Staying Healthy Archive

Watch our timely "Parenting in a Pandemic" Zoomcast. Claire McCarthy, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and senior faculty editor at Harvard Health Publishing, discusses parenting children and teens when the outlook is cloudy for many favorite summer pastimes and jobs. She also offers pointers for staying safe as state restrictions lift, takes a look toward return-to-school in the fall, and explains what is and isn't known about a rare complication of COVID-19 called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C).

Prehabilitation aims to increase your strength and health before, not after, a medical procedure.

Rehabilitation can help get you up on your feet again after surgery or a physical setback. But some surgeons are increasingly turning to an innovative approach called prehabilitation in hopes of easing that recovery in the first place.

Prehabilitation, commonly called prehab, is an individualized medical program designed to help people — often those who are older or frail — better withstand and bounce back from an anticipated physically stressful event, such as surgery, says Dr. Julie K. Silver, an associate professor and associate chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.

Strengthen the shoulder, arm, buttock, and leg muscles.

Grocery bags, grandkids, and gardening supplies: they're all heavy items you may need to lift and carry short distances. That may be harder in older age, with a loss of muscle mass and strength. You'll have an easier time if you maintain the muscles that help you do the job.

Your "lifting" muscles

"Lift with your legs, not with your back." That old saying is true for a reason: "The muscles in the legs and buttocks are bigger and more power­ful than the tiny back muscles," notes Clare Safran-Norton, clinical supervisor of rehabilitation services at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Research we're watching

Having a regular bedtime isn't just good for kids; it may also benefit the health of older adults. A study published online March 2 by the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that older adults with an irregular sleep schedule had nearly double the risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared with those who had a regular sleep schedule.

Researchers selected nearly 2,000 men and women, ages 45 to 84, who did not have cardiovascular disease. At the outset of the study, all participants underwent a sleep examination that included a questionnaire, an at-home overnight sleep test, and seven days of monitoring with a device worn on the wrist that tracked sleep patterns. Over the following five years, the participants with the most irregular sleep patterns had more than twice the rate of heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease compared with those who had the most regular sleep patterns. The increased risk of experiencing one of these events persisted in the irregular sleepers even after study authors adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors, average sleep duration, and other sleep problems, such as obstructive sleep apnea.

Take this list to the grocery store when stocking up on supplies.

Social distancing, severe weather, a lack of transportation — each one can keep you from getting to a grocery store, leaving you with precious little to eat. When you're looking at a near-empty pantry with an oddball collection of remaining goods — like a lonely box of penne pasta or a random can of beans — it's a sign to prepare differently next time. Fortunately, it's not hard to create an emergency supply kit to hold you over until you can get to the store or have someone shop for you.

Important supplies

Lean on nonperishable items if you're worried about losing power, and add frozen foods if the bigger concern is not getting to a grocery store. Avoid convenience foods like frozen dinners and canned soups, which typically contain excessive amounts of salt, fat, calories, preservatives, and added sugars.

Learn about a device's pros and cons so you're not stranded.

John was in trouble: The 84-year-old wound up on the floor after sliding out of a chair. While unhurt, John couldn't get up. He lived alone and couldn't reach his cellphone, house phone, or alert button; all were on a table next to his chair. After three long hours trying to inch across the floor, John remembered that his "smart" speaker (activated by voice commands) was connected to his smartphone. John called out for the speaker to dial his daughter, who sent help right away.

Electronic gadgets like smart speakers can be a great addition to the home.  But a smart speaker won't save the day in every emergency. Before investing in a gadget for security, learn about its potential limitations.

What you do before procedures can help get the best results.

If you're planning a complex medical procedure or surgery, you'll hear a lot about the steps you'll need to take afterward to speed up recovery and reduce complications. But it's equally important to focus on your health beforehand, too.

"Preparing both your body and mind before an invasive medical procedure can help you better manage and overcome the many stresses you encounter," says Dr. Julie Silver, associate chair for the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School. "If you are healthier and stronger going in, you have a much higher chance of avoiding setbacks."