Tracey Romero

Tracey Romero is a Philadelphia-based health and science journalist. Her work has appeared in Cardiology Today, Orthopedics This Week and the Philadelphia Inquirer. She loves to write about the personal side of medicine. Follow her on Twitter @trarom.

tracey@phillyvoice.com

May 5, 2021

Parenting

Your baby's first poop may offer a window into their future health

by Tracey Romero

A new study suggests that the contents of a baby's first stool may predict risk of allergies and asthma later on.

May 5, 2021

Women's Health

Freezing tumors has become a popular treatment for slow-growing cancers

by Tracey Romero

Cryoablation has become a popular alternative to treat inoperable tumors. In the U.S., it is commonly performed as part of the treatments for bone, cervical, eye, kidney, liver, lung and prostate cancers. But it remains an experimental breast cancer treatment.

May 4, 2021

Prevention

Anxious about getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Experts offer coping strategies

by Tracey Romero

Learn some coping strategies for handling anxiety about getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

May 3, 2021

Senior Health

A new app aims to help people better manage arthritis

by Tracey Romero

Vim, a free app developed by the Arthritis Foundation, will allow people to set six-week goals to reduce manage their chronic pain and include a tracking function to monitor progress. Many arthritis suffers' symptoms have been exacerbated by anxiety and and fear amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report finds.

May 3, 2021

Healthy Eating

Taking fish oil supplements to improve heart health remains controversial

by Tracey Romero

Many people take fish oil supplements in hopes of benefitting their heart health, but scientists are still not clear whether the benefits outweigh the potential risks. A new analysis linked fish oil supplements — which contain omega-3 fatty acids — to atrial fibrillation, a dangerous heart condition.

April 28, 2021

Senior Health

Pfizer, Moderna vaccines 'highly effective' at preventing hospitalizations among seniors, CDC confirms

by Tracey Romero

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are 94% effective at preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations among fully vaccinated seniors, according to real-world data from the CDC. The study also found a single shot is 64% effective at preventing hospitalizations.

April 28, 2021

Prevention

Independence Blue Cross offering help to members seeking COVID-19 vaccines

by Tracey Romero

Independence Blue Cross is expanding its outreach efforts to help members schedule COVId-19 vaccine appointments. The health insurer is now providing one-on-one assistance to help any member schedule a shot at Rite Aid locations in Philadelphia, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

April 28, 2021

Mental Health

Providing exposure therapy to PTSD patients is one of the latest ways VR is being used in health care

by Tracey Romero

Clinical trials are investigating the benefits of using virtual reality technology to treat patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. A tool developed by UCF RESTORES uses exposure therapy – a behavioral therapy that helps people confront their fears so they no longer avoid objects, activities or situations.

April 27, 2021

Mental Health

Feeling foggy-headed and tired all the time? You may have sluggish cognitive tempo

by Tracey Romero

Sluggish cognitive tempo — a series of behaviors typically related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder — may be its own mental health disorder. Some researchers are investigating whether it should be added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders, but others argue that it is just a subtype of ADHD.

April 27, 2021

Women's Health

Preeclampsia may triple a woman's lifetime stroke risk, study finds

by Tracey Romero

Preeclampsia — a pregnancy complication in which a woman develops high blood pressure — may triple an expectant mother's lifetime stroke risk, according to new research from the University of Utah.