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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – Dr. Rachel takes a closer look at the health benefits of Pokemon Go.

Pokemon Go has become an amazing motivator that is getting millions of people outside and active. This augmented reality game is helping people get away from their televisions and inactive lives and getting them outside and exercising.

Both walking and being outside have mental and physical health benefits. People are getting a great workout from walking, even those who were not active at all before the game was released. People with mental health issues are getting benefits from playing the game, such as anxiety and agoraphobia, fear of leaving their homes. These folks are actually going outside, walking around and making friends.

There has been no research done on the health benefits of the game since it is less than a month old.

Dr. Rachel gave us some tips to keep you safe while walking around looking for Pokemon:

  • Don’t do your searching alone, especially if you are searching in places you have never been before. Have a buddy system to look out for your friends.
  • Along with this added exercise, try to improve your diet. You can walk further and keep your energy up if you fill your body with nutritious foods.
  • There have been accidents and deaths from playing the game due to people not paying attention to their surroundings. Please pay attention to your surroundings and look up from your screen frequently.

To all you future Pokemon masters, stay safe while you catch ’em all and have a great time.

If you have any medical questions, email Dr. Rachel at drrachel@digital-stage.wgno.com.