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SUNDAY, April 12, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As you shelter at home during the coronavirus pandemic, eliminate hazards inside that could lead to falls, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) suggests. Preventing injuries will help avoid putting added strain on a health care system struggling to treat COVID-19 patients, academy spokesman Dr. Todd Swenning said. One out of five falls causes a serious injury, such as a broken bone or even head trauma, he added. "While common perception is that falls only happen to older populations, the truth is that anyone is susceptible, especially with increased family members in the home or changes to your daily routine," Swenning said in an academy news release. "The good news is that most falls can be prevented with a few simple...

SATURDAY, April 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- As the United States passed Italy's coronavirus death toll on Saturday, researchers reported that the experimental drug remdesivir helped a majority of critically ill COVID-19 patients in a small trial. There are now 19,424 confirmed deaths in the United States, the Washington Post reported, while Italy has 18,849 confirmed deaths. Until now, Italy has had more deaths reported than any other country. The remdesivir "compassionate use" trial, published Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine, offers hope for a drug seen by global health experts as the best shot for treating the disease, the Post reported. More than two-thirds of 53 severely ill patients showed improvement in oxygen support, the researchers said. Seventeen of 30...

SATURDAY, April 11, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- If you're one of the many people making your own cleaning products at home because you can't find them in stores, you need to be sure what you make is safe and effective, an environmental medicine expert says. Do-it-yourself (DIY) cleaning products made from ingredients such as vinegar, essential oils and baking soda are safe, but they haven't been shown to kill viruses or bacteria, said Robert Laumbach. He's an associate professor at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute at Rutgers University, in New Jersey. "It is essential to make a distinction between cleaning and disinfecting products. Cleaners remove dirt and some, but not all, germs. Disinfectants kill germs, including bacteria and viruses," he said in a...

FRIDAY, April 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- A type of talk therapy by phone may help treat depression in people with Parkinson's disease, researchers say. Depression is common in Parkinson's disease patients. It's associated with faster physical and mental decline, but is often overlooked and undertreated. While cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has shown promise in easing depression in people with Parkinson's, many don't have access to therapists who understand Parkinson's. This study, published online April 1 in the journal Neurology, assessed the effectiveness of CBT by telephone. "These results are exciting," said study author Roseanne Dobkin, an associate professor of psychiatry at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J. "They show that specialized...