As wildfires become more frequent due to climate change and drier conditions, more of us and more of our communities are at risk for harm. Here is information to help you prepare and protect yourself and your family. How does wildfire smoke affect air quality? Wildfire smoke contributes greatly to poor air quality. Just like…

Balance is a skill you don’t think about until you really need it — like when you lose your footing and have to perform an exotic improv dance to keep from hitting the ground. But don’t wait until your sense of balance fails before you give it proper attention. As we age, balance can sharply…

For neuroscientist Sara Lazar, a form of meditation called open awareness is as fundamental to her day as breathing. “I just become aware that I am aware, with no particular thing that I focus on,” explains Lazar, an associate researcher in the psychiatry department at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of psychology at Harvard…

Not so long ago, a friend texted me from a coffee shop. He said, "I can't believe it. I'm the only one here without a tattoo!" That might not seem surprising: a quick glance around practically anywhere people gather shows that tattoos are widely popular. Nearly one-third of adults in the US have a tattoo,…

Over the course of a lifetime, as many as seven in 10 adults in the United States will directly experience or witness harrowing events. These include gun violence, car accidents, and other personal trauma; natural or human-made disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 terrorist attacks; and military combat. And some — though not…

It used to be that radiation therapy for prostate cancer involved weeks or months of repeat visits to a clinic for treatment. Today that’s not necessarily true. Instead of giving small doses (called fractions) per session until the full plan is completed, radiation delivery is moving toward high-dose fractions that can be given with fewer…

The holiday season is one of the hardest times of the year to resist salty, fatty, sugary foods. Who doesn’t want to enjoy the special dishes and treats that evoke memories and meaning — especially during the pandemic? Physical distancing and canceled gatherings may make you feel that indulging is a way to pull some…

Although inflammation serves a vital role in the body’s defense and repair systems, chronic inflammation can cause more harm than good. And that may make you wonder: what can I do about it? In fact, there’s a lot you can do. And you may already be doing it. That’s because some of the most important…

Looking for gifts to give or donate this year? Climate-conscious gifts come in many guises. They may directly support our environment, for example, or aim to reduce fossil fuel use and electronic, textile, and food waste. Or they might offer enjoyable, creative ways to connect, reuse, and recycle — and possibly even regift. “Our purchases…

Abnormal results on a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening test for cancer are typically followed by a systematic biopsy. During that procedure, doctors use a long needle to extract roughly a dozen samples from the prostate while looking at the gland on an ultrasound machine. Those samples can then be checked for cancer under a microscope.…