Youth sports during COVID-19: What parents need to know and do
It’s become clear that the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t going to end anytime soon. This means that we are going to have to figure out how to live, and raise our children, when seemingly every action we take carries some risk.
Youth sports can bring great benefits to children. Team sports offer opportunities for exercise, which is crucial for health, and also for socialization and learning how to be part of a community. Children need these opportunities, which are particularly lacking during the pandemic. It would be great if we could find a way for children to engage in sports during the pandemic. But as with every trip to ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 24, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Coronavirus and COVID-19 Exercise and Fitness Parenting Source Type: blogs
Does air pollution cause Alzheimer ’s disease?
Have you ever spent the day in a city with such bad air pollution that when you blew your nose the mucus had a black tinge? Have you ever coughed as you breathed in diesel fumes from a passing bus and thought to yourself, “Well, that’s a year gone from my life”? Could it actually be true — that air pollution leads to an early death? The answer, in fact, is an unqualified yes.
Air pollution causes heart disease, lung disease, and early death
It has been known for some time that air pollution causes lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, asthma, heart disease, and stroke. One recent study in C...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 23, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Andrew E. Budson, MD Tags: Alzheimer's Disease Environmental health Healthy Aging Memory Neurological conditions Source Type: blogs
Healthy headphone use: How loud and how long?
As our society and culture become more connected through technology, the use of headphones has increased. Headphones allow people to enjoy music and have conversations from anywhere at any time. The ease of headphone use and the mobility that they afford cannot be overstated. This is particularly true currently, as our society spends more time with virtual meetings and headphones during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the convenience of headphones and the increased utility, questions about safety of use have been raised. There is such a thing as healthy headphone use; you just need to know about safe sound levels and when t...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 22, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: James Naples, MD Tags: Hearing Loss Prevention Safety Source Type: blogs
Vaccines for COVID-19 moving closer
As the world reels from illnesses and deaths due to COVID-19, the race is on for a safe, effective, long-lasting vaccine to help the body block the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The three vaccine approaches discussed here are among the first to be tested clinically in the United States.
How vaccines induce immunity: The starting line
In 1796, in a pastoral corner of England, and during a far more feudal and ethically less enlightened time, Edward Jenner, an English country surgeon, inoculated James Phipps, his gardener’s eight-year-old son, with cowpox pustules obtained from the arm of a milkmaid. It was widely believed ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 21, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Shiv Pillai, PhD, MBBS Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Health Infectious diseases Vaccines Source Type: blogs
How can I know if my penicillin allergy is real?
People with a penicillin allergy on their medical record are not given penicillins (or often their relatives the cephalosporins) when they have infections. Instead, the antibiotics prescribed may be broader-spectrum, less effective, and/or more toxic.
Penicillin alternatives may be less effective or more toxic
One recent national study from more than 100 US hospitals with almost 11,000 patients demonstrated that if you have a reported penicillin allergy, you are five times more likely to be prescribed clindamycin than if you do not have that label. Clindamycin is an antibiotic that is highly associated with the potentially...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 20, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kimberly Blumenthal, MD, MSc Tags: Allergies Drugs and Supplements Source Type: blogs
Metabolic syndrome is on the rise: What it is and why it matters
Metabolic syndrome may be the most common and serious condition you’ve never heard of. (At least that’s what I found out when I asked friends and relatives about it.) Worse, a study published recently in JAMA shows that it’s on the rise.
Let’s start with the name, according to Merriam-Webster:
Metabolic: Relating to the chemical changes in living cells by which energy is provided for vital processes and activities and new material is assimilated
Syndrome: A group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular abnormality or condition.
So now you know what metabolic syndrome is, right? Perha...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 17, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Diabetes Health Health care disparities Heart Health Hypertension and Stroke Source Type: blogs
Gender differences in cardiovascular disease: Women are less likely to be prescribed certain heart medications
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading killer of both women and men in the US. Despite the significant impact CVD has on women, awareness and education for women’s heart disease has historically been low. A recent study, based on data from over two million patients, suggests that women were less likely to be prescribed aspirin, statins, and certain blood pressure medications compared to men.
CVD is a group of diseases involving the heart or blood vessels. It includes high blood pressure (hypertension), coronary artery disease, heart attacks, heart failure, heart valve problems, and abnormal heart rhythms. CVD ca...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 16, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Hannah Gaggin, MD, MPH Tags: Drugs and Supplements Heart Health Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Envisioning food security: Steps we take now can help
Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity (lack of reliable access to nutritious food) was a considerable problem, affecting 11% of the country, with higher rates among low-income and racial and ethnic minorities. The shutdown of businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19 has led to historically high levels of unemployment, most recently reported at 11% in June. That translates to more than 40 million people losing their jobs. Like food insecurity, jobless claims also disproportionately harm Black and Hispanic populations. However, it is possible to envision different paths, and even a path that leads to fo...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 15, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Sara N. Bleich, PhD Tags: Children's Health Health care disparities Healthy Eating Nutrition Source Type: blogs
How risky is using a public bathroom during the pandemic?
Given the choice between using a public bathroom and doing anything else, some people will always choose the latter. Regardless of the urgency or however pristine it’s reported to be, the space comes with an ick factor, says Dr. John Ross, who practices hospital medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and is board-certified in infectious diseases.
That image is hard to shake even in normal times, but COVID-19 has done nothing to make public bathrooms more appealing, as they come with high-touch surfaces and often lidless toilets. Ross says that it’s easy to see them as hotbeds of infection and avoid them i...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 14, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Steve Calechman Tags: Cold and Flu Coronavirus and COVID-19 Infectious diseases Safety Source Type: blogs
A new hormonal therapy for prostate cancer is under expedited FDA review
In June, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched an accelerated review of a promising new drug for advanced prostate cancer. Called relugolix, it suppresses testosterone and other hormones that speed the cancer’s growth. If approved, this new type of hormonal therapy is expected to set a new standard of care for the disease.
Doctors give hormonal therapies when a man’s tumor is metastasizing (spreading beyond the prostate), or if his PSA levels start rising after surgery or radiation. The most commonly used hormonal therapies, called LHRH agonists, will eventually lower testosterone levels in blood. ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 13, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Charlie Schmidt Tags: Health Prostate Knowledge Treatments HPK Source Type: blogs
Tinted sunscreens: Benefits beyond an attractive glow
Tinted sunscreens are having a moment. These mineral-based sunscreen formulations have an added color base that can help even out skin tone while protecting your skin. And thanks to their ability to block visible light, they may help certain skin conditions. Could the days of unsightly sunscreen residue be in your past?
What is visible light, and how can it affect your skin?
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and visible light are both part of the electromagnetic spectrum. UV radiation is composed of three different wavelengths: UVA, UVB, and UVC. UVC is mostly absorbed by the ozone layer, so UVA and UVB are the primary wavelength...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 13, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Neera Nathan, MD, MSHS Tags: Cancer Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs
Can a daily pill lighten heavy menstrual bleeding caused by fibroids?
Fibroids are generally benign (not cancerous) tumors that form within the tissues of the uterus. They are very common in reproductive-age women: studies report that up to 70% of white women and 80% of Black women may develop fibroids by age 50. And research suggests Black women are more likely to experience severe or very severe symptoms related to fibroids, such as heavy and sometimes prolonged monthly periods.
In some cases, women seek medical care due to menstrual bleeding so heavy that they develop anemia and require iron supplements or, much more rarely, blood transfusions. The FDA recently approved new medicine, take...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 10, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Huma Farid, MD Tags: Fertility Health Health care disparities Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Epinephrine is the only effective treatment for anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that can potentially lead to death if not promptly treated. Allergic reactions typically begin suddenly after exposure to an allergen, which may be a food, medication, insect sting, or another trigger. Anaphylaxis can occur in anyone at any time; it can sometimes be triggered by allergens that a person has only had mild reactions to in the past — or to which they have never reacted to before.
Recognizing anaphylaxis
A mild allergic reaction may consist of hives, itching, flushing, swelling of the lips or tongue, or some combination of these.
However, throat swelling or tightening...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 9, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Parul Kothari, MD Tags: Allergies Emergency Planning Source Type: blogs
How to make the most of your child ’s telehealth visit
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, telehealth visits with doctors have been on the rise — and for many reasons, they are likely to be part of medical care for the foreseeable future.
While they aren’t the same as an in-person visit, I’ve found as a pediatrician that telehealth visits can be very useful. I can accomplish more than I would have expected while my patients can stay in the safety and convenience of their own homes (or wherever they are — I have done some where the patient was in a car or playing outside).
As I’ve done more and more of these visits, I’ve found that there are things parents can do t...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 8, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Parenting Source Type: blogs
When lockdown is not actually safer: Intimate partner violence during COVID-19
The first thing that came to mind when I heard about COVID restrictions and mitigation strategies was how exceptionally dangerous this time could be for women living with abusive partners. “Self-isolate,” “stay at home,” “practice social distancing,” and “recession” are all words likely to be terrifying to many women who are living with intimate partner violence (IPV). The lives of these women are often filled with fear and danger under normal circumstances, but during this new normal of the global pandemic, the lives of these very often “invisible victims” are at an increased risk for more violence —...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 7, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Eve Valera, PhD Tags: Behavioral Health Brain and cognitive health Concussions Emergency Planning Injuries Safety Women's Health Source Type: blogs
