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WEDNESDAY, April 28, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- Spring can be an ideal time to try a new exercise routine. Warmer temperatures make it enticing to head outdoors and, this year, more people might be considering a return to the gym after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.While any regular physical activity can benefit your health, the ideal fitness plan requires the right balance.The American Heart Association recommends adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or a combination of both; plus muscle-strengthening activity, such as resistance training, at least two days per week."Aerobic exercise should be the foundation of any exercise program," said Barry Franklin, director of preventive cardiology and...

WEDNESDAY, April 28, 2021 (American Heart Association News) -- Walking briskly up a steep hill to pick up her daughter from school, Katrien Limón felt a pain in her chest."Like I had the worst acid reflux of my life," she said.Katrien, who lives in Montrose, California, had been treated for acid reflux before. So on that afternoon in June 2018, she took medication and drank water. The pain, however, only seemed to go away when she stopped or walked at an easy pace.Finding no relief after two weeks, Katrien went to urgent care. She received stronger medication. It didn't help, so she followed up with her doctor a week later. The doctor thought it might be reflux-related and referred Katrien to a gastroenterologist. Tests for possible gallbladder disease and other stomach issues found...

WEDNESDAY, April 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Like many proud moms, Lisa Stockman-Mauriello of Summit, N.J., is looking forward to exciting milestones in lives of her three sons over the coming months: One will graduate college, one will enter college, and the third will begin high school.But unlike other moms, it's not guaranteed that she'll be there to experience them.Lisa, 51, has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a disease marked by progressive loss of muscle control that is inevitably fatal. She also has a particularly ruthless and fast-progressing form of the disease, one that affects only about 1% of the estimated 15,000 Americans with ALS.In fact, her doctor, Dr. Neil Shneider, told her that he has never seen an ALS case progress as rapidly as hers. Shneider, who directs...

WEDNESDAY, April 28, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- A popular treatment for the seasonal depression that strikes during dark winter months may also benefit veterans with traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, a small pilot study suggests.Results from 16 older veterans found that bright light therapy alongside traditional treatments for these problems improved physical and mental symptoms. The therapy, in which participants sat in front of a device called a lightbox that mimics outdoor light, may help by altering brain chemicals involved in sleep and mood, according to researchers at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and the VA Portland Health Care System. "We kind of take a top-down approach in terms of we're trying to improve sleep, and by way of or through...