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TUESDAY, Jan. 25, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- If you're wondering whether to intentionally expose yourself to the Omicron variant with the goal of developing immunity, the answer is absolutely not, experts say. "It sounds like playing with fire to me," said Dr. Nicole Van Groningen, a hospitalist who has treated hundreds of COVID-19 patients at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles.First of all, you do risk becoming severely ill, even though Omicron appears to cause milder illness among many vaccinated people. "There is no guarantee you'll have a mild case," Van Groningen said in a Cedars-Sinai news release. "Some people still get really sick and need to come to the hospital. Others feel really miserable at home. Some patients say it's worse than the worst flu they ever had."Secondly, you could...

TUESDAY, Jan. 25, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- When older people cut back on physical activity, their risk of type 2 diabetes rises. But walking regularly can help, a new study suggests.The more steps you take -- and the more intensely you walk -- the lower your odds for type 2 diabetes, researchers found.To assess the link between walking and diabetes risk, they enrolled more than 4,800 women, 65 and older, who did not have diabetes and lived independently.For 24 hours a day for one week, the women wore a device on their hip that recorded the number of steps taken each day. The women's health was monitored for up to seven years, and 8% developed diabetes during that time.“A key figure from our study is that for every 1,000 steps per day, our results showed a 6% lower diabetes risk in...

MONDAY, Jan. 24, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Cannabidiol, a compound derived from marijuana, appears to show promise in blocking replication of the COVID-19 virus and preventing its spread, lab and animal studies show.CBD inhibited the ability of the coronavirus to spread in human lung cell samples, and also suppressed COVID-19 infection in the lungs and nasal passages of lab mice. Although research in animals doesn't always pan out in humans, the success of CBD may not be limited to the lab.People taking Epidiolex — a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved form of CBD used to treat epilepsy — tested positive for COVID-19 at significantly lower rates than those not prescribed the drug, researchers report.But don't rush out to your local dispensary just yet — researchers got...

MONDAY, Jan. 24, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Coronavirus testing requirements for vaccinated people arriving in England will be scrapped, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Monday.Details about the changes are to be provided later in the day by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, the Associated Press reported.To "show that this country is open for business, open for travelers, you will see changes so that people arriving no longer have to take tests if they have been vaccinated, if they have been double vaccinated," Johnson said.The announcement applies only to England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland make their own public health policies but have generally adopted the same travel rules as England, the AP reported.Right now, travelers who've received at least two vaccine...