INSAF

Courtesy: Harvard Health Letter POSTED APRIL 22, 2015, 4:35 PM Heidi Godman ,   Executive Editor,   Harvard Health Letter One morning not long ago, my teenage daughter started to black out. After an ambulance ride to our local hospital’s emergency department, an electrocardiogram, and some bloodwork, she was sent home with a follow-up doctor appointment. We got the good news that Alexa is perfectly healthy, but should avoid getting too hungry or thirsty so she doesn’t faint again. And I’m feeling lucky that she didn’t need to be hospitalized, because a   research letter in this week’s   JAMA Internal Medicine   points out that hospitalization for low-risk fainting can do more harm than good. Doctors use something called the   San Francisco Syncope Rule   to identify individuals who are at low risk for serious short-term problems after fainting and who don’t need to be hospitalized. Yet up to one-third of fainters at low risk are still hospi...

A desire to stay active and a natural aversion to pain send nearly 800,000 Americans to orthopedic surgeons each year for a hip or knee replacement. And we're seeking these operations much earlier in life. According to Dr. Scott Martin, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School, this isn't a healthy trend. "A lot of joint replacements are being done because they can be," says Dr. Martin. Every surgical procedure carries the risk of complications — or even death. Because the average joint that's replaced only lasts 10 to 15 years, having the procedure done at age 50 instead of 70 means there's a good chance you'll need. a second procedure when you're older and at higher risk for complications. Here are four tips that can help you extend the life of your natural joints and keep the need for replacement in the very distant future. Tip #1: Lose weight One of the most important ways to care for your joints is to stay at...

No one is "perfect." Yet many people struggle to be, which can trigger a cascade of anxieties. Perfectionism may be a strong suit or a stumbling block, depending on how it's channeled, as clinical psychologist Jeff Szymanski explains. Dr. Szymanski is the associate instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and executive director of the International OCD Foundation. "The core of all perfectionism is the intention to do something well," says Dr. Szymanski. "If you can keep your eye on intention and desired outcome, adjusting your strategy when needed, you're fine.... But when you can't tolerate making a mistake, when your strategy is to make no mistakes, that's when perfectionism starts veering off in the wrong direction." In its most severe form, perfectionism can leave you unable to complete any task for fear of making a mistake. To help you prioritize the projects and activities that mean the most to you and keep your pe...