Recent Blog Articles
How do trees and green spaces enhance our health?
A muscle-building obsession in boys: What to know and do
Harvard Health Ad Watch: New drug, old song, clever tagline
Concussion in children: What to know and do
What color is your tongue? What's healthy, what's not?
Your amazing parathyroid glands
When — and how — should you be screened for colon cancer?
Co-regulation: Helping children and teens navigate big emotions
Dog bites: How to prevent or treat them
Will miscarriage care remain available?
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
Harvard Health Ad Watch: Why are toilets everywhere in this drug ad?
An ad for a medication featuring a person sitting on a toilet in multiple settings is eye-catching, but as with most drug ads, it doesn't provide some important information — such as common symptoms of the condition the drug is meant to treat.
Chronic stomach pain in children: What's the most common cause?
Mind and body are tightly connected. If a child experiences stomach pain lasting two months or more, it may be functional abdominal pain caused by stress, depression, or anxiety. While common, this is challenging to diagnose and treat.
Monitoring blood pressure at home? Make sure you follow these steps
Your doctor may ask you to track your blood pressure at home to help decide if you need to start taking medication or to track your response to treatment. Here's how to get accurate readings.
Heat rash: How to spot it and what to do
Lingering heat waves have brought warnings about recognizing and preventing heat-related illnesses. Heat rash, while not dangerous itself, can signal heat exposure that may lead to more serious conditions. Here's how to avoid and treat it.
Leprosy in Florida: How worried should we be?
News coverage of a case of leprosy in central Florida may have made it seem like there is an increased threat the disease would spread. Misconceptions about this disease have persisted for a long time, but the facts are reassuring.
Validation: Defusing intense emotions
Validation is a valuable communication technique that can help people feel heard and understood. When used correctly it helps us understand another person's feelings and establishes trust, particularly in situations with heightened emotions.
Prostate cancer: An emerging surgical alternative shows promise in older men
In some men with localized prostate cancer, focal therapy is an alternative to radical prostatectomy. This procedure removes only the cancerous part of the gland, and growing evidence shows it can be an effective strategy.
Tourette syndrome: Understanding the basics
Involuntary tics are very common, with as many as one in five children experiencing them at some point. They may be temporary or long-lasting. Tic disorders like Tourette syndrome usually are diagnosed during childhood, though sometimes this happens later.
Plyometrics: Three explosive exercises even beginners can try
Plyometric training involves short, intense bursts of activity that target fast-twitch muscle fibers in the lower body that generate power for increased speed and jumping height. Doing plyometric exercises can boost strength, power, and agility.
Think fast: How does your face protect you?
Not only is our face our calling card to the world, its features evolved to mount immune system defenses, help ward off illness, and protect us in many ways. Our eyes, nose, mouth, and facial structure itself all contribute to our continued well-being.
Denial: How it hurts, how it helps, and how to cope
Denial is a natural response at times when you're unable or unwilling to face the facts. As a defense mechanism, it can be helpful or harmful. Here's how to spot it in yourself and others, and how to move from denial toward meaningful change.
Can a multivitamin improve your memory?
Recently published research suggests that a daily multivitamin may improve memory enough such that it can function as if you were three years younger. We take a closer look at the study.
Stomachs growl, noses run, and yawning is contagious: Ever wonder why?
There are things our bodies do so often and so automatically that we barely notice them. Yawning, growling stomachs, and runny noses are good examples. Each is a universal part of our daily human experience — but did you ever wonder why?
Creating communities that help support neurodiverse children
For neurodiverse children and their families, the landscape of friendships and social spaces can feel unwelcoming. Being more inclusive is a positive step, yet it takes more to create communities where everyone feels they belong.
FDA approves new treatment for advanced prostate cancer
Approval by the FDA of a new drug combination for treatment of advanced prostate cancer fills a need and offers new hope to men whose cancer has progressed and who have already tried other therapies.
Orienteering: Great exercise and better thinking skills?
The navigation sport orienteering combines map and compass reading with exercise. It's a fun way to get outside and get some exercise — and it may even help fight cognitive decline.
What is somatic therapy?
Trauma can register within our bodies on a cellular level. What that means — and how best to heal from serious traumas — is the focus of somatic therapy, a newer form of mental health counseling that highlights how deeply painful experiences affect us and can be addressed through mind-body approaches.
Hot weather hikes: Staying safe when temperatures spike
Summer is a great time to take a hike, but it's essential to make sure you're prepared for the weather and conditions where you are. Hiking safely and planning ahead will make your trek more enjoyable.
IBD and LGBTQ+: How it can affect sexual health
Inflammatory bowel disease, a condition that causes inflammation along the gastrointestinal tract, has a major impact on daily life. For people who identify as LGBTQ+ there are some specific concerns and issues to understand and consider.
Mud runs: Dirty, challenging, next-level fun
Mud runs are outdoor team events that take the form of an obstacle-course competition and promise plenty of good, clean (dirt-covered) fun for participants. Competing in a mud race is physically challenging, but can deliver many health benefits for those who train for them.
Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health
Wildfire smoke contributes greatly to poor air quality, and as wildfires become more frequent due to climate change and drier conditions, more of us and more of our communities are at risk for health harms.
Ringworm: What to know and do
Ringworm is a common, contagious skin infection caused by a fungus. Children can get it from other people who have it or from an infected animal. While it can be itchy and unpleasant, ringworm is usually harmless.
Health warnings on exercise equipment: Should you worry?
If you work out at a gym, you may notice warnings on the exercise equipment. For most of us, these warnings should not be cause for alarm, although people with certain health conditions should be cautious about exercising.
A hot weather plan is essential to staying healthy
Summer has arrived in the Northern Hemisphere, along with higher temperatures that put a stress on the body. Here's why it's more important than ever to have a personal heat plan.
Recent Blog Articles
How do trees and green spaces enhance our health?
A muscle-building obsession in boys: What to know and do
Harvard Health Ad Watch: New drug, old song, clever tagline
Concussion in children: What to know and do
What color is your tongue? What's healthy, what's not?
Your amazing parathyroid glands
When — and how — should you be screened for colon cancer?
Co-regulation: Helping children and teens navigate big emotions
Dog bites: How to prevent or treat them
Will miscarriage care remain available?
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