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Vaccines and immunizations Archive

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7 strategies to prevent cancer

Making healthy lifestyle changes can prevent an estimated 40% of cancers. These include eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep, and maintaining a healthy body weight. People can also help prevent cancers by seeking recommended cancer screenings. Some screenings merely identify cancers early, but others, such as colonoscopies and Pap tests, can find precancerous conditions and are actually able to prevent cancer.

Supporting a bullied child

If you learn your child has been bullied, ignore the temptation to fantasize about retaliation and focus on your child's immediate needs instead. Parents can't stop bullies from crossing paths with their children, but they can teach their children how to manage such situations.

New information for parents on myocarditis and COVID-19 vaccines

Reports of young people developing myocarditis and pericarditis after getting one of the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 have made some parents reluctant to get their children vaccinated. It's understandable to worry about such a side effect, but before choosing not to vaccinate, it's important to look at the whole picture.

COVID-19 and cardiovascular concerns: An evolving story

Physicians’ understanding of how a COVID-19 infection affects the heart is still evolving. More definitive answers require long-term, randomized clinical trials that control for different factors (including varied medical histories and medication use) to study how COVID-19—and possible therapies—affect people who have or are at risk for heart disease. Like other infectious organisms, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) can increase the risk of blood clots and may damage the heart, but the danger is less common than initial reports suggested.

Adjusting gut bacteria may improve response to cancer treatment

Gut bacteria may play a role in response to cancer treatments that target the immune system.

5 important blood tests beyond the basics

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.

Making visits to the dentist easier for people with autism spectrum disorder

Proper dental care is essential for all children, including learning how to brush and going for regular dental visits. But for children with autism spectrum disorder, the sensory aspects of a dental office may be uncomfortable, difficult, or overwhelming. But there are things parents can do to make these visits easier.

Children not yet vaccinated against COVID-19? What to do

Now that many people have been vaccinated against COVID-19, it feels like things are starting to return to something resembling normal. But because the vaccines have not yet been approved for those under 12, families with children under this age need to be careful and thoughtful as they plan summer activities.

HIV rates rising: Could new forms of PrEP help?

Last year, approximately 1.7 million new HIV infections occurred worldwide, and rates of infection are also rising in parts of the US. While a daily pill known as PrEP can help prevent HIV, two new formulations could make it easier for a broader range of at-risk people to use.

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