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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

Shingles: What triggers this painful, burning rash?
If you’re like 95% of American adults, you had chickenpox as a kid. Before the United States started its widespread vaccination program in 1995, there were roughly four million cases of chickenpox every year. So, most people suffered through an infection with this highly contagious virus and its itchy, whole-body rash. But unlike many childhood viruses, the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox doesn’t clear from the body when the illness ends. Instead it hangs around, taking up residence and lying dormant in the nerves, sometimes for decades, with the immune system holding it in check. In some people, it lives...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 14, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Kelly Bilodeau Tags: Health Healthy Aging Skin and Hair Care Vaccines Source Type: blogs

Can celiac disease affect life expectancy?
Celiac disease (CD), triggered by the ingestion of gluten, occurs in people genetically predisposed to develop the chronic autoimmune condition. During the past few decades, doctors have learned much about how the disease develops, including genetic and other risk factors. However, results from studies on whether people with CD have an increased risk of premature death linked to the condition have been mixed. A recent study shows a small but statistically significant increased mortality rate. Celiac disease can affect the entire body Until recently, CD was considered a mainly pediatric gastrointestinal disorder, associated...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 28, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Maureen Leonard, MD, MMSc Tags: Allergies Autoimmune diseases Source Type: blogs

Some healthcare can safely wait (and some can ’t)
Among the many remarkable things that have happened since the COVID-19 pandemic began is that a lot of our usual medical care has simply stopped. According to a recent study, routine testing for cervical cancer, cholesterol, and blood sugar is down nearly 70% across the country. Elective surgeries, routine physical examinations, and other screening tests have been canceled or rescheduled so that people can stay at home, avoid being around others who might be sick, and avoid unknowingly spreading the virus. Many clinics, hospitals, and doctors’ offices have been closed for weeks except for emergencies. Even if these facil...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 20, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Health Health care Healthy Aging Men's Health Women's Health Source Type: blogs

Is it safe to see the pediatrician for vaccines and medical visits?
We’re tackling a few urgent questions from parents in this time of coronavirus and COVID-19. Are you wondering if babies and children should continue to have vaccines on schedule? Thinking about how to manage regular medical appointments, and which situations require in-person visits to a pediatric practice? Read on. Should parents take babies for initial vaccines right now? What about toddlers and older children who are due for vaccines? The answer to this question is going to depend on many factors, including what your doctor’s office is offering. As with all health care decisions, it comes down to weighing risks and...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - March 31, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Adolescent health Children's Health Health care Parenting Vaccines Source Type: blogs

HPV vaccine: A vaccine that works, and one all children should get
Human papillomavirus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection. Most of the time, the body clears it without problems. But when it doesn’t, it can lead to cancer. HPV is the leading cause of cervical cancer, and it can also lead to cancers of the vagina, vulva, penis, anus, and mouth. Every year, there are more than 40,000 cases of cancer caused by HPV. The HPV vaccine can prevent most of them. Research shows the HPV vaccine is effective A study published in the journal Pediatrics underlined just how effective the vaccine is. Researchers studied women ages 13 to 26 between 2006 and 2017, looking at thei...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 26, 2019 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Claire McCarthy, MD Tags: Children's Health Men's Health Parenting Vaccines Women's Health Source Type: blogs

The Couric-Jolie effect: The impact of celebrities ’ medical advice
Follow me on Twitter @RobShmerling Some called it the Katie Couric effect. Soon after her husband died of colon cancer in 1998, the journalist and television personality had a televised colonoscopy to promote the test. Rates of screening colonoscopies soared for at least a year. Or, call it the Angelina Jolie effect. In 2013, the actress wrote an editorial in the New York Times about the tests she had for genes (called BRCA) linked with breast and ovarian cancer, and how the positive result led her to have a double mastectomy. Soon after, rates of BRCA testing jumped. Whatever you call it, the effect is real. When it comes...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 1, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Health Health care Managing your health care Source Type: blogs

The Couric-Jolie effect: When celebrities share their medical experiences
Follow me on Twitter @RobShmerling Some called it the Katie Couric effect. Soon after her husband died of colon cancer in 1998, the journalist and television personality had a televised colonoscopy to promote the test. Rates of screening colonoscopies soared for at least a year. Or, call it the Angelina Jolie effect. In 2013, the actress wrote an editorial in the New York Times about the tests she had for genes (called BRCA) linked with breast and ovarian cancer, and how the positive result led her to have a double mastectomy. Soon after, rates of BRCA testing jumped. Whatever you call it, the effect is real. When it comes...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 1, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Robert H. Shmerling, MD Tags: Health Health care Managing your health care Source Type: blogs

Medical errors: Honesty is the best policy
“It’s a definite that you’re all going to screw up, but it’s not a definite that any of you will learn from that,” declared one of our medical school instructors, years ago. “Cultivate the attitude that allows you to own your mistakes, and then, not repeat them.” How common are medical errors? Medical errors are, frankly, rampant. A recent study used data analysis and extrapolation to estimate that “communication breakdowns, diagnostic errors, poor judgment, and inadequate skill” as well as systems failures in clinical care result in between 200,000 to 400,00 lives lost per year. What this means is that i...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - October 3, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Health care Managing your health care Safety Source Type: blogs

Don’t shrug off shingles
If you had chickenpox as a kid, there is a good chance you may develop shingles later in life. “In fact, one in three is predicted to get shingles during their lifetime,” says Dr. Anne Louise Oaklander, director of the Nerve Unit at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. The same varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox also causes shingles. After the telltale spots of chickenpox vanish, the virus lies dormant in your nerve cells near the spinal cord and brain. When your immunity weakens from normal aging or from illnesses or medications, the virus can re-emerge. It then travels along a nerve to trigge...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - February 18, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Matthew Solan Tags: Healthy Aging Infectious diseases Vaccines Source Type: news