Health & Wellness - June 2014 Archives

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wis. —  If you want to lose weight, you can’t expect it to happen quickly, and it will require work. Here are some tips that can help you become successful in a healthy way. 1. Make a commitment: This means a lifelong commitment. “You must be ready to make permanent changes to support your health.” says Martin Oates, M.D., family physician at Mayo Clinic Health System in Prairie du Chien. Dr. Oates goes on to say, “This requires you to focus on placing your mental and physical energy into changing your habits.” Make a plan to address other stresses in your life as well (i.e. financial issues or relationship problems). 2. Find inner motivation: If you want to lose weight, nobody else can make it happen. You have to find a reason to lose the weight. What’s going to drive you to want to lose the weight? This could be an upcoming beach vacation, a special someone or overall better health. Posting encouraging notes to yourself can help as well. Try to log your weight loss in a journal as this will help you see how far you’ve come and motivate you to keep going. Also, create a support group consisting of people whom you trust to give you unwavering support and encourage you without shame or sabotage. 3. Set realistic goals: What is a realistic weight loss goal? It’s realistic to lose no more than two pounds per week. Initially you may lose weight more rapidly if you make drastic lifestyle changes. To lose one to two pounds per week, you have to burn 500 to 1,000 calories more than you consume each day. You can get SMART: Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-limited An example of a SMART goal would be to walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week, for the next three months, and then logging your results.

Miss the show? Here is the podcast! Mayo Clinic Radio Full Show 6-28-2014 44min mp3 There are so many suggestions for what makes a healthy diet ...

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Germs: Understand and protect against bacteria, viruses and infection What's the best way to stay disease-free? Prevent infections. Learn simple tactics to help you stay healthy. Healthy eating: Jazz it up with these tips Healthy eating doesn't have to be boring. Here are 10 ways to add pizzazz to your meals and snacks. EXPERT ANSWERS Bladder outlet obstruction: Causes in men? Discover possible causes and treatments of this condition that can lead to trouble with urination. Kombucha tea: Does it have health benefits? Find out if kombucha tea lives up to its reputation as a health tonic and if it has any adverse effects. PLUS ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Essential thrombocythemia Cavities/tooth decay Fitness basics Insect bites and stings: First aid Click here to get a free e-subscription to the Housecall newsletter.

Twitter boasts hundreds of millions of subscribers. So, why wouldn't doctors with important news to share about treatment see if they could get the word ...

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: What age is best for my 9-year-old daughter to be seen by an orthodontist? Some of her friends already have braces, but this seems very early to me, since she’s only lost a few teeth. ANSWER: Although many people associate braces with the teenage years, 9 years old is not too young to have a child’s teeth evaluated by an orthodontist. In fact, the American Association of Orthodontics recommends that all children have an initial examination with an orthodontist by the time they are 7. That exam is necessary because it provides a baseline assessment of a child’s teeth and jaws and can help catch problems in their early stages. The purpose of orthodontics is to prevent, diagnose and treat dental and facial irregularities. The technical term for these problems is “malocclusion,” which means “bad bite.” By age 7, most children have had several permanent teeth come into both the upper and lower jaws. Once those permanent teeth start coming in, an orthodontist can evaluate a child’s developing bite to see if there are any areas of concern. A variety of conditions can affect children’s teeth and jaws at this age. In an initial evaluation, an orthodontist looks for teeth erupting out of their normal position, as well as missing teeth or extra teeth. Early loss of baby teeth or delayed eruption of permanent teeth may be identified at this time, too.

Mayo Clinic Health System Infectious Disease Specialist: Use Caution With Standing Flood Water  MANKATO, Minn. — The stormy weather pattern in the United States Midwest this week has produced intense rainfalls and many communities are suffering from severe flooding, which can lead to a great deal of standing water. Though most flood water eventually evaporates or is removed, these water accumulations can pose significant health risks. Jessica Sheehy, infectious diseases physician assistant at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, says, “Standing flood water can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes, which carry diseases such as West Nile Virus and encephalitis, Flood water and standing pools may contain chemicals and sewage, as well.” Sheehy recommends avoiding standing flood water whenever possible. She offers this advice: Don’t allow children to play in flood waters. Wash your hands if you’ve come in contact with flood water or touch objects that have. Disinfect items that have touched flood water. Never expose an open wound to flood water —  use a waterproof bandage at all times, Don’t eat foods that may have come into contact with flood water, even if they are packaged. To learn more about protecting yourself against the dangers of flood water, visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, visit Mayo Clinic to learn more about infectious diseases.

On the next program, Saturday, June 21,  9 a.m. CDT, we'll tackle one of the most confusing topics in health care conversations today — advance directives.  Our expert guests Timothy Moynihan, M.D., and Sheryl Ness, R.N., will address questions like ... what IS an advance directive? Isn't it the same thing as a living will? What should be included in the document and who should you choose to make these decisions for you?  Where should an advance directive be kept and how often should it be updated? We'll find out the answers to these questions and more on the next Mayo Clinic Radio. Myth or Matter of Fact:  An advance directive means do not treat. 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 June 21, 2014 (right click MP3)  

Miss the show? Here is the podcast! Mayo Clinic Radio Full Show 6-21-2014 On the next program, Saturday, June 21,  9 a.m. CDT, we'll tackle one ...

Mayo Clinic offers gene panel testing to target cancer treatment This test for patients with solid tumors — such as lung, colon, breast, kidney ...

ESTIMADA MAYO CLINIC: ¿Cómo puedo saber si lo que tengo es reflujo ácido o ERGE? ¿Son iguales los tratamientos para ambas afecciones? Desde hace años padezco algo que describo como acidez estomacal, pero el asunto empeora a medida que envejezco. RESPUESTA: El reflujo ácido se produce cuando el ácido estomacal refluye al esófago, o conducto que conecta la garganta con el estómago. Cuando hay reflujo ácido, la persona puede presentar un sabor de comida o líquido agrio en la parte posterior de la boca, dolor o presión en el tórax, o una sensación de ardor en el pecho, conocida como acidez estomacal. Cuando el reflujo ácido conduce a la presencia frecuente de síntomas o a complicaciones, entonces cambia de nombre a enfermedad de reflujo gastroesofágico o ERGE, afección que suele requerir tratamiento. Si usted presenta síntomas de reflujo más de dos veces al mes, consulte con el médico para evaluar el problema. Es muy común presentar reflujo ácido ocasionalmente y, de hecho, casi todo el mundo lo siente a veces; pero el reflujo ácido se convierte en un problema cuando ocurre a menudo, implica gran cantidad de ácido o afecta la parte del esófago más cercana a la garganta. La ERGE es un tipo más fuerte de reflujo ácido. El síntoma más común de la ERGE es la acidez estomacal frecuente, aunque otros signos y síntomas pueden ser de regurgitación de comida o líquido agrio, dificultad para tragar, tos, silbido del pecho y dolor del tórax sobre todo al acostarse por la noche.

ROCHESTER, Minnesota: Los científicos de Mayo Clinic emitieron un nuevo estudio que invierte la tendencia actual respecto al tratamiento de los pacientes cirróticos con diabetes tipo 2. El estudio descubrió que los pacientes diabéticos que continuaron con la metformina después del diagnóstico de cirrosis obtuvieron mejores  tasas de supervivencia. Por lo general, se suele suspender la metformina una vez establecido el diagnóstico de cirrosis debido a la inquietud de que dicho tratamiento aumente el riesgo de sufrir efectos adversos en los pacientes con deterioro hepático. El estudio de Mayo Clinic se publicó recientemente en Hepatology. La cirrosis consiste en la fibrosis del hígado causada por diferentes tipos de enfermedades hepáticas, tales como la hepatitis viral crónica, el abuso crónico del alcohol y la hepatopatía grasa no alcohólica. La cirrosis es consecuencia del daño infligido al hígado durante el transcurso de varios años y a medida que avanza, aparece más y más fibrosis, lo que impide el adecuado funcionamiento del hígado. La metformina se utiliza para tratar los niveles altos de glucosa sanguínea ocasionados por la diabetes tipo 2. Ese tipo de diabetes opera de dos maneras: primero, impide que el páncreas produzca suficiente insulina, lo que normalmente regula el paso hacia las células de la glucosa, que es la fuente principal de energía del cuerpo; segundo, en la diabetes tipo 2, el hígado, los músculos y los tejidos grasos se vuelven más resistentes a los efectos de la insulina. La combinación de la menor producción de insulina con la resistencia a la misma deriva en un nivel anormalmente alto de glucosa en la sangre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGd5cIM5U0Q&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 ROCHESTER, Minn. — Researchers at Mayo Clinic released a new study reversing current thought on the treatment of cirrhotic patients with type 2 diabetes. The study found that the continuation of metformin after a cirrhosis diagnosis improved survival rates among diabetes patients. Metformin is usually discontinued once cirrhosis is diagnosed because of concerns about an increased risk of adverse effects associated with this treatment in patients with liver impairment. The Mayo Clinic study was recently published in Hepatology. Cirrhosis is scarring of the liver caused by forms of liver diseases, such as chronic viral hepatitis, chronic alcohol abuse and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This condition is the consequence of damage done to the liver over many years. As cirrhosis progresses, more and more scar tissue forms, impeding proper liver functions.