(Flavio Coelho/Moment, Getty Images) A new scoring system based on a person’s medical data may help predict who is at higher risk for having a stroke when hospitalized with COVID-19, preliminary new research shows. The scoring system – which was as effective at predicting stroke risk as computer models – found people with four or…

(Olga Simonova/EyeEm, Getty Images) Watching what Olympic athletes can do on snow and ice might have you thinking about trying some cold weather activity yourself. And a glance at the thermometer might quickly have you saying, “nahhh.” Before you head back to the couch, know there are experts who say that not only can embracing…

Heart attack survivor Peter Denton (center) with his father, Greg, and son, Hunter. (Photo courtesy of Peter Denton) At 4:30 a.m. on a Monday morning last spring, Peter Denton got up in darkness, dressed and jumped in his pickup truck. The drive to his work site in Detroit took a little more than an hour….

(Carol Yepes/Moment, Getty Images) Cognitive function declines faster in people who have heart attacks than in those who don’t, new research shows, suggesting that preventing heart attacks could help preserve brain health. The study is one of the first to look at how sudden cardiac events such as heart attacks affect brain function over the…

Congenital heart defect survivor Rachel Owens with her son, Eli. (Photo by Bri Cibene) Growing up in Slidell, Louisiana, Rachel Paul Owens considered herself a tomboy. She loved running and chasing other kids, especially if it included shooting hoops or taking swings in the baseball batting cage her dad built in their backyard. Rachel knew…

(simarik/iStock, Getty Images) People with higher levels of a nicotine byproduct in their blood scored lower on a test for a wide range of brain functions, regardless of whether they had other health conditions known to affect cognition, according to new research. Having high blood pressure or Type 2 diabetes – both known to impair…

(Maskot, Getty Images) Lea en español School closures. Family strains. Isolated and quarantined friends. Even when young people haven’t directly experienced COVID-19, the pandemic has strained their mental health. Often severely. Even before the recent wave of omicron-related cases, a coalition that included the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in child and…

Heart transplant recipient Danecia Williams (left) and her son, Isaiah. (Photo courtesy of Danecia Williams) Although Danecia Williams was 24 and healthy, her first pregnancy took a toll on her body. Her blood pressure spiked, straining her heart and other organs. Doctors diagnosed her with preeclampsia and closely monitored her and the baby for months….

(Stockfoo/iStock, Getty Images) Lea en español From life’s earliest moments to its latest stages, music can help make us healthier and happier. It can soothe and invigorate, improve mental health and even help someone stay alive. “There’s great appreciation for the value music can provide that’s non-pharmacological and non-invasive,” said Daniel Tague, assistant professor and…