Harvard Health Content API

Allergy season runs from around March through October. Tree pollen dominates in spring, grass in summer, and ragweed in late summer and early fall. In people with an allergy, pollen exposure can trigger the hallmark allergy symptoms: sneezing, watery eyes, stuffiness, scratchy throat, wheezing, and coughing. There are many ways to manage allergy symptoms, such as using over-the-counter medication, taking allergy shots or oral immunotherapy to help the immune system better tolerate allergens, and reducing one’s exposure to pollen.

Two sexual issues that many men encounter with age are anorgasmia (trouble achieving an orgasm during sex) and delayed orgasm (in which it takes longer than 30 minutes to achieve an orgasm and ejaculate). While these conditions can be stressful, they don’t have to interfere with a man’s sex life, as there are many ways to manage them. Strategies include sex therapy, testosterone therapy, medication, changing sexual positions, using sex devices, and managing alcohol intake.

A 2023 study suggests that women who prefer to stay up and wake up later are more likely to develop diabetes and to have unhealthful lifestyle habits compared with those who prefer to go to bed and wake up earlier.

A 2023 study suggests that avoiding low-quality carbohydrates such as refined grains, sugar-sweetened drinks, and starchy vegetables may help middle-aged adults avoid weight gain.

A 2023 study suggests that toothbrushing twice daily can lower rates of hospital-acquired pneumonia in seriously ill hospitalized patients.

A 2024 study suggests doing a workout that’s a combination of aerobics and strength training might reduce cardiovascular risk factors just as effectively as a workout that consists of aerobics only.

In a 2024 study, people who reported eating plant-based diets were 39% less likely to have had COVID-19, compared with people who said they were meat eaters.

A 2024 study found that the risk of premature death was 24% lower among people who used hearing aids regularly, compared with people who never used hearing aids.

At any given time, up to 15 million people in the United States are believed to have brain aneurysms. Most of the time, brain aneurysms don’t cause any problems. However, they do rupture in about 30,000 people each year. When an aneurysm leaks or bursts, it increases pressure in the skull, causing damage, swelling, fluid buildup, and sudden, severe head pain unlike any other headache. It’s a life-threatening medical emergency and needs to be investigated at an emergency department immediately.

Medical gaslighting describes when health care professionals seem to invalidate or ignore a patient’s concerns. It can have many causes, such as a health care provider who has poor communication skills, limited time to speak with a patient, a lack of medical knowledge, or unconscious bias. Someone who suspects gaslighting is occurring during an appointment might try to reframe or rephrase health concerns or questions, or ask a buddy to speak on his or her behalf. If there’s no resolution, it might be a good idea to get a different clinician.