Health & Wellness - July 2014 Archives

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Cancer causes: Popular myths about the causes of cancer Myths about secret cancer causes may lead you to worry about your own health and the health of your family. Before you panic, take a look at the facts. Heart attack symptoms: Know what's a medical emergency Besides chest pain, do you know the signs of a heart attack? Watch for these symptoms. Carbohydrates: How carbs fit into a healthy diet Carbohydrates have numerous health benefits. In fact, your body needs them to function. But some carbs may be better for you than others. EXPERT ANSWERS Ginkgo biloba: Can it prevent memory loss? Ginkgo biloba is said to prevent memory loss, but study results suggest otherwise. Salt craving: A symptom of Addison's disease? Excessive salt craving may indicate an underlying medical condition, such as Addison's disease Late-day exercise: Can it cause insomnia? For some people, exercising within a few hours of bedtime may cause problems getting to sleep. Click here to get a free e-subscription to the Housecall newsletter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iejJR9m7ig&feature=youtu.be News from Mayo Clinic Medical Laboratories ROCHESTER, Minn. — Summer fun often includes hiking, biking, and just enjoying the great outdoors. But hanging out in parks or walking on trails also invites ticks to hop a ride. Below are four tips from the Mayo Clinic Parasitology Laboratory for arming yourself against these unwanted visitors:  1. Use repellants that contain 20 to 30 percent DEET or 20 percent picaridin: Bobbi Pritt, M.D., clinical microbiologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, says that applying repellant to exposed skin and clothing will provide protection for several hours. “You can also wear clothing treated with permethrin to keep bugs away,” adds Dr. Pritt.  2. Wear long sleeves and tuck pants into socks: Covering your body and sealing off “entry points” from little critters helps prevent bites. Dr. Pritt also suggests wearing light-colored clothing to make it easier to spot ticks.  3. Avoid areas where ticks are prevalent: When hiking, stay in the middle of the trail and avoid areas with high grass or leaf litter.  4. Check yourself carefully for ticks, removing any right away using small forceps: When you get back from a hike or picnic, make sure you check yourself carefully for ticks. “Ticks can transmit important disease-causing organisms to humans and pets,” says Dr. Pritt, “It’s vital to remove any attached ticks right away using forceps.” Journalists: Video is available in the downloads. MEDIA CONTACT: Andy Tofilon, Mayo Medical Laboratories, 507-538-5245, newsbureau@mayo.edu

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: What causes dry eyes? Is there an effective treatment other than constantly using eye drops to keep them moist? ANSWER: Dry eyes happen when your eyes do not make enough tears or when those tears are poor quality. Treatment of dry eyes often includes medication, eye drops or ointment. But new treatments for a certain type of dry eyes may provide relief when standard treatments fail. To keep your vision clear and your eyes comfortable, you need a smooth layer of tears consistently covering the surface of your eyes. The tear film has three basic components: oil, water and mucus. Problems with any of these can cause dry eyes. Symptoms of dry eyes often include blurry vision, eye redness, sensitivity to light, and a burning, gritty or scratchy feeling in your eyes. Dry eyes may cause excessive tearing in some cases. They can make it difficult to wear contact lenses, too. Medications, age, eyelid problems, environmental factors (such as climate) and excessive eye strain can all result in dry eyes. For some people with chronic dry eyes, the problem stems from glands in the eyelids, called the meibomian glands. Normally, these glands make oil that slows the evaporation of tears. If the glands become blocked, tears do not contain enough oil. Then the tears evaporate too quickly, and eyes become dry. This type of dry eye condition is known as evaporative dry eye. Inflammation of the eyelid skin — a disorder called ocular rosacea — can often result in blocked meibomian glands.

Trial uses TheraSphere for the treatment of liver metastases TheraSphere delivers radiation through tiny glass beads — about a third of the width of ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic announced today that Daniel Sargent, Ph.D., has been awarded a $32.7 million, five-year grant by the National Cancer Institute to lead the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology’s Statistics and Data Center. The Center will be located at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Rochester. “This award will allow Mayo Clinic to continue and expand our over 35-year history as a national hub for conducting cancer clinical trials,” says Dr. Sargent, a biostatistician. The Alliance Statistics and Data Center is a multi-institutional operation that involves researchers at Mayo Clinic, Duke University, Dana- Farber Cancer Center, Ohio State University, and MD Anderson Cancer Center. The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (Alliance) is a national clinical trials network sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. The Alliance consists of nearly 10,000 cancer specialists at hospitals, medical centers and community clinics across the United States and Canada. The group develops and conducts clinical trials on promising new cancer therapies, develops treatment and prevention strategies and conducts research to alleviate side effects of cancer and cancer treatments. The Alliance enrolls 3,000 to 5,000 patients annually on its studies.

The next Mayo Clinic Radio will make you smile!  On Saturday, July 19, at 9 a.m. CT, Thomas Salinas, D.D.S., will join us to discuss different aspects of oral health.  We’ll talk about new ways to restore teeth and replacing missing teeth. Also on the list for discussion — the dramatic increase in oral cancers in those afflicted with HPV, how oral health impacts overall health, the affect of certain medications on oral health and the importance of oral health for aging patients.  Join us! Follow #MayoClinicRadio and tweet your questions. To listen to the program on Saturday, click here.  Mayo Clinic Radio is available on iHeart Radio. Listen to this week’s Medical News Headlines: News Segment July 19, 2014 (right click MP3) 

ROCHESTER, Minnesota: Estos son los puntos más destacados de la edición de junio de Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Puede citar esta publicación con la frecuencia que desee, pero para reimprimirla debe pagar una cuota. Es necesario hacer referencia a Mayo Clinic Health Letter; por lo que según sus políticas editoriales, incluya la siguiente información para suscribirse:  www.HealthLetter.MayoClinic.com o llame gratis para solicitar información sobre suscripciones al 800-333-9037, extensión 9771. Ventajas y desventajas de la warfarina y otros anticoagulantes nuevos La fibrilación auricular es un problema del ritmo cardíaco que aumenta el riesgo de sufrir un accidente cerebrovascular, pero quienes la padecen hoy más que nunca cuentan con muchas alternativas terapéuticas, informa la edición de junio de Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Los médicos suelen recomendar anticoagulantes a los pacientes que sufren fibrilación auricular porque esa afección tiene la posibilidad de conducir al desarrollo de coágulos sanguíneos en el corazón, los mismos que pueden desprenderse y trasladarse hasta una arteria que abastece de sangre al cerebro e incluso obstruirla, provocando un accidente cerebrovascular. De hecho, más de 15 por ciento de los accidentes cerebrovasculares ocurren debido a la fibrilación auricular.

ROCHESTER, Minn. – The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center (MCCC) announced today that it has received an overall "exceptional" score on the competitive renewal of its National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG). The grant award will provide roughly $28.6 million in funding over five years, providing essential support for the MCCC's 10 research programs and 13 shared resources through 2018. The MCCC's NCI designation as a comprehensive cancer center was also renewed. To earn the comprehensive cancer center designation, an institution must participate in multidisciplinary laboratory, clinical and population-based research and educate the community it serves about research advances. There are 41 NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers across the country. The MCCC is the only single comprehensive cancer center with three geographic sites – in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz.; Jacksonville, Fla., and Rochester, Minn. "Exceptional" is the highest rating given by the NCI. Fewer than 10 percent of NCI-designated cancer centers receive "exceptional" scores. "This rating reflects the level of science being conducted by our researchers and the high quality of our staff," says MCCC director, Robert Diasio, M.D.

Miss the show? Here's the podcast: Mayo Clinic Radio Full Show 7-21-14 The next Mayo Clinic Radio will make you smile!  On Saturday, July 19, ...

This is a story about determination, perfection and treating the whole person. Tenor David Lomeli [Dah-veed Low-meh-lee] is considered one of the best up-and-coming opera voices ...

ESTIMADA MAYO CLINIC: Mi hijo de 11 años empezó a usar anteojos a los 7 debido a miopía. Desde entonces, la graduación ocular ha empeorado de manera constante y ha sido necesario cambiarle los anteojos cada ocho o diez meses. El optometrista dice que eso no es raro, pero a mí me preocupa la situación. ¿Hay una edad en la que los niños normalmente dejan de presentar cambios en la vista? ¿Debería llevar a mi hijo donde un oftalmólogo para que se le realice una evaluación más minuciosa? RESPUESTA: A partir de su descripción, parece que el cambio en la visión de su hijo se encuentra dentro del rango normal para un niño de esa edad. A menos que el niño presente otros síntomas o padezca alguna enfermedad que puede afectar la vista, por el momento es poco probable que necesite consultar con un oftalmólogo. La miopía es una afección de la vista en la que se puede ver claramente de cerca, pero los objetos lejanos son borrosos. La miopía se presenta cuando la córnea, o membrana transparente que forma la parte anterior del ojo, tiene una curva muy pronunciada o el ojo es más largo de lo normal. Eso ocasiona que los rayos de luz que llegan al ojo se enfoquen delante de la retina, que está ubicada en la parte posterior del ojo, en lugar de directamente sobre ésta y de esa manera tornen borrosa la visión. Muchos niños desarrollan miopía durante el período de la escolarización primaria, generalmente alrededor de los 6 o 7 años de edad, y la afección suele continuar empeorando durante la adolescencia con el crecimiento del niño. El aumento de la miopía normalmente es más rápido durante los primeros años de la adolescencia, alrededor de los 11 a 13 años de edad, pero suele detenerse y estabilizarse hacia el final de la adolescencia o hasta los 25 años.

ROCHESTER, Minnesota: Mayo Clinic alcanzó la más alta distinción en la calificación de los mejores hospitales del U.S. News and World Report (Noticias de EE. UU. e Informe Mundial). Mayo Clinic obtuvo más primeros lugares que ningún otro proveedor de atención médica y calificó en el primero o segundo lugar en 11 de las 12 especialidades estudiadas gracias a su reputación, seguridad, resultados clínicos, así como servicios y volumen. “Mantenemos el compromiso de ofrecer cuidados médicos de alta calidad y de atender las necesidades del paciente de la mejor manera posible. Nuestro éxito se debe al personal que con verdadero esmero brinda al paciente una experiencia perfecta y la atención médica que cada quien necesita”, comenta el Dr. John Noseworthy, Presidente y Director General de Mayo Clinic. U.S. News & World Report otorgó a Mayo Clinic el primer puesto en el cuadro de honor del período 2014-2015 en las siguiente ocho especialidades: diabetes y endocrinología, otorrinolaringología, gastroenterología y cirugía gastrointestinal, geriatría, ginecología, nefrología, neurología y neurocirugía, y neumología. Mayo obtuvo el segundo puesto en tres especialidades más: cardiología y cirugía cardíaca, ortopedia y urología.