Recent Blog Articles

Do tattoos cause lymphoma?

PTSD: How is treatment changing?

Concussion in children: What to know and do

Ever hear of tonsil stones?

Midlife ADHD? Coping strategies that can help

Ever worry about your gambling?

Color-changing eye drops: Are they safe?

Harvard Health Ad Watch: Got side effects? There's a medicine for that

Packing your hurricane go bag? Make provisions for your health

Does your child need to bathe every day?

Diseases & Conditions Archive

Diseases & Conditions

High blood pressure? Treat the risk, not the number

Published August 1, 2021

People with a high risk for heart attacks and strokes might benefit from taking blood pressure–lowering medications, even if their blood pressure is in the normal or "high normal" range and they have no clear signs of cardiovascular disease.

Diseases & Conditions

Chronic gut inflammation: Coping with inflammatory bowel disease

Published August 1, 2021

Chronic inflammation in the gut may be due to inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. It’s unclear what causes IBD. Doctors suspect it’s a combination of factors, such as eating an unhealthy diet or using certain medications; altered gut bacteria; having a leaky gut; or genetics. The goal of IBD treatment is remission: suppressed symptoms, lower blood levels of inflammatory markers, and normal-looking bowel and tissue biopsies. Approaches to achieve remission and prevent flare-ups include medication, a healthy lifestyle, and possibly surgery.

Diseases & Conditions

Is your vision impaired? Tips to cope

Published July 26, 2021

Living with low or impaired vision comes with many challenges. Accessibility features on computer hardware and software, special devices, and adaptations to your home can help make daily life easier when living with a vision impairment.

Diseases & Conditions

What exactly is a hernia?

Published July 1, 2021

A hernia is an area of weakness in the abdominal wall muscles that allows contents of the abdomen to push through the wall and form a pouch. A small hernia may follow a "watch and wait" approach, while a larger and more painful one often requires surgery to repair.

Diseases & Conditions

Which disease starts first?

Published July 1, 2021

Among atherosclerosis, obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, which are all related, cholesterol deposits start first.

Diseases & Conditions

Pick up the pace for better walking with peripheral artery disease

Published July 1, 2021

A small, randomized trial published online April 6, 2021, by JAMA found that people who took part in a high-intensity walking program for one year covered more ground in six minutes than people who’d taken part in a low-intensity walking program.

Diseases & Conditions

Man's best friend — and medicine's too?

Published July 1, 2021

Scientists are studying whether medical detection dogs can sniff out and identify disease in humans, such as cancer, infection, and Parkinson’s disease. Dogs might be useful because their noses have 60 times the number of scent receptors as human noses; that might make dogs able to detect scents given off by bacteria or diseased human cells. But it’s hard to get solid evidence about the accuracy of medical detection dogs. Scientists are also studying whether technology can replicate the same kind of detection.

Diseases & Conditions

Easing summer swelling

Published July 1, 2021

Lower leg and foot swelling is most often the result of an abnormal buildup of fluid, which doctors refer to as edema. Fluid tends to flow downhill, making it more likely to pool in the lower parts of the body. Excess fluid retention can be triggered by many things, including eating too much salt, heat, drinking alcohol, or standing for a long period of time. To reduce it, reduce dietary sodium, elevate the feet at the end of the day and wear support stockings.

Diseases & Conditions

Not yet ready for cataract surgery? Try these tips

Published June 23, 2021

Cataracts often affect vision as people get older. The surgery is quick and effective, but most cataracts progress slowly, so in the early stages you may want to make some adjustments to your home and daily behavior to make living with cataracts easier.

Diseases & Conditions

Tendon trouble in the hands: de Quervain's tenosynovitis and trigger finger

Updated June 23, 2021

Painful conditions like de Quervain's tenosynovitis, inflammation of the tendons that move the thumb, and stenosing tenosynovitis, or trigger finger, when a digit becomes locked, can develop due to overuse or repetitive movement.

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Recent Blog Articles

Do tattoos cause lymphoma?

PTSD: How is treatment changing?

Concussion in children: What to know and do

Ever hear of tonsil stones?

Midlife ADHD? Coping strategies that can help

Ever worry about your gambling?

Color-changing eye drops: Are they safe?

Harvard Health Ad Watch: Got side effects? There's a medicine for that

Packing your hurricane go bag? Make provisions for your health

Does your child need to bathe every day?

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