Admit it, you’ve probably put off doctor visits whenever possible during the pandemic, and getting back on track with your health care is a daunting prospect. Never fear, says an expert who offers some advice on resuming in-person health care visits. The first step is to push aside any shame about falling behind on regular… read on > read on >
All Health and Wellness:
Keeping Classrooms Safe for Kids With Asthma, Allergies
Parents of kids with asthma and allergies should prepare a plan to keep them safe as schools reopen, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) says. Along with guarding against COVID-19, it’s important to protect against cold, flu and other viruses that pose a risk to children with asthma. That includes wearing masks,… read on > read on >
At-Home Saliva Test Can Spot COVID Variants
Spit and scan. That’s all you have to do, and in less than an hour, you can not only find out if you have COVID-19 but what variant you have, all without leaving your home. This is the hope and promise of a new saliva-based COVID-19 test that is currently under development. “Several at-home tests… read on > read on >
One Dose of Pfizer Vaccine May Be Enough for Folks Who’ve Had COVID
I think I’ve had COVID-19 already, so do I really need two doses of vaccine? It’s a question millions of people around the world are asking, and now a small, new study finds that people who know they were infected with SARS-CoV-2 in the past may need only one shot of the Pfizer vaccine to… read on > read on >
All Health Care, Long-Term Care Workers in California Must Get COVID Shots
All 2.2 million health care workers and long-term care workers in California will now have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 30, the California Department of Public Health said Thursday. Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom said health care workers would have the choice of either getting vaccinated or undergoing weekly testing, but the… read on > read on >
AHA News: Never Late for Work, His Worried Sister Found Him at Home Having a Stroke
FRIDAY, Aug. 6, 2021 (American Heart Association News) — In the more than 30 years he worked as a dispatcher for a relative’s trucking company, Andy Thoman was never late. So when his sister, Amy Brammer, discovered he hadn’t made it to his job, she knew something must be wrong. “If he was going to… read on > read on >
Where You Live Could Predict Your Survival After Heart Attack
There are many factors that affect your longevity after experiencing a heart attack. And now, new research finds that your neighborhood could play a key role in your long-term survival. The researchers found that patients in poorer neighborhoods had a lower chance of survival over five years, and that Black patients in those neighborhoods had… read on > read on >
Dirty Air, Higher Dementia Risk?
It’s long been know that polluted can damage the heart and lungs, but new research finds that it’s bad for your brain, too. A long-term study by a Seattle team linked exposure to higher levels of fine particulate air pollution to an increased risk of dementia. “We found that an increase of 1 microgram per… read on > read on >
When Stroke Team Comes to Patients, Outcomes Improve
Dispatching rapid-response medical teams to perform an emergency procedure on stroke patients significantly improves their chances of survival and a good recovery, according to a new study. Researchers assessed a pilot program in New York City where a mobile interventional stroke team (MIST) raced to ischemic stroke patients to perform a surgical procedure called endovascular… read on > read on >
Brain ‘Zap’ Treatment Might Curb Smoking
A kind of ‘zap’ to the brain — a technique called noninvasive brain stimulation — may help hardcore smokers cut back, a new research review suggests. Nicotine can trigger changes in the brain that make it hard to quit, so researchers have been looking for ways to use noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) techniques to counter… read on > read on >