Recent Blog Articles
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
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Can AI answer medical questions better than your doctor?
Diseases & Conditions Archive
Articles
News briefs: Flu shot linked to lower risk of heart problems, say Harvard researchers
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If you haven't yet gotten your flu shot this winter, consider this: a study published in the October 23/30, 2013, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association found that getting an influenza vaccination was associated with a lower risk for developing major heart problems. How much lower? About a third, and that effect lasted for up to a year, warding off conditions such as heart failure, heart attack, stroke, and even death. The biggest protective benefit was for people who had recently experienced heart problems such as a heart attack or unstable angina—a 55% reduction in major cardiac events compared with other patients. Researchers believe a flu shot may stop the virus from causing trouble in your arteries. "The virus might actually stir up inflammation and affect the cholesterol plaques in the artery, which then break open and lead to a heart attack," says study author and cardiologist Dr. Christopher Cannon, a Harvard Medical School professor. The study didn't absolutely prove that flu shots protect against heart attacks, and the research team hopes to do a larger prospective trial.
Urine testing no longer routine
Q. At my last physical, the doctor did not collect urine for tests. Shouldn't that always be part of a physical?
A. Urinalysis used to be routine during check-ups, typically to test for traces of blood, protein, or sugar. This helped to identify people with hidden kidney disease or diabetes. Currently, most diseases that we can detect with urinalysis can be diagnosed much earlier with blood tests. Since blood testing is more common in doctors' offices now and urinalysis adds little new information, many doctors do not do it routinely.
Ask the doctor: Carotid artery narrowing
Q. During a recent appointment, my cardiologist heard a sound in my neck and sent me for an ultrasound, which showed a narrowing in my carotid artery. The doctor said this means I'm at risk for a stroke. Because I'm already taking all the right medicines, his only recommendation was getting another ultrasound in a year. But if the narrowing gets worse and I have a stroke, won't that be too late?
A. The carotid arteries, found on either side of the neck, are the main supply route for blood to reach the brain. If cholesterol-laden plaque clogs one of these arteries, it sometimes produces a distinctive sound (called a bruit [BROO-ee]) that a doctor can detect with a stethoscope. That finding usually prompts an ultrasound.
Ask the doctor: Why do I always feel so cold?
Q. My husband is always warm, and I'm always cold, no matter what the time of year. Are women just naturally colder than men, or could there be something wrong with me?
A. What you're describing may be perfectly normal. The reason you're cold has to do with our bodies' self-preservation mechanisms. Whenever the temperature drops, tiny blood vessels called capillaries under the skin constrict, diverting blood away from our hands and feet to our vital organs—including our heart and lungs—where it's needed most. In women, this process occurs faster than in men, which is one reason why we feel colder than them. This is especially true as we age, because our basal metabolic rate slows, so we burn fewer calories and generate less heat. We also lose the subcutaneous fat under our skin, which means we have a little less insulation from the cold.
Kinder, gentler colonoscopy preps
Q. My doctor has recommended that I have a colonoscopy this year. The last time I had one, the preparation I had to drink the day before the procedure tasted awful. Are there any new preparations that are easier to take?
A. You have several options now for cleaning out the colon before colonoscopy, often called a "colon prep." Perhaps you can find one that is less disagreeable than the last one. In colonoscopy, a doctor examines the colon for abnormalities. To provide the clearest view, it's important for you to complete the laxative colon prep as directed.
Chronic heartburn: Do you need an endoscopy?
Before your doctor takes a "just in case" look down your throat for trouble, make sure you really need this procedure.
One in five men has felt the burning discomfort of heartburn in the past month, and for many men it is a chronic malady requiring daily medication. For a variety of reasons, those with chronic heartburn end up having one or more endoscopies, in which a doctor uses a flexible lighted instrument to check for trouble down below in the esophagus.
Cholesterol-lowering statins linked to small increase in cataract risk
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More than 30 million people in the United States take statins to keep their cholesterol in check. But a new study finds this group may be at increased risk for developing cataracts, a main cause of poor vision and blindness. The study in JAMA Ophthalmology, published online Sept. 19, 2013, found that people taking statins were about 27% more likely to have cataracts than those not taking them. The study didn't prove the drugs cause cataracts, only that they're associated with an increased risk of developing them. So should you stop taking your statin? "That would be a mistake," says cardiologist Dr. Deepak Bhatt, a Harvard Medical School professor and editor-in-chief of the Harvard Heart Letter. "Even if the increase in risk for cataracts observed in this study is real, it was a small excess risk in a condition that can be easily identified and treated versus the reduction in heart attack risk that statins are known to provide, at least in people who are at elevated risk of heart attacks." Cataracts often occur with age, when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. It can be removed and replaced with an artificial lens in a common outpatient procedure.
Ask the doctor: What's the best way to treat toenail fungus?
Q. My toenails are thick and discolored. They're so unsightly that I'm too embarrassed to wear sandals when I go on vacation. What can I do about them?
A. Toenails naturally change in consistency with age. But coupled with discoloration, the thickening, as well as other symptoms like brittleness and white or yellow streaks on the sides, could be a sign of nail fungus. Fungi like to live in the toenails, which provide a dark, moist environment for them to grow. As you get older, reduced blood circulation and the natural thickening of your toenails makes you more likely to develop an infection.
Preventing the burn of heartburn
Follow these anti-reflux strategies to avoid a painful end to your holiday meal.
The holiday season is a time well known for gastronomic excesses. Yet there are repercussions from these overindulgences. Eating too many holiday foods can lead to uncomfortable aftereffects, especially if you head straight to the couch. "People eat a huge meal and then they often recline in front of the television afterward, and that's a good setup for gastroesophageal reflux," explains Dr. Lawrence S. Friedman, who is the Anton R. Fried, M.D., Chair of the Department of Medicine at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
That pain in your side could be diverticular disease
Fiber and an active lifestyle prevent flare-ups, but act promptly if it hurts or bleeds.
Many men discover they have diverticular disease after a routine colon screening exam to check for hidden colon cancer. Others find out the hard way: intense lower abdominal pain and a fever, and sometimes copious rectal bleeding. What's going on down there, and what can you do about it?
Recent Blog Articles
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?
Can AI answer medical questions better than your doctor?
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