Health & Wellness - June 2014 Archives

SPRINGFIELD, Minn. — Americans are living longer than ever before and many middle-aged adults are taking on the role of caregiver for their aging parents. Mayo Clinic Health System family physician Kelsey Nylander, D.O., says, “Caring for an aging parent can be a responsibility that requires personal sacrifices and creates potential resentment. But it can also give you a sense of fulfillment and love as you help your parents through the twilight of their lives. Discussing the changes that come with aging can be difficult for children and their elderly parents, but the conversations are essential.” Dr. Nylander adds, “You should work together as partners and consult with your health care provider for medical advice.” Here are a few common health and wellness issues facing the elderly and tips for helping your loved one navigate through the challenges:

Potentially disfiguring facial tumor caused by chromosomal chimera ROCHESTER, Minn. — This is the story of two perfectly harmless genes. By themselves, PAX3 and MAML3 don’t cause any problems. However, when they combine during an abnormal but recurring chromosomal mismatch, they can be dangerous. The result is a chimera — a gene that is half of each — and that causes biphenotypic sinonasal sarcoma. The tumor usually begins in the nose and may infiltrate the rest of the face, requiring disfiguring surgery to save the individual. Because Mayo Clinic pathology researchers have now described the molecular makeup of the rare tumor, several existing cancer drugs may be targeted against it. The findings appear in the current issue of Nature Genetics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujP6gPfHVUQ

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My father, 71, was diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer last month. He is worried about the side effects of surgery and radiation, so he has instead decided to wait and see if the cancer progresses. His doctor agrees that he does not need to have treatment anytime soon. Should I have him get a second opinion? ANSWER: Active surveillance is a reasonable approach for men with low-risk prostate cancer. However, prostate cancer has a wide range of possible treatment options. It is important to consider all the options before making a decision. Obtaining a second opinion often can be quite useful when deciding on the best approach. Prostate cancer is common, particularly in older men, and it often grows slowly. Because of that, many men with prostate cancer actually die due to some other cause. About 1 in 6 American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their lives, but only about 1 in 30 actually dies from the disease. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between the forms of prostate cancer that may not require treatment right away and those that may be aggressive and need to be addressed more quickly.

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Sunburn Although the temperature is rising, making sunburn more likely, you can still get burned on cool or cloudy days. Find out which remedies really work. Understand food labels to avoid allergic reactions Perhaps you or a family member has a food allergy, or you're cooking a meal for someone who does. Know how to read food labels so you can recognize allergen information. EXPERT ANSWERS Pink eye treatment: What if I wear contact lenses? Pink eye treatment can affect your contact lenses as well as your eyes. Free blood pressure machines: Are they accurate? Your results from a free blood pressure monitoring machine may not be accurate. PLUS ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Anger management: Your questions answered Choking: First aid Blood and bone marrow donation Menopause weight gain: Stop the middle age spread HEALTHY RECIPES Honey crusted chicken Creamy fruit dessert Fresh tomato crostini Pasta with spinach, garbanzos and raisins Click here to get a free e-subscription to the Housecall newsletter.

Miss the show? Here is the podcast: Mayo Clinic Radio Full Show 6-14-2014 44 min mp3 Every day more than a thousand people in the United ...

Apple Unveils Healthkit and Highlights Mayo Clinic App At the WorldWide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2014 keynote address, Apple unveiled HealthKit, a digital repository for various types of health- and fitness-related data. Apple will also collaborate with Mayo Clinic through a new Mayo app under development that would offer users a more personalized experience and make their health data more actionable in supporting healthier lifestyles. Mayo Clinic Explores Google Glass The future of health care at Mayo Clinic welcomes Google's new wearable mobile technology, Google Glass — a miniature electronic device incorporated in glasses — that allows users to interact with the internet without using their hands. Approximately 10,000 people have Glass, early adapters who participate in Google's Explorer program. At Mayo Clinic, several physicians and administrators are testing Google Glass across different specialties and departments. 

Something as simple as breathing can be stressful and painful. Saturday, June 7, Roberto Benzo, M.D., will be our expert guest to discuss breathing techniques for patients that blend traditional care with "mindfulness." The result has been shorter hospital stays. How does mindful meditation help and who is a candidate? Also, what do you know about COPD? Join us and learn more from lung specialist Dr. Benzo, this Saturday, 9 a.m. CT! Myth or Matter of Fact:  Only smokers get COPD. Read more in this article from Discovery's Edge. 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 7, 2014 (right click MP3)  

The lost art of letter writing can benefit cancer survivors Researchers have found that people felt happier and less depressed after they made letter ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAyvFbGlWKY&feature=youtu.be CHICAGO — No maior estudo clínico já realizado para analisar a eficácia do tratamento do câncer de mama HER2 positivo, com um ou com a combinação de dois medicamentos, os pesquisadores relataram que o uso do lapatinibe (Tykerb) não apresentou  benefício ao tratamento auxiliar padrão com trastuzumabe (Herceptin), conforme apresentado durante o  50º encontro anual da Sociedade Americana de Oncologia Clínica (ASCO — American Society of Clinical Oncology). Resultados do estudo clínico de fase III ALTTO (Adjuvant Lapatinib and/or Trastuzumab Treatment Optimization Study) demonstraram que ao acrescentar lapatinibe ao tratamento com trastuzimabe e quimioterapia não melhorou os resultados gerais para os pacientes (definidos como sobrevida livre da doença ou sobrevida total) e que o uso de lapatinibe aumentou de forma significativa a toxicidade do tratamento.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8PYNOBQyhM&feature=youtu.be CHICAGO — Ao examinar porque alguns pacientes com melanoma avançado respondem tão bem à imunoterapia experimental MK-3475, enquanto outros obtêm uma resposta mais fraca, pesquisadores da Clínica Mayo de Jacksonville, na Flórida, descobriram que o tamanho dos tumores, antes do tratamento, era a variável mais forte.

JACKSONVILLE, Flórida — Neurocientistas da Clínica Mayo em Jacksonville, na Flórida, e da Universidade de Aarhus, na Dinamarca, trouxeram uma luz para a compreensão de falhas na conexão dos neurônios no sistema de compensação cerebral cérebro, contribuindo para problemas como o transtorno do déficit de atenção com hiperatividade (TDAH).

A beloved tennis coach is diagnosed with metastatic kidney cancer and is given nine months to live. Six years later he continues to coach college ...