Harvard Women's Health Watch articles from September 2004

Harvard Women's Health Watch archives from September 2004

Is a longer work life healthy for you?
September 1, 2004... Working beyond midlife offers pluses and minuses. Here are a few. More than half of women ages 55-64 are working or looking for work -- twice as many as in 1950. Many of these women are at the peak of their careers; others simply enjoy...

Coffee: For most, it's safe.
September 1, 2004... Coffee has been blamed for everything from moral turpitude to cancer. But none of the bad raps have stuck. Coffee may even be good for you. Despite 20 years of reassuring research, many people still avoid coffee* because they worry about...

A doctor talks about; Screening for ovarian cancer.
September 1, 2004... Celeste Robb-Nicholson, M.D. Some of my patients have received an alarming e-mail urging women to have a CA-125 test for ovarian cancer. CA-125 is a protein often made by ovarian cancer that circulates in the blood. Levels of CA-125 are...

Good night's sleep elusive for many women.
September 1, 2004... Why we may not be getting enough sleep and what we can do about it. According to the National Sleep Foundation and other health organizations, more than 50% of adults are missing out on a good night's sleep. Sleep complaints, short-lived or...

By the way, doctor; Are fish oil supplements safe?
September 1, 2004... Q The stories about mercury and other toxins in fish have me worried that my fish oil supplements may be contaminated. Have there been any studies of these toxins in fish oil capsules? A Several of our readers have asked this question....

By the way, doctor; How do you treat an anal fissure?
September 1, 2004... Q I had pain and some bleeding with bowel movements. I thought it was a hemorrhoid, but my doctor says it's an anal fissure. How did I get this, and what's the best way to treat it? A An anal fissure is a tear in the tissue that lines the...