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Harvard Health Publications

Our Mission

Founded in 1782, Harvard Medical School is one of the largest and most acclaimed medical schools in the world.  With more than 11,000 members of the faculty, including more than 9,000 practicing doctors, the School and its 17 affiliated hospitals and research institutions care for patients, teach and conduct research. Creating health information for the general public is part of the educational mission of the School. The Harvard Health Publications Division of the School publishes books, newsletters, Special Health Reports, two syndicated newspaper columns, articles in magazines, and content for the Web.


Links to learn more about these publications: Harvard Medical School Newsletters, Harvard Medical School Special Health Reports, Harvard Medical School Books, Harvard Prostate Knowledge website.



Activity

  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    What factors can affect peak bone mass?
    These are some of the factors that can influence your peak bone mass:
     
    Inherited traits. Sex, race, and genes help determine peak bone density. As a rule, bone density is 30% higher in men than in women and 10% higher in blacks than in whites. Even so, there is wide variation within these...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    How can my diet affect my risk for osteoporosis?
    What you eat early in life has a lot to do with the state of your bones later on. Research indicates that women whose diets contain the greatest amounts of calcium and vitamin D during childhood and adolescence have denser bones during adulthood. Consuming enough calories is also vital: when...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    How can exercise affect bone density?
    Regular weight-bearing exercise during your early years contributes to peak bone density. This includes any activities that involve overcoming gravity's pull -- not just weight lifting, but also running, walking, aerobics, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, tennis, golf, or comparable forms...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    How does bone loss occur?
    Bone loss occurs when the cells that form bone (osteoblasts) cannot keep pace with the cells that are eating away at bone (osteoclasts). If you were to view a microscopic movie taken over time, you would see the osteoclasts going about business as usual, while the osteoblasts' efforts fall...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    What medications can cause secondary osteoporosis?
    The term secondary osteoporosis is used to describe osteoporosis resulting from a medical condition or the use of certain medications. If you're taking any of these medications, talk to your doctor about what you can do to keep your bones healthy.
    • Androgen deprivation therapy (hormone
    ...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    How can hormone treatments for cancer cause osteoporosis?
    There is a growing awareness that hormone treatments for breast and prostate cancers can harm bone health. Hormones can trigger the growth of certain kinds of cancer cells. By reducing levels of particular hormones, the treatments in question slow the growth of the cancer. But because some of...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    How can glucocorticoid medications harm bone health?
    Glucocorticoid medications, which include prednisone and similar agents, do the following:
    1. Interfere with the body's ability to absorb calcium from food
    2. Increase the amount of calcium lost in the urine
    3. Possibly trigger the body to produce too much parathyroid hormone, which removes
    ...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    Can proton-pump inhibitors increase bone fracture risk?
    The long-term use of proton-pump inhibitors -- a common treatment for ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease -- came under scrutiny after a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that these drugs, including the popular over-the-counter drug omeprazole...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    Can antidepressants cause bone loss?
    Evidence is growing that serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a popular class of antidepressants, may cause bone thinning. The connection between depression and bone loss has been noted since the 1990s, but the precise nature of this association remained unclear for many years. However,...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    How can vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty help treat spinal fractures?
    Over the years, interest has been growing in two procedures to stabilize compressed vertebrae and alleviate the pain associated with vertebral fracture. Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are geared toward patients who haven't responded to traditional measures such as bed rest and pain medi...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    How is vertebroplasty performed?
    Vertebroplasty, developed in France in the 1980s, is done on an outpatient basis and takes less than an hour. After the patient is given mild sedation, the physician inserts a needle into the affected vertebra, using an x-ray as a guide. Then bone cement, called methylmethacrylate, is injected...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    How effective is vertebroplasty?
    While initial small studies indicated that vertebroplasty could effectively reduce pain and improve functioning in patients with spinal fractures, more studies have thrown these findings into question. In August 2009, The New England Journal of Medicine published the results of the first...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    How is kyphoplasty performed?
    Kyphoplasty takes less than an hour, although the patient may need to remain in the hospital overnight. In this procedure, after the patient receives mild sedation, a physician inserts a small tubelike instrument into the affected vertebra, using a special viewing device called a fluoroscope...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    What are complications of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty?
    Complications are uncommon for both vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty but can include bleeding, infection, and nerve damage. Occasionally bone cement leaks from the area treated. Often this doesn't cause a problem, but in the rare occasion when bone cement leaks into the bloodstream or spinal...  Full Post
  • Harvard Health Publications
    Harvard Health Publications answered:
    What should I ask my doctor before vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty?
    If you are considering either vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty, you may want to ask your doctor what type of cement will be used, whether it is currently Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for the procedure, and what experience your doctor has had with the product and the procedure...  Full Post