After Heart Attack, Home Care Can Prevent a Return to Hospital

Receiving home health care reduces heart attack survivors' risk of hospital readmission after discharge, a new study finds.

In the United States, only a small percentage of heart attack survivors receive home care such as nursing and physical therapy, according to study authors.

The findings were presented recently at a virt...

6 Expert Tips for Defusing Kids' Quarantine Meltdowns

When kids and teens chafe under COVID-19 quarantine, how can parents stop the meltdowns and misbehavior?

Start with understanding: Young people miss their friends and their freedom. Younger kids might respond by throwing tantrums. Teens might isolate themselves, ignore social distancing rules or sneak out to see friends.

To curb ...

Banishing Pandemic Worries for a Good Night's Sleep

If anxiety and fear about COVID-19 are keeping you awake, rest assured: Adopting a few easy-to-follow habits will help you get a good night's sleep.

"Now more than ever, we need to get good sleep," said Dr. Amy Guralnick, a pulmonologist at Loyola Medicine in Chicago. "Sleep can help our immune system function at its best. Getting a go...

Getting Back to Work Safely After Lockdown

With businesses beginning to reopen, the National Safety Council (NSC) has tips for doing it right.

"We hope these universal actions, the detailed playbooks and the recommendations within them will help employers safely navigate reopening operations while prioritizing employees' rights to safe work environments," said Lorraine Martin,...

Nursing Homes Are Ground Zero for COVID-19

No matter where you live, nursing homes and assisted living facilities are now lethal centers for COVID-19 in the United States.

Im fact, nursing home residents and workers now comprise between 30% and 40% of all COVID-19 related deaths in the United States, according to estimates.

The care centers serve as a "well of...

For Many Kids, Picky Eating Isn't Just a Phase, Study Finds

For parents hoping their "picky" eater will grow out of it, a new study may be unwelcome news.

Researchers found that choosy 4-year-olds were still turning their noses up at many foods at age 9 -- suggesting their finicky eating is more of a trait than a phase.

The study, which followed over 300 children, found three patterns...

Dirty City Air Might Raise MS Risk

Air pollution might increase the risk for multiple sclerosis (MS), Italian researchers report.

They found that in places with low levels of tiny particles of air pollution called particulate matter, the risk for MS was lower than in areas where those levels were high. In urban areas, the risk was 29% higher than in rural areas.

WHO Halts Testing of Drug That President Trump Has Embraced

TUESDAY, May 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Safety concerns over a malaria drug that President Donald Trump has touted as a coronavirus treatment prompted the World Health Organization on Monday to remove the medication from a global trial of potential COVID-19 therapies.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the international health agency's...

'Kangaroo Care' Has Big Health Benefits For Preemies

Skin-to-skin contact between parents and babies -- often called "kangaroo care" -- provides major benefits to preemies' hearts and brains, Australian researchers say.

They assessed 40 babies born about 10 weeks early with an average weight of 2.9 pounds. Normal birth weight is 6.6 pounds.

One hour a day of kangaroo care signi...

Physical Jobs Tied to More Sick Leave, Earlier Retirement

People with physically demanding jobs take more sick leave. They also have higher unemployment rates and shorter work lives, a new Danish study finds.

"This study showed that high physical work demands are a marked risk factor for a shortened expected working life and increased years of sickness absence and unemployment," study co-auth...

Child's Cancer Doesn't Raise Parents' Divorce Risk, Curb Plans for More Kids: Study

Having a child with cancer doesn't appear to affect parents' risk of splitting up or their plans to have more kids.

That's the conclusion of a Danish study that compared more than 12,400 parents of children diagnosed with cancer between 1982 and 2014 to nearly 70,000 parents whose kids were cancer-free.

Parents were followed ...

As Summer Starts, Sun Safety Slashes Skin Cancer Risk

With many beaches and parks opening in time for Memorial Day, the American Cancer Society is reminding people to practice sun safety.

Overexposing yourself to the sun increases your risk for skin cancer, which is the most common cancer in the United States, with almost 5.5 million cases each year. That's more than breast, colon, lung a...

Remdesivir Will Not Be Enough to Curb COVID-19, Study Finds

SATURDAY, May 23, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- There have been high hopes that the antiviral drug remdesivir might be an answer to the pandemic of COVID-19. But a major, new study finds the drug on its own won't be enough to significantly curb cases and deaths.

The study, published May 22 in the New England Journal of Medicine, fo...

Outdoor Swimming Pools Not a COVID-19 Risk: Expert

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,...

How to Cope With Your Grief During Coronavirus Pandemic

Grief is touching the lives of countless Americans as the COVID-19 death toll mounts.

The death of a family member or close friend can be among the most difficult things you'll have to deal with, so the American Psychological Association outlines ways of coping with that loss -- whether or not it is coronavirus-related.

Talki...

Chinese COVID Vaccine Promising in Early Trial in People

Another COVID-19 vaccine candidate has achieved good early results, a research team in China reported Friday.

The experimental vaccine produced important signs of immune response in a small group of adults, a sign that it could potentially protect people against COVID-19, researchers reported May 22 online in The Lancet medical ...

Coronavirus Can Infect, Inflame the Thyroid

An Italian teenager may be the first known case of a painful thyroid infection caused by the new coronavirus, doctors report.

A research team from Pisa, in northern Italy, said the 18-year-old woman's thyroid became sore and enlarged a few weeks after testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus in late February. The condition, called thy...

More Evidence Hydroxychloroquine Won't Help, May Harm COVID-19 Patients

A drug supported and even taken by President Donald Trump as a potential weapon against the new coronavirus simply doesn't seem to work, another major study finds.

In fact, hydroxychloroquine, as well as a related medicine, chloroquine, may even raise the risk for death and serious heart rhythm disorders in people who use it, an intern...

COVID-19 Damages Lungs Differently From the Flu: Study

New research reveals that COVID-19 attacks the lungs in a far different manner from the flu.

Unlike most respiratory diseases, significant impacts on blood vessels were seen in the lungs of seven COVID-19 patients. The lung tissue of those patients was compared to lung tissue from seven people who died of pneumonia caused by the flu.

AHA News: How to Accurately Measure Blood Pressure at Home

High blood pressure is one of the top risk factors for heart attack and stroke. It's also common among people who develop severe symptoms of COVID-19.

So, with more people at home practicing social distancing and with fewer chances to check blood pressure at public pharmacy machines or doctor visits, it's more important than ever to know...