Deb Balzer (@DebBalzer)
Deb Balzer is a Senior Communications Specialist at Mayo Clinic. She began her career as a TV news producer in Rochester, NY, before joining CONUS Communications, a pioneering national news satellite organization. She also field produced for ABC, CNN, the Rachael Ray Show and Farmers’ Almanac TV. Joining Mayo Clinic in 2015, Deb writes, produces and collaborates on medical stories with Mayo Clinic’s leading experts, providing trusted health and medical information to help patients.
Asthma is a lung condition that causes swelling of the airways. It can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. It's[...]
This week, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer COVID-19 booster vaccine six months following completion of the initial[...]
High-dose flu vaccines are flu vaccines that are approved for people age 65 and older and given by injection. Like other flu vaccines, the high-dose[...]
Cases of West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne illness, have been reported across the U.S. It's the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental U.S.,[...]
Having a back injury can put a person's life on hold. While most people can find relief through nonsurgical methods like physical therapy, steroid injections[...]
When it comes to food safety in the kitchen, it's important to keep your work area clean from bacteria and the possibility of cross-contamination. It's[...]
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) refers to a progressive group of lung diseases, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, that make it hard to breathe. Millions of[...]
A new COVID-19 variant called B.1621, or mu, by the World Health Organization is being monitored by scientists. While this variant is making news, it is[...]
Vaccination remains the best protection from COVID-19 infection. Like most vaccines, getting vaccinated for COVID-19 is not 100% perfect. But if vaccinated people do get[...]
More cases of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses continue to be reported as the geographic range of ticks expands in North America. A changing[...]
The emergency use authorization for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines has been updated to include a third dose for moderately or severely immunocompromised people[...]
Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, continues to offer COVID-19 vaccination walk-in clinics for patients, visitors and staff. Anyone 12 and older can attend these walk-in[...]