Author: Emma Yasinski

Emma Yasinski

I am a freelance science and medical journalist, fascinated by how the scientific process leads to incredible discoveries, but also can lead to publication bias leaning toward positive findings and minimizing negatives. With a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Lafayette College and a Master’s in Science and Medical Journalism from Boston University, I’ve written about clinical trial transparency, organ donation, and basic molecular biology for publications like The Scientist, The Atlantic, Undark.org, Kaiser Health News, and more. At MedShadow, I research and write about the sometimes unexpected ways that medicines can affect us, and what we can do if and when it does.

A few months into the pandemic, researchers learned that some patients were reporting that some of their Covid symptoms,  like shortness of breath, brain fog, diabetes, and heart problems, persisted long after they’d tested negative for COVID-19. A doctor in Italy was the first to use the term, “long Covid” when she described  the disease as cyclical, progressive, and multiphasic. When COVID-19 first emerged, doctors identified it only as a respiratory virus—one that primarily affects the nose, throat, and lungs, causing coughing and shortness of breath. Over time, physicians found that the virus seemed to produce many other symptoms not…

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Morgan’s parents weren’t too concerned in August of 2021, when her daughter had a fever. After all, she’d recovered from COVID-19 just a few weeks before. Her parents figured it was just a cold. But within a few days, the 8-year-old was admitted to the hospital with a high fever, rash, aches, and stomach pain. Her heart rate skyrocketed while her blood pressure dropped. She stayed in the hospital for about two weeks, where doctors gave her corticosteroids to ease the inflammation rioting through her body.    Her COVID-19 infection weeks before had triggered an immune response that went haywire and…

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[Editor’s note January 2023: Evusheld is no longer authorized for COVID-19 prevention, since it does not appear to be effective against the newest variants.] None of the COVID-19 vaccinations guarantee immunocompromised people much protection from the disease, but now the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved an antibody engineered to protect you from getting COVID-19.  Only 27% of transplant recipients, for example, who are severely immunocompromised,  mounted a sufficient antibody response after two doses of an mRNA vaccine, made by Moderna and Pfizer. The immunocompromised state is due to drugs prescribed to prevent their immune systems from rejecting a…

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​Early in Dee Mangin’s career as a primary-care physician, she noticed that many people, especially older adults, were prescribed large numbers and doses of drugs, which, in some cases, might actually be detracting from their health rather than improving it. Then, she realized that even when polypharmacy (being prescribed five or more medications simultaneously) was recognized as a problem, there wasn’t any systematic way to help patients and healthcare providers assess which medicines might be most effective in a lower dose or discontinued altogether.  Mangin is an MBChB (the New Zealand equivalent of an MD) and DPH (doctor of public…

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Shingles is not your average rash. The painful, itchy red stripe caused by shingles can last up to 10 days, while long-term nerve pain, a common complication, can persist for months or years. In the rare event that the outbreak appears on your face, it can even cause blindness. Luckily, there’s a two-dose vaccine, Shingrix (zoster vaccine recombinant, adjuvanted), that can prevent the disease. It’s recommended for people 50 years and older, even if you’ve already had shingles, and those 19 and older who are immunosuppressed. Shingles is a unique disease in that it’s not caused by a new infection.…

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On May 10, 2021 Pfizer announced that its COVID-19 vaccine had been granted emergency-use authorization for kids ages 12 to 15. Since then, lower doses of the shot have been authorized for children aged 6-11. Many children have received the vaccinations, but a large population of children without the shots remains, as officials report a new variant could cause a small, but noticeable new wave of cases soon. With the FDA reviewing data from Moderna’s trials and Pfizer extending its trial to include a third shot in hopes of coaxing a more robust immune response in children 6 months to…

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MedShadow was the first to launch its COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effect Tracker, even before any COVID-19 vaccines were authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Its goal is to report on the adverse effects in clinical trials, help our readers make informed decisions and know what to expect when they get their shots. Experts said early on that some of the side effects may be severe enough that patients will want to stay home from work after receiving the vaccine.  Our vaccine side effect tracker has amassed more than 800 comments, a handful of which have discussed unusual reactions,…

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Antibodies are key to fighting COVID-19, but between convalescent plasma, monoclonal antibody drugs and vaccines, how and when you get those antibodies matters.  All three of these treatments produce antibodies designed to recognize SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and help your immune system fight it before it wreaks havoc on your lungs and other organs. However, they are not all created equally.  What exactly are antibodies? Antibodies are proteins that your immune system develops in response to a perceived infection (“perceived,” because it’s also possible for your body to develop them in response to your own cells, which is…

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