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.

Most parents know that newborn babies, toddlers, and young children go through a litany of vaccines. Very specific schedules are set, and parents are frequently back-and-forth to doctors’ offices just to keep up. But, what shots do adults need? The schedules can be difficult to read or understand. To stay on top of adult vaccines, read on to help determine what may be best for you. If you’ve felt overwhelmed by the number of vaccines you’re hearing about this fall, you are not alone. Christian Miller, 34, who says he’s always kept up to date on his vaccines found himself…

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Adam is the youngest of three children. His older brother and sister came down with a cough and fever when Adam was nearly a month old. A week or so later, Adam was coughing as well, but his cough was phlegmy, and he started vomiting after each feeding. He tested positive for RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).  After 12 hours, he hadn’t wet his diaper at all. His mother had to rush him to the hospital, where he spent four days and three nights. He got oxygen, IV fluids, and antibiotics. Still, since there are no antiviral drugs specifically to fight…

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Heat Exhaustion & Heatstroke Yet another heat wave is “baking” the U.S. and is expected to last all week. And this is just the first full week of summer. In 2022, thousands of people died from heat-related causes in Spain, Portugal United Kingdom, the United States, and India. Extra-high temperatures are perilous for everyone, but they are even more so for the elderly, people who need electric medical equipment and for those on medications with side effects that can increase their sensitivity to heat. You may need to take extra caution to remain safe when the heat rises. Heat exhaustion is…

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Regular MedShadow readers are likely familiar with the idea of deprescribing—the process of reducing the number or dose of drugs a person is taking. MedShadow has written about the phenomenon before. But, while the idea of taking fewer medications is simple, the process of deprescribing while balancing risks versus benefits is complicated. Some medications have withdrawal symptoms, and tapering may take time. The Therapeutics Initiative at the University of British Columbia is hosting a series of webinars with healthcare professionals sharing real-life stories of their own patients whose medications they were able to reduce, and what happened when they did.…

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Do you wake up with stiffness and joint pain? Have you been wondering whether you’re injured, you’re developing arthritis or if you just need a good stretch? Even if you do have arthritis, diet and exercise may go a long way toward mitigating your symptoms. MedShadow explains. What Is Arthritis? There are more than 100 types of arthritis, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but one thing they all have in common is that any arthritis damages the cartilage in your joints. In some cases, only a single joint will be affected, whereas for others, the…

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The more aluminum a child was exposed to via vaccination by the age of 2, the more likely they were to have developed asthma by the age of 5, according to a study published in September in Academic Pediatrics. The research highlighted a potential issue that needs further study, according to experts, but it comes with caveats, and alone it cannot prove that aluminum causes asthma or suggest that physicians should stop or delay vaccines for children.  The prevalence of asthma in the United States has increased only slightly in the past two decades. In 2019, 7.8% of adults had…

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You may read the ingredients in your food. You might scan the ingredients of your medications. But, do you know what is in your vaccinations?  Typically, ingredients are included to create immunity, allow it to be long-lasting and safe, while still being effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that the ingredients included fall into the categories of: Stabilizers Adjuvants Residual Inactivating Ingredients Residual Cell Culture materials Residual antibiotics Preservatives. While you often hear about the active ingredients of vaccines, such as the mRNA, the attenuated virus, or viral particles designed to wake up our immune systems…

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It took seven years for Madeline Shonka to be diagnosed with lupus. Unfortunately, her struggles didn’t end there.  The side effects of medications for lupus that her healthcare providers prescribed were often debilitating side effects, such as weight gain, rashes and even difficulty managing anger. Then, over time, her physicians tested different, better-suited treatments on Shonka. She found that certain new habits, like light exercise, made a big difference in her quality of life. She then founded Co-immunity, which hosts support groups for patients with chronic illnesses, so that they can share their experiences. What Is Lupus? Lupus is an…

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A now world-wide outbreak of hepatitis ‘that began in fall 2021 among young children, sickening hundreds, continues nearly eight months later, as of May 2022. The medical community is searching for its cause.  Some researchers believe it may have been triggered by COVID-19 infections or by colds or other viruses. The challenge is that the term hepatitis denotes an inflammation of the liver, but in order to treat it, a doctor needs to know what caused that inflammation. That’s problematic, because a doctor must know the cause to treat it effectively. Here’s what you need to know about the many…

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