Harvard Health Blog

Following surgery to remove a cancerous prostate gland, some men experience a biochemical recurrence, meaning that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has become detectable in their blood. Since only the prostate releases PSA, removing the gland should drop this protein to undetectable levels in the body. Detecting PSA could signify that prostate cancer cells are lingering, and […]

During the holiday season, advertisers push numerous toys on consumers that do not necessarily have the positive impact on a child’s life that are promised. There are other options during this holiday season, gifts as simple as blank paper for drawing, that can stimulate children both mentally and physically.

Instilling good eating habits in children is not easy, especially when they are young. It’s important for parents to set rules and limits around meals and snacks, and just as important to stick to them, which is the difficult part. It can take a many tries before a child figures out that healthy foods like kale, strawberries, or brown rice taste great.

Planning ahead of your child’s annual check-up can help you and the doctor get the most out of the visit. And be sure to take advantage of the resources available to you, such as email portals and the nurses and other staff in the doctor’s office. You might even consider making an appointment before the checkup. Doing so can be really helpful, especially when there is something complicated going on — like asthma acting up, school problems, worries about behavior, or a family crisis.

November is National Family Caregivers Month. Being a caregiver is an act of love and responsibility, but it comes at a cost. There are currently 40 million caregivers in the United States. These individuals devote time to take care of a loved one, endure stress that carries health risks, and often bear a financial burden as well. It is hard work and it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate those who are caregivers. Ideally, doctors and the health care system will find ways to help caregivers integrate their responsibilities into the workflow of their lives in the interest of better outcomes for everyone.

Nothing ruins a holiday quicker than a visit to a hospital emergency department. An emergency department physician offers some advice to help you avoid injury and illness during Thanksgiving.

The wandering mind can get stuck on negative thoughts and start to “react” to a perceived threat that feels very real–and makes you feel anxious. Naming the negative feeling associated with that thought and then helping your mind wander in a more positive direction can help.

Two new studies add to the evidence that for many men with prostate cancer, if it is detected early and has not metastasized beyond the prostate gland, monitoring the cancer will lead to the same chance of survival after 10 as choosing surgery or radiation. Men treated with surgery or radiation often experience significant side effects. The rates of depression and anxiety were the same in men who opted for monitoring and those who opted for treatment.