Atkinson Family Practice

09/03/2026

Both AFP offices will be closed this Monday for Labor Day

09/03/2026

AAFP, Other Major Medical Groups Issue Guidelines For Flu, COVID-19, And RSV Vaccines

Americans moving into the “fall and winter respiratory-virus season” are receiving “vaccine advice in an unusual way this year: from a coalition of the nation’s leading medical organizations.” The Post says, “The American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America released recommendations Wednesday guided by an independent review conducted by the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) in collaboration with the American Medical Association.” In their findings published in JAMA, the VIP “reviewed hundreds of peer-reviewed studies on the safety and effectiveness of immunizations against influenza, COVID-19 and RSV, and found no new safety concerns.”

This Perspective describes the Vaccine Integrity Project, established in 2025 in response to concerns about the stability and integrity of US vaccine policy due to disruptions to the work of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; outlines the process for the 2026-2027 evidence review; and...

09/02/2026

Happy Anniversary to our amazing administrator and biller Jess.
Thankyou for all you do!!

08/31/2026

We are so excited to be offering this hands-on class on healthy eating at our Amherst office.
See the link below to register. ( discounts for AFP patients!)

08/31/2026

We often are tempted to stop Statin meds in people over age 75 to decrease the number of pills yet this powerful study suggests that we should continue them

Statins dramatically reduce major adverse cardiovascular events for older adults with no history of CVD (cardiovascular disease)

“People over age 70 with no history of cardiovascular disease see dramatic reductions in major adverse cardiovascular events when newly prescribed statin therapy for primary prevention, according to results of the STAREE trial.” Investigators found that “compared with those given placebo, patients taking 40 mg of atorvastatin once daily had a 30% lower incidence of CV death, nonfatal MI, stroke, or coronary revascularization (6.0% vs 8.3%; P < 0.001) over the 6-year study period.” However, there was “no difference between groups in the incidence of disability-free survival, defined as a composite of death from any cause, dementia, or persistent physical disability.” The research was presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2026 and published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

The effectiveness and safety of statins for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events and the extension of disability-free survival among older adults remain uncertain. We conducted a double-...

08/29/2026

Sorry to announce that AFP NOHO will probably remain closed again this week. There were questions about air quality. In a doctors’ office we need to be ultra-careful.
Apologies again for the delay

08/27/2026

Shingles vaccine may reduce risk of cardiovascular disease

The shingles vaccine” may reduce an individual’s “risk of cardiovascular disease, according to new research.”
MedPage Today (8/26, Lou) reports that “investigators saw clear differences in patient outcomes between those vaccinated in the 2017 season dominated by the live-attenuated shingles vaccine (Zostavax) and those vaccinated in 2018 mostly using the recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (Shingrix).” The data indicated that “the newer, more effective recombinant vaccine was associated with drops over the next 7 years in terms of: Composite cardiovascular outcomes (restricted mean time lost [RMTL] ratio 0.91, 95% CI 0.88-0.95); Ischemic heart disease (RMTL ratio 0.90, 95% CI 0.87-0.94); Heart failure (RMTL ratio 0.88, 95% CI 0.83-0.93).” The findings were published in Nature Medicine.

A natural experiment comparing recipients of the live attenuated versus recombinant herpes zoster vaccines found that the recombinant vaccine was associated with a lower incidence of cardiovascular events across 7 years of follow-up.

08/27/2026

Exercise may be as good as a nap for the sleep-deprived
—— a recent study found that “about 20 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise performed as well as a 90-minute nap in protecting the memory of people who’d gone 30 hours without sleep.” Sleep-deprived participants also “performed about 22% better on memory tests when they either worked out or napped, compared to those who did neither, researchers said.” The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Sleep loss is a public health concern requiring widely accessible cost-effective interventions to counteract the cognitive and brain health impairm...

08/27/2026

Study Finds Strength Training During Pregnancy May Improve Some Outcomes For Women With Overweight Or Obesity

“Strength training during pregnancy may improve some outcomes for women with overweight or obesity,” research shows. Researchers in the 209-participant study found 48% of women “in the intervention group achieved the adherence target of two or more sessions per week. The intervention group had a trend toward lower incidence rates of gestational diabetes and hydramnios.” The study was published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.

Strength training during pregnancy safely improves maternal well-being, increases physical activity, and reduces pregnancy symptoms, with a promising trend toward lower gestational diabetes.

08/26/2026

AFP NOHO will remain closed the entire week. We regret the inconvenience