Living Better, Living Longer

With the COVID-19 pandemic still ongoing, and the annual flu season fast approaching, what can people expect when these two illnesses collide? Are we at greater risk for getting either virus? And could this encounter change how we approach health care now and in the future? Matthew Solan, executive editor of the Harvard Men’s Health Watch, talks to Dr. Amy Sherman, an infectious disease expert with Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, about what we may expect when COVID and the flu season meet. To learn more check out our Harvard Medical School Guide, COVID-19, Flu and Colds.

Recent record temperatures in the U.S. suggest that heat-related illness isn’t confined to the dog days of summer. Dr. Aaron Bernstein, the interim director of the Center for Climate Health and the Global Environment at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, describes the symptoms to watch out for, particularly if you have a chronic condition like heart disease or diabetes, and explains what safety steps to take. He also tells Francesca Coltrera, editor of the Harvard Health Blog, who bears the brunt of potentially life-threatening heat-related illness and how local actions can help reverse this growing health threat.

Right up there on the list of unpleasant medical topics best avoided includes problems that can befall the male genitourinary system. Despite its prosaic purpose, the machinery associated with eliminating waste and fostering procreation possesses a certain artfulness. Usually it can be safely ignored, functioning faithfully in the background…until something goes awry and this delicate plumbing gets our undivided attention. We asked Dr. Marc Garnick to take us on a tour of the system that voids waste and engages in reproduction. He’s the Gorman Brothers Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital. At the end of this podcast we’ll have some takeaways from the Harvard Annual Prostate Disease Guide.

Your daily dose of prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, or supplements can add up quickly. But as you take more pills, you increase your risk for potential problems. Harvard Health Letter Executive Editor Heidi Godman spoke with pharmacist Joanne Doyle Petrongolo from Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital for advice about ways to reduce your pill burden. For more information, check out our Harvard Special Health Report Aging in Place.

Information overload, aging, underlying conditions—they can all cause your concentration to become fragmented. And if you’re wondering how to focus enough to get through your work or chores, we have the answers. Harvard Health Letter Executive Editor Heidi Godman spoke with neurologist Kirk Daffner and neuropsychologist Kim Willment, both of Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, to find out about easy ways to boost your focus. For more information, check out our Harvard Medical School Guide Improving Concentration and Focus.

Sending kids back to school in the fall is always a hopeful time in America. For most families, school is a vital part of the community. With the surge in coronavirus in many areas of the country, getting kids back in the classroom safely will require a major re-evaluation to reduce transmission rates that can impact people of all ages. We talked to Alan Geller, a senior lecturer in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Like it or not, for school teachers and administrators, things are going to be different. Don’t expect the traditional

If you thought creating a good walking program was as easy as slipping on your sneakers, think again. Sure we’ve all been walking since toddlerhood, but taking advantage of walking’s lifelong health benefits also means thinking about fall prevention, dressing in layers as the weather changes, even considering different walking techniques and styles. Harvard Fitness Advisor Michele Stanten, author of the Harvard Health Publishing special health report on Walking for Health, describes how to get the most out this easy, fundamental exercise routine.

Dr. Ashish K. Jha, head of the Harvard Global Health Institute, offers information on where we are where we’re going with the COVID-19 outbreak. Some take-aways:

The slow, steady, coordinated movements associated with the ancient Chinese practice of Tai Chi provides a remarkable mind-body exercise for people of any age. Harvard’s Dr. Peter Wayne has studied Tai Chi’s myriad benefits, particularly how a regular practice of Tai Chi can help prevent falls, ease stress, or lower blood pressure. He’s the faculty editor of the Harvard special health report An Introduction to Tai Chi.

Sooner or later, most of us have difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep. If that sounds like you, rest assured there are ways of meeting the challenge if you make sleep a priority and make lifestyle adjustments that improve what the experts call your “sleep hygiene.” We consulted Harvard sleep specialist Dr. Lawrence Epstein and learned there are myriad tools available in your sleep toolbox. Dr. Epstein is the faculty editor for the Harvard Health Publishing special health report Improving Sleep.

You’re in for your annual physical and you hear the words “pre-diabetes” or “diabetes,” based on an elevated A1C value in your blood test. This pivotal indicator has suddenly got your attention. But rest easy. Dr. David Nathan, faculty editor of the Harvard special health report Healthy Eating for Type 2 Diabetes, offers hope and help for getting things back under control.

We’re all looking for ways to build cognitive fitness and resiliency. The pathway to achieving that goal can be found in laying down new memories through skill building. It turns out it’s never been easier to learn new things from home, as Harvard Health Letter executive editor Heidi Godman recently discovered. A solution is a mouse click away. Apps on your smart phone also offer easy ways to learn at your own pace.

People who have diabetes, a heart condition, cancer, kidney disease or other underlying condition are impacted more severely if they contract the coronavirus. Harvard Medical School endocrinologist Dr. Enrique Caballero explains why. Dr. Caballero is on the staff of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and is the director of diabetes education in the post-graduate medical education department at Harvard Medical School.

Las personas que tienen diabetes, una afección del corazón o de los riñones u otra enfermedad crónica subyacente se ven afectadas más severamente si contraen el coronavirus. El Dr. Enrique Caballero, endocrinólogo de la Escuela de Medicina de Harvard explica la forma en que estas enfermedades favorecen infecciones severas por COVID-19 y como el coronavirus puede empeorar estas condiciones crónicas. El Dr. Caballero forma parte del personal del Hospital Brigham and Women's y es el director de educación en diabetes en el departamento de educación médica de posgrado de la Facultad de Medicina de Harvard en Boston, Massachusetts.

The sudden release of the stress hormone cortisol can help you get out of the way of a speeding bus. But the toxic effects of non-stop cortisol has a deleterious effect on health. If the worldwide shutdown is causing stress—then high blood pressure, headache, weight gain and other problems aren’t far behind. We’ve consulted our favorite Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Greg L. Fricchione. There are ways to cool the fires of anger during these difficult times, giving you the tools you need to deal with major life events.

In this reprise from last fall, Kathy McManus, director of nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital, discusses changing behavior as a pathway to weight loss in this conversation with Harvard's Dr. Mallika Marshall. Their views appear in the Harvard online course 6-Week Plan for Healthy Eating.

There is solid, scientific evidence that being happy leads to direct health benefits. So that begs the question: How can we brew some of this magic potion that nurtures human wellness? Dr. Ronald D. Siegel, faculty editor for the Harvard special health report Positive Psychology shows us the way. This podcast originally ran last fall and it was very popular. It contains a message that's particularly useful as we ride out the coronavirus pandemic.

You’ve probably heard the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroqine is getting a hard look as a potential therapeutic agent in the fight against COVID-19. However, as Harvard Health Publishing senior faculty editor Dr. Rob Shmerling points out, evidence remains weak. On the brighter side, he points to three potential avenues in COVID-19 research where therapies may be put to use while a vaccine remains in development.

We asked Dr. Mallika Marshall, medical reporter for CBS-affiliate WBZ TV in Boston and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, how we should react when we start to experience a dry cough or perhaps spike a fever. Who do you call? How do you protect your family? When does it make sense to move toward an emergency department, and how should we prepare? Dr. Marshall is the host of Harvard Health Publishing’s online course series, and an urgent care physician at Mass General Hospital.

We all know we need to try to keep moving during these unusual times of social distancing, but where do we start? We consulted Heidi Godman, executive editor of Harvard Health Letter, who’s been researching this subject. Bottom line? Keep it simple.