Health & Wellness - August 2013 Archives

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’ve read that there will be new options for getting the flu vaccine this year, including one for people who have egg allergies. How are these new vaccines different, and how do I know which one to pick? How do researchers know they will be safe? ANSWER: You’re right. Beginning this year, several new vaccine options will be offered to help protect you against influenza, or the flu. Rather than just two options, you now will have a range of vaccines from which to choose. At first having so many choices may be confusing. But by doing a little research and having a conversation with your health care provider, you will be able to decide which one is best for your situation. As always, each of the new vaccines has gone through rigorous safety testing before being made available to the public.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X74sbi985Ag&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 A Mayo Clinic study has found that patients who had complex gynecologic surgery managed by an enhanced recovery pathway (ERP) had decreased narcotic use, earlier discharge, stable readmission rates, excellent patient satisfaction and cost savings. Patients were eating, drinking and ambulating shortly after surgery. Mayo Clinic gynecologic surgeon and lead study author Sean Dowdy, M.D., says, “Patients are much happier when we are able to eliminate the use of unproven and unpleasant interventions such as bowel preparations, caloric restriction, sedating medications and the use of surgical drains. We show that patients undergoing the most complex and invasive operations have the most to gain from this recovery pathway.” The findings are published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.  Click here for news release Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Dowdy are available in the downloads

Could a little red wine lower your risk of prostate cancer? In this Mayo Clinic Radio Health Minute, Dr. Jeffrey Karnes says maybe. To ...

It's state fair time in much of the country and that means amusement rides, games, people watching, live music and eating a fair amount of unhealthy food. But Donald Hensrud, M.D., a Mayo Clinic specialist in nutrition and preventive medicine, says it is possible to go to the fair and have a good time without overindulging. Here are a few of his tips: 1) Give yourself a good start by eating something healthy before you go 2) Have some fruit to start the day or a salad before you go in the afternoon 3) Split portions with family or friends

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Sleep tips: 7 steps to better sleep Better sleep can be yours! Consider sleep tips for the weary. Slide show: 10 great health foods Add these nutritious foods to the menu and give your diet a healthy boost. EXPERT ANSWERS Ozone air purifiers: Can they improve asthma symptoms? Ozone air purifiers don't reduce asthma symptoms. In fact, they can make asthma worse HEALTHY RECIPES Grilled chicken breasts with roasted yellow tomato sauce Green smoothie Grilled flank steak salad with roasted corn vinaigrette Barley and roasted tomato risotto HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK Top 5 foods to lower your cholesterol A few tweaks to your diet may be enough to lower your cholesterol to a healthy level and help you stay off medications. Consider adding these cholesterol-lowering foods to your diet: 1. Oatmeal and oat bran. 2. Walnuts, almonds and other nuts. 3. Fish - mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon. 4. Olive oil. 5. Foods fortified with plant sterols or stanols, such as margarines, orange juice and yogurt drinks.  

Parkinson's disease research was presented to the American Academy of Neurology earlier this year, that's being described as a "big step forward" in diagnosing the disease.   Mayo Clinic neurologist, Charles Adler, M.D., Ph.D., says, “There is currently no diagnostic test for Parkinson’s disease and this is the first study demonstrating the value of testing a portion of the saliva gland (submandibular gland) to diagnose a living person with Parkinson’s disease. Making a diagnosis in living patients is a big step forward in our effort to understand and better treat patients." Click here for news release Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Adler are in the downloads Learn more about Parkinson's disease http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWhFU-DeJds  

  On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program (8/24), the studio will be full with three orthopedics experts. Mark Morrey, M.D., will join your host Tom ...

Mouth sores are an unfortunate, but common ailment with radiation therapy. In this Mayo Clinic Radio Health Minute, Dr. Robert Miller tells us about a ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mK_ygqrIY0 Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida have discovered that a drug used to treat blood cancers may also stop the spread of invasive breast cancer. Their study, published ...

The Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation is holding Transform 2013 in Rochester, Minn. Sept. 8–10.  It's the sixth multidisciplinary symposium focused on transforming the way health care is experienced and delivered, with a dynamic audience of innovators, leaders, designers, entrepreneurs, policymakers and business thinkers. Topics include new models of care delivery, the uncertainty of change in the health care landscape, the intersection of business and health care innovation, and how to scale programs to large populations. Journalist and commentator John Hockenberry, who is returning to Transform to moderate the symposium discussions, says, “There is a real hunger to talk about changing health care, and it is our responsibility to make sure we are on the cutting edge of doing things right.”  See all 2013 speakers Click here for news release Journalists: Sound bites with John Hockenberry and Nicholas LaRusso, M.D., Director of Transform 2013, are available in the downloads  Journalists can request media passes and access to a live webcast by contacting Duska Anastasijevic at 507-284-5005 or newsbureau@mayo.edu. The public can follow symposium news at the Center for Innovation Blog and on Twitter #TXFM.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N-4JnfNmLg The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports up to 170,000 young athletes go to the emergency department every year for possible traumatic ...

http://youtu.be/8SFaErUrk60 The standard treatment for chronic dry eye includes medications, daily eye drops and ointments to nourish the surface of the eye. In some cases, ...