Salmonella is sneaky: Watch out
Two jobs may lower the odds of dying from Alzheimer's disease — but why?
Mastitis: What to do when your breasts are painfully inflamed
How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals
UTI in older women: Why postmenopausal women are susceptible to urinary tract infection, and what to do about it
Can a routine vaccine prevent dementia?
Some adults may need a measles booster shot. Who should get one and why?
Less butter, more plant oils, longer life?
Healthier planet, healthier people
Counting steps is good — is combining steps and heart rate better?
Staying Healthy Archive
Articles
The body’s overlooked defense system
Make the most of your skin barrier to ward off certain types of disease. Hint: It pays to moisturize.
Picture it: You're the body's military commander, and you're reviewing your protective forces. Immune system? Check. Stomach acid? Check. Beneficial gut bacteria? Check.
Don't forget to include your skin: it's one of the most important bastions in the fight against disease, keeping harmful organisms and substances from getting inside the body.
Low calorie, but high risk?
Are artificial sweeteners benign or a threat to your long-term health? A recent study adds a new element to the debate.
Artificial sweeteners seem to offer a tantalizing free pass to dessert. These low- or no-calorie additives taste like sugar, but your body can't absorb them the same way it does natural sugars. You get the taste without the calories, which should mean that you can eat them guilt-free. Right?
Over the years, experts have increasingly questioned whether artificial sweeteners are too good to be true. Are they really your ticket to a low-calorie treat — or will you wind up getting your just desserts for trying to outsmart Mother Nature?
Is it time to consider using medical marijuana?
The stigma is fading, but learn the pros and cons before trying it.
Despite the hype and popularity of medical marijuana, you may not be sure if it's something to consider. You're right to be cautious; the use of marijuana to treat health problems is still being studied, and we don't have all the answers about its risks and benefits.
We do know that medical marijuana use among older adults is increasing. "Older adults tend to use it for physical ailments. No. 1 is chronic pain. Insomnia is another big one, too. Older people have a hard time sleeping, and there aren't a lot of other safe options," says Dr. Peter Grinspoon, a primary care physician with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.
Giving telemedicine a try
Here's what you need to know so you can see your doctor without leaving home.
Remember when "virtual" doctor visits became available a few years ago? Being able to chat with a doctor on a video call instead of an in-person office exam was novel, but it never caught on as a mainstay of treatment.
That changed in the spring of 2020, when the pandemic hit and telemedicine rocketed from novelty to necessity. "At Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, we did 1,600 virtual encounters across the system in February. In March it was 89,000, and in April it was 242,000. That's the kind of growth we're experiencing," says Dr. Joseph Kvedar, a dermatologist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, senior advisor for virtual care at Partners HealthCare, and president of the American Telemedicine Association.
Salmonella is sneaky: Watch out
Two jobs may lower the odds of dying from Alzheimer's disease — but why?
Mastitis: What to do when your breasts are painfully inflamed
How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals
UTI in older women: Why postmenopausal women are susceptible to urinary tract infection, and what to do about it
Can a routine vaccine prevent dementia?
Some adults may need a measles booster shot. Who should get one and why?
Less butter, more plant oils, longer life?
Healthier planet, healthier people
Counting steps is good — is combining steps and heart rate better?
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