How to recognize and tame your cognitive distortions
Cognitive distortions are internal mental filters or biases that fuel anxiety and make us feel bad about ourselves. These filters can cause us to devolve into counterproductive brooding that can worsen depression or anxiety and stall positive lifestyle changes. So how can you recognize and overcome these distortions?
LATE: A common cause of dementia you’ve never heard of
LATE is a brain disorder that causes dementia in older individuals. In fact it is the third most common cause of dementia, but it affects many of the same brain regions as Alzheimer’s disease so it presents with similar symptoms, and it’s only with the advent of special diagnostic tests that clinicians have realized how common it is.
How to break a bad habit
We all have habits we’d like to break, but the brain doesn’t make changes easily. Breaking an unhealthy habit can be done; to do so, it helps to understand what’s happening in the brain, know why you want to change, and accept that there will be setbacks along the way.
Thyroid Disease
New Harvard tool helps fact-check cancer claims
Scary or misleading claims about things that may cause cancer are so plentiful that it’s hard to know which ones to take seriously. A new website developed by experts aims to provide reliable information about whether a particular cancer claim is true.
Repeating the story: What to expect in the emergency department
If you wind up in an emergency department due to an illness or accident what should you know and what can you expect? It’s frustrating to have to wait for care, and also frustrating to have to explain your situation multiple times to different people, but there are reasons why it all happens.
Blood donations are down — so why restrict blood donors by sexual orientation?
The blood supply in the US is critically low, but FDA guidelines prohibit men who have sex with men from donating blood if they have been sexually active in the previous three months. All donated blood is tested for a number of transmissible infections, and medical organizations are calling for this policy to be changed.
What is alopecia areata and how is it managed?
Hair loss is a common problem for many men and women, but what does it mean to have alopecia? Alopecia areata occurs when the body's immune system attacks hair follicles, resulting in hair loss. AA can affect the scalp, eyebrows, eyelashes, or anywhere hair grows on the body.
Eating disorders spike among children and teens: What parents should know
A notable rise in eating disorders is particularly marked among adolescent girls. Many kinds of eating disorders can affect children and teens, and parents need to understand their causes and be aware of signs suggesting their child may have an eating disorder.