26 May 2020
TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- When bike-sharing services open in cities, more people start to commute by bicycle and take public transit, new research shows.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, bike commuting had increased by 20% in cities where bike-share systems were introduced, according to study author Dafeng Xu, assistant professor of public policy and governance at the University of Washington in Seattle.
His analysis of 38 U.S. cities found increased commuting by bike and decreased commuting by car between 2008 and 2016 -- but the rate of bike commuting and public transportation use was greater in bike-share cities.
In 2008, about 66% of commuters drove to work, about 1% biked and 22% used transit in bike-share cities. In 2016, rates were 59% for driving to work, 1.7%...
23 May 2020
SATURDAY, May 23, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Swimming pools in many parts of the United States may reopen soon, and Americans can take comfort in knowing that taking a dip should pose little risk of coronavirus infection.
However, there could be risks at indoor pools from crowds, poor air circulation, and contaminated surfaces such as handrails, according to Ernest Blatchley III, a professor of environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
He specializes in research on how chlorine in swimming pools reacts with contaminants such as human body fluids, medicines and personal care products.
"There are no data to show how the coronavirus responds to chlorine, but we do know that chlorine effectively inactivates similar viruses," Blatchley said in a...
22 May 2020
FRIDAY, May 22, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Memorial Day is fast approaching, summer travel plans have mostly been wrecked by the COVID-19 pandemic, and people are climbing the walls.
Is there any way you can get out of your house and have a little bit of fun, without running a huge risk of contracting the COVID-19 coronavirus?
Experts say yes -- if you maintain the social distancing rules that everyone absorbed during the nationwide lockdown.
Staycations are obviously the safest way to go, and there are plenty of perfectly safe outdoor activities that don't require a lot of travel, said Dr. Alan Taege, an infectious disease specialist with the Cleveland Clinic.
"There are still options. We don't all have to stay home. Everybody has cabin fever," Taege said. "Even to just go out for...
21 May 2020
THURSDAY, May 21, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Many people under stay-at-home orders have turned to online yoga as a way to manage the stress. And a new research review suggests they're onto something.
The review, of 19 clinical trials, focused on the benefits of yoga for people with clinical mental health conditions ranging from anxiety disorders to alcohol dependence to schizophrenia. Overall, it found yoga classes helped ease those patients' depression symptoms.
And while the trials focused on in-person classes for people with formal diagnoses, there are broader implications, the researchers said.
"Definitely, if you've thought about trying yoga, now is a great time to take the opportunity," said Jacinta Brinsley, lead author on the review and a Ph.D. candidate at the University of...