DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I just read that the treadmill stress test is no longer recommended. What’s the reasoning behind this? I’ve had the test before, and it seems like a good way to find heart problems.

ANSWER: A treadmill stress test can be helpful if a doctor suspects someone has heart problems or if a person is at high risk for heart disease. However, this test is no longer recommended for people at low risk for heart disease who do not have symptoms. For that group, the test is not needed because assessing risk factors such as age, smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes and family history has been shown to be nearly as effective in identifying an individual’s potential for heart disease.

A treadmill stress test gathers information about how well your heart works as you exercise. Because exercise makes your heart pump harder and faster than it does during most daily activities, the test may be able to reveal problems within your heart that might not be noticeable otherwise.

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Mayo Clinic is named a Top Hospital for Hispanics by Hispanic Network Magazine in its 2013 “Best of the Best” issue.  Mayo Clinic’s designation as a Top Hospital for Hispanics reflects its recently enhanced efforts to better connect with Spanish-speakers and deepen the historic and multifaceted bond between Mayo Clinic and Hispanic communities globally. This outreach is occurring through community collaborations around patient care, research and education.

“Diversity at Mayo Clinic is as much our future [...]

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Mayo Clinic and other researchers have shown that a vaccine given to newborns is at least 60 percent effective against rotavirus in Ghana. Rotavirus causes fever, vomiting and diarrhea, which in infants can cause severe dehydration. In developed nations, the condition often results in an emergency room visit or an occasional hospitalization, but is rarely fatal. In developing countries, however, rotavirus-related illness causes approximately 500,000 deaths per year.

The findings appear this week in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

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HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK
Fitness tips for menopause: Why fitness counts 

Regular physical activity is crucial for women facing menopause. The benefits are many, including preventing weight gain, reducing the risk of breast cancer, strengthening bones and boosting your mood.

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On Saturday, June 15, Sandhya Pruthi, M.D., from the Mayo Breast Clinic discusses “The Genetics of Breast Cancer.”  Although many women are still afraid of breast cancer, much has changed in the battle of this dreaded disease.  We will discuss a new genetic blood test that empowers physicians and patients to choose preventative therapies that may reduce breast cancer risk.  We will be joined by surgeon Valerie Lemaine, M.D., to learn more about prophylactic or preventative mastectomy.  Also, we’ll address this week’s Myth or Matter of Fact.

Listen Saturday 9-10 a.m. CDT http://radio.mayoclinic.org/ or [...]

Athlete gripping his left knee.

Summertime has many of us getting out and getting more active once again. That means we may see some of the maladies that come with aggressive exercise. Mayo Clinic orthopedic surgeon Diane Dahm, M.D., says a common concern is a Baker's cyst, also known as a popliteal (pop-lih-teel) cyst. It's basically just an out-pouching of fluid on the back of the knee, ranging in size from one to six centimeters or larger. While there can be many causes, Baker's cysts are generally a symptom of some type of injury or arthritis within the knee joint. Dr. Dahm (Dom) says she sees Baker's cysts in the MRI scans of 30 to 40 percent of patients being treated for knee pain, but, they are no cause for alarm.

Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Dahm are available in the downloads

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Mayo Medical School has been awarded a grant from the American Medical Association’s Accelerating Change in Medical Education program to develop a curriculum to better prepare students for the fast-changing world of health care. The medical school, with operations at Mayo Clinic campuses in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida, will receive $1 million from the AMA program over five years.

Mayo Medical School Dean Sherine Gabriel, M.D., credits the school’s selection in part to its work with partners across Mayo including Mayo Clinic Health System, Center for the Science of Health Care [...]

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Mayo Clinic and Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University researchers have partnered on a study showing that Peruvian physicians rarely sought to involve their patients in shared decision-making regarding medical care. This was true for physicians at public and private clinics. The findings are being discussed in Lima, Peru, at ISDM 2013, an international conference on globalizing shared decision-making held from June 16-19.

“Some evidence suggests involving patients in decisions decreases conflicts, increases patient satisfaction, and improves their knowledge [...]