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I Wish I’d Known About the Shingles Vaccine Sooner
Read More: I Wish I’d Known About the Shingles Vaccine SoonerAs told to Nicole Audrey Spector I was overdue for a vacation. Working five to six days a week for 15 months straight as a public health nurse responding to the needs of Covid-19 patients was the most fulfilling work of my career. But it was also stressful. Even I — someone who feels her…
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Why Aren’t Pregnant Women Getting Vaccinated?
Read More: Why Aren’t Pregnant Women Getting Vaccinated?Can pregnant women get vaccinated? There is well-documented evidence of the efficacy, safety and benefits of maternal immunization. But, despite that evidence and the recommendations of healthcare providers, many pregnant women do not receive essential vaccines during pregnancy that protect their babies against influenza (flu), tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough (Tdap). In 2019 and 2020,…
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Will Omicron-Specific Booster Shots Be More Effective at Combating Covid-19? 5 Questions Answered
Read More: Will Omicron-Specific Booster Shots Be More Effective at Combating Covid-19? 5 Questions AnsweredBy Prakash Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina and Mitzi Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina On Sept. 1, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed the use of updated COVID-19 booster shots that are specifically tailored to combat the two most prevalent omicron subvariants, BA.4 and BA.5. The decision comes just a day after…
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10 Vaccines Adults Should Get
Read More: 10 Vaccines Adults Should GetDid you know that adults need vaccines, even if they got all their vaccines as a child? Some vaccines you received should last your lifetime, while others need boosters years later. There are also a few vaccines that you might need once you reach a certain age or if you are in a particular situation.…
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What’s the Connection Between Chickenpox and Shingles?
Read More: What’s the Connection Between Chickenpox and Shingles?Edie Norton went through her first bout of shingles when she was just 28. Now 60, the Herndon, Virginia, technical editor recalled having an itchy rash around her waist for several weeks before seeing a dermatologist. “My doctor took a skin sample of the rash to confirm that I had shingles,” Norton said. Fortunately, Norton’s…
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Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, HIV, Prevention, Preventive health, Sex, Sexually transmitted infections, Stds, Sti, Trichomoniasis, Vaccines
Why Did Sexually Transmitted Infections Go up During the Pandemic — and What Can We Do About It?
Read More: Why Did Sexually Transmitted Infections Go up During the Pandemic — and What Can We Do About It?No one would blame you for assuming that the number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) went down during the pandemic. After all, lockdowns prevented many of us from even talking to people outside our households — much less going out and having sex. In fact, reported cases of STIs did go down during the early…
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15 Minutes With: Kizzmekia S Corbett, Ph.D., Talks to HealthyWomen About Omicron
Read More: 15 Minutes With: Kizzmekia S Corbett, Ph.D., Talks to HealthyWomen About OmicronKizzmekia S Corbett, Ph.D, is a viral immunologist whose work focuses on propelling novel vaccine development for pandemic preparedness. She is a research fellow and the scientific lead for the Coronavirus Vaccines & Immunopathogenesis Team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and an assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard’s T. H.…
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I Thought I Knew About the Dangers of Summer Heat
Read More: I Thought I Knew About the Dangers of Summer HeatI knew better. Living in Arizona for 17 years, I’d gotten used to the blazing temperatures of summer. Days, and yes, nights, over 100 degrees for weeks on end are typical, and really not much of an issue unless your A/C goes out. Even on those handful of days that are over 110, I only…
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A Mother’s Journey to Getting Her Children Vaccinated
Read More: A Mother’s Journey to Getting Her Children VaccinatedEleven years ago, Kristen O’Meara was hesitant to vaccinate her newborn daughter. “I was suspicious,” O’Meara recalled. “I did a lot of anxious hand-wringing.” O’Meara, a special education director at a charter school in Chicago, said she began her online research with questions primed to turn up answers that reflected her bias. “I went in…
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It’s a Myth That Sunscreen Prevents Melanoma in People of Color – a Dermatologist Explains
Read More: It’s a Myth That Sunscreen Prevents Melanoma in People of Color – a Dermatologist ExplainsBy Adewole S. Adamson, University of Texas at Austin Melanoma is a potentially deadly form of skin cancer that effects people of every racial and ethnic group. The risk factor most closely linked to developing melanoma is exposure to ultraviolet, or UV, rays from the sun. In fact, sunburns have been associated with doubling one’s…
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Breast cancer, Breast cancer survivor, Breast health, cancer, Cancer survivor, COVID-19, Medical tests, Prevention, Real women real stories
I Thought My Swollen Lymph Nodes Were Side Effects From the Covid-19 Vaccine
Read More: I Thought My Swollen Lymph Nodes Were Side Effects From the Covid-19 VaccineAs told to Erica Rimlinger When I got my Covid-19 vaccine, I was told I might have side effects after the shot. Everyone’s immune system is different, so the list of side effects was long. I’d heard people say they were tired afterward or their arm hurt, but I guessed which side effects I’d get:…
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Should You Get a COVID-19 Booster Shot Now or Wait Until Fall? Two Immunologists Help Weigh the Options
Read More: Should You Get a COVID-19 Booster Shot Now or Wait Until Fall? Two Immunologists Help Weigh the OptionsBy Prakash Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina and Mitzi Nagarkatti, University of South Carolina While COVID-19 vaccines continue to be highly effective at preventing hospitalization and death, it has become clear that the protection offered by the current vaccines wanes over time. This necessitates the use of booster shots that are safe and effective in…
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How Hot Is Too Hot for the Human Body? Our Lab Found Heat + Humidity Gets Dangerous Faster Than Many People Realize
Read More: How Hot Is Too Hot for the Human Body? Our Lab Found Heat + Humidity Gets Dangerous Faster Than Many People RealizeBy W. Larry Kenney, Penn State; Daniel Vecellio, Penn State; Rachel Cottle, Penn State, and S. Tony Wolf, Penn State Heat waves are becoming supercharged as the climate changes – lasting longer, becoming more frequent and getting just plain hotter. One question a lot of people are asking is: “When will it get too hot…
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Access, Access to health care, cancer, Gender, Health disparities, Lgbtq, Medical tests, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities, Racism
Race, Gender and the Ways These Identities Intersect Matter in Cancer Outcomes
Read More: Race, Gender and the Ways These Identities Intersect Matter in Cancer OutcomesBy Timothy Pawlik, The Ohio State University; Elizabeth Palmer, The Ohio State University, and Samilia Obeng-Gyasi, The Ohio State University The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Belonging to one or more groups with long-standing social and economic disadvantages increases the risk of cancer diagnoses and death, according…
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cancer, Colon cancer, Espanol, Prevención, Prevención y exámenes, Prevenciones, Prevention, Preventive health
Cáncer colorrectal 101
Read More: Cáncer colorrectal 101El Dr. Robert Nagourney hizo la revisión médica de este documento Marzo es el mes de concientización del cáncer colorrectal a nivel nacional. El cáncer colorrectal se origina en el colon o en el recto, y también se conoce como cáncer rectal o de colon, dependiendo de en qué lugar se encontraron por primera vez…
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Cómo manejar un diagnóstico de cáncer colorrectal
Read More: Cómo manejar un diagnóstico de cáncer colorrectalMarzo es el mes de concientización del cáncer colorrectal a nivel nacional. Jamie VandenAvond notó sangre en su materia fecal a principios de 2021. Se preocupó un poco, pero también tenía que cuidar un bebé recién nacido en medio de la pandemia, así que hizo una nota mental de llamar a su doctor. Luego Jamie…
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Breast cancer, Breast cancer survivor, Breast health, Health disparities, Medical tests, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities
Why Do Women of Color Have Worse Breast Cancer Outcomes?
Read More: Why Do Women of Color Have Worse Breast Cancer Outcomes?In 2013, Katrece Nolen, a 47-year-old Black woman in Northern Virginia, noticed one of her breasts felt swollen. She called her doctor and was sent for a mammogram. The results did not confirm the presence of cancer, so Nolen was prescribed an antibiotic regimen for what was thought to be mastitis. Several weeks later, her…
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You Have Advanced Breast Cancer. What’s Next?
Read More: You Have Advanced Breast Cancer. What’s Next?I still remember that day so clearly. I was sitting across from my breast cancer surgeon when she held up an image. “It looks like a bomb went off in your chest,” she said. I thought this sounded a bit dramatic, but apparently the lump I discovered a few weeks earlier was just the tip…
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cancer, Cancer survivor, Colon cancer, Medical tests, Prevention, Preventive health, Real women real stories
My Symptoms Were Dismissed as Hemorrhoids, but I Had Colon Cancer
Read More: My Symptoms Were Dismissed as Hemorrhoids, but I Had Colon CancerAs told to Liz Sauchelli The day I got my colon cancer diagnosis, my husband and I bought a bottle of champagne. We were driving home from the hospital crying and I just said, “Babe, we need to stop and get a bottle of champagne because we’re going to toast to kicking cancer’s butt and…
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Should You Wear a Mask on a Plane, Bus or Train When There’s No Mandate? 4 Essential Reads to Help You Decide
Read More: Should You Wear a Mask on a Plane, Bus or Train When There’s No Mandate? 4 Essential Reads to Help You DecideBy Daniel Merino, The Conversation On April 18, 2022, a judge in Florida struck down the federal mandate requiring passengers on mass transit to wear masks. While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends that passengers mask up while on planes, trains or buses, it is no longer a requirement. When asked…
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Medical tests, Parenting, Parenting teens, Prevention, Preventive health, Real women real stories, Teen health, Vaccinations, Vaccines
A Thanksgiving Nightmare Ends in Gratitude
Read More: A Thanksgiving Nightmare Ends in GratitudeAs told to Erica Rimlinger That Thanksgiving, a stomach virus was going around. My son Jackson, a freshman at Bucknell University, returned to our home in Colorado a few days before the Thanksgiving holiday in 2017, perfectly healthy. But two nights before Thanksgiving, he started throwing up and spiked a fever. Wednesday night, he seemed…
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cancer, Cancer survivor, Colon cancer, Medical tests, Prevention, Preventive health, Real women real stories
When I was 32, I Was Getting Ready to Marry and Have Kids. Then I Was Diagnosed With Colorectal Cancer.
Read More: When I was 32, I Was Getting Ready to Marry and Have Kids. Then I Was Diagnosed With Colorectal Cancer.As told to Erica Rimlinger After photographing weddings for 10 years, I was preparing to put my camera down and pick up a bridal bouquet for my own wedding day. I was excited to see all my family and friends at my upcoming bridal shower, and I was really excited to marry my wonderful fiancé.…
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We Need to Talk About Colorectal Cancer
Read More: We Need to Talk About Colorectal CancerMedically reviewed by Dr. Robert NagourneyDesigned by Megan Schofield
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Why Parents Need to Ask About the Meningitis B Vaccination
Read More: Why Parents Need to Ask About the Meningitis B VaccinationMedically reviewed by Dr. Karen W. Bonnie This resource was created with support from GSK.
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Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health care professionals, Prevention, Preventive health, Vaccinations, Vaccines
The 1 in 10 U.S. Doctors With Reservations About Vaccines Could Be Undermining the Fight Against Covid-19
Read More: The 1 in 10 U.S. Doctors With Reservations About Vaccines Could Be Undermining the Fight Against Covid-19By Matt Motta, Oklahoma State University and Timothy Callaghan, Texas A&M University American attitudes toward scientific expertise have become increasingly contentious in recent years. But many people across the political spectrum still place high levels of trust in their personal physicians. Correspondingly, both popular media and public health officials have encouraged physicians to serve as…
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Vaccine Hesitancy Is Complicating Physicians’ Obligation to Respect Patient Autonomy During the Covid-19 Pandemic
Read More: Vaccine Hesitancy Is Complicating Physicians’ Obligation to Respect Patient Autonomy During the Covid-19 PandemicBy Ryan Liu, Penn State Sitting barely 6 feet away from me, my patient yelled angrily, his face mask slipping to his upper lip: “No, I will not get vaccinated. And nothing you do or say will change that fact.” He provided no reason for why he was so opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine. As…
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Navigating a Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis
Read More: Navigating a Colorectal Cancer DiagnosisMarch is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. In early 2021, Jamie VandenAvond noticed blood in her stool. She was a little concerned, but she was also preoccupied with taking care of a newborn baby in the middle of the pandemic, so she just made a mental note to call her doctor. Then VandenAvond began having…
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Fast Facts: What You Need to Know About Colorectal Cancer Screening
Read More: Fast Facts: What You Need to Know About Colorectal Cancer ScreeningMedically reviewed by Dr. Robert Nagourney Colorectal cancer — often called colon cancer — occurs when cells in the colon or rectum grow rapidly. The colon is also known as the large intestine or bowel. In the United States, colon cancer is one of the most common cancers. About 1 in 25 women (and 1…
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Colorectal Cancer 101
Read More: Colorectal Cancer 101Medically reviewed by Dr. Robert Nagourney Colorectal cancer begins in the colon or the rectum, and is also called colon or rectal cancer, depending on where cancer cells are first found. The colon is the part of the large intestine that food moves through, and the rectum is the lower part of the colon where…
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Where Are You Getting Your Covid-19 Vaccine Information?
Read More: Where Are You Getting Your Covid-19 Vaccine Information?Mashaya Engel spent 2021 researching and preparing for the arrival of her first child. Every day, Engel found herself scouring the internet, reading baby-related articles and using various pregnancy apps, including an app called What to Expect, a pregnancy and baby tracker. Most of what she found on the app was informative and credible —…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordable care act, Health insurance, HIV, Hivaids, Prevention, Preventive health, Sexually transmitted diseases, Stds
HIV Preventive Care Is Supposed to Be Free in the US. So, Why Are Some Patients Still Paying?
Read More: HIV Preventive Care Is Supposed to Be Free in the US. So, Why Are Some Patients Still Paying?By Sarah Varney, Kaiser Health News Anthony Cantu, 31, counsels patients at a San Antonio health clinic about a daily pill shown to prevent HIV infection. Last summer, he started taking the medication himself, an approach called preexposure prophylaxis, better known as PrEP. The regimen requires laboratory tests every three months to ensure the powerful…
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Breast cancer, Breast cancer survivor, Breast health, Medical tests, Prevention, Preventive health, Real women real stories
A Preventive Double Mastectomy Helped Me Fight Breast Cancer Before It Could Attack
Read More: A Preventive Double Mastectomy Helped Me Fight Breast Cancer Before It Could AttackAs told to Nicole Audrey Spector February is National Cancer Prevention Month. I was 18 years old when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I’ll never forget the way the doctor broke the news in the stark fluorescence of an ER exam room. He spoke to my father, as though my mother — the…
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50% of Women With Ovarian Cancer Die From It. Valerie Palmieri Is on a Mission to Change That.
Read More: 50% of Women With Ovarian Cancer Die From It. Valerie Palmieri Is on a Mission to Change That.February is National Cancer Prevention Month. Each year, nearly 20,000 women in the United States are newly diagnosed with ovarian cancer and nearly 13,000 die — more than from any other reproductive system cancer. HealthyWomen had a conversation with Valerie Palmieri, president and chief executive officer of Aspira Women’s Health, to discuss how women can…
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Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Health care, Health disparities, Health insurance, Prevention, Preventive health, Racial disparities
Why Millions on Medicaid Are at Risk of Losing Coverage in the Months Ahead
Read More: Why Millions on Medicaid Are at Risk of Losing Coverage in the Months AheadBy Rachana Pradhan, Kaiser Health News The Biden administration and state officials are bracing for a great unwinding: millions of people losing their Medicaid benefits when the pandemic health emergency ends. Some might sign up for different insurance. Many others are bound to get lost in the transition. State Medicaid agencies for months have been…
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15 minutes with, Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health insurance, Prevention, Preventive health, Vaccinations, Vaccines
15 Minutes With Dr. Leana Wen
Read More: 15 Minutes With Dr. Leana WenDr. Leana Wen is an emergency physician and public health professor at George Washington University who previously served as the health commissioner in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Wen is a familiar face on CNN, where she serves as a medical analyst, writes a weekly column in The Washington Post and hosts the Post’s newsletter, The Checkup…
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Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack and Stroke
Read More: Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack and StrokeDesign: Megan Schofield Medically reviewed by Dr. Nieca Goldberg Friday, February 4 is National Wear Red Day.
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Why Taking Fever-Reducing Meds and Drinking Fluids May Not Be the Best Way to Treat Flu and Fever
Read More: Why Taking Fever-Reducing Meds and Drinking Fluids May Not Be the Best Way to Treat Flu and FeverBy Tamara Hew-Butler, Wayne State University As flu season progresses, so does the chorus of advice, professional and otherwise, to drink plenty of fluids and take fever-reducing medications, like acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin. These recommendations, well-intentioned and firmly entrenched, offer comfort to those sidelined with fever, flu or vaccine side effects. But you may be…
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Questions to Ask Your Child’s Healthcare Provider About Meningitis B
Read More: Questions to Ask Your Child’s Healthcare Provider About Meningitis BMedically reviewed by Dr. Shelley Kim Meningitis B is an uncommon but serious disease caused by the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. Anyone can get meningitis B, but rates of the disease peak in adolescence, with the highest rates among teens and young adults 16-23 years old. Meningitis B can lead to an infection of the protective…
