For patients with compromised immune systems, getting vaccinated often involves making complex decisions. The protection a vaccine provides is especially important to prevent illness, but do vaccines come with added risks? Whether your system is weakened by conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or HIV or compromised by medications such as biologics, check with your healthcare … Read More
Tag: shingles
Do You Know the Truth About Shingles? (Infographic)
Debunk the top seven myths about shingles, a painful skin rash that attacks one in three people.
Shingles: What You Should Do If the Chicken Pox Virus Returns
Chicken pox once was considered a childhood rite of passage, yet few of us expect to experience a second eruption of the same virus. But this itchy and painful condition, known as shingles, strikes one in three adults during their lifetime. Its hallmark is a rash that appears as a band or a patch of … Read More
Study Finds Getting Shingles Vaccine May Be ‘Heart-Smart’
Now, there’s another reason to get a shingles vaccine. New research finds that by lowering your risk for shingles, you also lower your risk for heart attack and mini-stroke. To arrive at this finding, researchers at University College London scoured existing patient medical records looking for patterns between shingles and cardiovascular disease. After factoring in … Read More
Do You Need a Shot for Shingles? (Video)
Shingles is a skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox — and it can be just as painful and uncomfortable. Even worse, shingles often recurs. But you can be vaccinated to decrease your risk. Who is most at risk? Advanced age or a weakened immune system can make people more vulnerable to contracting shingles. … Read More
Treating Pain When Shingles Lingers
Shingles is painful enough. But to add insult to injury, sometimes a chronic pain syndrome develops after shingles resolves. Shingles is a skin rash caused by the chickenpox virus, herpes zoster. Studies suggest that roughly 30 to 60 percent of people over age 60 who get shingles may go on to develop post-herpetic neuralgia, or … Read More
Women in Their 60s: Staying Strong and Healthy (Video)
Your 60s should see you continuing your periodic Pap smears and HPV tests, mammogram, pelvic exams and colon cancer screenings (if needed), advises Holly L. Thacker, MD. You should have had your shingles vaccine by age 60, and by 65 you need the pneumonia vaccine and a bone density scan. Check your senses: are you … Read More