It isn’t easy ever for moms and dads to have “The Talk” with teen-agers. But the reluctance of physicians to deal with youthful sexuality may be affecting women’s long-term health, new research suggests. A study by faculty at the medical schools at Harvard and Vanderbilt finds that primary care physicians are reluctant to recommend that young patients….
Continue ReadingVaccinations
Older Americans Are Not Getting Vaccinated
A couple of years ago, we blogged that although the childhood vaccinations were very much on the minds of parents, adults weren’t too good about getting themselves vaccinated. That’s still the case, and it’s still a problem. For example, about 3 in 4 U.S. residents older than 60, according to federal data crunched by KaiserHealthNews.org….
Continue ReadingHow Effective Is the Flu Vaccine, Really?
Government officials typically say the flu shot is about 50-60 percent effective in preventing influenza. We’ve used that number ourselves, as recently as this month in the usual annual promo for flu vaccines. But health care researchers who count actual patients say it’s far, far less effective, more in the range of 1-3 percent. What’s the….
Continue Reading‘Tis the Season for Flu
Autumn marks the beginning of flu season. It takes a couple weeks after you get the flu vaccine before it’s completely effective, so get vaccinated now. Last year was a notably rough flu season because a mutated strain of the virus developed after the vaccine, which generally is manufactured over several months, was distributed. As….
Continue ReadingFiguring Out Your Risk of Shingles — and How to Protect Yourself
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or another disorder characterized as an autoimmune disease, you’re at higher risk for developing shingles (herpes zoster), according to a new study. Some chronic conditions also make you vulnerable, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, a respiratory problem), asthma and type 1 diabetes. The herpes zoster vaccine is recommended….
Continue ReadingReflections on Growing Up Unvaccinated
Amy Parker was raised by what she calls in a Slate.com story “a health nut.” But she’s raising her three children differently, because the alternative approach to health and child care made her sick. “I wasn’t vaccinated,” she writes. “I was brought up on an incredibly healthy diet: no sugar till I was 1, breastfed….
Continue ReadingGet a Flu Shot, Protect Your Heart
It’s difficult to escape the multimedia call these days for people to get a flu shot. It’s sound advice for virtually everyone older than 6 months, especially young children, older adults and anybody with compromised immune systems or cardiovascular disease. At some health-care facilities, flu shots are compulsory for employees. It’s not a 100% guarantee,….
Continue ReadingResistance to Vaccinations Spawns Outbreak of Measles
We’ve been among the consistent voices decrying the anti-vaccination movement, a misguided, misinformed, willfully ignorant campaign to encourage people not to immunize themselves or their children against widely recognized threats to public health. A story published last week by KaiserHealthNews.org and The Texas Tribune perfectly illustrates the consequences of this stupefying resistance to solid science….
Continue ReadingJenny McCarthy Gets a Wider Audience for Her Misinformed Ideas About Vaccinations
Dr. Oz and his fuzzy-science peers will have more company later this year. Jenny McCarthy will be joining “The View,” the afternoon talk show that often deals with topical issues, and thinking people are wondering how long it will take before she spreads her contagious misinformation. McCarthy, as described by The Daily Beast, is a….
Continue ReadingAdult Vaccinations: Overlooked and Underappreciated
Despite the overwhelming evidence in favor of childhood vaccinations, there’s been a lot of buzz lately about their safety and scheduling. Lost in all that chatter is the fact that the rate for adult vaccinations is lower than that for children, and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), unacceptably low. We’re….
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