Health news in review: How to tell COVID from a cold or the flu, a new mental health hotline, and more | Health and Fitness

Linda Rider

Do you have a cold, the flu, or COVID? Here’s how to tell

The illnesses all share similar symptoms, sometimes making it hard to distinguish which is putting you under the weather.

Covid-19 cases are continuing to spread as the United States moves into the time of year where allergies are on the rise. As much of the country opens back up and people gather in close proximity, it can be important to know if you are feeling unwell because of seasonal sniffles or Covid-19 — which is why experts have urged vaccinations to reduce risk and protect against infection. Read more on how to tell the difference here:


Do you have a cold, the flu or Covid-19? Experts explain how to tell the difference







Walmart-Cigarettes

FILE – In this Sept. 3, 2019, file photo, a Walmart logo forms part of a sign outside a Walmart store, in Walpole, Mass. Walmart Inc. will no longer be selling cigarettes in some U.S. stores, a complicated move since tobacco is a money driver for many retailers. The nation’s largest retailer, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, said the removal is on a store-by-store decision based on the business and particular market. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)




Walmart to end cigarette sales in some stores

Walmart will no longer sell cigarettes in some of its stores though tobacco sales can be a significant revenue generator.

Wall Street Journal was the first to report the development Monday. It noted some stores in California, Florida, Arkansas and New Mexico were on the list, citing anonymous sources and store visits.

People are also reading…

Walmart is not the first national retail chain to cut off cigarette sales even on a trial basis, but it is the largest. Read why here:


Walmart to end cigarette sales in some stores

What’s the 411 on the new 988 hotline?

Beginning July 16, 2022, people struggling with mental health crises can call 988, a new number focused on providing lifesaving suicide prevention and crisis services. But 988 is not just a shorter, easier-to-remember replacement for the current suicide hotline. Congress and the Federal Communications Commission also established the 988 Lifeline to address longstanding concerns in mental health care.

The Conversation asked Derek Lee, a PhD student at Ohio State University in Counselor Education and Supervision and a therapist, to explain the new service and how it is different from the old hotline. Lee’s academic and research focus is on suicide, including training, intervention and prevention. Read more about the hotline here:

Nostalgia can reduce perception of pain

The next time you feel aches or soreness, you might consider skipping the pain reliever and reaching instead for an old photo.

Nostalgia — that sentimental feeling of longing for the past — can reduce pain perception, according to new research published in the journal JNeurosci.

Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Liaoning Normal University asked study participants to rate their level of pain from heat stimulation while looking at pictures that were nostalgic — depicting old cartoons, childhood games or retro candy — compared with more modern pictures. Read more about the study here:


Nostalgia can reduce perception of pain, study shows

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Read more about this past week’s health news here:


Prediabetes has more than doubled among American children. Here's how to reduce your kids' risk


Perfecting the 'calories in, calories out' strategy to get fit


Blood pressure medication recalled over cancer risk concerns

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