-
Did You Get a Polio Vaccine as a Child? Here’s How to Find Out.
Read More: Did You Get a Polio Vaccine as a Child? Here’s How to Find Out.Long before Covid-19 disrupted daily life and put millions of people at risk, polio outbreaks caused thousands of cases of paralysis, disability and death in the 1940s and early 1950s. With the invention of polio vaccines in the 1950s, cases dropped steadily and polio was officially gone from the Americas in the 1990s. Today, polio…
-
Access, Cervical cancer, Gynecological cancer, Hpv, Prevention, Preventive health, Vaccinations, Vaccines
How to Talk to Your Healthcare Provider About Getting the HPV Vaccine as an Adult
Read More: How to Talk to Your Healthcare Provider About Getting the HPV Vaccine as an AdultMedically reviewed by Nancy Berman, MSN, ANP-BC, NCMP, FAANP This resource was created with support from Merck. + Video transcript What you need to know about getting the HPV vaccine as an adult. Narrator: HPV is a common sexually transmitted infection that can cause genital warts and several types of cancers, including cervical, anal, vaginal,…
-
Your First Mammogram: Step-by-Step Guide
Read More: Your First Mammogram: Step-by-Step GuideSpoiler alert: It’s true. They do flatten your breasts like a pancake, but getting a mammogram is worth it because they’re an important screening tool for breast cancer and early detection can save your life.
-
What You Need to Know About Viral Hepatitis A, B and C
Read More: What You Need to Know About Viral Hepatitis A, B and CDesigned by Elizabeth Gething Reviewed by Joyce Knestrick, Ph.D., FNP-BC, FAANP + Infographic text Hepatitis is inflammation (swelling) of the liver, which performs important jobs such as filtering your blood and fighting infections. Hepatitis can be caused by viruses as well as heavy alcohol use, certain toxins, some medications and certain medical conditions. The three…
-
-
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…
-
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,…
-
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…
-
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.…
-
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…
-
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…
-
-
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.…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
A Recap: HealthyWomen’s Webinar, “CURES 2.0: Leading Women’s Health Forward”
Read More: A Recap: HealthyWomen’s Webinar, “CURES 2.0: Leading Women’s Health Forward”The United States Congress has the power to give women resources, tools and treatments to improve their own health and the health of their families. According to HealthyWomen’s CEO Beth Battaglino, RN-C, bipartisan legislation moving through Congress — the Cures 2.0 Act — would do just that. To examine key provisions and implications of the…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Access, Access to health care, Amr, Antimicrobial resistance, Health disparities, Medication safety, Preventive health, Science
Antimicrobial Resistance Is Bad News for Everyone, but May Hurt Some Communities More Than Others
Read More: Antimicrobial Resistance Is Bad News for Everyone, but May Hurt Some Communities More Than OthersWhen Terry Bravo had a urinary tract infection in 2018, she took her mother’s unused antibiotics, left over from a prescription her mom had never finished four years before. Bravo said it was the only antibiotic she could get. Although Bravo has health insurance, she said it costs a lot and barely covers anything. “I…
-
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…
-
I Made a Promise to My Son
Read More: I Made a Promise to My SonAs told to Jaimie Seaton When our son Aidan was in pre-K, the teachers wanted to put him in a gifted school. But I felt like he was still a baby, and I wanted him to have a normal childhood and not be overwhelmed with schoolwork, so my husband and I opted to keep him…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Cardiovascular disease, Chronic conditions, Heart disease, Heart health, Nutrition, Obesity, Preventive health, Weight management
Beer and Spirits Have More Detrimental Effects on the Waistline and on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Than Red or White Wine
Read More: Beer and Spirits Have More Detrimental Effects on the Waistline and on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Than Red or White WineBy Brittany Larsen, Iowa State University The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea Drinking beer and spirits is linked to elevated levels of visceral fat – the harmful type of fat that is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and other health complications –…
-
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.…
-
Access, Access to health care, Family, Health care, Health insurance, Healthy home, Parenting, Preventive health
Health Insurance Coverage for Kids Through Medicaid and CHIP Helps Their Moms Too
Read More: Health Insurance Coverage for Kids Through Medicaid and CHIP Helps Their Moms TooBy Sebastian Tello-Trillo, University of Virginia The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea When children get health insurance through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, known as CHIP, their families benefit too. That’s what I found through recent research conducted with two fellow health economists, Daniel S.…
-
We Need to Talk About Colorectal Cancer
Read More: We Need to Talk About Colorectal CancerMedically reviewed by Dr. Robert NagourneyDesigned by Megan Schofield
-
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.
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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 —…
-
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…
-
Access, Access to health care, Affordability, Affordable care act, Health care, Health insurance, Keep the care, Preventive health, Reproductive rights, Women’s rights
The ACA guarantees full contraceptive coverage. Why are women getting denied?
Read More: The ACA guarantees full contraceptive coverage. Why are women getting denied?As Whitney* approached the end of her medical residency more than two years ago, she discovered a new birth control device that seemed like a perfect fit for her needs. The contraceptive — a one-year vaginal ring — meant she’d only need one prescription annually instead of the monthly refills required for most hormonal rings.…
