Recent Blog Articles

Close relationships with neighbors influence cardiovascular health in Black adults

Why play? Early games build bonds and brain

5 numbers linked to ideal heart health

Rating the drugs in drug ads

Postpartum anxiety is invisible, but common and treatable

The popularity of microdosing of psychedelics: What does the science say?

Pouring from an empty cup? Three ways to refill emotionally

Is pregnancy safe for everyone?

New pediatric guidelines on obesity in children and teens

Screening tests may save lives — so when is it time to stop?
Harvard Health Blog
Read the latest posts from experts at Harvard Health Publishing covering a variety of health topics and perspectives on medical news.
Articles
Ready for your routine medical checkup?
Before the pandemic did you schedule a routine, in-person health checkup every year? Is this necessary or can you safely skip a year or consider a telehealth visit or a combination of in-person and virtual care? There are pros and cons to these options and no single solution will work for everyone.
Nicotine addiction explained — and how medications can help
Addiction is now understood to be a neurological disorder that results from changes to the brain’s reward center caused by addictive substances. Ideally, treatment for nicotine addiction combines medication to suppress cravings with counseling to help patients reprogram their behavior.
Is your vision impaired? Tips to cope
Living with low or impaired vision comes with many challenges. Accessibility features on computer hardware and software, special devices, and adaptations to your home can help make daily life easier when living with a vision impairment.
Misgendering: What it is and why it matters
For people who are transgender or nonbinary, being misgendered may be a daily occurrence. When this happens, people feel invalidated and unseen, and the burden can negatively affect their mental health. Making the effort to use the right names, pronouns, and honorifics when addressing a person shows respect and support for those around you and how they identify themselves.
Healthy brain, healthier heart?
Researchers have increasingly found links between poor mental health and higher heart disease risk. Stress, childhood trauma, and other issues may affect behavior and trigger physical changes that elevate heart risk. Taking steps to support mental health can potentially improve heart health as well.
Stories connect us
Wondering about a headline-grabbing drug? Read on
News stories frequently tout "breakthrough" drugs, but how often does this turn out to be true? When you read or hear about the results of a study for a new medication, these steps can help you ask questions to get the full story and a better sense of what it might mean for your health.
Respiratory virus cases tick upward: What parents should know
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is the leading cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under a year old. Usually, cases drop in spring and summer, but the pattern is changing and parents should be watchful.
Hope: Why it matters
Will new guidelines for heart failure affect you?
Want probiotics but dislike yogurt? Try these foods
Is our healthcare system broken?
The US healthcare system is expensive, complicated, dysfunctional — and broken. The system needs a major overhaul, and the arguments for this fall into a few broad categories: high costs, uneven access, and undue emphasis on areas of spending that do not directly benefit patients
A new treatment for advanced prostate cancer improves survival in phase 3 clinical trial
What’s the relationship between diabetes and dementia?
Preventing sudden heart death in children: 4 questions can help
It’s extremely rare for a child to die suddenly because of a heart problem, but there are several conditions that can lead to a risk of sudden death. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued a policy statement outlining four questions about personal and family health history that can help identify children who may be at risk.
Band together for stronger legs
Supporting a bullied child
If you learn your child has been bullied, ignore the temptation to fantasize about retaliation and focus on your child’s immediate needs instead. Parents can’t stop bullies from crossing paths with their children, but they can teach their children how to manage such situations.
Harvard Health Ad Watch: How helpful are pulse monitors and home ECGs?
Ads for consumer health monitoring devices make it seem like having ready and regular access to heart rate, heart rhythm, and electrocardiogram data is something everyone needs. While it may help some people with existing heart conditions, how about for an average person without such a concern?
Want more happiness? Try this
New information for parents on myocarditis and COVID-19 vaccines
Returning to restaurants — and to healthy eating
Making visits to the dentist easier for people with autism spectrum disorder
Proper dental care is essential for all children, including learning how to brush and going for regular dental visits. But for children with autism spectrum disorder, the sensory aspects of a dental office may be uncomfortable, difficult, or overwhelming. But there are things parents can do to make these visits easier.
Smoking more than doubles heart risk among African Americans
How can you manage anxiety during pregnancy?
During pregnancy it’s completely normal to experience a certain amount of anxiety about the baby, giving birth, and becoming a new parent. But for some women this worry takes over their thoughts and becomes debilitating. There are treatments available that may or may not involve medication, depending on the individual situation.
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