- Rising E-Cigarette Use Tied to More Smoking in Teens http://bit.ly/1lFT5Zd
- First LSD Study in 40 Years Shows Promising Medical Uses http://huff.to/1fLU8o6
- Surgery May Be Best for Young Men With Prostate Cancer http://abcn.ws/1kAJXVm
- Hearing Loss Tied to Depression in Study http://bit.ly/1eawhZM
- For Older Drivers, Study Finds, 1 Drink May Be 1 Too Many http://bit.ly/P9wwyZ
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Live Long, Beat Strong to Find a Cure (pkg)
Posted on March 7th, 2014 by Dana Sparks
At age 14, life's all about school, sports and hanging out with friends. But for the teen you're about to meet, it's also about enduring open heart surgery. Jack Long faced a major operation, but instead of fearing what might happen, he focused on helping other people. [TRT 3:06]
Journalists: The full package and additional b-roll are available in the downloads. To access the script click here.
This is a special report produced for the Mayo Clinic 150th Anniversary Collection of Stories. To view other stories and learn more about Mayo Clinic's sesquicentennial, please click here.
MAYO CLINIC RADIO
Posted on March 7th, 2014 by Dana Sparks
Do you know the incidence of osteoporosis fractures is greater than the annual incidence of heart disease and stroke combined? Also, that there are approximately 2 million fragility fractures per year and that number is expected to double by 2014?
Join us Saturday, March 8, at 9 a.m. CT, when we talk with Ann Kearns, M.D., Ph.D., and Sanjeev Kakar, M.D., about osteoporosis. We'll discuss what it is, the symptoms and the risk factors. We'll also talk about how it's diagnosed and what can be done to prevent it.
Myth or Matter of Fact: Osteoporosis is only a problem for older Caucasian women.
The links below will take you to videos offering background information on osteoporosis.
Dr. Kearns Explains Osteoporosis
Dr. Kakar Talks About Osteoporosis
To hear the program LIVE on Saturday, click here.
Follow #MayoClinicRadio and tweet your questions.
Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeart Radio.
Listen to this week’s Medical News Headlines: News Segment March 8, 2014 (right click MP3) 
Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic. The show is taped for rebroadcast by some affiliates.
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Fertility Preservation: Your Options Before Cancer Treatment
Posted on March 7th, 2014 by Dana Sparks
Fertility preservation: Understand your options before cancer treatment
Cancer treatment can have a major impact on fertility. Get the facts about fertility preservation options for men and women.
Cancer caregivers and quality of life — new study opportunity
Mayo Clinic has a new study open to cancer caregivers that is researching interventions to improve quality of life and prevent burnout.
Managing chemotherapy side effects
Chemotherapy treatment carries with it a host of potential side effects — fatigue, hair loss and more. Learn about managing chemotherapy side effects. Read the rest of this entry »
Mayo Clinic Expands Its Reach in 2013
Posted on March 7th, 2014 by Susana Shephard
A Milestone for the Future of Health Care in Arizona
The Far East met the Southwest as Mayo Clinic in Arizona employees, benefactors, community leaders, and Hitachi leadership joined together in a traditional Japanese ceremony to welcome the arrival of the first wave of proton beam equipment.
Mayo Clinic Expands Its Reach in 2013
John Noseworthy, M.D., CEO and president at Mayo Clinic, reports that Mayo Clinic reached a record 63 million people in 2013.
Integrated Care: Improving Patient Outcomes and Lowering Costs
Robert Nesse, M.D., vice-president at Mayo Clinic, explains how Mayo Clinic is a leader in the effort to change the health care system and improve the value of the care we deliver to patients.
THURSDAY CONSUMER HEALTH TIPS
Posted on March 6th, 2014 by Dana Sparks
Memory loss: 7 tips to improve your memory
Degenerative changes in the spine: Is this arthritis?
Yampa Valley Medical Center and Mayo Clinic Announce Collaboration
Posted on March 5th, 2014 by Jim McVeigh
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colo. — Mayo Clinic and Yampa Valley Medical Center officials announced today that the Steamboat Springs hospital is the newest member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network. The network connects Mayo Clinic and health care providers who are interested in working together to enhance the delivery of locally provided high quality health care. Yampa Valley Medical Center is the second hospital in Colorado to be invited to join the network.
"We are pleased to announce this collaboration with Mayo Clinic,” said Frank May, CEO, Yampa Valley Medical Center. “We share a common philosophy and commitment to improve the delivery of health care and now our relationship through the Mayo Clinic Care Network will allow our physicians and providers to have access to Mayo’s knowledge and expertise to best address the needs of our patients in northwest Colorado.” Read the rest of this entry »
TUESDAY Q & A: Timing of surgery to repair cleft lip can’t be determined until baby is born
Posted on March 4th, 2014 by Dana Sparks
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 30 weeks pregnant with our first baby. After an ultrasound last week, our doctor informed us our baby will likely have a cleft lip. How soon after he is born do you recommend surgery? Will I still be able to breastfeed him?
ANSWER: Learning that your baby may have a cleft lip or a cleft palate can be upsetting. But fortunately, in most cases these conditions can be successfully repaired with surgery. The specific timing of surgery depends on how extensive the cleft is, and that cannot be definitely determined until your baby is born.
A cleft lip is an opening, or split, in a newborn’s upper lip, and a cleft palate is an opening in the roof of the mouth. Cleft lip and cleft palate may occur separately, or they can happen together. These birth conditions result when the developing facial structures in a growing baby don’t close completely during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Read the rest of this entry »
Mayo Clinic hosts concussion film premiere by Oscar-nominated director
Posted on March 4th, 2014 by Jim McVeigh
MEDIA ADVISORY
PHOENIX – Mayo Clinic will host a special sneak preview of the highly anticipated documentary, Head Games: The Global Concussion Crisis.
WHEN - Saturday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m.
WHERE - the Phoenix campus of Mayo Clinic, 5777 East Mayo Boulevard.
BACKGROUND – From the acclaimed director Steve James (Academy Award-nominated Hoop Dreams, Emmy Award-winning The Interrupters), Head Games: The Global Concussion Crisis is a revealing documentary featuring never-before-seen neurological findings related to rugby and soccer players that will serve as a wake-up call for people who think that the devastating chronic effects of repetitive head trauma are only an American football and boxing injury. Read the rest of this entry »
Monday’s Housecall
Posted on March 3rd, 2014 by Dana Sparks
THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES
Hearing aids: How to choose the right one
Many types of hearing aids exist. So which is best for you?
Colon cancer screening: At what age can you stop?
Colon cancer screening may have an upper age limit of effectiveness. What is it?
Heart healthy for life: Avoiding heart disease
Preventing heart disease begins with small steps. Find out more about maintaining a healthy heart.
HEALTHY RECIPES
Italian flags (tomato and mozzarella salad)
Barley and roasted tomato risotto
Tossed greens with pasta, fruit and balsamic vinaigrette
Berries marinated in balsamic vinegar
HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK
Do you need sunscreen in the winter?
You bet! It's as easy to get sunburned in winter as in summer. Snow reflects the sun's rays, so sunburn is possible even if you're cold. When you're outdoors in the winter, wear sunscreen on any exposed areas. Use lip balm that contains sunscreen, too.
Click here to get a free e-subscription to the Housecall newsletter.
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New Approach to Breast Reconstruction Surgery Reduces Opioid Painkiller Use, Hospital Stays
Posted on March 3rd, 2014 by Sharon Theimer
New York — March 3, 2014 — A new approach to breast reconstruction surgery aimed at helping patients’ bodies get back to normal more quickly cut their postoperative opioid painkiller use in half and meant a day less in the hospital on average, a Mayo Clinic study found. The method includes new pain control techniques, preventive anti-nausea treatment and getting women eating and walking soon after free flap breast reconstruction surgery. It has proved so effective, it is now being used across plastic surgery at Mayo Clinic. The findings were being presented at the Plastic Surgery Research Council annual meeting March 7-9 in New York.
Breast reconstruction surgery is common after breast tissue is removed to prevent or treat breast cancer; in free flap breast reconstruction, the plastic surgeon transfers a section of tissue from one part of the body to the chest. Using traditional care, the hospital stay averaged roughly four and a half days after that procedure. Using a new approach known as an “enhanced recovery pathway,” patients spent an average of three days in the hospital, the researchers found.
Opioid painkiller use by patients in the hospital after surgery also declined with the new method, and those patients reported less pain at 24 hours after surgery than those who received the traditional approach. Calculated in oral morphine equivalents, opioid use averaged 142.3 milligrams over the first three days in the hospital, compared with an average of 321.3 milligrams over the same period with traditional care.
Patients are giving the changes positive reviews, says senior author Michel Saint-Cyr, M.D., a plastic surgeon in the Breast Diagnostic Clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Planning Ahead With an Advance Directive
Posted on February 28th, 2014 by Dana Sparks
Planning ahead with an advance directive is crucial
Dealing with a life-changing diagnosis such as cancer makes having an advance directive to outline treatment even more important.
Monoclonal antibody drugs for cancer: How they work
Get the facts on how monoclonal antibodies are being used in cancer treatment.
Managing chemotherapy side effects
Chemotherapy treatment carries with it a host of potential side effects — fatigue, hair loss and more. Learn about managing chemotherapy side effects.
MAYO CLINIC RADIO
Posted on February 28th, 2014 by Dana Sparks
The eyes have it! March is Save Your Vision month and we hope you can join us Saturday, March 1, at 9 a.m. CT, when the topic is eyesight. Ophthalmologists Sophie Bakri, M.D.; and Michael Mahr, M.D. will be with us to discuss macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts, in addition to workplace eye safety.
Myth or Matter of Fact: Only patients with a family history can develop glaucoma.
For a link to information on eating disorders discussed at the top of the show with Leslie Sim, Ph.D.,L.P., click Mayo Clinic or the AED webpage.
To listen to the program LIVE, click here.
Listen to this week’s Medical News Headlines: News Segment March 1, 2014 (right click MP3)
Unlocking the Secrets of the Human Genome
Posted on February 28th, 2014 by Susana Shephard
John Noseworthy, M.D., CEO and president at Mayo Clinic, discusses how Mayo's first 150 years will shape the future of health care.
Unlocking the Secrets of the Human Genome
At the Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine, we're gathering knowledge about a patient’s genome (or DNA) to diagnose, predict, treat and prevent disease.
Optum Labs Welcomes New Partners
Seven leading health care organizations are joining the Optum Labs collaborative, bringing their own unique mix of data and expertise focused on creating the highest value health care possible for patients.
THURSDAY CONSUMER HEALTH TIPS
Posted on February 27th, 2014 by Dana Sparks
Heart attack symptoms: Know what's a medical emergency
Exercise and stress: Get moving to manage stress
Mayo Clinic Health Letter: Highlights from the February 2014 Issue
Posted on February 27th, 2014 by Ginger Plumbo
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Feb. 27, 2014 — Here are highlights from the February issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter. You may cite this publication as often as you wish. Reprinting is allowed for a fee. Mayo Clinic Health Letter attribution is required. Include the following subscription information as your editorial policies permit: Visit http://www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com or call toll-free for subscription information, 1-800-333-9037, extension 9771. Full newsletter text: Mayo Clinic Health Letter February 2014 (for journalists only). Full special report text: Mayo Clinic Health Letter Special Report February 2014 (for journalists only).
Better Sleep Without Pills
Older adults often report a good night’s sleep is hard to come by. In an eight-page Special Report on sleep, the February issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers changes in sleep that can occur with aging and how to get better sleep without taking pills.
Poor sleep isn’t an inevitable part of aging. Yet, older adults are twice as likely to be prescribed a sedative medication for insomnia as are young adults. These medications ― zolpidem (Ambien, others), eszopiclone (Lunesta) or zaleplon (Sonata) ― aren’t meant to be used beyond four to eight weeks. Many older adults use them for months or years even though these medications can cause unwanted side effects including residual sleepiness during the day, dizziness, lightheadedness and mental impairment.
Mayo Clinic Health Letter covers several nondrug approaches and strategies that have proved to help relieve insomnia. Strategies include:
Exercise: Evidence shows that incorporating regular exercise into the daily routine improves sleep. Exercise increases the amount of energy expended, and the amounts of “feel-good” hormones (endorphins) the body produces. Both are likely to lead to better sleep. Read the rest of this entry »