Screening tests may save lives — so when is it time to stop?
Screening tests, such as Pap smears or blood pressure checks, could save your life. They can detect a disease you have no reason to suspect is there. Early detection may allow treatment while a health condition is curable and before irreversible complications arise. Some screening tests help prevent the disease they are designed to detect. […]
Pouring from an empty cup? Three ways to refill emotionally
It’s hard to care about anything when you feel exhausted, burned out, or ragged around the edges. Your once-fiery enthusiasm may seem more like charred rubble due to overwhelming family responsibilities, a job that drains you, or financial struggles. Or maybe an illness, the uncertainty and disruptions of the age we live in, or a […]
When therapeutic touch isn’t healing
If you’re a trauma survivor or dislike physical touch, health care visits may be hard. Physical touch has long been linked to the healing process of medicine. During physical exams, the laying on of hands — broadly known as therapeutic touch — offers many clues to help health practitioners decide on the best course of […]
New pediatric guidelines on obesity in children and teens
Obesity is a complex health issue that affects a staggering percentage of US children and teens. Hovering around 5% in 1963 to 1965, rates of obesity had more than tripled to 19% by 2017 to 2019. Early data suggest childhood obesity rates continued climbing during the pandemic. If these trends continue, 57% of children currently […]
5 skills teens need in life — and how to encourage them
All parents want their children to be successful in life — and by successful, we mean not just having a good job and a good income, but also being happy. And all parents wonder how they can make that happen. According to Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, it’s less about grades and extracurricular activities, […]
Is pregnancy safe for everyone?
Pregnancy is often painted as a time of elation and joy, emotions many people may indeed feel. As doctors, though, it’s hard to ignore the health risks and the fears that can arise in the wake of a positive pregnancy test for some of our most vulnerable patients. Simply being pregnant poses significant short-term and […]
If you use cannabis, do it safely
Key safety tips as legal medical and recreational marijuana evolve. It’s fair to say that society’s views on cannabis have been evolving. Today, adult recreational use is legal in 21 states and medical use is legal in most other states, to varying degrees. The use of cannabis doesn’t seem to be going away. Given that, […]
Natural disasters strike everywhere: Ways to help protect your health
Climate change is an escalating threat to the health of people everywhere. As emergency medicine physicians practicing in Australia and the United States, we — and our colleagues around the world — already see the impacts of climate change on those we treat. Will we be seeing you one day soon? Hopefully not. Yet an […]
Do we feel pain more at night?
Chronic pain often fluctuates during the day and for some it worsens at night — but why? As many as one in five adults in the US — 50.2 million — experience chronic pain, according to a recent survey. These people usually encounter fluctuations in pain during the day: sometimes it’s better in the morning […]
Thinking of trying Dry January? Steps for success
Let’s file this under unsurprising news: many American adults report drinking more since the pandemic began in March 2020, according to a survey on alcohol use in the time of COVID-19. If you’re among them, you might want to start the new year on a healthy note by joining the millions who abstain from alcohol […]