Health & Wellness - July 2015 Archives

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire today has been ranked among the best hospitals in Wisconsin and is recognized as the top ranked hospital in northwestern Wisconsin in the 26th U.S. News & World Report annual America’s Best Hospitals list. Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire also was recognized as “high performing” in orthopedics. “This national ranking is a tremendous honor and a credit to all our hard-working employees,” says Randall Linton, M.D., president and CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System in northwest Wisconsin. “We strive daily to give patients comprehensive, whole-person care, so being included in this national ranking is a great distinction.” Nationally, Mayo Clinic was second overall on U.S. News & World Report’s 2015-2016 Best Hospitals list and earned more No. 1 rankings in individual specialties than any other provider based on reputation, services and volumes, safety and clinical outcomes.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I didn’t have allergies when I was younger. But now in my 40s, I seem to get allergy symptoms during the spring and summer. Is it possible to develop allergies as an adult? Should I get tested? If so, what do allergy tests involve? ANSWER: You can develop allergies later in life, and there is definitely value in getting tested to see if your symptoms are due to allergies. If they are, the test results will give you information about what you’re allergic to and help guide you as you decide on treatment. Allergy tests usually involve a skin test, a blood test or both. Allergy development typically has two phases. During the first phase, called sensitization, you come in contact with a harmless substance, and your body mistakenly starts making allergic antibodies, called IgE antibodies, to fight that substance. Those antibodies don’t do anything until you are exposed to the substance, or allergen, again. At that time, the second phase starts. The allergen binds to the IgE antibodies. That sets off a cascade of immune reactions in your body, such as itchy or watery eyes, nasal congestion and sneezing, among others.

ROCHESTER, Minnesota: La Fundación Americana del Hígado dice que alrededor de 30 000 a 40 000 personas fallecen anualmente debido a enfermedad hepática. En quienes presentan insuficiencia hepática aguda, el único tratamiento comprobado es el trasplante de hígado. Los científicos de Mayo Clinic desarrollaron, y ahora prueban, una alternativa al trasplante hepático, llamada hígado bioartificial de reservorio esferoide, que puede sustentar la recuperación y regeneración del hígado lesionado, mejorar los resultados y reducir las tasas de mortalidad de los pacientes con insuficiencia hepática aguda, sin necesidad de un trasplante. El dispositivo, desarrollado por el Dr. Scott Nyberg que es el investigador principal del Laboratorio de Hígado Artificial y Trasplante Hepático de Mayo Clinic y cirujano de trasplantes de hígado, utiliza hepatocitos sanos (o sea células hepáticas sanas) de cerdos para realizar el trabajo de un hígado normal sano, que consiste en ayudar con la digestión y extraer los desechos y las toxinas del torrente sanguíneo. El tratamiento con el hígado bioartificial de reservorio esferoide (SRBAL, por sus siglas en inglés) demostró que puede reducir la gravedad de la hepatopatía y mejorar la supervivencia en los cerdos. A través de futuros estudios clínicos, se planifica evaluar el hígado bioartificial de reservorio esferoide como una alternativa menos invasiva y a largo plazo para el trasplante de hígado. Los resultados de un estudio que aplicó el dispositivo en un ensayo preclínico fundamental se publicaron hoy en la Revista de Hepatología. Si desea ver el funcionamiento del dispositivo y un video exclusivo de los científicos de los laboratorios de Mayo, oprima aquí.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23,000 people die each year in the U.S. as the result of antibiotic-resistant infections. Antibiotics are ...

For most women, breast surgery means mastectomy. But there are other types of breast surgery, including breast reconstruction and breast augmentation. On the next Mayo ...

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Heat and exercise: Keeping cool in hot weather Exercising in the hot summer sun can raise your temperature, too. How can you beat the heat? Pet allergy Does playing with Fido or Fluffy make you sneeze or cause your nose to run? You may have a pet allergy. Discover the symptoms and which treatments may help. EXPERT ANSWERS Stress and weight gain Eating in reaction to being stressed can cause you to pack on the pounds. These tips may help. Ear candling: Is it safe? This technique to remove earwax can actually be dangerous, causing serious injury. Find out why. Click here to get a free e-subscription to the Housecall newsletter.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My blood test for celiac disease came back negative, but I am still having symptoms. Is it possible that I still could have it? What should my next steps be? ANSWER: The symptoms and presentation of celiac disease can vary quite a bit from one person to another. The most common symptoms are bloating and weight loss. Diarrhea or constipation may also affect some people. Less commonly, patients may experience an itchy, burning rash, called dermatitis herpetiformis, as well as heartburn, headaches, fatigue and joint pain, among others. Celiac disease may also cause iron deficiency anemia and neuropathy — tingling or pain in the feet and hands that doesn’t go away. Eventually, if left untreated, celiac disease may cause damage to the nervous system, bones, brain, liver and other organs. If you have celiac disease, eating gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley and rye — triggers an immune response in your small intestine that leads to inflammation. Over time, that inflammation damages the lining of the small intestine, making it difficult for the small intestine to absorb some nutrients.

How to direct your assumptions "Judging a person out of context is like reading one page in a novel and calling the story uninteresting. ...

ESTIMADA MAYO CLINIC: Tengo tos y un poco de silbido del pecho que no pasan. El médico sospecha que es asma y solicitó un análisis del óxido nítrico exhalado. ¿Pueden ofrecerme más información sobre ese análisis? RESPUESTA: El asma normalmente se diagnostica en base a los síntomas, a un examen físico y a ciertos análisis, tales como la medida del flujo espiratorio y la espirometría, para ver cuán bien funcionan los pulmones. Sin embargo, a veces el diagnóstico no es claro y a fin de recoger más información, el médico puede solicitar el análisis del óxido nítrico exhalado. Realizar ese análisis simple lleva apenas unos minutos, sea en un consultorio médico o en un laboratorio para función pulmonar. El asma produce una inflamación particular en las vías respiratorias de los pulmones. Los estudios han demostrado que la elevación del óxido nítrico exhalado, un gas expelido con la exhalación, puede ser un marcador confiable de la inflamación de las vías respiratorias en ciertos pacientes. Todo el cuerpo produce óxido nítrico, incluso los pulmones, para combatir la inflamación y relajar la constricción muscular. Cuando las vías respiratorias se inflaman, según ocurre a menudo en el asma, el cuerpo puede producir más óxido nítrico, y generalmente a mayor nivel de óxido nítrico, más inflamación de las vías respiratorias hay.

Cancer caregivers, remember to take care of yourself  Just as your loved one with cancer needs care, so do you. From finding alone time to ...

For most women, breast surgery means mastectomy. But there are other types of breast surgery, including breast reconstruction and breast augmentation. On the next ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFLgr3G8ZQg On any given day about 15,000 Americans are on the liver transplant waiting list, hoping they can get a lifesaving donor organ in ...