Health Matters

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Is it flu, COVID-19, or RSV? There's a test for that

By Alice Park

Senior Health Correspondent

It’s that time of year again, when colder temperatures and closer quarters mean more coughs, sneezes, and sore throats. But this year we have more options than ever before for minimizing our misery, thanks to at-home test kits and some new and updated vaccines and treatments. Knowing what’s making us sick has never been more important for protecting both ourselves and those around us from getting seriously ill. Here’s what you need to protect yourself during the upcoming season:

You can now test yourself for COVID-19 and flu, and the government has restarted its program for providing free COVID-19 test kits.
At-home testing can save time and reduce spread of disease since you don’t need to make an appointment at a doctor’s office or visit an urgent care or emergency room.
Thanks to telemedicine, your self-test results could lead to quicker prescription treatments for flu and COVID-19, which are most effective if you start them soon after your symptoms appear.

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Writing through OCD

When playwright and poet Dan O'Brien was a child, a near-tragedy in his family triggered a lifetime of obsessive compulsive disorder. As he describes in an essay in the Washington Post, becoming a writer helped him cope but it was in therapy that O'Brien found peace.

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Today's newsletter was written by Alice Park and Oliver Staley, and edited by Oliver.