4 May 2020
MONDAY, May 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- It's good for you to take a run during the coronavirus pandemic -- and safe if you take precautions, an expert says.
"It's good to get outside, get moving and get some sanity back in such a crazy time," said Grace Neurohr, a physical therapist and running specialist at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.
Running "can provide some structure to your day and build a routine that can help keep you from feeling bored or unmotivated," she explained in a hospital news release. "It also can help ward off depression or anxiety by releasing endorphins, hormones that help us feel happier, more positive and even hopeful."
There are also physical benefits, including improved heart and lung health. And those who are physically fit have stronger immune systems and...
27 April 2020
MONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Cardiac rehabilitation programs improve heart attack survivors' quality of life, especially if they get lots of exercise, a new British study finds.
A heart attack can reduce quality of life due to struggles with mobility and self-care, as well as daily leisure and work activities.
Many heart attack survivors take part in cardiac rehab, which emphasizes exercise, quitting smoking, healthy eating, stress management, and taking prescribed medications.
"Exercise improves fitness, which has both physical and mental health benefits," said study author Dr. Ben Hurdus of the University of Leeds. "If you're more able to participate in activities that bring you happiness, then you're more likely to have a better quality of life."
This study...
27 April 2020
MONDAY, April 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The brain damage that may occur in football players has received a lot of attention in recent years. But a new study suggests that former players who get a diagnosis of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when they're still alive may well be getting the wrong diagnosis.
CTE can only be diagnosed with an autopsy, the researchers explained. Other conditions could cause the symptoms leading to a mistaken CTE diagnosis.
"There is currently no universally agreed upon way to clinically diagnose a living player, yet our study found that many former players are reporting that they received CTE diagnoses from their medical care providers," said the study's lead author, Rachel Grashow. She's a research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of...
23 April 2020
THURSDAY, April 23, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The impact of COVID-19 on the heart isn't yet clear, but an expert says people with heart disease should take especially good care of their health.
"The effects of the COVID-19 virus on the heart are an actively developing topic right now," said Dr. Asim Babar, a cardiologist at Loyola Medicine in Maywood, Ill.
The unknowns include how heart disease affects COVID-19 recovery, and the possible direct impact of COVID-19 on the heart, including its potential to trigger heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias), heart attack and cardiac arrest.
For heart disease patients, "the best thing to do is to continue taking medications that are prescribed," in order to prevent worsening of heart disease and to minimize the effects of heart disease on...