Health & Wellness - December 2013 Archives

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My husband was diagnosed with cancer six months ago and just completed chemotherapy treatments. He’s not feeling great right now, and he may need more cancer treatments at some point. But we’ve been told his long-term outlook is good. At a recent appointment, though, his oncologist suggested he consider palliative care. Why would he need that? Isn’t it similar to hospice care? ANSWER: Palliative care and hospice care are different. Hospice is both an insurance benefit and a philosophy that focuses on enhancing quality of life for patients who likely have less than six months to live. The goal of hospice is to help people live as well as they can for as long as they can. Palliative care, on the other hand, is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. This type of care is focused on providing relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of a serious illness, whatever the diagnosis or outlook.

The holidays can be stressful, and for those in recovery it’s a time to be vigilant against relapse. Fountain Centers, a Mayo Clinic Health System program for substance abuse and addiction, offers the following tips to help ensure a clean and sober holiday season. Common relapse dangers to be aware of: Being in the presence of drugs or alcohol. Having alcohol in the house for friends and events. Being too busy to go to meetings. Not talking to your sponsor and sober friends. Too busy to read your daily meditations or communicate with your higher power. Setting unrealistic goals for the holidays, be it decorating, entertaining or gift-giving. Feeling overwhelmed, confused, useless or stressed out over planning or unrealistic goals. Changes in eating, sleeping patterns and energy levels.

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Meatless meals: The benefits of eating less meat You can eat healthfully without spending a lot. One way to achieve healthy savings is to serve meat less often. Managing fatigue with multiple sclerosis The fatigue that often accompanies MS can make it hard to do what you want to do. Use these ideas to help fight fatigue. EXPERT ANSWERS Whitening toothpaste: Does it whiten teeth? Find out how whitening toothpaste works and whether it's effective. When the heat is on, which oil should you use? Olive, canola or grapeseed? Which should you have on hand? HEALTHY RECIPES Spinach-stuffed sole Fava beans with garlic Cauliflower mashed 'potatoes' Cranberry spritzer HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK Are your holidays a dietary free-for-all? The holidays aren't an excuse to abandon healthy habits. Some indulgence is OK, but too much may leave you feeling depressed and guilty. Plan ahead to manage temptation. Have a healthy snack before holiday parties so that you don't go overboard on sweets, cheese or drinks. And continue to get plenty of sleep and physical activity. Click here to get a free e-subscription to the Housecall newsletter.

Does "lower my stress levels" show up on your list of New Year's resolutions for 2014?  On Saturday, Dec. 21, Amit Sood, M.D., joined us to ...

Winter is well underway but it's never too late for reminders about how to properly handle snowblowers, especially in wet, heavy snow that can result in clogging a snowblower’s exit chute. According to the American Society of Surgery of the Hand, hundreds of people suffer serious accidents involving snowblowers each year, and the common weather conditions when injuries occur include a large accumulation of snow, typically greater than 6 inches, in temperatures ranging from 28 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. Mayo Clinic Health System hand surgeon Jose Ortiz, M.D., says, “A ‘quick fix’ for a clogged snowblower can result in a lifetime of pain and disfigurement. It’s just not worth it.”  Dr. Ortiz recommends the following steps for safely clearing a clogged snowblower: Turn off the snowblower. Disengage the clutch. Wait five seconds to allow the blades to stop rotating. Use a stick or broom handle to remove the impacted snow. NEVER put your hand down the exit chute or around any blades. Keep all shields or safety devices in place. Keep a clear head and concentrate. Obviously, do not operate a snowblower if you’ve been drinking alcohol. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGftj-R2drI My Family’s Battle with Rare Kidney Disease Gives Hope to Others Seeking a Lifesaving Transplant  By: Jane Sullivan Horne "When I ...

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: How does having sleep apnea affect my health? Are there treatments that I can try for sleep apnea other than a CPAP machine? ANSWER: People who have sleep apnea repeatedly stop and start breathing when they sleep. There are two main types of sleep apnea. The more common form is obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA. It happens when muscles in the back of the throat relax, narrowing the airway and making it hard to take in enough air. Central sleep apnea is less common. It happens when the brain doesn’t send the proper signals to the muscles that control breathing. OSA can make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. People with this sleep disorder often do not feel refreshed in the morning. They may wake up with a headache and suffer from fatigue and sleepiness throughout the day. Lack of sleep can affect a person’s mood and the ability to think clearly and concentrate. Other problems can arise as a result of OSA, too. It may lead to an increase in blood pressure. It can raise your risk for stroke and many types of heart disease. Untreated OSA makes recovery from surgery more difficult. If you have OSA, your risk of being in a motor vehicle accident is higher. Severe cases of OSA may lead to premature death.

Between holidays and the cold, dark time of the year, winter workouts can be tough. Finding the motivation to exercise, be active and be engaged isn’t always easy. Try exploring these tips to create a healthier you this winter. Jill Rohloff, director of Mayo Clinic Health System in New Prague’s The Fitness Center, has 11 tips to help you fight the urge for inactivity this winter. Create new traditions. Schedule regular family walks during holiday break and weekends. You could even sign your family up for a local running event. Manage your time. Plan your shopping, gift wrapping and other holiday or winter activities around your workouts. If you need to do a shorter workout, compromise by increasing the intensity. Make working out convenient. Pull out an exercise DVD and exercise at home before work if you’re short on time. Once you get home from work, you’ll be happy that you completed your workout earlier in the day. Keep track of your weight. Weigh yourself weekly during the winter. This will help you keep an eye on fitness and weight-loss goals. Sign up for an accountability program. Chances are your workplace or local gym offer special exercise classes like the 12,000 Calorie Burner or Maintain – Don’t Gain programs. Register for a class to help you keep your fitness routine in check. Follow the 80/20 rule. If you stick to eating healthy 80 percent of the time during the holidays, the other 20 percent isn’t going to do much damage. Eat in moderation, and stop feeling guilty.

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Allergy-proof your house See how to allergy-proof your house with these simple changes and find relief for your symptoms. Living with multiple sclerosis Having a chronic condition like multiple sclerosis can be challenging. Learn how you can manage the disease and live well with MS. EXPERT ANSWERS Cold or allergy: Which is it? Learn how to tell the difference between common cold and allergy symptoms. Is pregnancy safe if you have MS? Most women's MS symptoms actually lessen or disappear during pregnancy. HEALTHY RECIPES Smoked-trout spread Spinach dip with mushrooms Whole-wheat pretzel Chickpea hummus HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK Let it snow, but watch the chill Whether you're playing in the snow or you're knee-deep in a winter workout, the wind can penetrate your clothes and remove the insulating layer of warm air that surrounds your body. Fast motion, such as skiing or skating, also creates wind chill because it increases air movement past your body. If the temperature dips well below 0 F (minus 18 C), choose an indoor activity instead. Click here to get a free e-subscription to the Housecall newsletter.

Mayo Clinic and The Links, Incorporated have established a formal collaboration that aims to develop a more diverse health care workforce. The joint initiative ranges from raising health awareness in the African American community to facilitating scientific research — with a special focus on cardiovascular disease, cancer, organ transplantation and obesity. The collaboration stems from one patient’s experience. The world’s first and largest group medical practice and one of the nation’s premier volunteer service organizations of professional African American women are joining forces to eradicate health disparities among communities of color in the United States. Read news release.

Despite its name, sinus tachycardia has nothing to do with your sinuses.  In this Mayo Clinic Radio Health Minute, Dr. Stephen Hammill tells us what ...

http://youtu.be/8ZrqdKORo5M Abba Zubair, M.D., Ph.D, believes that cells grown in the International Space Station (ISS) could help patients recover from a stroke, and that it may even be possible to generate human tissues and organs in space. Dr. Zubair says, “On Earth, we face many challenges in trying to grow enough stem cells to treat patients. It takes a month to generate enough cells for a few patients. A clinical-grade laboratory in space could provide the answer we all have been seeking for regenerative medicine.” Now, the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), a nonprofit organization that promotes research aboard the ISS, has awarded Dr. Zubair a $300,000 grant to send human stem cells into space to see if they grow more rapidly than stem cells grown on Earth. Dr. Zubair, medical and scientific director of the cell therapy laboratory at Mayo Clinic in Florida, says the experiment will be the first one Mayo Clinic has conducted in space and the first to use these human stem cells, which are found in bone marrow. Read news release. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Zubair are available in the downloads.