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Education: Harvard
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Total 178 results found since Jan 2013.
How much alcohol is safe? It varies from one person to the next
A decent body of
research has made the phrases "consume alcohol in moderation" and
"good for the heart" go together like gin and tonic. But moderate
drinking may not be good for everyone, so a personalized approach is best,
reports the November 2014 Harvard Men's Health Watch.
"For some people, depending on what medications you are
taking and other factors, even light drinking might not be a good thing,"
says Dr. Kenneth Mukamal, associate professor of medicine at Harvard-affiliated
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "For other people, moderate drinking
could plausibly be beneficial." “Moderate” when applied...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - October 30, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Nuts, seeds, beans are good steps toward a plant-based diet
A plant-based
diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy plant oils can help
men stay healthy and ward off heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and
other chronic conditions. Adding fresh fruits and vegetables is a no-brainer for
adopting a plant-based diet, but don't neglect nuts and seeds along with beans
and other legumes, recommends the December 2014 Harvard
Men's Health Watch.
Choosing the right portions is important, too. Nuts and
seeds are rich in vegetable oils, which pack nine calories per gram. That means
eating too many nuts and seeds in a day can deliver an overload of calories.
But it doesn'...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - November 24, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Eggs can be part of a healthy diet
For years, men have gotten the message that they should go
easy on the eggs-over-easy. But the evidence doesn't support banning eggs from the
diet. In most studies so far, "an egg a day does not have a negative
impact on health," says Eric Rimm, professor of epidemiology and nutrition
at the Harvard School of Public Health, in the January 2015 issue of the Harvard
Men's Health Watch.
Eggs contain a
number of healthy nutrients, including B vitamins and protein. The main
concern about eating eggs has always been their cholesterol content. The
cholesterol comes from the yolk, so many people choose to eat only the egg
white.
...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - December 24, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Wholegrains, not just porridge, may increase life
Conclusion
This analysis of two large prospective cohort studies from the US has found an association between higher wholegrain intake and a reduced risk of death during follow-up, particularly from heart disease.
The study benefits from its large size (more than 100,000 participants) and long duration, as well as the thorough collection of information on the participants as the study progressed (prospective data collection).
Our diets and lifestyles are very complex, and it is very difficult to entirely isolate the effect of one dietary component and remove the effect of all other factors.
However, the researchers have ...
Source: NHS News Feed - January 6, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news
Long-term smoking 'may cause' brain shrinkage
Conclusion
This study has shown an association between smoking and a thinner cortex, though it cannot prove that smoking caused the cortex to thin. The study was cross sectional, so cannot say which came first – the smoking or the cortex differences. Also, confounding factors other than smoking may be contributing.
Strengths of the study include:
Having access to measurements of cognitive ability when the participants were 11 years old, before most of them would have started smoking, as a potential indicator of cortex thickness.
The radiologists were blinded to which MRIs came from each group, reducing the risk of ...
Source: NHS News Feed - February 12, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Neurology Source Type: news
Making one change — getting more fiber — can help with weight loss
Getting to a healthy weight and staying there is an important way to prevent heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, and other serious conditions. Many of us know firsthand just how hard it can be to reach and maintain that healthy weight. And there’s no shortage of ways to try to get there: You can count calories, carbs, or points. You can cut back on fat or sugar. You can try any number of popular diets that forbid certain foods, or focus on just one (the grapefruit diet, anyone?). Any of these approaches might work for you. Or they might not — in large part because they are complicated.
A study published in todayR...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - February 17, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Nancy Ferrari Tags: Diet and Weight Loss Healthy Eating fiber Source Type: news
Menopause-related hot flashes and night sweats can last for years
According to conventional medical wisdom, menopause-related hot flashes fade away after six to 24 months. Not so, says a new study of women going through menopause. Hot flashes last, on average, for about seven years and may go on for 11 years or more.
The hormonal roller coaster that comes with the end of a woman’s childbearing years can trigger a range of symptoms. Up to 80% of women going through menopause experience hot flashes. Hot flashes, also known as vasomotor symptoms, are often described as a sudden sensation of heat in the chest, face, and head followed by flushing, perspiration, and sometimes chills. Whe...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - February 23, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Nancy Ferrari Tags: Menopause Women's Health hot flashes night sweats Source Type: news
Sauna use linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problems
After shoveling for days, breaking up ice dams, and now shivering in this week’s frigid temperatures, I wouldn’t mind sitting in a sauna for a bit. A new report in JAMA Internal Medicine makes this pastime even more appealing: regularly spending time in a sauna may help keep the heart healthy and extend life.
Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland tracked 2,300 middle-aged men for an average of 20 years. They categorized the men into three groups according to how often they used a sauna each week. The men spent an average of 14 minutes per visit baking in 175° F heat. Over the course of the study, ...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - February 25, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Beverly Merz Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Heart Health sauna Source Type: news
People with gout have lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease
Conclusion
This population-based study has found that people with gout had a 24% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. It was a well-designed study, in that there were large numbers of people in each group and multiple potential confounding factors were taken into account. The validation of the study was also valuable in showing the expected lack of a link between osteoarthritis and Alzheimer’s disease.
However, there are some limitations with this type of study, with a major one being that it cannot prove cause and effect. While some potential confounding factors were accounted for in the statistical analysi...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 5, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Neurology Older people Source Type: news
11 Reasons Your Crazy Cat Obsession Makes You Happier And Healthier
Feline fans, rejoice: Your cat isn't just a cute and cuddly ball of fluff -- he's also incredibly good for your health.
Even pet owners who prefer puppies can't deny the major benefits that come along with caring for a furry friend of either species. Science shows that pets can help prevent allergies in kids, ward off respiratory infections, improve your mood and even boost self-esteem.
Whether you're a crazy cat lady or a dude ready to publicly proclaim your obsession with your feline friend, get ready to celebrate the many pros of being a proud cat owner -- all negative stereotypes aside.
Here are 11 reasons we should...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - March 15, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Precision medicine is coming, but not anytime soon
President Obama’s announcement of a Precision Medicine Initiative was one of the few items in this year’s State of the Union address to garner bipartisan support. And for good reason. Precision medicine, also known as personalized medicine, offers the promise of health care — from prevention to diagnosis to treatment — based on your unique DNA profile. Who wouldn’t want that?
We’ve already had a taste of precision medicine. Relatively low-tech therapies like eyeglasses, orthotic devices, allergy treatments, and blood transfusions have long been personalized for the individual. Genetic analysis o...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - March 26, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Beverly Merz Tags: Health care personalized health care precision medicine Source Type: news
Healthy diet could cut risk of Alzheimer's disease
ConclusionThe study found people who ate a healthy diet – with plenty of green vegetables, wholegrains, legumes and less red meat – may be less likely to get Alzheimer's disease. However, we should be wary of saying that their diet actually protected them from Alzheimer's, as it is a complex disease with many potential causes.The main limitation is that observational studies cannot prove causation, even when researchers take care, as they did here, to include factors that we know affect disease risk. It's also notable that the researchers excluded dementia, other than Alzheimer's disease, from their calculations. It wo...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 31, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Neurology Source Type: news
More than a stretch: Yoga’s benefits may extend to the heart
As a long-time yoga enthusiast, I’m always happy to hear about benefits newly attributed to this ancient practice. Doing yoga for a few hours each week helps me feel calmer and more balanced, both physically and mentally. Now, new research suggests that my habit also may be helping my heart.
A recent review of yoga and cardiovascular disease published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology indicates that yoga may help lower heart disease risk as much as conventional exercise, such as brisk walking.
As I write in the April issue of the Harvard Heart Letter, the studies in the review looked at different types...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - April 15, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Julie Corliss Tags: Complementary and alternative medicine Heart Health alternative therapy cardiovascular disease exercise yoga Source Type: news
Hospitalization after fainting can do more harm than good
One morning not long ago, my teenage daughter started to black out. After an ambulance ride to our local hospital’s emergency department, an electrocardiogram, and some bloodwork, she was sent home with a follow-up doctor appointment. We got the good news that Alexa is perfectly healthy, but should avoid getting too hungry or thirsty so she doesn’t faint again. And I’m feeling lucky that she didn’t need to be hospitalized, because a research letter in this week’s JAMA Internal Medicine points out that hospitalization for low-risk fainting can do more harm than good.
Doctors use something called th...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - April 22, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Heidi Godman Tags: Health fainting San Francisco Syncope Rule Source Type: news
New recommendations aim to improve safety of pain-relieving spinal steroid injections
More and more people are seeking injections of anti-inflammatory steroid medications for back and neck pain. In 2011, the last year for which complete information is available, doctors pushed the plunger on 2.3 million steroid injections into the spine — and that’s just among people covered by Medicare.
These injections deliver drugs that mimic the effects of two hormones, cortisone and hydrocortisone, to reduce inflammation and help relieve pain. When they work — they don’t always — such injections can bring profound relief.
“If you are in severe pain with a ruptured spinal disc and you get a stero...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - May 7, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Daniel Pendick Tags: Back Pain Drugs and Supplements anti-inflammatory steroid medications spinal injections spine steroid injections Source Type: news
