3 simple steps to jump-start your heart health this year
In 2020, the terrible toll of the COVID-19 pandemic largely overshadowed the affliction that remains the leading cause of death in this country: heart disease. In the United States last year, at least twice as many people died from cardiovascular causes as those who died from complications from SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus.
While the challenges from the virus are new, experts have been studying heart disease for decades — and everyone can benefit from that knowledge. “The lifestyle habits that keep your heart healthy may also leave you less vulnerable to serious complications from infections such as COVID-19 and i...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 12, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Julie Corliss Tags: Exercise and Fitness Health Healthy Eating Heart Health Source Type: blogs
CBD and other medications: Proceed with caution
Products containing cannabidiol (CBD) seem to be all the rage these days, promising relief from a wide range of maladies, from insomnia and hot flashes to chronic pain and seizures. Some of these claims have merit to them, while some of them are just hype. But it won’t hurt to try, right? Well, not so fast. CBD is a biologically active compound, and as such, it may also have unintended consequences. These include known side effects of CBD, but also unintended interactions with supplements, herbal products, and over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications.
Doubling up on side effects
While generally considered safe...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 11, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Katsiaryna Bykov, PharmD, ScD Tags: Drugs and Supplements Marijuana Medical Research Safety Source Type: blogs
Can gout be prevented?
To many people, gout seems like a disease of the past. Cartoons from 200 years ago depicted it as a condition afflicting the wealthy (“the disease of kings”), whose gluttonous consumption of food and drink was thought to bring on the attacks of debilitating arthritis.
All these years later, much about gout is still misunderstood. Shame, derision, and the belief that the gout sufferer deserves the condition linger. And rather than being a disease of the past, gout is quite common — and rates are rising. Estimates suggest gout affects nearly 4% of the adult population in the US, an increase from prior decades. And it...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 8, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Arthritis Bones and joints Health Men's Health Source Type: blogs
Wondering about COVID-19 vaccines if you ’re pregnant or breastfeeding?
Now that COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out, pregnant and breastfeeding people have many questions around risks and benefits. At first, many of those receiving vaccines in US will be healthcare workers, although the circles for vaccine eligibility are widening.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine agree that the new mRNA COVID-19 vaccines should be offered to pregnant and breastfeeding individuals who are eligible for vaccination.
Here are answers to some basic questions you may have about getting a COVID-1...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 7, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ilona T. Goldfarb, MD, MPH Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Health Parenting Pregnancy Prevention Vaccines Source Type: blogs
Hormonal therapies for advanced prostate cancer linked to a higher risk of falls and fractures
Falls rank among the top causes of death and injuries among the elderly, and the risk increases significantly in older people being treated for cancer. Now, investigators are reporting that a newer class of drugs for advanced prostate cancer is associated with a significant increase in fall risk.
Called androgen receptor inhibitors, or ARIs, these drugs target testosterone, a hormone that accelerates the growth of prostate tumors. Unlike traditional hormonal treatments that interfere with the body’s ability to make testosterone (known as androgen deprivation therapy, or ADT), ARIs work by preventing testosterone from...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 7, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Charlie Schmidt Tags: Health Living With Prostate Cancer Prostate Knowledge Treatments HPK Source Type: blogs
Sexual health and gender-affirming care
LGBTQ+ people are often considered a cohesive group, but sexual orientation and gender identity are different. Sexual orientation describes who a person prefers to be sexually intimate with. Gender identity, on the other hand, describes their sense of themselves as male, female, or another gender. Transgender and other gender diverse (TGD) people, whose gender identity is not aligned with their recorded sex at birth, can have any sexual orientation. (The same is true, of course, with cisgender people, whose gender identity aligns with their recorded sex at birth.)
What is sexual health?
Sexual health is a concept that goes...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 7, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Elizabeth Boskey, PhD Tags: Health Health care disparities LGBTQ Mental Health Sex Source Type: blogs
COVID-19 and the heart: What have we learned?
Early in the pandemic, epidemiologists made a striking observation. Compared to the general population, people with cardiovascular disease (CVD) were more than twice as likely to contract severe forms of COVID-19. In the last six months, death rates from COVID-19 have dropped significantly, but CVD remains a major predictor of poor outcome. What have we learned about heart disease and COVID-19 in that time?
Pre-existing heart conditions and poor metabolic health increase risk of severe COVID-19
As I described in a blog post back in April, some health conditions, like diabetes, increase risk of severe COVID-19 by suppressin...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 6, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Dara K. Lee Lewis, MD Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Heart Health Source Type: blogs
We ’re supposed to make resolutions now?
After everything that’s happened in 2020, setting goals seems like a big ask. Resolutions inherently mean discomfort and require resolve, and most of us have had enough of the former and don’t have much left of the latter. The response to the annual tradition might involve a collective groan, eye roll, and require a censor.
The question is, is it okay to take this year off?
“It’s always okay,” says Dr. Inna Khazan, clinical psychologist and lecturer in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Why do we make resolutions?
Resolutions have their use in pushing us out of our comfort zones, but they aren’t required...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 5, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Steve Calechman Tags: Exercise and Fitness Health Healthy Aging Healthy Eating Mental Health Stress Source Type: blogs
3 easy ways to eat a healthier diet
While many people might be taking a pass on formal New Year’s resolutions this year, others may mark a fresh start this month by resolving to make up for poor eating habits of the past. But this motivation is often focused on a diet that’s too ambitious, or too restrictive. Without a solid plan, you may fail quickly. So consider a compromise: start with these three easy ways to eat a healthier diet.
Aim for real food only
Look at your plate and note what’s processed and what isn’t. Maybe it’s the whole thing (like a frozen dinner), or maybe it’s just part of your meal (like the bottled dressing on your salad). ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - January 4, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Heidi Godman Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Health Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
Do pro-inflammatory diets harm our health? And can anti-inflammatory diets help?
This study also showed that pro-inflammatory diets were associated with a poor cholesterol profile. This finding was also seen in other another study, also published in JACC, which found that pro-inflammatory foods had a harmful effect on cholesterol levels while some anti-inflammatory foods had favorable effects.
What foods are pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory?
Foods with a higher pro-inflammatory potential are red meat, processed meat, and organ meat; refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, and many desserts; and sweetened beverages including colas and sports drinks.
Foods that have a higher anti-inf...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 23, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Katherine D. McManus, MS, RD, LDN Tags: Food as medicine Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
The health effects of too much gaming
It is estimated that 164 million Americans — half of our population — play video games, also known as gaming. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just teens who play games. According to a recent survey, only 21% of gamers were under 18 years old. While gaming can be a fun distraction or hobby (and is even becoming a competitive sport on many college campuses), there are health risks that come from too much gaming. What are these harms, and what can be done about them?
Is there anything good about gaming?
Before discussing the harms of gaming, it is only fair to mention the benefits. Aside from being entertaining and...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 22, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Peter Grinspoon, MD Tags: Addiction Adolescent health Back Pain Behavioral Health Eye Health Mental Health Safety Source Type: blogs
Making the most of physical activity apps
This study was interesting (and very positive), but because was a cross-sectional study, we can’t draw conclusions about causality. This means we can’t say for sure if using an app will increase the amount of activity you do or your attitudes about exercise. We need more well-designed, randomized controlled trials to evaluate how effective physical activity apps are at increasing engagement and sustaining regular exercise in many different types of people. However, the current research can help guide us to use apps and social networks to our advantage and increase activity.
Here are some tips to move more (with or with...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 21, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Elizabeth Pegg Frates, MD Tags: Exercise and Fitness Health Healthy Aging Prevention Workplace health Source Type: blogs
Good news: Deaths due to HIV are way down
World news this month appropriately focuses on containing the COVID-19 pandemic, as the first vaccines become available. Yet we can also celebrate major success in the fight against a different global viral scourge: HIV.
During my medical training in the 1980s, hospital wards were often filled with people dying of HIV. Since then, antiviral treatments have dramatically transformed the diagnosis of HIV infection or AIDS from a death sentence to a chronic illness. A normal lifespan is no longer unusual among people living with HIV. And preventive measures described below have reduced the number of people becoming infected in...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 18, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Infectious diseases LGBTQ Prevention Relationships Sexual Conditions Source Type: blogs
New high-resolution imaging scans approved for use in prostate cancer
Imagine trying to find a single match from a book of matches in a large room. Not an easy task, right? But if the lights were dimmed and the match was lit, then its location would be immediately apparent.
This is the basic idea behind PSMA imaging, a newly approved method for detecting prostate cancer that is spreading, or metastasizing. The method relies on a minimally radioactive tracer called gallium-68 PSMA-11. Delivered in tiny amounts by injection, the tracer travels throughout the body and gloms onto a protein called PSMA that is found at high levels on prostate cancer cell surfaces. The labeled cells will then ligh...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 17, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Charlie Schmidt Tags: Diagnosis Health Prostate Knowledge HPK Source Type: blogs
Choosing joy during difficult times
Feeling good may be in short supply these days. The pandemic is on the upswing again, and many of us anticipate spending the colder months ahead cooped up in our homes with computer screens as our only windows into the world. Meanwhile, climate-related natural disasters are driving thousands of people out of their homes. Millions of jobs are being lost. I won’t even mention politics. It is as if the whole universe has conspired to take the joy out of life.
Then, in the midst of it all, I lost my sense of smell and taste after a bout of COVID. I was very distraught. I couldn’t taste the delicious chocolate cake my wife ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 17, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Leo Newhouse, LICSW Tags: Behavioral Health Coronavirus and COVID-19 Mental Health Stress Source Type: blogs
