This article is the archived version of a report that appeared in the July 2009 Consumer Reports magazine.

Back-pain treatment

My orthopedist recommends moist heat for many back symptoms (Relief for Aching Backs, Health, May 2009). Over-the-counter heat wraps may provide short-term relief without the side effects of medicine.

Larry Samuel
New Orleans, LA

Supermarkets

Shop Smart & Save Big (May 2009) gives excellent advice on how to make each dollar count. But why no mention of local foods, farmers markets, or community-supported agriculture? For 22 weeks a growing season, I get all the fresh produce I need for around $150. While broad ratings for these food sources would be impossible, ask the local farmer who grows your food about the quality of it. Look to your neighbors for help in tough times, not just corporations. Plus, keeping your hard-earned dollars within your community strengthens its economic stability.

John Lorenson
Cedar Falls, IA

Your supermarket Ratings (May 2009) were very much on target. My wife and I have traveled a lot and have shopped at 32 of the 59 supermarkets rated. But in the future, I would like to see the "perishables" section differentiate meat from produce. Often a supermarket doesn’t have the same quality level of both.

Larry Beston
Clovis, CA

Water runoff

In Sweat Equity: Cleaning Up Pays Off (Cars, May 2009), you should have advised people to think about where that runoff goes. If you wash your car in the street or driveway in my city, the runoff goes into storm sewers and then directly into the lake. It’s better to make sure it drains on dirt or grass so some filtration is possible.

Maureen O’Neill
Seattle

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