Latest Health News

THURSDAY, April 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Trapped in the house with a cupboard full of food: Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic can spawn an unintended side effect -- stress eating. It may be tempting to ease your anxiety with your favorite comfort foods, but emotional eating can hurt you physically and mentally, according to experts from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. These tips, from Joyce Corsica, director of outpatient psychotherapy and bariatric psychology at Rush, and clinical psychologist Mackenzie Kelly, can help you ward off bad eating habits. Set a schedule and stick to it: It will help stop you from going to the kitchen for an unnecessary nosh. "Include chunks of time for work, relaxation/exercise, eating, and communication with others,"...

THURSDAY, April 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- The new coronavirus is not just a physical health threat. The stress, anxiety, fear and isolation that go along with it also take a toll on your mental well-being. "One of the basic tenets of how to manage your mental health in a crisis like this is to ensure that you're taking care of your own basic needs -- taking breaks, having rest and sleep, getting adequate nutrition, exercising and having compassion for yourself and others," said Dr. Itai Danovitch. He's chairman of the department of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Danovitch suggested creating a daily schedule with separate blocks of time to work, relax, play and eat. "It helps to ensure that the day doesn't get consumed by worrying, because...

THURSDAY, April 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- People with high blood pressure and heart disease may be vulnerable to complications from COVID-19, heart experts say. Nearly half of Americans have high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). Based on current knowledge, seniors "with coronary heart disease or high blood pressure may be more susceptible to the coronavirus and more likely to develop more severe symptoms. That means it's vital to follow guidance about keeping other conditions well-controlled and maintaining good health and hygiene," the AHA said in a news release. Data from Wuhan, China, show a 10.5% death rate among people with COVID-19 who also have heart disease, 7.3% among those with diabetes, 6.3% among those with respiratory disease and 6%...

THURSDAY, April 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Before the COVID-19 outbreak, Annette Adams-Brown's 87-year-old mother was an avid follower of TV news. Now Adams-Brown has to channel-surf for a less stressful pastime. Her mother, Bertha, has dementia, and each time she hears the news about a terrible disease spreading through the country, it's like she is hearing it for the first time. "It produces a lot of anxiety," said Adams-Brown, who lives with her mother in an apartment complex for older adults in Syracuse, N.Y. "So now she watches a lot of 'Family Feud,'" Adams-Brown said. "It's good for her, because she tries to answer the questions." She paused before adding good-naturedly, "It does get a little repetitive." Adams-Brown belongs to a legion of family caregivers nationwide. That...