Does your health monitor have device bias?
In recent years, there’s been a veritable explosion in the number and type of health monitoring devices available in smartphones and fitness apps.
Your smartphone is likely tracking the number of steps you take, how far and fast you walk, and how many flights of stairs you climb each day. Some phones log sleep, heart rate, how much energy you’re burning, and even “gait health” (how often are both feet on the ground? how even are your steps?). And, of course, nonphone wearables and fitness gadgets are available, such as devices to measure your heart rhythm, blood pressure, or oxygen levels. The accuracy of these dev...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 19, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Children's Health Health care disparities Health trends Healthy Aging Heart Health Source Type: blogs
The link between abdominal fat and death: What is the shape of health?
Body mass index, or BMI, has long been the standard tool for assessing weight status and health risk. A calculation of your size that takes into account your height and weight, BMI is frequently used because it’s a quick, easy, and inexpensive measurement tool. Yet, it lacks any assessment of how much fat a person has or how it’s distributed throughout the body, both of which are key indicators of metabolic health. A recent study published in The BMJ analyzed different measures of body shape — more specifically, of central or abdominal fat — to determine which measures were most predictive of premature death.
Abdom...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 18, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Chika Anekwe, MD, MPH Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Source Type: blogs
Why won ’t some health care workers get vaccinated?
Many Americans cannot wait to get the COVID-19 vaccine. They call hotline numbers. They search online for vaccine clinics. They wait for hours in line. Yet, others with ready access to the vaccine have declined it in large numbers. Staff in long-term care facilities were prioritized to receive the vaccine, but many are choosing not to get vaccinated. Why?
Nobody is more familiar with the impact of COVID-19 than staff at nursing homes and assisted living facilities that have been ground zero for the pandemic. Large numbers of residents and staff have contracted the virus. Nearly 40% of the COVID deaths in the US have occurr...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 17, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: David C. Grabowski, PhD Tags: Coronavirus and COVID-19 Health Health policy Vaccines Workplace health Source Type: blogs
What ’s your approach to health? Check your medicine cabinet
Do all kids spy? Just me? When I was a child, I spent hours snooping in my parents’ nightstands, Granny’s pocketbook, my older brothers’ dresser drawers. I’m not sure what I was looking for, exactly, other than validation of my suspicion that the teenagers and adults in my life were keeping secrets from me.
And no opportunity for sleuthing seemed richer than the twin mirrored medicine cabinets hanging from my parents’ bathroom wall. My mother’s was kind of boring, its glass shelves lined with bottles of aspirin and antacids, plus a dusty jar of jewel-toned bath oil beads. My father’s was a treasure trove ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 16, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Suzanne Koven, MD, MFA Tags: Health Healthy Aging Healthy Eating Managing your health care Source Type: blogs
Grandparenting: Anticipating March 11
March 11th, 2020 — or was it March 12th, or a few days before or beyond that? Each of us has a date and time etched in our minds when we knew that the COVID-19 pandemic was upon us. Now, the anniversary of that date is fast approaching. What, if anything, do we do to mark it? And how do we convey our thoughts and feelings about this milestone to our grandchildren?
Anyone who has reached grandparenthood has collected anniversaries along the way. There are anniversaries of joyful occasions, and ones that serve as painful reminders of loss. There are the personal anniversaries — the births and deaths of loved ones — and...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 15, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Ellen S. Glazer, LICSW Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Mental Health Parenting Relationships Source Type: blogs
5 myths about endometriosis
While endometriosis is a common condition, affecting as many as one in every 10 American women, it is complex and often misunderstood. Endometriosis occurs when tissue much like the tissue that normally lines the uterus — called the endometrium — starts to grow elsewhere in the body. These growths may cause pain, scarring, and, in some instances, infertility.
One study shows it can take up to seven years for a woman to get a diagnosis of endometriosis because symptoms may mimic other common conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome or pelvic inflammatory disease. And misconceptions about the disease, including the f...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 12, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kelly Bilodeau Tags: Adolescent health Pain Management Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Flowers, chocolates, organ donation — are you in?
Chocolates and flowers are great gifts for Valentine’s Day. But what if the gifts we give this year could be truly life-changing? A gift that could save someone’s life, or free them from dialysis?
You can do this. For people in need of organ, tissue, or blood donation, a donor can give them a gift that exceeds the value of anything that you can buy. That’s why February 14th is not only Valentine’s Day — it’s also National Donor Day, a time when health organizations nationwide sponsor blood drives and sign-ups for organ and tissue donation. Read on if you’ve ever wondered what can be donated, had reservations ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 11, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Health Heart Health Kidney and urinary tract Lung disease Source Type: blogs
Can dust mite allergy be treated with a pill?
It’s something people don’t like to think about, but it’s a fact that dust mites are all around us. These mites are microscopic relatives of spiders and ticks who live off of skin cells that we shed. It is almost impossible to eradicate them, and even the cleanest home has dust mites. Though dust mites do not bite us or cause rashes, they are a common cause of year-round allergy symptoms such as runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing. People with dust mite allergy have a persistently itchy nose even when not physically around dusty objects.
A recent study has shown that a new way of treating dust mite allergy is ef...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 10, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Anna R. Wolfson, MD Tags: Allergies Drugs and Supplements Health Source Type: blogs
Need to revisit screen time?
Just about every single one of us is spending too much time in front of a screen these days. Many, if not most, of us are spending most of our days on one — including, unfortunately, our children.
Hindsight is 20/20, of course. When the pandemic began a year ago, we had no way of knowing it would last so long. Suddenly, school became remote, daycare ended. Many parents started working remotely, and those who remained in the workplace had less oversight at home. At the same time sports, playdates, and other non-screen activities literally disappeared. We naturally went into survival mode and turned on the screens. We let ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 9, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Adolescent health Behavioral Health Children's Health Parenting Source Type: blogs
COVID-19 vaccines: Safety, side effects — and coincidence
As the pandemic rages on, it’s increasingly clear that widespread vaccination is essential to help contain it. Physical distancing, universal face coverings, and frequent handwashing are effective, but not foolproof. And of course, these measures don’t work if they are not followed.
So, the rapid development of mRNA vaccines and other vaccines to prevent COVID-19 is welcome — some say miraculous — news. But while many people are scrambling to get a vaccine, others are hesitating.
Start here: Are these vaccines safe and effective?
It’s natural to wonder if brand new vaccines against a novel coronavirus, developed ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 8, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Health Vaccines Source Type: blogs
COVID-19 vaccines: Safety, side effects –– and coincidence
As the pandemic rages on, it’s increasingly clear that widespread vaccination is essential to help contain it. Physical distancing, universal face coverings, and frequent handwashing are effective, but not foolproof. And of course, these measures don’t work if they are not followed.
So, the rapid development of mRNA vaccines and other vaccines to prevent COVID-19 is welcome — some say miraculous — news. But while many people are scrambling to get a vaccine, others are hesitating.
Start here: Are these vaccines safe and effective?
It’s natural to wonder if brand new vaccines against a novel coronavirus, developed ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 8, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Health Vaccines Source Type: blogs
Midlife ADHD? Coping strategies that can help
Trouble staying focused and paying attention are two familiar symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a common health issue among children and teens. When ADHD persists through early adulthood and on into middle age, it presents many of the same challenges it does in childhood: it’s hard to stay organized, start projects, stay on task, and meet deadlines. But now life is busier, and expectations from work and family often are even higher. Fortunately, there are lots of strategies that can help you navigate this time in your life.
Staying organized
Organizational tools are a must for people with adult...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 5, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Heidi Godman Tags: Behavioral Health Brain and cognitive health Memory Source Type: blogs
Newborn jaundice: What parents need to know
Most newborn babies turn at least a little bit yellow. Known as jaundice, this condition is a very common and usually normal part of the newborn period. But in some very rare cases it can lead to (or be a sign of) a more serious problem. That’s why parents need to know about it.
What causes jaundice?
The yellow color of newborn jaundice is caused by high levels of a substance called bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin mostly comes from the breakdown of red blood cells. It gets processed in the liver to make it easier for the body to get rid of through the urine and stool.
Newborn livers need some time to get up and running...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 4, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Children's Health Parenting Screening Source Type: blogs
What ’s behind racial disparities in kidney disease?
My first exposure to kidney disease and its impact on communities of color occurred when I was in high school. An elderly neighbor, who was like a grandfather to me, had been diagnosed with kidney failure. At about the same time, my older first cousin, who had children about my age, was starting dialysis due to kidney failure attributed to hypertension. She would go on to get a kidney transplant. If you ask any African American, he or she is likely to have at least one relative with kidney disease requiring dialysis or transplantation.
Disparities in kidney disease not noted in medical literature until early 1980s
When I b...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - February 3, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: J. Kevin Tucker, MD Tags: Health care disparities Kidney and urinary tract Source Type: blogs
