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FRIDAY, Aug. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Could the constancy of a sympathetic ear help guard your brain against the ravages of aging?Yes, claims new research that analyzed data on nearly 2,200 American adults and found those in their 40s and 50s who didn't have someone to listen to them had a mental ("cognitive") age that was four years older than those who had good listeners in their lives.Having an ear to bend when you need to talk is associated with greater "cognitive resilience," which is a measure of the brain's ability to function better than would be expected for the amount of aging or disease-related changes in the brain, the study authors explained.Many neurologists believe this mental resilience can be improved through brain-stimulating activities, physical exercise and...

FRIDAY, Aug. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- If you suffered a bout of COVID-19 and your lungs took a beating, new research has reassuring news: You will likely be spared long-term respiratory damage.Scientists looked at COVID-19 survivors who had asymptomatic, moderate or severe COVID-19 infections and also underwent unrelated elective lung operations (for example, to treat lung nodules or lung cancer) at some point after they recovered from COVID-19.In all of the patients, benign lung tissue from around the nodules or tumors showed no detectable lasting lung damage that was directly linked to COVID-19."Since the start of the pandemic, a big question has been whether COVID-19 will have long-term or permanent damage on our lungs," said senior study author Dr. Zaid Abdelsattar, a thoracic...

FRIDAY, Aug. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Dental care should be a required part of Medicaid coverage for adults in every state, the American Dental Association and nearly 130 other organizations urge in a letter to Congress.The groups called on lawmakers to support and advance a bill called the Medicaid Dental Benefit Act."Poor oral health hurts more than our mouths," the letter stated. "It can impede an equitable and lasting economic recovery by harming our overall health, employability and financial security. By securing Medicaid dental coverage for adults, Congress can drive health and economic gains for families, states, and our nation."The letter was sent earlier this month and outlines several reasons why Congress should pass the bill.Dental coverage is a "glaring hole" in...

FRIDAY, Aug. 20, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A new study may help explain why people with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience worsening disability while those with two related diseases do not.MS causes permanent brain and spinal cord scarring, and researchers investigated whether the same damage accompanies two rarer, similar diseases in which the immune system also attacks the central nervous system. The diseases are known as aquaporin-4 antibody positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (AQP4-NMOSD) and myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disorder (MOGAD). All three illnesses involve inflammation that damages myelin, the insulation around nerves. The body tries to repair the myelin, but the fix may be incomplete and result in scarring."The differences in...