Get Healthy!

Starting Rehab Earlier Boosts Outcomes for Heart Failure Patients

Getting heart failure patients into cardiac rehabilitation sooner rather than later after a hospitalization is tied to a better prognosis, new research shows.

"Typically, cardiac rehabilitation programs require patients to be stable for six weeks after a hospitalization," explained cardiologist Dr. Benjamin Hirsh, who wasn't connected to t...

Surgical Snip Might Prevent Stroke in People With A-fib

MONDAY, May 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A simple surgery may help lower the risk for strokes by more than a third in patients with atrial fibrillation, a common irregular heartbeat, a new trial finds.

The reduction in stroke risk is achieved by blocking the left atrial appendage, an unused, finger-like tissue that traps...

Pandemic Caused Rise in Telemedicine Visits for Kids, But Will the Trend Continue?

Virtual doctor visits for children grew this past year during the pandemic, but a new poll shows U.S. parents are divided on whether they will continue using this option in the future.

The C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at the University of Michigan found that about one in five children had a virtual visi...

Being a 'Night Owl' Raises Odds for Diabetes If You're Obese

MONDAY, May 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Though obesity by itself can drive up heart disease risk, new research suggests diabetes and heart disease risk is especially high when combined with a tendency to stay up late at night.

The finding stems from a comparison of sleep patterns and disease in 172 middle-aged people as...

A Healthier Heart Might Make You Smarter

MONDAY, May 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- In new evidence that illustrates that health issues rarely exist in a vacuum, a new study finds a link between heart health and brain function.

Existing evidence suggests that having heart disease raises one's risk of dementia, and vice versa, but a team of researchers based in Lo...

AHA News: Stroke Affects the Whole Family, And Here's How to Help Keep It Together

When Carol Coulther's husband, Rich, had a stroke, her teacher instincts kicked in immediately. She began writing down everything his doctors said to make sense of what happened and what he would need in his recovery.

Coulther's instinct to document everything was spot on, according to advice from Dr. Amytis Towfighi, director of neurologi...

Post-COVID PTSD? Many Find Return to 'Normal' Unsettling

Many Americans felt relief and joy at the announcement last week that fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks at many indoor and outdoor locations.

But don't be surprised if those good feelings come tinged with stress or worry: Mental health experts said in a HealthDay Now interview that the COVID-19 pandemic has left a lastin...

After Setbacks, Sanofi/GlaxoSmithKline COVID Vaccine Performs Well in Early Trial

Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline announced Monday that their coronavirus vaccine candidate produced powerful responses in a preliminary trial that followed an earlier setback in the vaccine's development.

In selected data that has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, the vaccine "triggered strong immune response amongst adults...

Should There Be 'Gun Retirement' for the Elderly?

Just as some elderly drivers need to give up their car keys, older gun owners may eventually face "firearm retirement." And a preliminary study suggests they are open to the idea.

In focus-group interviews with older gun owners, researchers found that many had considered putting limits on their firearm access -- though they usually hadn't ...

Boys Born Very Prematurely May Age Faster as Men

Boys who weigh less than 2 pounds at birth don't age as well as their normal-weight peers, a long-term study finds.

Canadian researchers have followed a group of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) babies and their normal-weight counterparts since 1977.

When participants were in their early 30s, researchers compared the genes of 45 w...

Bullying, Violence Common for Gender-Diverse Youth

Gender-diverse youths are three times more likely to be bullied and victimized than those who identify as male or female, a new study of more than 4,400 teens has found.

"Transgender youths reported the highest rates of all forms of peer victimization, which were double to nearly triple those of males and up to 2.6 times higher than those ...

Medication Errors in Pets: How to Lower the Risk

You want to keep Fido or Fluffy safe, so when they need medication, it's important to ask questions and guard against dosing errors, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.

"A number of the medication errors that occur in the treatment of people are the same as those we are seeing in the treatment of animals," said Linda Kim-Jung. She'...

Odds of Catching COVID at Dentist's Office Very Low: Study

Do yon need to have your teeth cleaned or a cavity filled?

Go ahead.

Dental treatment won't put you at risk for contracting COVID-19, a new study affirms.

"Getting your teeth cleaned does not increase your risk for COVID-19 infection any more than drinking a glass of water from the dentist's office does," said lead author...

Parents' Input Key When Screening Toddlers for Autism

Early screening for autism can speed up diagnosis and treatment, and now new research shows that pediatricians are more likely to act when parents express concerns.

According to pediatricians surveyed in the study, only 39% of toddlers who had failed a screening looking for autism signs were then referred to additional expert evaluation.

Melanoma Can Strike Your Nails: Here's How to Check

When checking your body for signs of skin cancer, don't overlook your nails.

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) points out that skin cancer -- including melanoma, the deadliest type -- can develop under and around the fingernails and toenails. Though it's rare, it's more common in older people with darker skin.

Risk factors in...

Is Your Family 'CO Safe' When Big Storms Hit?

If you live in the path of hurricanes , the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging you to be prepared.

Deaths from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, fires and electric shock are common during severe weather events, according to the CPSC.

Hurricane season in North America runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. The National ...

Bike-Linked Head Injuries Plummet for U.S. Kids, But Not Adults

There's good news and bad on rates of head injuries among America's bike-riding public: Rates for these injuries have sharply declined among kids but barely budged among the growing number of adult bike riders.

Between 2009 and 2018, increasing helmet use, construction of dedicated bike lanes in cities and other safety interventions have ...

Magnets in Cellphones, Smartwatches Might Affect Pacemakers, FDA Warns

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning that strong magnets in some cellphones and smartwatches can interfere with pacemakers and other implanted medical devices.

Studies have shown that these high-strength magnets may cause some implants to switch to "magnet mode," stopping normal functioning until the magnet is moved away from t...

Is Rise in Liver Damage Tied to More Drinking During Lockdowns?

Many people drank more to cope with the stress of the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions it placed on daily life, and now a new study suggests that all of this drinking is causing a serious spike in alcohol-related diseases.

"Incidence of hospitalizations for alcohol-related gastrointestinal (GI) and liver disease increased quite dr...

AHA News: Orthopedic Surgeon Becomes Patient After Stroke at 48

As usual, Dr. Mike Knapic's workday was packed. By early afternoon, the orthopedic surgeon had completed three total knee replacements and was headed into surgery to repair a broken collarbone.

Throughout the day, he'd felt a strange sensation. Every 10 minutes or so, he'd slur his speech for about 20 to 30 seconds and the right side of hi...