
How pickle juice can fix muscle cramps
How pickle juice can fix muscle cramps
July 25, 2025 | 5:21 PM GMT
Ask A Doctor columnist Dr. Trisha Pasricha tries a trick that many athletes use to check muscle cramps—a sip of pickle juice. This content was created independently by The Washington Post and is not influenced by the advertiser and their affiliates. The advertiser had no involvement in the reporting, writing, or editing of this article or video. Presented by Amazon One Medical.
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U.S. News Announces 2025-2026 Best Hospitals
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Harder added, "These local hospital rankings, entirely performance-driven, equip individuals and their families, in consultation with their medical providers, to choose the highest quality care available in their own communities." 2025-2026 Best Regional Hospitals, Metro Highlights The Best Regional Hospitals for 25 of the most-populous U.S. metropolitan areas are shown below. These hospitals are recognized as No. 1 or tied for No. 1 and are listed alphabetically by metropolitan area. Atlanta: Emory University Hospital, No. 1 out of 10 Best Hospitals near Atlanta Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Hospital, No. 1 out of 4 Best Hospitals near Baltimore Boston: Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, No. 1 (tied) out of 10 Best Hospitals near Boston Chicago: Northwestern Medicine-Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Rush University Medical Center, No. 1 (tied) out of 21 Best Hospitals near Chicago Cleveland: Cleveland Clinic, No. 1 out of 6 Best Hospitals near Cleveland Dallas-Fort Worth: UT Southwestern Medical Center, No. 1 out of 9 Best Hospitals near Dallas-Fort Worth Denver: UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, No. 1 out of 5 Best Hospitals near Denver Detroit: University of Michigan Health-Ann Arbor, No. 1 out of 11 Best Hospitals near Detroit Houston: Houston Methodist Hospital, No. 1 out of 12 Best Hospitals near Houston Los Angeles: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA Medical Center, No. 1 (tied) out of 24 Best Hospitals near Los Angeles Miami-Fort Lauderdale: Cleveland Clinic Weston, No. 1 out of 10 Best Hospitals near Miami-Fort Lauderdale Minneapolis-St. Paul: M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center, No. 1 out of 9 Best Hospitals near Minneapolis-St. Paul New York: Hackensack University Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia and Cornell and NYU Langone Hospitals, No. 1 (tied) out of 25 Best Hospitals near New York Orlando: AdventHealth Orlando, No. 1 out of 3 Best Hospitals near Orlando Philadelphia: Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania-Penn Presbyterian, No. 1 out of 12 Best Hospitals near Philadelphia Phoenix: Mayo Clinic-Arizona, No. 1 out of 5 Best Hospitals near Phoenix Raleigh-Durham: Duke University Hospital, No. 1 out of 6 Best Hospitals near Raleigh-Durham Riverside-San Bernardino: Loma Linda University Medical Center, No. 1 out of 3 Best Hospitals near Riverside-San Bernardino Sacramento: UC Davis Medical Center, No. 1 out of 7 Best Hospitals near Sacramento San Antonio: Methodist Hospital-San Antonio, No. 1 out of 3 Best Hospitals near San Antonio San Diego: UC San Diego Health-La Jolla, Hillcrest, and East Campus Medical Centers, No. 1 out of 8 Best Hospitals near San Diego San Francisco: UCSF Health-UCSF Medical Center, No. 1 out of 9 Best Hospitals near San Francisco Seattle: Virginia Mason Medical Center, No. 1 out of 10 Best Hospitals near Seattle Tampa-St. Petersburg: Tampa General Hospital, No. 1 out of 7 Best Hospitals near Tampa-St. Petersburg Washington, D.C.: Inova Fairfax Hospital, No. 1 out of 9 Best Hospitals near Washington, D.C. 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How should we clean produce?
It's a healthy habit most do right before snacking on some fruit or cooking vegetables. We do it without thinking, often taught by our parents. But there's some science to keep in mind. How should we clean produce? And what common mistakes do people make? From farmland to store shelves and soon your kitchen, produce is a healthy choice that sometimes needs a healthy rinse. "If it's blueberries, I put them in a strainer and run water over them," said one shopper at Kowalski's in Minneapolis. "Maybe for things like potatoes, I'll wash them and wash the skin with a brush," added another shopper. Pesticides were one reason they try to clean produce. "Some items aren't being thoroughly washed by farmers before they go to sale," said Amy Johnston, a food safety expert with the University of Minnesota Extension. Dirt is the first reason that comes to mind, but Johnston said certain bacteria and pesticides could also be on fruits and vegetables. Many pesticides farmers use are water-soluble, meaning rinsing produce with water can get rid of the chemicals. It depends on the type. For food with thin skin, like peppers and tomatoes, Johnston said to use cold running water and your hands. "Hot water can actually cause something called thermal shock," she said. Produce with thin skin is most susceptible to thermal shock. Because the skin is porous, hot water can cause elements on the food's surface (bacteria) to permeate the skin and seep into the food. For firm foods with thick skin, like carrots, Johnston says to keep the water cool but add a scrub brush for deeper cleaning. "That scrub brush is going to really help us get into those nooks and crannies that we might not be able to rinse away," she said. Also, make sure the brush you use is just for produce and not for dishes. Salad spinners work well at cleaning leafy greens, berries and herbs. You should not use dish soap or any chemical cleaner. There's the risk of it consuming it, and Johnston said they haven't been shown to actually clean the food in the way users are hoping. There are, however, several products marketed for cleaning fruits and veggies. They come in the form of sprays, powder mixtures or even specialized vinegar with the goal of cleaning off pesticides or bacteria beyond using just water. "There's not much research that shows that household solutions are more effective," said Johnston. "(They're) not going to do any harm, so if it gives you that extra layer of comfort to use it, by all means, just make sure that it's safe for food." "First one is not starting with a clean and sanitized kitchen sink," Johnston said. A sink, including the faucet components, as well as the workspace, must be clean and sanitized. Another mistake is using a kitchen towel for drying. Doing so could add contaminants to the food that was just cleaned. Instead, use a paper towel, salad spinner or just air dry. Hot water is good for cleaning your hands, but some people apply that rule to produce. Stick with a cold water rinse to ensure thermal shock doesn't occur. Another tip is to wait to clean produce until right before you eat or cook with it. Doing so can make it ripen faster, even if it's put in the fridge. Some people might think they don't need to clean fruits or veggies in which you don't eat the skin, like watermelon. Johnston, however, said that kind of produce still needs to be cleaned. For example, a knife cutting through a watermelon that wasn't cleaned will drag bacteria or pesticides with it into the fleshy part of the fruit. For more advice from Johnston and the UMN Extension, click here.
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