Summer camp: What parents need to know this year
It’s time to make summer plans, and for many families, those plans include summer camp. After the year we’ve had, the idea of getting out of the house, being active, and seeing other children sounds very appealing.
While there is reason to hope that this summer will be better than 2020, the reality is that COVID-19 will still be with us. The vaccines will make a difference, but they aren’t available yet for campers under the age of 16 — and the youth and young adults who make up most of the staff will likely not all have been vaccinated either. So as families make plans, they need to think about COVID-19.
Start her...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 31, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Exercise and Fitness Parenting Source Type: blogs
Harvard Health Ad Watch: Mitochondria do a lot for you — what can you do for them?
Ever see an ad for a product that sounds awesome and wondered if it was really that good? That happened to me recently. “How are you taking care of your mitochondria?” an announcer asked. Well, there’s a question I’m not asked every day. And it’s one for which I had no answer.
Your cells are aging: Can supplements keep them young?
This ad and an accompanying website describe their products this way:
“a breakthrough range of nutritional solutions”
supplements that “work in harmony with your body’s natural processes to rewrite the rules of cell aging”
“helps activate the renewal of mitochondria in musc...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 30, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Health Healthy Aging Nutrition Vitamins and supplements Source Type: blogs
Simple, low-cost, low-tech brain training
We’re all looking for ways to boost our brain power. And fortunately, there are plenty of simple, low-cost, low-tech ways to help sharpen cognition.
“Low-tech, mentally stimulating activities, especially ones that are challenging, help our brains create new connections. The more connections we have, the more paths our brain has to get information to where it needs to go. This can help with improving cognition overall or in specific areas, depending on the activity,” says Dr. Joel Salinas, a behavioral neurologist and faculty member of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies.
Low-tech brain training ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 29, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Heidi Godman Tags: Brain and cognitive health Healthy Aging Memory Source Type: blogs
School reopening? What parents need to know and can do
It’s amazing how something as ordinary as going to school can become frightening and overwhelming during a pandemic.
While some children have been attending school throughout the pandemic, most have been learning remotely, or in a hybrid model of some remote and some in person. As we pass the one-year mark, it has become increasingly clear that children need to get back into their pre-pandemic school routines. It’s not just education that has suffered; being isolated at home is bad for the mental and physical health of children too.
The problem is, the pandemic isn’t over yet. While vaccines are giving us hope, child...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 26, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Coronavirus and COVID-19 Parenting Source Type: blogs
Fully vaccinated against COVID-19? So, what can you safely do?
Congrats on getting your COVID-19 vaccine! You qualify as fully vaccinated two weeks after your second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, or two weeks after your single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Maybe you’re wondering what you can safely do now that you’re fully vaccinated. As an infectious disease specialist, I’ve provided answers to some common questions. Please keep in mind that information about COVID-19 and vaccines is evolving, and recommendations may change as we learn more.
Can I gather with people outside my h...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 25, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Amy C. Sherman, MD Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Health Parenting Relationships Vaccines Source Type: blogs
Omega-3 fatty acids and the heart: New evidence, more questions
This study enrolled over 8,000 patients with elevated cardiovascular risk and high blood triglyceride levels. They assigned half of the study participants to receive 2 grams of Vascepa twice a day, and assigned the other participants a placebo (a pill filled with mineral oil). The results showed a significant benefit of Vascepa over the placebo. Vascepa reduced blood triglyceride levels, but more importantly, it reduced the number of heart attacks and strokes, the need for a heart stenting procedure to open clogged arteries, and death.
A subsequent meta-analysis, which included data from over 10 studies, found fish oil ome...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 24, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Alyson Kelley-Hedgepeth, MD Tags: Drugs and Supplements Heart Health Vitamins and supplements Source Type: blogs
Beyond CBD: Here come the other cannabinoids, but where ’s the evidence?
In the span of a few years, the component of cannabis called CBD (cannabidiol) went from being a relatively obscure molecule to a healthcare fad that has swept the world, spawning billions in sales, millions of users, CBD workout clothing, pillowcases, hamburgers, ice cream — you name it. The concerns of such a rapid adoption are that enthusiasm might be soaring high above the actual science, and that there are safety issues, such as drug interactions, that are given short shrift in the enthusiasm to treat chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, and many of the other conditions that CBD is believed to help alleviate.
Cannabis, ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 23, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Peter Grinspoon, MD Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Drugs and Supplements Fatigue Marijuana Pain Management Source Type: blogs
Zero weight loss from zero calorie drinks? Say it ain ’t so
Are you trying to cut back on calories by making the switch from regular soda to diet soda? Do you prefer carbonated water with a bit of flavor, such as Hint or LaCroix? Or maybe you’ve purchased a carbonating device like SodaStream or Drinkmate?
Research suggests that none of these choices may actually help with weight loss. Worse, they might even lead to weight gain! The reason might surprise you. It sure surprised me.
The problem with regular sodas isn’t just the calories
If you’re drinking two 12-ounce cans of regular Coke each day, you could eliminate 280 “empty” (non-nutritive) calories by switching to a ze...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 22, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Health Nutrition Source Type: blogs
Returning to sports and physical activity after COVID-19: What parents need to know
While most children and teens who have COVID-19 recover completely, sometimes the virus can have lasting effects. One of those effects can be damage to the muscle of the heart — and if a damaged heart is stressed by exercise, it can lead to arrhythmias, heart failure, or even sudden death.
This appears to be rare. But given that we are literally learning as we go when it comes to COVID-19, it’s hard for us to know how rare — and just how risky exercise after testing positive for COVID-19 might be. To help doctors, coaches, gym teachers, parents, and caregivers make safe decisions, the American Academy of Pediatrics h...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 19, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Coronavirus and COVID-19 Exercise and Fitness Source Type: blogs
Numb from the news? Understanding why and what to do may help
In the spring of 2020, the pandemic catapulted many of us into shock and fear — our lives upended, our routines unmoored. Great uncertainty at the onset evolved into hope that, a year later, a semblance of normalcy might return. Yet not only do people continue to face uncertainty, but many of us have also reached a plateau of fatigue, resignation, and grief.
We are living through a time of widespread illness, social and political unrest, economic fractures, and broken safety nets. Whether each of us experiences the ravages of this time close to home or as part of a larger circle, the symptoms of collective trauma are wid...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 18, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Richard F. Mollica, MD Tags: Behavioral Health Coronavirus and COVID-19 Fatigue Mental Health Source Type: blogs
Racial disparities and early-onset colorectal cancer: A call to action
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of death from cancer in both men and women in the US. Thanks in large part to increased screening of those over age 50 in last decade, overall CRC rates have been falling among the general population. However, the incidence of CRC among younger individuals in the US is rising at an alarming rate. Over the past 20 years, the rate of CRC has increased by 2.2% per year in people under age 50. Hidden within these statistics are the significant disparities in CRC incidence and outcomes that exist for African Americans.
Compared to whites, African Americans have a 20% higher in...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 17, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Andrew Chan, MD, MPH Tags: Cancer Digestive Disorders Health care disparities Source Type: blogs
4 essential nutrients — are you getting enough?
The newest dietary guidelines for Americans say that many Americans don’t get enough of four vital nutrients. Over time, a shortfall of these nutrients may affect different aspects of your health, from teeth and bones to your heart, gut, muscles, blood pressure, weight, and more.
What is a nutritional shortfall?
Nutritional advice can be confusing. Eat more of this, less of that. Make sure you get enough — but not too much. It’s no wonder many people have so-called nutritional shortfalls, where their diet lacks sufficient essential nutrients.
So, which nutrients do you really need and how much? And what key nutri...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 16, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Matthew Solan Tags: Health Healthy Eating Nutrition Source Type: blogs
Agoraphobia: Has COVID fueled this anxiety disorder?
The past year has been hard on most of us. Who hasn’t felt anxious? Who hasn’t wanted to retreat from the world at times? Staying home when possible as COVID-19 rates climbed felt safer — and in many places was required by lockdown rules. Yet, could growing accustomed to feeling less safe in public spaces seed, or feed, the anxiety disorder known as agoraphobia? If you’re wondering whether the discomfort you experience is normal or has crossed a line, read on.
What is agoraphobia?
People with agoraphobia become anxious in places where they feel helpless, out of control, stuck, or judged. Someone who has agoraphobia...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 15, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Bobbi Wegner, PsyD Tags: Anxiety and Depression Coronavirus and COVID-19 Health Mental Health Stress Source Type: blogs
But I don ’t feel like exercising …
Not long after the first fitness magazine was published, a list probably followed soon after, ranking the best fitness equipment. This tradition has continued, with the implicit message: use this and exercise will be yours.
And that’s part of the problem, says Dr. Daniel E. Lieberman, a professor of biological sciences and human evolutionary biology at Harvard University. There isn’t one “best” anything to achieve fitness. Besides, people already know. They’ve heard the federal recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. They understand that exercise is good for them.
Knowledge about exerci...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 12, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Steve Calechman Tags: Behavioral Health Exercise and Fitness Source Type: blogs
You got the COVID-19 vaccine? I have vaccine envy
I admit it: I have vaccine envy. It’s that feeling of jealousy, disappointment, or resentment you feel when someone else gets the vaccine for COVID-19 — and you can’t.
I’m not proud of it. We should all be celebrating the astounding speed with which multiple effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines were developed. Millions of people are receiving them daily, bringing the increasingly real possibility of herd immunity closer day by day.
So, I should just be patient, right? It’s not easy.
Vaccine envy is inevitable
Current evidence suggests vaccination could save your life and those around you while helping daily life ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 11, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Health Health policy Vaccines Source Type: blogs
