Health & Wellness - April 2014 Archives

This story originally appeared on the In the Loop blog. Now and then, you hear about a conversation you wish you could have been in on. Or at least have been eavesdropping on from a nearby table at the coffee shop. That's the feeling you get when reading Rochester historian Harley Flathers' account of his recent conversation with Dr. Charles H. Mayo II, son of Dr. Charles Mayo and grandson of Dr. Charlie Mayo. Flathers writes about the conversation in his Back and Forth column in the Rochester Post-Bulletin. It seems Flathers got Dr. Mayo talking about growing up at Mayowood and as part of the Mayo family. Dr. Mayo, "now 83 and a resident of St. Croix Falls, Wis.," tells Flathers that it was "his choice" not to join Mayo Clinic back in the 1960s. "I'm not a writer," Dr. Mayo says. "I did my residency at Mayo Clinic, but you're required to do a certain amount of papers. Besides, I would constantly have been compared to my father, who was an excellent surgeon, and Grandpa and Will."

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I'm a 40-year old woman, and I’ve noticed that many multivitamins for women contain iron. Should all women take extra iron? Is it safe to do so? What are the side effects of taking a daily iron supplement? ANSWER: Not having enough iron in your body — a condition known as iron deficiency — is a common problem for women, especially before menopause. But that does not mean all women need an iron supplement. Just as too little iron can cause problems, too much iron in your body can lead to health concerns, as well. To make sure it’s right for you, talk to your doctor before you take an iron supplement. Iron is a mineral that helps the body make red blood cells. Without enough iron, the body can’t produce the number of red blood cells it needs. This condition, called iron deficiency anemia, is a concern because red blood cells carry oxygen to the body’s tissues. Without enough red blood cells, the body may not be able to get enough oxygen to stay healthy.

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Pet therapy: Man's best friend as healer Is medicine going to the dogs? Yes, but in a good way. Pet therapy is gaining fans in health care and beyond. Find out what's behind this growing trend. Seasonal allergies: Nip them in the bud Relieve seasonal sneezing, congestion, a runny nose and other bothersome symptoms with these tried-and-true tips. EXPERT ANSWERS Doppler ultrasound: What is it used for? A Doppler ultrasound measures blood flow and pressure in blood vessels. Fructose intolerance: Which foods to avoid? Learn which foods to stay away from if you have fructose intolerance and what to look for on labels. HEALTHY RECIPES Quesadillas Chicken stir-fry with eggplant and basil Roasted red pepper with feta salad Orange slices with citrus syrup HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK Want to lose weight? Eat more fiber High-fiber foods generally take longer to chew. This gives your body time to register when you're no longer hungry, so you're less likely to overeat. And high-fiber foods tend to make you feel full longer, so you won't be as ravenous later. Finally, high-fiber foods tend to have fewer calories for the same volume of food. Choose whole grains and whole-grain products, fruits and vegetables, beans, and peas and other legumes. Click here to get a free e-subscription to the Housecall newsletter.

New therapies sought for triple negative breast cancer Researchers have found that triple negative breast cancer is more common in younger women and in African-American women. Thyroidectomy Find out how to prepare for this procedure to treat thyroid disorders, such as cancer, and what you can expect. PSA test: Benefits and limitations Consider the benefits and limitations of a PSA test when choosing whether to undergo prostate cancer screening. 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.

The Mayo Clinic Radio program for Saturday, April 5,  is a rebroadcast from October 2013. Timothy Lineberry, M.D., and J. Michael Bostwick, M.D., joined ...

  The next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Saturday, April 5, 9 a.m. CDT, is a rebroadcast from October 2013. Timothy Lineberry, M.D., and J. Michael Bostwick, M.D., joined us to discuss suicide prevention.  There are an estimated one million suicides worldwide each year, but there is hope that number can drop if we understand the scope of the problem and how to find help.  What should you do if someone you know is at risk? How can you help teenagers if they are suicidal?  We also talked about resources for loved ones who are left behind after suicide and discussed the drastic increase in the number of military members who are dying from suicide. Please tune in. Myth or Matter of Fact:  Most suicide attempts fail. 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 April 5, 2014 (right click MP3) 

Just when you think you have it beat, one of the sneaky things about cancer is the way it can reappear, undetected in a few isolated cells. Alaska State Senator Mike Hawker had that concern after his first life or death battle with prostate cancer. Then in late 2012, Mayo Clinic became the first U.S. medical facility granted U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to use a new marker, called Choline C 11, which can make those stealthy cancer cells light up! In their own words, here are Rep. Hawker and Eugene Kwon, M.D., the researcher who made this medical breakthrough possible.  [TRT 2:41] Journalists: The full package, animation 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXcm8IHXT1U

The next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Saturday, April 5, 9 a.m. CDT, is a rebroadcast from October 2013. Timothy Lineberry, M.D., and J. Michael Bostwick, ...

La fibra provee muchos beneficios a la salud. He aquí cómo incluir más fibra en la dieta. Por personal de Mayo Clinic Consuma más fibra. Probablemente ya lo ha escuchado, pero ¿sabe usted por qué la fibra es tan beneficiosa para su salud? La fibra alimentaria — presente principalmente en frutas, verduras, granos integrales y legumbres — probablemente es mejor conocida por su capacidad para prevenir o aliviar el estreñimiento; pero los alimentos que contienen fibra también proveen otros beneficios de salud, como ayudar a mantener un peso saludable y disminuir el riesgo de diabetes y enfermedades cardíacas. Elegir alimentos sabrosos que provean fibra no es difícil. Averigüe cuánta fibra alimentaria necesita, los alimentos que la contienen, y cómo incorporarlos a las comidas y refrigerios. ¿Qué es la fibra alimentaria? La fibra alimentaria incluye todas las partes de los alimentos vegetales que el cuerpo no puede digerir o absorber. A diferencia de otros componentes de los alimentos, como las grasas, proteínas o carbohidratos — que son metabolizadas y absorbidas — la fibra no es digerida por el organismo. Por el contrario, pasa relativamente intacta por el estómago, intestino delgado y colon, y es eliminada fuera del cuerpo.

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — 27 de marzo de 2014 — ¿Piensa que la reparación de una hernia va a ser un proceso sencillo, y que unas horas después se sentirá listo para caminar en el parque? Tal vez sea momento de enfrentar la realidad, sugiere un estudio de Mayo Clinic. Aunque los pacientes tienden a esperar un rápido retorno a sus actividades normales después de la reparación laparoscópica de una hernia abdominal, los investigadores encontraron que muchos de los pacientes estudiados seguían experimentando dolor y fatiga aún varios días después. Las personas menores de 60 años y en particular las mujeres parecen recuperarse en un tiempo más prolongado. Los resultados se presentan en la reunión anual de la Sociedad Americana de Cirujanos Gastrointestinales y Endoscópicos del 2 al 5 de abril en Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) named Mayo Clinic the winner of the 2014 INFORMS Prize, an award given to one organization that has applied operations research and management science disciplines in pioneering, varied, novel and lasting ways. “Operations research is deeply rooted in our organization,” says Mayo Clinic President and CEO John Noseworthy, M.D.  “It started with Henry Plummer’s work on an integrated paper medical record more than 100 years ago and continues today through the sophisticated analytics and operations research infrastructure that we use to improve the work we do for patients.” Current examples include blood management, cardiac care redesign and forecasting efforts to improve patient access. Mayo Clinic employs more than 500 OR/MS practitioners who use methods such as optimization, forecasting and mathematical modeling to enhance strategic planning, care process redesign, inventory management and project management.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My son, 19, has been losing his hair for about a year. He has been using a hair growth foam for about 6 months without much difference. He is healthy otherwise and exercises daily. He is a baseball player and wears a cap often, but it seems like a lot of hair loss for someone his age. Is there anything else he could do at this point? Should he see a dermatologist? ANSWER: In the vast majority of cases like your son’s, the cause of hair loss is a condition called androgenic alopecia, or male-pattern baldness. It’s usually a result of genetics and not a sign of a more serious underlying medical condition. Treatment that can slow or stop this type of hair loss is available. To confirm the diagnosis and decide on treatment options, he should make an appointment to see a dermatologist — preferably one who has expertise in hair loss. Male-pattern hair loss is characterized by the hairline receding from the forehead, as well as thinning hair across the top of the head. If the hair loss continues over time, these two areas may merge. The result often is a ring of hair around the sides and the back of the head, with baldness over the top.