Harvard Health

Follow me on Twitter @JohnRossMD If you think that there’s a lot of flu going around this winter, you’re absolutely right. Every state except Hawaii is reporting widespread influenza activity, making for a lot of miserable people suffering from classic flu symptoms of cough, fever, headache, stuffy nose, and achy muscles. Hospitals across the United States have been flooded with flu patients. Matters have been made worse by national shortages of IV fluids in the wake of Hurricane Maria. Are we headed toward a historically bad flu season? It’s too early to tell. This year, it could just be that flu season, which is usually at its worst in February, is peaking early. Even an average flu season is a public health disaster, leading to between 12,000 and 56,000 excess deaths in American adults. There have been several tragic and widely publicized deaths of children this flu season, with at least 30 such cases so far. Unfortunately, this is not that unusual. In the United States, 98 kids died of flu-related complications in the most recent flu season. In recent years, deaths of children from flu in the US have ranged from 35 in 2011–2012, to a peak of 282 in the 2009–2010 flu season. Mos Harvard Health...

I got a new doctor last year and at my first exam, he asked the standard, “What do you like to do for fun?” I laughed at him. I said that I have a 6-year-old and 3-year-old, mumbled something about poker games, and then my answer stopped. I’m not complaining, at least not much. I like my family and they require time. I don’t mind giving it, though I also work at home, a personal choice that comes with great benefits. But I can’t completely disappear, so sometimes, it just feels like an unending amount of time. My friends with older kids try to be supportive, saying that my wife, Jenny, and I are in the deepest part of the hole and it will soon get better, but they said that last year, and maybe the year before — I don’t really remember. I know that I should squeeze in something like listening to music, reading, or doing nothing. It just never tops the priority list. I feel guilty spending time or money on anything that isn’t family-related. Jenny feels the same. We’re not pioneers with this mindset. As Dr. Beth Frates, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, says, it’s almost a default. “If you’re not working or taking care of another Harvard Health...

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire The trial of Larry Nasser, the physician who sexually abused female gymnasts, has been deeply disturbing. It’s hard to fathom how he managed to abuse hundreds of girls for so many years. Sadly, this can happen with sexual abuse. Very often, the perpetrator is someone known to the family, someone they may even trust. Very often, victims don’t understand that what is happening to them is abuse — and very often, talking about it is hard because of shame and fear. As a society, we need to do a better job of protecting our children. But there are also lessons that parents can teach their children that can help keep them safe. Here are some suggestions from the American Academy of Pediatrics: 1.  Teach children the names of their body parts. It can feel awkward, as we sometimes think of words like “penis” or “vagina” as words that shouldn’t be used in regular conversation — and words we don’t want our preschoolers saying to other children at the playground. But by teaching them the actual names of all of their body parts, including their genitals, we do two important things: we give them the proper words to use to tell us should something happen, and we let Harvard Health...

Follow me on Twitter @RobShmerling This is the time of year when it’s important to think about flu vaccinations. And there’s good reason for that! The flu causes thousands of preventable hospitalizations and deaths each year. But what about other vaccinations? Do you think of them as something for kids? You aren’t alone. And it’s true, a number of vaccinations are recommended for young children as well as preteens and teenagers. These vaccinations have provided an enormous benefit to public health by preventing diseases that were common and sometimes deadly in the past, including polio, rubella, and whooping cough. But there are several vaccinations recommended for healthy adults as well. And over time, these recommendations change. Here is a quick rundown. Vaccinations for adults According to the CDC, adults should consider receiving vaccinations to prevent influenza (during the fall and winter) tetanus a certain type of bacterial pneumonia (called pneumococcal pneumonia) shingles meningitis. In addition, adults should have vaccinations to prevent a number of infections if they were not received during childhood. Examples include the MMR vaccine (for measles, mumps, and rubella), Harvard Health...

Okay, everyone knows smoking is bad for you, the number one cause of preventable death in the US and the world, a direct cause of lung and heart disease and cancer… et cetera. So let’s get right down to the nitty-gritty: quitting smoking is tough. What can people do to quit? To answer this question, I spoke with my colleague Nancy Rigotti, MD. Dr. Rigotti is director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Tobacco Research and Treatment Center. She has extensively researched nicotine and tobacco, evaluated public policies on tobacco, contributed to US Surgeon General’s Reports, and authored clinical guidelines on smoking cessation. “It’s never too late nor too early to quit,” she emphasizes. Research shows that even people who quit after age 65 can enjoy a longer, healthier life span. Two-pronged approach is best Behavioral strategies can help, medicines can also help, but what’s best is a combination of both. Behavior strategies can include counseling from a healthcare provider, self-help from websites or text message services, and/or social support. If someone has an underlying psychological issue like depression, anxiety, alcohol, or another substance use disorder, addressing thos Harvard Health...

Every year in the US, about 10,000 persons are treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, and roughly 400 die from unintentional exposure. This mostly occurs in our cold winter months, like now… Why winter? Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless, colorless, and tasteless gas normally found in the atmosphere at low levels. Many things contribute to the level of CO in the air, both outdoors (like pollution) and indoors (like tobacco smoke). High levels can also be produced from the buing of wood, gas, and other fuels. Poor heating systems or those with improper ventilation can lead to dangerous levels of CO in the air. This, coupled with energy-conserving “airtight” homes with insulation and sealed windows, can further trap CO inside. But unless you’re looking for it, you wouldn’t know you’re breathing in CO. What happens with CO poisoning? When CO is inhaled at high concentrations, it displaces the oxygen from the hemoglobin in red blood cells. That means the body doesn’t get the oxygen it needs. Symptoms of CO poisoning vary and may sound a lot like the flu — but there’s no fever. One clue may be a patte of symptoms that occur in the same enclosed space, but that improve outside in fr Harvard Health...

It is easy to ridicule a 2000-year-old treatment that can seem closer to magic than to science. Indeed, from the 1970s to around 2005, the skeptic’s point of view was understandable, because the scientific evidence to show that acupuncture worked, and why, was weak, and clinical trials were small and of poor quality. But things have changed since then. A lot. Thanks to the development of valid placebo controls (for example, a retractable “sham” device that looks like an acupuncture needle but does not penetrate the skin), and the publication of several large and well-designed clinical trials in the last decade, we have the start of a solid foundation for truly understanding the effectiveness of acupuncture. How do we know if acupuncture really works for pain? Individual large-scale clinical studies have consistently demonstrated that acupuncture provided better pain relief compared with usual care. However, most studies also showed little difference between real and sham (fake) acupuncture. In order to address this conce, a 2012 meta-analysis combined data from roughly 18,000 individual patients in 23 high-quality randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for common pain condit Harvard Health...

Follow me on Twitter @RobShmerling Venturing out in frigid conditions with our golden retriever, I was wishing I had wo another layer or two. And that got me thinking. Sparky’s got a thick coat of fur, but is that enough? Is there more I should be doing for him during cold snaps? On our last walk, I’m pretty sure he would have said yes. In fact, there are a number of things we can do to make sure our pets are safe during the worst of winter. Here are 10 things experts recommend: 1.  When retuing from a walk, clean off your pet’s paws and check them for redness or cracks. 2.  Apply petroleum jelly (or other paw protection product) to your dog’s paw pads. Or, have your pet wear booties. 3.  Use only pet-friendly ice melt. 4.  Get a coat or sweater for your short-haired dog. 5.  If your pet usually sleeps on the floor or near a window or door, get them a pet bed and move it away from the coldest parts of the house. 6.  Don’t leave your pet in a car. Although we hear often about the risks of pets overheating in cars in the warmer weather, cars cool down quickly in winter and pose a risk for pets left inside. 7.  Don’t leave your pet outside. Even for dogs or cats that spend most of Harvard Health...

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire The first 1,000 days of life are crucial for brain development — and food plays an important role. The ways that the brain develops during pregnancy and during the first two years of life are like scaffolding: they literally define how the brain will work for the rest of a person’s life. Nerves grow and connect and get covered with myelin, creating the systems that decide how a child — and the adult she becomes — thinks and feels. Those connections and changes affect sensory systems, leaing, memory, attention, processing speed, the ability to control impulses and mood, and even the ability to multitask or plan. Those connections and changes cannot be undone, either. How the brain begins is how it stays. The environment a child lives in, and how they are loved and nurtured, is crucial for these connections and changes. Breastfeeding can also make a big difference, not just because breast milk is the perfect first food but also because of the close contact with the mother that is part of breastfeeding. There are also certain nutrients that are necessary for healthy brain development. These nutrients include: Protein. Protein can be found in meat, poul Harvard Health...

Recently, Massachusetts Goveor Charlie Baker introduced “An Act Relative to Combatting Addiction, Accessing Treatment, Reducing Prescriptions, and Enhancing Prevention” (CARE Act) as part of a larger legislative package to tackle the state’s opioid crisis. The proposal would expand on the state’s existing involuntary commitment law, building on an already deeply-troubled system. Baker’s proposal is part of a misguided national trend to use involuntary commitment or other coercive treatment mechanisms to address the country’s opioid crisis. The CARE Act and involuntary hold Right now, Section 35 of Massachusetts General Law chapter 123 authorizes the state to involuntarily commit someone with an alcohol or substance use disorder for up to 90 days. The legal standards and procedures for commitment are broad; a police officer, physician, or family member of an individual whose substance use presents the “likelihood of serious harm” can petition the court. Upon reviewing a petition, the court can issue a warrant for the arrest of the person with substance use disorder. The individual — who is not charged with a crime — is held pending an examination by a court-appointed clinician. Th Harvard Health...