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THURSDAY, April 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Staving off Alzheimer's disease might just take a healthy diet, exercise and an active mind, a new study suggests.Women and men who follow a healthy lifestyle live longer — and longer without Alzheimer's or other dementias, researchers say."Eating a healthy diet rich in vegetables, berries, whole grains, and low in fried or fast foods and red or processed meat, together with engaging in physical and cognitive activities, such as reading books, visiting museums and playing crosswords, might lower the risk of Alzheimer's as older people age," said lead researcher Dr. Klodian Dhana. He is an assistant professor of internal medicine at the Rush Institute of Healthy Aging in Chicago.Although this study can't prove that a healthy lifestyle is...

THURSDAY, April 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- America's public health emergency plan for COVID-19 will continue for at least another 90 days, the Biden administration announced Wednesday. Pushing the deadline to mid-July means that vulnerable Americans will keep getting the health care benefits the program offers.The emergency plan has been in effect for over two years, during which time it has made it possible for people who may otherwise have lost health coverage to stay enrolled in Medicaid without the usual paperwork checks that would be required, even if their incomes had risen higher than that allowed, The New York Times reported. The program experienced record levels of enrollment during the pandemic. The emergency declaration "has given us a tremendous sense of security in an...

THURSDAY, April 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- One in five Medicare recipients use medical marijuana and two-thirds say it should be covered by Medicare, a new survey reveals.Medical marijuana is legal in 37 states, four territories and the District of Columbia, but it isn't covered by Medicare, the federal health insurance program for older Americans. Possession of marijuana remains illegal under federal law.The poll of 1,250 Medicare recipients was conducted in April and found that one in five use medical marijuana and 23% have used it in the past. In all, 21% said they use it to treat one or more medical conditions.Current use for health reasons was highest among respondents who also used marijuana recreationally (39%). In all, 28% of recreational users said they previously used...

THURSDAY, April 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- In 2019 alone, multiple sclerosis (MS) cost Americans an estimated $85.4 billion, a new study finds. That amount included over $63 billion in direct medical costs and $22 billion in indirect non-medical costs."The findings of this study help underscore the burden of MS in the U.S. and our hope is our results will inform decision-making regarding MS-related health resources," said study author Bruce Bebo. He is executive vice president for research at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.MS is an unpredictable disease of the central nervous system, in which a person's immune system attacks the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms can include numbness, tingling, mood changes, memory problems, pain, fatigue, blindness and paralysis, according to...