Health & Fitness

What is the correct amount of grief? How much bereavement constitutes an appropriate portion? And when does the expected sorrow of loss cross over into something else to be reckoned with — a mental health problem? The newest update to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders arrived earlier this month with an expected — if long debated over — addition: the identification of a condition known as "prolonged grief disorder." The terminology has been over a decade in the making, spurred in part by inquiry surrounding the intersection of bereavement and depression. Yet it arrives now at a moment of uniquely fresh and widepread grief, a time of, as the American Psychiatry Association notes, "several ongoing disasters that have caused death and suffering, such as COVID-19, the w...

A new study found that an unexpected bodily feature may ultimately determine how sick one gets after contracting COVID-19. Researchers in the United Kingdom are reporting that one's fingers may be pointing toward a link between the severity of infections that could potentially lead to a COVID-19 patient being admitted to the hospital. According to the Swansea University study, low testosterone and high estrogen in men are linked to an increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection.  Researchers are reporting that smaller ring finger length in men, a sign of lower testosterone, was a predictor of severe COVID infection and an increased risk of hospitalization after contracting the virus. They noted that people who have larger size differences between the ...

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — For the millions of Americans that have gotten COVID-19, the health care journey isn’t over. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed in a new report that the risk of cardiac complications persists following infection and recovery. The report released April 1 paints the picture of ongoing risks and negative health outcomes that could spring up after a patient has gotten COVID-19. The report also touches on the potential risk of heart issues after receiving an mRNA vaccine for the coronavirus. The two mRNA vaccines currently available are from Pfizer and Moderna. The report said cardiac complications, “particularly myocarditis and pericarditis,” have been tied to COVID-19 infection and mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, the ...

Diabetes is an insidious disease that significantly increases the risks of premature blindness, stroke, and circulatory and neurological problems that can lead to infections requiring amputation of gangrenous toes and feet. As with many chronic conditions, the poor and people of color are diagnosed with diabetes at disproportionately higher rates. Black and Latino Americans are more than twice as likely to receive a diabetes diagnosis as whites, and inadequate access to medical care can make it harder for them to juggle the complex dietary, monitoring and treatment regimens that can stave off its devastating complications. Although there is much researchers don’t understand, many believe that uncontrolled diabetes greatly amplifies the perils of a Covid diagnosis. That’s because a sedenta...

Early diagnosis of dementia can lead to better treatment, doctors say—so it's important to know the signs when you see them. "It is estimated that worldwide there are more than 55 million people living with Alzheimer's disease and other causes of dementia, and this number is estimated to rise to 78 million by 2030 and 139 million by 2050," says Andrew E. Budson, MD. "There are simply not enough neurologists, psychiatrists, geriatricians, neuropsychologists, and other specialists to diagnose these individuals with cognitive decline and dementia. Primary care providers will need to take the lead." Here are the most common signs of dementia to be aware of, according to doctors. Read on—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Sign...

The current dominant COVID variant "BA.2 is more transmissible but not nearly as virulent as many predecessor variants, such as Delta or Omicron," according to Ezell Askew, MD, a medical specialist for VIP StarNetwork. "This new subvariant was responsible for a record increase in hospitalizations, consistent with this high transmissibility, hence the reason for these COVID-19 spikes. A new subvariant also comes with new symptoms, as well as similar ones." How to they appear? Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID. Shutterstock"If you are vaccinated, young, and do not have any medical conditions, your symptoms could range from no symptoms to flu-like symptoms," ...

Dementia is a progressive brain disorder that causes loss of memory, language skills, and ultimately the ability to function independently. (Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of the condition.) The biggest risk factor for dementia is simply getting older. It's important to be alert to early signs of the disorder, so a diagnosis can be made and treatment can begin as soon as possible. These are some of the early signs of dementia, according to doctors. Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID. Shutterstock"This may include a person forgetting what they had for breakfast, forgetting where they left an item, or having a hard time remembering why they enter...

To many of us, blood pressure is just a set of numbers on a dial or screen we encounter at a physical exam. But high blood pressure is a serious condition that can shorten your life. It occurs when the blood vessels narrow or become less flexible, so blood is propelled through them with increasing force. That can cause damage, raising your risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, and more. High blood pressure has no symptoms, and it's increasingly common as you get older. Read on to find out more about the causes of high blood pressure—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don't miss these Sure Signs You've Already Had COVID. Shutterstock"In general, the number one cause of high blood pressure in the United States and Western countries ...

"No pain, no gain" is a commonly used expression when it comes to getting in shape. It may also be why many of us think that you need to feel sore after a workout to know that you've done enough.   There are many reasons why your muscles might get sore after a workout. But, contrary to popular belief, you don't necessarily need to feel sore in the hours or days after exercise to know you've had a good workout. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the scientific term to describe the sore and tender feeling our muscles have after a workout. Typically, it happens after we've done particularly strenuous exercise, or if we do exercise we aren't used to. It can happen after any type of exercise, though it's more common after eccentric exercise. These are movements where the muscles resi...

As long as there has been marine life, there has been marine snow — a ceaseless drizzle of death and waste sinking from the surface into the depths of the sea. The snow begins as motes, which aggregate into dense, flocculent flakes that gradually sink and drift past the mouths (and mouth-like apparatuses) of scavengers farther down. But even marine snow that is devoured will most likely be snowfall once more; a squid’s guts are just a rest stop on this long passage to the deep. Although the term may suggest wintry whites, marine snow is mostly brownish or grayish, comprising mostly dead things. For eons, the debris has contained the same things — flecks from plant and animal carcasses, feces, mucus, dust, microbes, viruses — and transported the ocean’s carbon to be stored on the seafloor...