
Avocado nutrition: Health benefits and easy recipes

Swimming lessons save lives: What parents should know

Preventing and treating iliotibial (IT) band syndrome: Tips for pain-free movement

Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health

What can magnesium do for you and how much do you need?

Dry socket: Preventing and treating a painful condition that can occur after tooth extraction

What happens during sleep — and how to improve it

How is metastatic prostate cancer detected and treated in men over 70?

Could biofeedback help your migraines?

What is autism spectrum disorder?

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Dr. Robert H. Shmerling is the former clinical chief of the division of rheumatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and is a current member of the corresponding faculty in medicine at Harvard Medical School. As a practicing rheumatologist for over 30 years, Dr. Shmerling engaged in a mix of patient care, teaching, and research. His research interests center on diagnostic studies in patients with musculoskeletal symptoms, and rheumatic and autoimmune diseases. He has published research regarding infectious arthritis, medical ethics, and diagnostic test performance in rheumatic disease. Having retired from patient care in 2019, Dr. Shmerling now works as a senior faculty editor for Harvard Health Publishing.
Twitter: @RobShmerling
Posts by Robert H. Shmerling, MD

Cancer
The problem with tanning (and the myth of the base tan)

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
Can you virtually improve your knee pain?

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
Some medications don’t help back pain as much as we thought

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
The data are in: Eat right, reduce your risk of diabetes

Staying Healthy
Do glucosamine and chondroitin supplements actually work for arthritis?

Exercise & Fitness
Staying active at “that time of the month”

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
What exactly is cupping?

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
The truth behind standing desks

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
What Michelangelo’s hands (can and can’t) tell us about arthritis

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
The truth about tequila and your bones

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
Taking your medications as prescribed: Smartphones can help
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Staying Healthy
How useful is the body mass index (BMI)?

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
My fall last fall: Reaction time and getting older

Exercise & Fitness
Vitamin D and physical function: Is more better?

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
Why men often die earlier than women

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
Kidney stones are on the rise

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
Don't judge your mucus by its color

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
What happens when you faint?

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
The gender gap in sports injuries

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
Can the weather really worsen arthritis pain?

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
The placebo effect: Amazing and real

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
Is it hard to decide about total knee replacement? Totally!

Robert H. Shmerling, MD
First, do no harm

Skin and Hair
Are There Benefits to a "Base" Tan?

Avocado nutrition: Health benefits and easy recipes

Swimming lessons save lives: What parents should know

Preventing and treating iliotibial (IT) band syndrome: Tips for pain-free movement

Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health

What can magnesium do for you and how much do you need?

Dry socket: Preventing and treating a painful condition that can occur after tooth extraction

What happens during sleep — and how to improve it

How is metastatic prostate cancer detected and treated in men over 70?

Could biofeedback help your migraines?

What is autism spectrum disorder?