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.
Secondhand cigarette smoke is a combination of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette and the smoke breathed out by smokers. Exposure to secondhand smoke[...]
Oct. 15 is Global Handwashing Day, a reminder of the importance of good hand hygiene. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says life[...]
Newborns and babies need a series of vaccines to protect them from more than a dozen potentially dangerous illnesses. Many new and first-time parents question[...]
When is the best time to get your flu shot? Ideally, it's before flu season becomes active in your community. Flu activity across the U.S.[...]
Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) is a rare and potentially fatal virus spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. "The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)[...]
Measles infections in the U.S. are beginning to fall. However, the number of cases reported nationwide year to date remain the highest since 1992, according[...]
Millions of people use electronic cigarettes, or vaping devices. While tobacco use remains the largest cause of preventable death and disability in the U.S., vaping[...]
The thyroid is part of the endocrine system and regulates your body's metabolic rate. It is a small gland with a complex job. When the[...]
Histoplasmosis is an infection caused by a fungus or mold that often affects the lungs. In the U.S., it is most common in the Ohio[...]
Measles outbreaks in the U.S. continue, making the number of cases reported in the country the highest since 1992. Measles were declared eliminated in the[...]
The use of electronic-cigarettes, or vaping devices, has been linked to one death and an outbreak of related lung injuries. "The Center for Diseases Control[...]
Many parents and caregivers may be faced with the difficult task of deciding when to keep their children out of day care or school when[...]