Harvard Health Publications: 6 books

Positive emotions have been linked with better health, longer life, and greater well-being in numerous scientific studies. On the other hand, chronic anger, worry, and hostility increase the risk of developing heart disease, as people react to these feelings with raised blood pressure and stiffening...

Poor balance, a persistent problem for millions of Americans, triggers many falls. In young, healthy adults, balance is largely an automatic reflex. However, gradual changes linked to growing older—such as weak or inflexible muscles, slower reflexes, and worsening eyesight—affect the sense of balance....

Your "gut" is the series of organs—mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and colon—that transform the food you eat into the nutrients your body needs to live and to thrive. If you've ever had an upset stomach, constipation, heartburn or gas, you know how sensitive the gut can be. These "gut...

Back pain has many causes and, as a result, many treatments. Low Back Pain: Healing your aching back, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School, helps you understand why back pain occurs and which treatments are most likely to help. Treatment of low back pain has undergone a recent sea change....

Is joint pain holding you back? Perhaps an achy ankle or sore knee is making it difficult to enjoy a run through your favorite park or even a short walk? Or a throbbing hip or shoulder prevents you from driving a golf ball down the fairway or from performing simple tasks like carrying a bag of groceries...

In many ways, our memories shape who we are. They make up our internal biographies—the stories we tell ourselves about what we've done with our lives. They tell us who we're connected to, who we've touched during our lives, and who has touched us. In short, our memories are crucial to the essence of...