Author: avpfqg

  • Moving from couch to 5K

    Moving from couch to 5K

    Need a little motivation and structure to ramp up your walking routine? Want to wake up your workouts but not quite ready for a mud run? Consider trying a couch-to-5K program. Dr. Adam Tenforde, medical director of the Spaulding National Running Center at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and a sports medicine physician at Mass General…

  • What color is your tongue? What’s healthy, what’s not?

    What color is your tongue? What’s healthy, what’s not?

    If the eyes are the windows to the soul, then consider the tongue a sort of check-engine light for the body. The tongue’s appearance gives doctors an idea about certain aspects of your health, and its color is an important clue. What should your tongue look like? The tongue should have a rounded, symmetrical shape.…

  • Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health

    Wildfires: How to cope when smoke affects air quality and health

    As wildfires become more frequent due to climate change and drier conditions, more of us and more of our communities are at risk for harm. Here is information to help you prepare and protect yourself and your family. How does wildfire smoke affect air quality? Wildfire smoke contributes greatly to poor air quality. Just like…

  • PTSD: How is treatment changing?

    PTSD: How is treatment changing?

    Over the course of a lifetime, as many as seven in 10 adults in the United States will directly experience or witness harrowing events. These include gun violence, car accidents, and other personal trauma; natural or human-made disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 terrorist attacks; and military combat. And some — though not…

  • A bird flu primer: What to know and do

    A bird flu primer: What to know and do

    A bird flu strain that began circulating in 2020 continues to evolve globally and locally within the United States. If you’re wondering what this means, understanding the basics — what bird flu is, how it spreads, whether foods are safe, and prevention tips — can help. More information will come in as scientists learn more,…

  • How healthy is sugar alcohol?

    How healthy is sugar alcohol?

    If you are trying to cut back on added sugar — and you should, because excess sugar increases risks for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease — you might be tempted by products advertised as low sugar, no sugar, or sugar-free. Many contain familiar low-calorie sugar substitutes like aspartame or sucralose instead of sugar. And as…

  • Harvard Health Ad Watch: New drug, old song, clever tagline

    Harvard Health Ad Watch: New drug, old song, clever tagline

    It’s not often that a new drug comes along that could help nearly a quarter of the adult population. But when it does, you can bet you’ll see ads for it on TV and the Internet. That’s the case with Veozah (fezolinetant), a medicine for hot flashes and night sweats due to menopause that was…

  • How do trees and green spaces enhance our health?

    How do trees and green spaces enhance our health?

    Trees enhance life in a multitude of ways. They combat climate change by reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They muffle sound pollution and reduce air pollution, drawing in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. When rain pours from the skies, trees decrease stormwater runoff, preventing flooding and soil erosion. They also provide valuable habitats to…

  • What? Another medical form to fill out?

    What? Another medical form to fill out?

    You’re in a doctor’s office with a clipboard and a pile of medical forms on your lap. For the umpteenth time, you must now jot down your medical history — conditions, ongoing symptoms, past procedures, current medications, and even the health of family members. But how much information should you include? Which details are most…

  • A muscle-building obsession in boys: What to know and do

    A muscle-building obsession in boys: What to know and do

    By the time boys are 8 or 10, they’re steeped in Marvel action heroes with bulging, oversized muscles and rock-hard abs. By adolescence, they’re deluged with social media streams of bulked-up male bodies. The underlying messages about power and worth prompt many boys to worry and wonder about how to measure up. Sometimes, negative thoughts…