Does diet really matter when it comes to adult acne?
When I was a teenager, the advice I got about acne was clear and consistent:
Avoid oily foods and chocolate because they trigger breakouts and make existing acne worse
Wash your face often
Try a topical, over-the-counter remedy such as those containing benzoyl peroxide (Clearasil) or salicylic acid (Stridex).
By the time I got to medical school, the message had changed. I learned that the diet-acne connection was considered a myth, and that what we eat has little to do with making acne better or worse.
But a new study has once again turned the tables. It suggests that diet might contribute to acne — at least in adults....
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 19, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Healthy Eating Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs
Food insecurity, COVID-19, and eating disorders
In this study, participants with the highest level of food insecurity experienced:
higher levels of binge eating (uncontrollable eating)
a higher likelihood of having any type of eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia
dietary restraint for any reason, for example, avoiding a food group, such as carbohydrates, or types of foods, such as desserts
weight self-stigma, assessed through responses to a questionnaire that measured self-devaluation and fear of experiencing stigma (sample statement: “I would never have any problems with weight if I were stronger”)
high levels of worry, also measured through responses to a...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 17, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, FAAP, FACP, FTOS Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Health Health care disparities Nutrition Source Type: blogs
Should we screen all adolescent girls and women for anxiety?
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses, affecting up to 40% of women and 20% of men in the course of their lifetimes. Women and adolescent girls are at particularly high risk for the development of anxiety disorders, due to differences in their brain chemistry, psychosocial contributors such as childhood sexual abuse, as well as the hormonal effects of estrogen and progesterone. Since anxiety disorders are so common among women and girls, could early detection lead to improved outcomes?
The US expert recommendations
In a recent clinical guideline, the Women’s Preventive Service Initiative (WPSI) recommend...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 14, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Stephanie Collier, MD, MPH Tags: Health Source Type: blogs
An emerging link between the urinary microbiome and urinary incontinence
Most people know that microorganisms live on our skin, and in other places in the body such as the digestive tract. However, traditional thinking and medical teaching was that there was no such microbiome in the urinary tract. Many people may still believe that urine is sterile.
Advanced detection methods such as enhanced urine cultures and DNA sequencing have shown that this is not true. These newer technologies have enabled identification of low levels of microorganisms that were not previously detected using conventional methods. This has revolutionized how we think about the urinary tract when it is both healthy and un...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 12, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Jeannine Miranne, MD, MS Tags: Incontinence Kidney and urinary tract Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Which test is best for COVID-19?
Now that we’re several months into the COVID-19 pandemic, steps we need to take to effectively control the outbreak have become clear: conscientious prevention measures like handwashing and distancing, widespread testing with quick turnaround times, and contact tracing. None of these is easy to maintain over a prolonged period. But combined, they are our best bets while awaiting better treatments and an effective vaccine.
So, which tests to use?
The many types of tests available are sowing considerable confusion. Unfortunately, because this novel coronavirus is indeed novel, and COVID-19 is a new disease, information abo...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 10, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Health Tests and procedures Source Type: blogs
Be vigilant about bug spray
Ticks and mosquitoes don’t care about COVID-19 safety protocols. They don’t care that people are trying to squeeze out the last moments of this restrictive summer by getting outdoors, hiking, or just sitting on their decks at night and feeling something that’s close to normal.
COVID-19 has commanded our attention and caused people to adapt their behaviors to prevent one major health concern, but it doesn’t mean others have been eliminated. “Masks and social distancing will do nothing to protect you from what ticks and mosquitoes potentially carry,” says Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases and vice...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 7, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Steve Calechman Tags: Autoimmune diseases Prevention Safety Source Type: blogs
Children, teens, and the safety of psychotropic medicines
Medicines prescribed for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders — known as psychotropic drugs — have largely been studied in adults. This concerns many parents whose children take these drugs regularly. Studies have most often looked at the effectiveness of these medicines in teens and children. Now a recent systematic review of multiple studies done in children and adolescents offers new guidance on safety for commonly used medicines.
What did the study look at?
The aim of this study was to comprehensively synthesize current evidence on the safety of four major c...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 6, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Hyun Jung Kim, MD Tags: Adolescent health Anxiety and Depression Behavioral Health Children's Health Mental Health Parenting Source Type: blogs
Rising temperatures: How to avoid heat-related illnesses and deaths
In Boston, we believe warmer is better. Our cravings for warmth are formed in the cold, dark winter nights when the prospect of summer seems impossibly remote. But with July temperatures reaching near 100° F, our winter dreams are becoming a summertime nightmare. Dangerous heat exposures in Boston and other cities across the US aren’t felt equally. Urban areas with less green space and more pavement can be up to 15 degrees hotter than other, greener places. These urban heat islands are much more likely to be poor, minority neighborhoods, and their origins can be traced straight back to redlining that began in the 1930s....
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 5, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Aaron Bernstein, MD, MPH Tags: Asthma Children's Health Coronavirus and COVID-19 Emergency Planning Environmental health Men's Health Women's Health Source Type: blogs
School, camp, daycare, and sports physicals: What to do in the time of COVID-19
As some youth sports teams get started again, some summer camps and daycares are opening up, and we begin to think about school (or some form of it) in the fall, many parents are wondering: what do I do about getting that physical form I need for my child?
Understandably, many families do not want to go to the doctor right now. They are worried about going anywhere, and especially worried about going to a medical office, where they are concerned they may end up around sick people.
I want to say up front that most medical facilities are very aware of the risk, and take measures to make sure that patients can safely get the ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 4, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Parenting Source Type: blogs
Wondering about goosebumps? Of course you are
They go by different names: goosebumps, goose pimples, goose flesh, and my personal favorite, goose bumples. The medical term is cutis anserine (cutis means skin and anser means goose). I guess the similarity in texture is just too close to goose skin to ignore. Other medical terms for goosebumps are horripilation, piloerection, or the pilomotor reflex.
Each of these terms describes a temporary change in the skin from smooth to bumpy, most commonly developing after exposure to cold.
Many people associate goosebumps with fear, or perhaps more accurately, with horror. Perhaps that’s why a popular series of children’s hor...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - August 3, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Health Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs
Lifestyle changes are important for managing atrial fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation (afib) is a common heart rhythm disorder in which the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) beat fast and irregularly. Afib commonly causes recurrent symptoms, usually palpitations and shortness of breath, and can negatively affect quality of life. Afib also substantially increases the risk of stroke, and is also associated with heart failure, high blood pressure, and diabetes. People with afib routinely require lifelong treatment with blood thinners, to prevent blood clots that can lead to strokes.
Doctors are only recently understanding the importance of lifestyle factors in treating afib. Modifiabl...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 31, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Alyson Kelley-Hedgepeth, MD Tags: Diabetes Diet and Weight Loss Exercise and Fitness Healthy Eating Heart Health Sleep Source Type: blogs
Can appealing to teenagers ’ vanity improve sun-protective behaviors?
As the summer warmth lures us outside, parents may be struggling to get their teenagers to follow sun protection guidelines. It can be challenging to catch the attention of younger people, for whom health concerns such as skin cancer feel like a lifetime away. One promising strategy for educating teens about sun-protective behavior is to appeal to their vanity and meet them where they are — on their smartphones.
Mobile app reveals possible effects of UV exposure
A recent study in JAMA Dermatology looked at the impact of using a face-aging mobile application on sun-protective behaviors in a group of Brazilian high school ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 30, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Shinjita Das, MD Tags: Cancer Skin and Hair Care Source Type: blogs
I can ’t tolerate CPAP, what can I do?
Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, is the most common treatment prescribed for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). CPAP involves wearing a mask that fits into the nostrils, underneath or over the nose, or over the nose and mouth, through which pressurized air is delivered via tubing from a machine to keep the upper airway open during sleep. CPAP is recommended by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) as the initial treatment for moderate or severe OSA, and in mild cases of OSA when associated with insomnia, disrupted sleep, or excessive daytime sleepiness. When used consistently, and when treatment is effecti...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 29, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Melanie Pogach, MD Tags: Ear, nose, and throat Sleep Source Type: blogs
Avoiding COVID-19 when following the guidelines seems impossible
By now, we all know the drill: Maintain physical distance. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Avoid people who are sick and stay away from others if you are sick. While these measures may seem simple enough, they are not easy to keep up month after month. Yet they are likely to be with us for a while.
But what about those who cannot comply? Certain conditions can make the standard measures to stay safe during the pandemic seem impossible. At the same time, some of those likely to have the most trouble following the guidelines — such as older people with dementia — are at higher risk for illness and death if they do become i...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 28, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety and Depression Asthma Caregiving Coronavirus and COVID-19 Source Type: blogs
The lowdown on the low-FODMAP diet
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common intestinal disorder that produces distressing symptoms like abdominal pain, significant bloating, and altered bowel movements that can shuttle between diarrhea and constipation.
While changing what you eat won’t cure you, an evidence-based approach called the low-FODMAP diet is the most frequently prescribed food plan to help relieve IBS symptoms. Studies show it can reduce symptoms for the majority of patients. However, because of certain challenges and risks associated with the low-FODMAP diet, it’s worth talking to an expert before you try it.
FODMAP basics
The low-FODMAP...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 27, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Emily Gelsomin, MLA, RD, LDN Tags: Digestive Disorders Healthy Eating Source Type: blogs
