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THURSDAY, Dec. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Parkinson's disease is a much bigger problem than previously thought, particularly for aging Americans, a new study finds.There are about 50% more new cases of the degenerative disorder diagnosed each year in North America than currently estimated, researchers concluded after an extensive data review."We used to say 60,000 people a year were getting diagnosed, but really it's 90,000 people a year are getting diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease," said co-researcher James Beck, chief scientific officer at the Parkinson's Foundation.The results highlight that increasing age is a primary risk factor for Parkinson's, Beck said. With an aging population, more cases of Parkinson's are being diagnosed.The new estimates align with a 2018 study which...

THURSDAY, Dec. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Air pollution is plaguing the world’s oldest subway system, a new study warns, with high levels of tiny metal particles found in dust samples throughout the London Underground.Whether these particles actually pose a risk to human health remains an open question, British researchers acknowledge. But experts say it's happening in subway systems elsewhere, including the United States. The London Underground, especially, is poorly ventilated, the authors of the new report noted. And the bits of a form of iron oxide in question are often incredibly small, far smaller than a single red blood cell. So the threat, the study team cautioned, is that easily inhaled metallic particles can readily enter into the bloodstream of the network’s 5 million...

THURSDAY, Dec. 15, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Medicare Advantage ads that are confusing or misleading could be banned under a new rule that was proposed Wednesday by the Biden administration to protect seniors.Nearly half of all seniors or people with disabilities who are enrolled in the Medicare program through the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have Medicare Advantage plans. “CMS released a proposed rule today that takes important steps to hold Medicare Advantage plans accountable for providing high quality coverage and care to enrollees,” CMS administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a news release. “The rule also strengthens Medicare prescription drug coverage and implements an important provision of the Inflation Reduction Act to help more people with...

THURSDAY, Dec. 15, 2022 (American Heart Association News) -- When Dr. Arianna Heyer left medical school in Philadelphia for an internal medicine residency in Miami, she found herself working constantly, with little time or opportunity to take care of her own health or make new friends.A longtime soccer and basketball player, Heyer missed getting outside and moving. "I'm a very active person," she said. "It's part of my identity."Then her chief resident told her about a group of soccer-playing doctors from south Florida hospitals who met two nights a week at a nearby field. She jumped at the chance to join them.The games quickly became her favorite part of the week. Not only could Heyer play a sport she was passionate about, the games gave her a chance to meet people in her new...