September 8, 2020

Too Little Vitamin D Might Raise Odds of Coronavirus Infection

FRIDAY, Sept. 4, 2020 -- There's evidence that low blood levels of the "sunshine vitamin" -- vitamin D -- may increase a person's risk of infection with the new coronavirus, researchers say.

"Vitamin D is important to the function of the immune system and vitamin D supplements have previously been shown to lower the risk of viral respiratory tract infections," said study lead author Dr. David Meltzer. He's chief of hospital medicine at the University of Chicago Medicine.

September 2, 2020

Could Yoga Calm Your A-Fib? Early Findings Suggest It Might

THURSDAY, Aug. 27, 2020 -- People with the heart-rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation, or a-fib, may ease their symptoms with the help of a slower-paced yoga, a preliminary study finds.

Researchers from India found that over 16 weeks of yoga sessions, a-fib patients saw their symptom episodes drop by about half. Their mental well-being got a boost as well.

August 17, 2020

At High Doses, Popular Biotin Supplement Could Mask Heart Trouble

TUESDAY, Aug. 11, 2020 -- A growing number of older people are turning to the vitamin biotin to fortify their aging skin, hair and nails.

But a new study shows how large doses of it can interfere with some vital medical tests.

August 17, 2020

Feeling Anxious? Yoga Can Help Soothe You

THURSDAY, Aug. 13, 2020 -- Yoga may help people soothe frayed nerves during the coronavirus pandemic, but the ancient practice may also help those with more serious, chronic forms of anxiety, new research suggests.

The study compared yoga, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and stress management for treating people with generalized anxiety disorder. While cognitive behavioral therapy remains the preferred first-line treatment for anxiety, yoga -- specifically Kundalini yoga -- outperformed stress management education during the initial 12 weeks of the study.