn't even there. I can't tell you how many times I go into small rooms that are lighted by a single lamp. Even in a small room, four or five lights are not too many. You also want to think in terms of tall, large-scale lamps. People tend to fall into the "small space, small accessories" trap. But a tall lamp will spread a lot of light, while again tricking the eye by creating a sense of scale and height.

You use a lot of lights. Are you a fan of compact fluorescent lightbulbs?
I do like CFLs for efficiency but not always for the quality of their light. I prefer LED lights, which manufacturers say last up to 60,000 hours. I find the quality of LEDs to be brighter and truer. I've found some that are around $40, so they're starting to come down in price.

(The quality of light from CFLs has improved. CFLs labeled "soft" or "warm" white will more closely resemble incandescent lightbulbs, while those tagged "bright white," "natural," or "daylight" will give off a whiter, crisper light.)

Speaking of efficiency, are we seeing the end of the McMansion?
Houses are absolutely getting smaller as people realize they don't need so much house. Why pay to furnish and heat and cool all that square footage? There's a misconception that living in a small space means living with less. But it can actually be the ultimate luxury. When you come home and your space is functional and organized, you don't feel pulled in a million directions. You feel focused.

January is Get Organized Month. What advice do you have for people who want to start the New Year with a clean slate?
I first try get to people to put their clutter in perspective. I ask them, 'On a scale of 1 to 10, with one being total minimalism and 10 being total chaos, where do you want to be? If you're a 10 now and want to be a 5, that means you need lose 50 percent of the stuff. Most people are around a 7 or 8 and they want to get down to 5, which means they have to lose 20 or 30 percent of the clutter.

Once you have the clutter in perspective, you need to identify your worst space. But don't put all the pressure on yourself to clean it up in one day. Instead, set a timer for 45 minutes and start organizing. Come up with your "pitch" pile, your "donate" pile, and your "need to organize" pile. You need to be a little ruthless. But most people find that decluttering is contagious. Clutter stops us from moving forward and doing what we want to do. After 45 minutes, 1 out of 100 people I work with actually stops. It feels so good to get rid of things that they want to keep going.

Which areas of the home tend to attract the most clutter?
The three pressure points for clutter are the entryway, the kitchen, and the home office. The trick is to create systems for each that are going to work for your lifestyle. If you have kids, don't put a beautiful table in the entryway. It might look good, but it's totally impractical. Instead, create a storage system there to prevent the clutter from reaching indoors. You don't have to spend a lot of money. Inexpensive towel bars with S-hooks are great for coats and backpacks, then you can do some floating shelves above them for your keys, wallets, cell phones, and so on. In the kitchen, rollout organizers are a great way to maximize storage in cabinets.

What advice do you have for freshening up guest rooms?
A quick, inexpensive way to update a guest room is to hang floor-to-ceiling drapes behind the headboard. That creates a luxurious feel while drawing the eye upward and making the room feel larger. Another thing I love to do in guest rooms is replace the nightstands with two small chests. This balances the room and provides additional storage for guests.

Essential information: Hear what experts from other fields have to say by reading past interviews on the 10 Questions for . . . page. And learn about closet and garage organizers.

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California gets even tougher on greenhouse-gas emissions

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has stepped up its fight against global warming with the recent approval of the scoping plan for Assembly Bill 32. The state agency wants to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in California to 1990 levels by 2020, a reduction of about 30 percent; by 2050, the goal is to drop emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels.

A key element of AB 32, known as the Global Warming Solutions Act and signed into law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006, is a cap-and-trade program covering 85 percent of the state's emissions. CARB estimates these measures could save each household $400 to $500 annually by 2020. Several measures could affect consumers directly:

• New codes and standards call for tougher building codes and appliance-efficiency standards.

• A solar-roofs program requires publicly owned utilities to drop the costs of these systems by implementing incentives for solar power. (Learn more about incentives for alternative-energy systems, including solar.)

• Smart-meter technology will provide real-time energy-use information to consumers to help them use less electricity. (Read more about demand-response pricing.)

• Water-use measures will boost efficiency and conservation efforts.

• Weatherization incentives will encourage consumers to insulate their homes, upgrade heating and cooling systems, install high-efficiency windows, and more.

State officials hope the plan will be a stimulus for California's economy (and perhaps decrease smog in Los Angeles, shown above). "By moving first in the nation, California maintains its position at the front of the line in attracting venture capital, and positions us as a leader in the race to develop the clean technology products, patents, and projects the global market demands and needs," said Mary Nichols, CARB chairwoman.

Opponents aren't so sure about the economic impact. As part of a peer review of CARB's plan, Robert Stavins, Ph.D., a professor at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and director of the Harvard Environmental Economics Program, wrote: "I have come to the inescapable conclusion that the economic analysis is terribly deficient in critical ways and should not be used by the state government or the public for the purpose of assessing the likely costs of CARB's plans."

"We stand by our macroeconomic analyses," says CARB spokesman Stanley Young, who suggests that AB 32 is as much about safeguarding public and environmental safety as it is about dollars and cents.—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: Read about CARB's and the EPA's efforts to lower emissions from lawn mowers and tractors.

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Q&A: Mercury in fish

Recent news stories have suggested that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering relaxing its fish-consumption advice for vulnerable populations, such as women of child-bearing age, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children.

The stories are based on a leaked internal draft report, which has been posted on the website of the Environmental Working Group. The FDA told us that the reports aren't accurate, and the guidelines won't be changed in the near future.

Currently, the FDA advises these populations to avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish (all contain high levels of mercury), to eat only 12 ounces (about 2 average meals) a week of lower-mercury fish, and to reduce albacore tuna consumption to 6 ounces a week.

Consumers Union believes that the mercury warnings for these populations should actually be strengthened, and that pregnant women should avoid all fish that might contain risky levels of mercury, including canned tuna.

What would it mean to relax the existing advice on mercury consumption in fish for these populations? Get the answers to this and other questions in the full post on our Health blog.

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iPods and headphones: The gift of deafness?

If you gave or received an iPod or any other portable headphone-equipped digital media player as a gift this holiday season, listen up. When used unwisely, they can result in permanent hearing loss.

Our colleagues over at the Consumer Reports Health Blog reported on a new medical study from the European Union which found that 5 to 10 percent of MP3 listeners are at high risk of developing hearing loss after five years of exposure. This latest study's findings fall in line with what researchers have previously reported with U.S.-based studies.

Obviously, headphone users can reduce the risk of hearing loss by managing the amount of time and volume they use with their portable media player. And some MP3 players feature “volume limiters” that can be set to prevent overly loud sound from reaching the headphones. (Our Ratings of MP3 players, available to subscribers, denotes which models have this feature.)

In their post, iPods can be a hazard to your hearing, the health experts at Consumer Reports have listed other helpful safe listening tips.

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Can you cure a hangover?

If you've ever dragged yourself into work a little bleary-eyed after a festive night out, you'll have heard people saying "Now what you need is…" followed by some improbable and unpalatable home remedy.

Everyone seems to have a cure for the dreaded hangover. But do any of them actually work? Sadly not, according to the latest research. Doctors trawled through hundreds of studies, looking to see whether there were any good-quality studies with positive results. The answer was no.

Back in Roman times, the favored remedy was cabbage. More recent suggestions include bananas, the blood pressure drug propanolol, prickly pear, artichoke, sports glucose drinks and even the Australian sandwich spread Vegemite. All of those have been studied and found wanting. More traditional remedies like a fried breakfast haven't been studied scientifically.

The only proven way to avoid a hangover is to avoid drinking too much alcohol in the first place. But how much is too much? Other research says that 3 to 5 drinks for a woman weighing 130 pounds, and 5 to 6 drinks for a man weighing 176 pounds, will almost always lead to a hangover.

What can you do if you've already over-indulged? A simple painkiller like aspirin or acetaminophen may help with headache, and drinking water can help you re-hydrate. Other than that, it's a matter of time, and giving your body a chance to recover, before you drink alcohol again.

What you need to know. There's no proven way to cure a hangover. The only way to be sure not to suffer is not to over-indulge.

—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.

Read more on the realities behind common hangover "cures."