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THURSDAY, Dec. 24, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- While everyone is dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults may feel the loss of holiday traditions the most.It is possible to make this season feel joyful, even with all the changes. It's also a good time to check on their health and boost their mood, even from afar."As much as you love the older adults in your life, now is not the time to gather with them, especially if you're not in their bubble," said Dr. Angela Catic, assistant professor at the Huffington Center on Aging at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.Consider instead what you can do to make this time easier for older adults in your life, such as having a holiday meal delivered or sending flowers. If they're tech savvy, you can check in with them virtually,...

THURSDAY, Dec. 24, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Rising out-of-pocket costs for neurological tests could lead many Americans to forgo them, researchers warn.Their study, published online Dec. 23 in the journal Neurology, analyzed neurology care costs for more than 3.7 million people in a large private insurance claims database.They found that average, inflation-adjusted out-of-pocket costs for diagnostic tests rose by as much as 190% over the study period.Average out-of-pocket costs for electroencephalogram (EEG) tests -- which can be used to diagnose conditions such as epilepsy -- increased from $39 to $112, while costs increased from $84 to $242 for MRI scans. Out-of-pocket costs for office visits increased from an average of $18 to $52.For both tests and office visits, out-of-pocket...

THURSDAY, Dec. 24, 2020 (HealthDay News) – Researchers from two universities in Utah have a warning for students planning to hit the slopes or play in the snow without sunscreen: You could greatly increase your risk of skin cancer.A survey of students by Brigham Young University College of Nursing in Provo found that only 9% use sunscreen. They also found students' use of tanning beds surges in winter, especially among men.Those two factors, combined with increased exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays reflecting off snow and ice, means winter activities can be just as devastating to skin as summer ones, researchers said."The worst sunburn I ever got was when I went skiing and didn't put on sunscreen," said senior study author Katreena Merrill, an associate professor of nursing. "Many...

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 23, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Because COVID-19 is known to raise the odds for dangerous blood clots, blood thinners have quickly become part of routine care for many hospitalized patients.But three clinical trials testing full doses of these drugs in COVID-19 patients have now paused recruitment of critically ill patients because the medications could end up doing more harm than good. According to experts at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the finding is limited to COVID-19 patients who are so sick they require care in the intensive care unit (ICU).Based on trial findings, and acting on the recommendations of oversight boards that are charged with patient safety in clinical trials, "all the trial sites have paused enrollment of the most critically ill...