Diseases & Conditions Archive

Here's how to prepare for the coming allergy season.

Spring is in the air, and so are millions of pollen particles, the tiny grains that fertilize plants. Seasonal allergies — also known as hay fever — can affect almost anyone and at any time in life. Although most people begin to experience allergies in childhood or early adulthood, sometimes the symptoms become more problematic later in life, especially if their living environment changes.

"Even if you have never suffered from allergies — or used to when you were much younger but not anymore — there is a good chance you will become more sensitive to pollen as you reach your 60s and 70s, although it's not clear why," says Dr. Mariana Castells, of the Department of Allergy, Rheumatology, and Immunology at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

But these remedies aren't the best choice if you have frequent heartburn.

You feel the familiar sensation in your chest: heartburn. Again, you find yourself reaching for the bottle of antacids in the medicine cabinet. It's something you've done a few times a week for the past six months. Is it okay to keep popping over-the-counter acid reducers, or is it time to see a doctor?

We asked two experts, Dr. Jennifer Nayor and Dr. Molly Linn Perencevich, both instructors in medicine at Harvard Medical School, for their thoughts on heartburn, including when it's okay to use over-the-counter antacids and when you should seek other treatments. Below are their responses.

Ask the doctors

Q. I recently had diverticulitis. I'd like to avoid a recurrence. Is there anything I can do to prevent this painful condition in the future?

A. As people age, small pouches often form in the wall of the large intestine, a condition called diverticulosis. If food or bacteria become trapped in these pouches, they can become inflamed or infected, which is known as diverticulitis.

Research we're watching

If you have an arthritis-related condition called Heberden's nodes, you may be at higher risk for arthritis-related knee problems, according to a study published online January 9 by Arthritis & Rheumatology.

Heberden's nodes develop when cartilage in the fingers wears away, causing the bones to rub against one another. This prompts new bone to form, creating bony nodules in the knuckles closest to the fingertips.

There are many types of yoga. One of the most popular forms practiced in the United States is known as hatha yoga, a style that focuses on maintaining specific poses. What sets yoga apart from most other exercise programs is that it places as great an emphasis on mental fitness as on physical fitness, what's known as the mind-body connection.

Studies suggest that yoga has benefits for people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, low back pain, and many other types of chronic pain conditions. It can also improve mood, which can be helpful to people with CFS who are depressed.

News briefs

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For some people, it's tough to prevent flare-ups of rosacea, the reddened and sometimes bumpy skin that shows up on the cheeks, nose, and other areas of the face. Caffeine, heat and sun exposure, and a long list of foods (everything from spicy foods to yogurt) have been thought to trigger rosacea or make it worse. But a study published online Oct. 17, 2018, by JAMA Dermatology not only pokes a hole in the idea that caffeine is to blame, it also suggests that one major caffeine source — coffee — might even reduce the risk of rosacea. Researchers analyzed health and diet survey responses gathered every four years from nearly 83,000 women (most of whom were white) from 1991 to 2005. It turns out that women who drank four or more cups of caffeinated coffee per day were 23% less likely to report a diagnosis of rosacea during the study period, compared with women who drank less than one cup per month. Increased caffeine intake from tea, soda, and chocolate had no impact on the likelihood of developing rosacea. The study was only observational and can't prove cause and effect. But coffee has also been linked to many other health benefits, including lower blood pressure, a slower rate of weight gain with age, and reduced risks for developing type 2 diabetes or dying from cardiovascular disease or neurological diseases.

Direct-to-consumer tests may help predict risks to your future health. But are they worth the cost and trouble?

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Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic test kits are a popular way to identify a person's ancestral history, but the technology may also reveal whether someone is at risk for specific diseases and conditions, like Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, and even cancer.

"More and more people want to explore their own medical data, and a DTC genetic test is one way to begin to understand some aspects of your future health," says Dr. Robert Green, a medical geneticist at the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital and director of the Genomes2People Research Program. "Yet it is important to realize that DTC testing is not the same as genetic testing in a medical context, and is not a comprehensive examination of your DNA."