NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • January 2, 2025

A new vaccine is here to protect you and your loved ones from RSV this winter | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

December and January are peak months for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. While anyone can get RSV, severe infections are more common in young children and older adults. Fortunately, new vaccine approvals mean there are more options to avoid getting sick this winter.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • December 3, 2024

What is palliative care? We asked a professional | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

People with serious or terminal illnesses have to make difficult choices. What if there was someone to help them make decisions? That’s where Kristin Nannetti, MSN, RN, CCRN, CHPN, CNL, comes in.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • November 26, 2024

Do you know your family health history? | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Some people inherit heirlooms—jewelry, furniture, clothing, and other items—from their relatives. But there’s something even more valuable we all inherit: our health.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • November 21, 2024

Osteoporosis: What you need to know | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Did you know that our bones are living tissue? To keep them strong, our bodies break down old bone and replace them with new bone. When we are young, we build more bone than we break down.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • November 19, 2024

My mammogram was ‘abnormal’—what do I do next? | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Getting mammograms at recommended times, even if you don’t have symptoms, is key to finding breast cancer early. Women between ages 50 and 69 who get mammograms have a lower chance of dying from breast cancer than women who do not get them.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • November 1, 2024

Advance care plan: A checklist for the future | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Do you and your loved ones have an advance care plan? An advance care plan spells out decisions you'd like to make if you can't communicate because of an illness or accident. You can base this plan on your personal values, preferences, and discussions with family and other loved ones. It can include advance directives, which are legal documents used in the event you are unable to communicate. Making an advance care plan is valuable for people at any age but especially for older adults or those...

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • November 1, 2024

End-of-life care: What to expect and how to plan | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

When older adults and people with terminal illnesses are dying, they may need a lot of care. This care can last from days to months, and it will look different for everyone depending on their needs.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • October 29, 2024

‘Look for joy and happiness in little things’ | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Steve Guttenberg has made audiences laugh and smile with his starring roles in hit comedies. In 2019, he took on a new and unexpected role as caregiver to his aging father, Stanley. He would drive hundreds of miles back and forth every week to help Stanley, who died of kidney failure in 2022.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • October 22, 2024

Caregiving 101: Worksheets, resources, and suggestions from the National Institute on Aging | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Being a caregiver or care partner is a big undertaking. Caregivers don’t just manage someone else’s health care, daily tasks, financial decisions, and other logistics. They also have their own schedules and responsibilities to balance. It can be hard to know where to begin! Whether you’re new to caregiving or have been doing it for a while, the National Institute on Aging’s (NIA) website has expert-backed advice to help make things more manageable. Here is just a sample of what you’ll find. As...

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • October 8, 2024

Fentanyl 101 | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic (lab-made) opioid. Prescription fentanyl is FDA -approved to treat severe pain related to surgery or complex pain conditions. Over the past decade, fentanyl has become common in the illegal drug supply and contributed to a surge in drug overdose deaths.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 26, 2024

A better way to say that: Stigmatizing language affects how we treat addiction | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are chronic, treatable conditions that people can recover from, but stigma around them makes it hard to seek treatment. In 2023, an estimated 16% of people with SUDs reported that they did not seek treatment because they worried about what their community would think.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 24, 2024

8 tips for talking (and listening) to your teens about drugs and alcohol | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Talking to your children about drugs and alcohol can be…well, awkward. It’s hard to know what to ask them, what to say, and if you’ll get through to them. If you’re not sure how to get the conversation started, these tips from SAMHSA may help.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 19, 2024

How naloxone reverses opioid overdoses (and why it’s important to have on hand!) | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Naloxone is a powerful tool for preventing deaths from opioid overdoses. First responders and health care providers use this medication in their day-to-day work, but anyone can keep it on hand and save lives, too.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • September 17, 2024

‘I choose to climb instead of fall’ | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Rachel George is in recovery for opioid use disorder (OUD). Now she’s sharing her story with NIH MedlinePlus Magazine to let others with OUD know they are not alone and there are people who want to support them.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • August 22, 2024

Living with Tourette syndrome is nothing to be embarrassed about | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Kelsey Christensen went from a shy child to a successful television journalist. Residents of the Twin Cities may recognize her on-camera reporting for KSTP 5 Eyewitness News, but others may know her for going public in 2022 about living with Tourette syndrome (TS).

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • August 20, 2024

Tourette syndrome: What you need to know | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurological (nervous system) disorder. It causes involuntary, repetitive, and sudden movements or vocal sounds called “tics.”

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • August 1, 2024

6 ways to manage your fibromyalgia | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

If you’re living with fibromyalgia, it’s important to make time for self-care. NIH MedlinePlus Magazine asked two top fibromyalgia experts (and NIH grantees!) for tips on how to support your physical and mental well-being.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • July 30, 2024

Fibromyalgia: What you need to know | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Fibromyalgia is a chronic (long-term) condition that causes muscle pain and tenderness all over the body. It can also cause extreme exhaustion and other symptoms. Around 4 million adults in the United States have fibromyalgia and while there's no cure, it does not usually get worse over time.

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • July 16, 2024

IBS: What you need to know | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) refers to a group of symptoms that occur together and cause pain in the abdomen. They also cause changes in your bowel movements. The condition can be different for everyone who has it. People with IBS may experience symptoms on so...

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine • July 5, 2024

How do we taste…and why does it go wrong?  | NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Our sense of taste is important for our health and happiness. More than 200,000 people visit a doctor each year because they have a problem with their sense of taste or smell.