Recent Blog Articles

Dupuytren's contracture of the hand

Why play? Early games build bonds and brain

Moving from couch to 5K

How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals

Tick season is expanding: Protect yourself against Lyme disease

What? Another medical form to fill out?

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

Medical Tests & Procedures Archive

Women's Health

Reducing heart risks in the wake of breast cancer treatment

Published August 1, 2021

Hormone therapy is a highly successful breast cancer treatment for women, but it can elevate cardiovascular risk. Women can reduce those risks by being vigilant about their heart health and working closely with their doctors. Women who have taken or are taking these medications as part of breast cancer treatment should focus on adopting a healthy lifestyle, exercising regularly, and keeping close tabs on their blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels.

Staying Healthy

Look inside your heart

Published August 1, 2021

The traditional measures to gauge heart disease risk don’t always tell the whole story. Sometimes more medical information is needed. An increasingly used test to predict a person’s risk for heart attack or stroke is a coronary artery calcium scan. It measures the amount of calcified plaque in the heart’s arteries, high levels of which suggest higher overall plaque buildup. The number can determine if people should begin statin therapy and make additional lifestyle changes.

Cancer

Vitamin D and the big C

Published July 1, 2021

New research has found an association between high and low levels of vitamin D and cancer risk. However, many older adults don’t get the recommended daily amount of 600 to 800 international units, as the main sources of vitamin D are sun exposure (which many people try to avoid) and certain foods, like fatty fish, fortified milk and cereal. Getting vitamin D levels checked to find a possible deficiency can reveal if someone needs more vitamin D, which may require taking a daily supplement.

Staying Healthy

5 important blood tests beyond the basics

Published July 1, 2021

Five blood tests beyond basic blood work may be worth pursuing for older adults. For example, a test to determine one’s vitamin B₁₂ level might be helpful, since older adults sometimes have trouble absorbing that vitamin. Likewise, older adults have less ability to absorb sunlight through the skin, which may lead to less production of vitamin D. Other blood tests to consider include those for HIV or hepatitis C infection, and a test to measure fasting blood sugar.

Staying Healthy

Advisory group: Too soon to recommend routine vitamin D screening

Published July 1, 2021

An advisory group finds there is not enough evidence to recommend routine screening for vitamin D deficiency.

Staying Healthy

Is blood sugar monitoring without diabetes worthwhile?

Updated April 23, 2024

Implantable blood sugar monitoring devices known as CGMs have revolutionized care for millions of people with diabetes. Now several companies are marketing them for people without diabetes to monitor blood sugar levels –– but is there any evidence for health benefits?

Men's Health

Large review study finds low risk of erectile dysfunction after prostate biopsy

Published June 10, 2021

Prostate cancer biopsies have a low risk of side effects, but some men do experience sexual dysfunction after the procedure. But a large review of sdudies has found that these issues usually resolve within one to three months.

Cancer

Screening for lung cancer

Updated June 1, 2021

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends more people should undergo lung cancer screening.

Cancer

More people now eligible for lung cancer screening

Updated June 1, 2021

Updated guidelines suggest current and former smokers get an annual lung cancer screening including those who have quit within the past 15 years.

Heart Health

Less-invasive treatment for unsightly leg veins as good as surgery

Updated May 1, 2021

Research we're watching

A minimally invasive treatment for treating varicose veins is as effective as surgery to remove the faulty veins, according to a new study.

Most varicose veins — gnarled, bluish veins just under the skin's surface — result from problems with the great saphenous vein, the large vein located near the inside of the leg that runs from the ankle to the upper thigh. The surrounding muscles and one-way valves in the vein weaken, a condition called venous insufficiency.

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Recent Blog Articles

Dupuytren's contracture of the hand

Why play? Early games build bonds and brain

Moving from couch to 5K

How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals

Tick season is expanding: Protect yourself against Lyme disease

What? Another medical form to fill out?

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

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