Heidi Godman

Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter

Heidi Godman is the executive editor of the Harvard Health Letter. Before coming to the Health Letter, she was an award-winning television news anchor and medical reporter for 25 years. Heidi is a journalism fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, and has been honored by the Associated Press, the American Heart Association, the Wellness Community, and other organizations for outstanding medical reporting. She is most proud of a government proclamation for her efforts to secure health insurance for less fortunate children. Heidi holds a bachelor of science degree in journalism from West Virginia University.

Posts by Heidi Godman

Heidi Godman

Self-help videos to stop vertigo work for some, not all

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Dizzying staircase

A condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) causes bursts of intense dizziness. It happens when tiny crystals of calcium carbonate in one part of your inner ear become dislodged and float into another part of the ear. A simple set of physical motions called the Epley maneuver can move the crystals into another ear chamber, where they’ll be absorbed by the body. The maneuver is so simple it can be done at home. Writing in the journal Neurology, researchers looked at how people were using YouTube videos of the maneuver to treat their vertigo at home. I watched one of the videos and tried the maneuver. It didn’t work for me. But I did some investigating to find out why, and have some tips to improve your odds of success.

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Heidi Godman

Don’t gauge exercise benefits on weight loss alone

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Big guy exercising

If you start an exercise program, it only seems fair that you should see your hard work reflected in lower numbers on the scale. If it isn’t, don’t despair—or quit exercising. You are still helping your heart, lungs, and every other part of your body. A study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology looked at the effects of exercise and/or weight loss on cardiovascular health among more than 3,000 men and women who were initially overweight. As I write in the July issue of the Harvard Health Letter, those who exercised consistently and lost weight had the biggest reduction in heart attack risk over six years of follow-up. Exercising without losing weight and losing weight without exercising offered smaller benefits. Although exercise and weight don’t always move in the same direction, they are both important for health.

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Heidi Godman

Medication errors a big problem after hospital discharge

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Patient discharge zone

After a hospitalization, being discharged is a key step on the road to recovery. But that road can take a dangerous turn—namely, a serious problem with one or more medications. It’s a common problem that many people experience within a few weeks of leaving the hospital. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital now report in [...]

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Heidi Godman

Backyard gardening: grow your own food, improve your health

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Summer squash growing in Harvard Community Garden

A new book from First Lady Michelle Obama, “American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America,” details the challenges and joys the First Lady has experienced with her now-famous White House garden. It also looks at community gardens all across America, and how they can improve health. The book contains helpful hints for starting your own vegetable garden, as well as a school or community garden. This effort dovetails with Mrs. Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative. In addition to getting more physical activity, so the thinking goes, eating more food harvested from the ground and less from packages can help kids — and adults — become healthy or stay that way. The health benefits of growing your own food range from helping you eat more fresh fruits and vegetables to deciding what kinds of fertilizers and pesticides come in contact with your food.

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Heidi Godman

Early steps toward an Alzheimer’s vaccine

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Older woman getting a vaccine

Some encouraging Alzheimer’s news from Sweden: a vaccine called CAD106 appears to be safe and ramps up the body’s immune system against a protein likely involved in Alzheimer’s. The hope is that this vaccine will slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and possibly even stop it. The vaccine is designed to activate the body’s immune system against beta amyloid, a protein fragment that forms deposits called amyloid plaques between nerve cells in the brain. Three-quarters of those who received CAD106 developed antibodies against beta amyloid protein. Virtually all of them—including those getting the placebo—reported one or more side effects, ranging from inflammation of the nose and throat to headache, muscle pain, and fatigue. None, though, developed meningoencephalitis, an inflammation of brain tissue that derailed work on an earlier version of the vaccine. The next step in the development of CAD106 is a larger clinical trial to confirm the vaccine’s safety and to see if it is effective at slowing the relentless progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Heidi Godman

Natural “exercise” hormone transforms fat cells

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Brown-white-fat

Exercise makes cells burn extra energy—that’s one way it helps control weight. It also generates a newly discovered hormone, called irisin, that transforms energy-storing white fat cells into energy-burning brown fat cells. Irisin also appears to help prevent or overcome cellular changes that lead to type 2 diabetes. The hormone does this by helping transform energy-storing white fat cells into energy-burning brown fat cells. White adipose tissue, more commonly known as body fat, is the tissue that dimples thighs, enlarges waists and derrieres, and pads internal organs. Each white fat cell stores a large droplet of fat. Brown fat, in comparison, is chock full of energy-burning mitochondria. Its main function is to generate body heat by burning fat. A team led by Dr. Bruce Spiegelman, professor of cell biology and medicine at Harvard Medical School, has identified irisin in mice and humans and showed how irisin transforms white fat cells into brown ones, at least in mice.

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Heidi Godman

Eating for pleasure easier to overdo than eating when hungry

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Tower of cupcakes

When you polish off a piece of chocolate cake and immediately start thinking about having another, you might suspect that eating for pleasure may trigger overeating. A new study out of Italy, where they know a thing or two about good food, supports this notion. Researchers from Naples and Salerno found that eating for enjoyment [...]

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Heidi Godman

Z-Pak users: be on the alert for heart-rhythm problems

Heidi Godman, Executive Editor, Harvard Health Letter
Heart with heart rhythm

If you’ve battled bronchitis or endured an ear infection, chances are good you were prescribed the antibiotic azithromycin (Zithromax), which is commonly available in a five-day dose known as the Z-Pak. But a recent study suggests that the Z-Pak may do some harm even as it heals. The 14-year study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that people taking azithromycin have a 2.5-fold increased chance of heart-related death within five days of starting a Z-Pak, compared to people taking the antibiotic amoxicillin. Individuals with heart failure, diabetes or a previous heart attack, as well as those who have had bypass surgery or had stents implanted, are at even higher risk.

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