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Constipation: A connection to heart disease?
Chronic constipation has been linked to a slightly higher risk of dying of cardiovascular disease. One possible explanation: infrequent bowel movements lead to straining, which can raise blood pressure, stressing the heart and blood vessels. Many medications (especially painkillers) can… (Locked) More »
Should you keep taking that heartburn medication?
Everyone gets a little heartburn now and then. But if it happens more than three times a week, it’s time to do something about it. One way to treat heartburn is with proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), which help reduce stomach acid.… (Locked) More »
Be wary of commercial cardiovascular screening services
Commercial screening tests to look for early signs of cardiovascular disease are being marketed directly to consumers. They include ultrasound tests for carotid artery disease, peripheral artery disease, and abdominal aortic aneurysms. Some of the tests may be available at… More »
The pain of strains, sprains, and cramps
Strains, sprains, and cramps are the most common injuries of muscles, ligaments, and tendons. However, appropriate treatment and preventive measures can speed recovery and keep injuries from recurring. (Locked) More »
Harvard Health Blog
Meet the Harvard Health Experts
Featured Expert:JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPH
Dr. JoAnn E. Manson is chief of the Division of Preventive Medicine and co-director of the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women's Health at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Manson's research has focused on several important areas: women's health, randomized clinical trials in cardiovascular disease prevention, biomarker studies, and translational research. She is the principal investigator on several grants from the National Institutes of Health, including the Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), the Women's Health Initiative Vanguard Clinical Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Women's Antioxidant and Folic Acid Cardiovascular Trial, and the Biochemical and Genetic Risk Factors for CVD in Women, among others. She is also leading the largest research trial to date to investigate the heart health benefits of cocoa flavanols by administering the concentrated nutrients in capsule form.
Dr. Manson has received numerous awards and honors, including the Woman in Science Award from the American Medical Women's Association, the Population Research Prize and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Heart Association, and has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. She was also one of the physicians featured in the National Library of Medicine's exhibition, "History of American Women Physicians" in Bethesda, Maryland. She is a Past President of the North American Menopause Society.
Scott Martin, MD
Dr. Scott D. Martin is an orthopedic surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery Harvard Medical School. He is also affiliated with the departments of sports medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Martin earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Scranton and his medical degree at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. He did his residency at Cornell Medical School's Hospital for Special Surgery, then went on to clinical and research fellowships in total joint arthroplasty at Brigham and Women's Hospital and in sports medicine at the American Sports Medicine Institute, Alabama Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Center in Birmingham, Alabama.
Dr. Martin is the head team physician for the New England Revolution Soccer Team, and has consulted for the national Hockey League, the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Minnesota Twins. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Martin has been named one of the top 100 doctors by Boston Magazine numerous times and has received the prestigious Golden Apple Teaching Award.
Gad A. Marshall, MD
Dr. Gad A. Marshall is a behavioral neurologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. He has been the site principal investigator for multiple clinical trials of amyloid-modifying drugs in Alzheimer’s disease and is currently the site principal investigator for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study. His research has focused on clinical correlates of activities of daily living and neuropsychiatric symptoms with cortical atrophy, in vivo amyloid deposition, cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, and synaptic integrity in clinically normal elderly, mild cognitive impairment, and mild Alzheimer's disease dementia. Most recently, he has been developing a new performance-based and subjective scale of activities of daily living that will detect the earliest functional deficits at the stage of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease.
Donald T. Reilly, MD, PhD
Dr. Donald T. Reilly is an orthopedic surgeon at New England Baptist Hospital and Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. A prolific speaker, he has been invited to lecture internationally. Dr. Reilly has written a number of articles which have been published in numerous journals including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.
After earning his medical degree and Ph.D. in bioengineering from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Dr. Reilly completed his internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center followed by The Harvard Combined Orthopedic Residency.
Dr. Reilly's clinical interests include the hip, knee, and adult joint reconstruction.
I-Min Lee, ScD, MBBS
Dr. I-Min Lee is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. Her research primarily focuses on the role of physical activity in preventing chronic diseases and enhancing longevity, and in women’s health. She has served on various national expert panels addressing physical activity and health, including the 1996 Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health, the 2007 updated recommendation for adults from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association, and the 2011 position stand from the American College of Sports Medicine. She served on the Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, writing the scientific report on which the 2008 US Department of Health and Human Services physical activity guidelines — the first comprehensive physical activity guidelines by the US federal government for Americans — are based. She has also provided her expertise to international panels formulating physical activity recommendations, including those from the WHO, Canada and Singapore.