Catherine Guthrie

Catherine is a women's health journalist and memoirist. She lives in Somerville, MA.

Articles from Contributor

Just a little respect? Not for obese patients

A new study seems to confirm what many obese people have long suspected…that doctors think less of their heaviest patients. For the study, published in the November issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, collected data from 238 obese patients …

Hot dogs, pizza, and mac’n cheese on the chopping block?

Sure, kids love hot dogs, pizza, and mac’n cheese, but, when it comes to school lunches, the United States can and should do better says a blistering report issued this week by the Institute of Medicine. The report says schools need to bump up servings of fruits and vegetables, swap refined grains with their whole cousins, and replace …

Obese moms struggle to manage pregnancy weight gain

Any woman who has given birth knows that shedding baby weight can be a long and arduous process. Now scientists are finding that women who start off with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher—technically obese—are at a huge disadvantage. According to the new study, slated to appear in next month’s issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, …

Ouch from HPV vaccine is overblown

Rumors and news reports that warned of potentially painful side effects of the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine didn’t hold up under scientific scrutiny. Results from a study released today by researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, show that the three HPV shots are no more painful than any other vaccine. “Some …

Kill binky? Children’s prolonged sucking may trigger speech problems

Pity the parents who must grapple with whether or not to pull the plug on a child’s self-soothing device, be it binky or fingers. If you’re weighing the pros and cons, consider this: a new observational study suggests that children who cling to their sucking habit now, may risk a speech impediment later. For the study, published today in …

Politics can be bad for the libido

Republicans suffered a set back last November in more ways than one. A new study appearing today in the medical journal PLOS One shows that, in the hours after Obama was announced the 44th president of the United States, male, college-aged McCain fans experienced an immediate drop in testosterone. For the study, 183 people offered up …

Internet virgins search web, boost brain power

If you have someone in your life who stubbornly refuses to get in line by going online, here’s a carrot. Yesterday, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, presented their study showing that when adults (ages 55 to 78) go online their brains get bigger. Well, maybe not physically bigger, but they did reclaim …

Breast cancer diagnosis hits well-educated women hardest

For any woman, a breast cancer diagnosis is a sucker punch to the gut, but a new Australian study finds that more well-educated women fare worse psychologically than their less-educated peers. For the cohort study, 1,684 women were recruited within 12 months of being diagnosed with invasive breast cancer. Each woman completed a standard, …

Weight-loss surgery not a surefire bet for superobese

Weight-loss surgery is often heralded as a relatively risk-free procedure, especially compared to the health problems that can go hand-in-hand with obesity. But, for the heaviest among us—the so-called superobese—the decision to go under the knife is not one to be taken lightly. According to a study published in this month’s Archives

Think before you drink for your health

In our science-via-soundbite culture, it’s easy to glom onto health news that validates the things we love—what? coffee might prevent Alzheimer’s? pass the triple Americano—and ignore headlines that threatens to dampen the fun, such as the drawbacks of drinking.

Everyone’s heard the news that moderate drinking may thwart heart …

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