Health & Wellness - November 2013 Archives

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Bone health: Tips to keep your bones healthy Wondering how to keep your bones strong and healthy? Follow these tips to take care of your bones. Asthma: Limit asthma attacks caused by colds or flu Asthma, colds and flu — Keep your sneeze from turning into a wheeze. EXPERT ANSWERS Asthma triggers: Are hard flooring surfaces better than carpet? Replacing carpet with hard flooring may be a good idea if you have asthma. Hand swelling during exercise: A concern? Hand swelling during exercise is a common problem, but rarely serious enough to disrupt your routine. HEALTHY RECIPES Potato soup with apples and Brie Sloppy joes Tuscan white bean stew Pumpkin soup HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK Quit smoking: Surviving quit day Getting through 'quit day' can be emotionally and physically challenging, especially if tobacco cravings strike. Use these tips to help get through quit-smoking day: 1. Don't smoke, not even 'just one.' 2. Begin using nicotine replacement therapy if you've chosen that method. 3. Remind yourself of reasons to quit smoking. 4. Keep physically active. 5. Avoid situations and people that trigger cravings. 6. Attend a support group, counseling session or stop-smoking class. 7. Practice stress management and relaxation techniques. 8. Keep your hands busy by texting, writing, squeezing a ball or knitting. Click here to get a free e-subscription to the Housecall newsletter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNMJe9GcWSA Richard Sharp, Ph.D., has recently joined Mayo Clinic as director of the newly formed Mayo Clinic Biomedical Ethics Program. The team helps researchers, physicians and patients ...

VETERANS DAY TWITTER CHAT ON MILITARY SUICIDE PREVENTION Follow #vetchat Monday, Nov. 11, 1-2 p.m. ET Join @MayoClinic and @afspnational with moderator @Time’s @AliceParkNY and a variety of other mental health/ suicide prevention experts. Topics to discuss: Scope of the problem –  statistics/data Reasons why veterans today are at increased risk compared to previous military personnel PTSD - which vets are most at risk The role of firearms in veteran suicide Substance abuse/mental illness The generational and mental health differences What the VA and other government agencies are doing to help prevent military suicide  Never participated in a chat before, or want tips on how to participate effectively? Watch this video. Questions? E-mail Nick Hanson at hanson.nicholas@mayo.edu.

On Saturday, Nov. 9, Elaine Wirrell, M.D., and Jerry Shih, M.D., will join us for a program all about epilepsy. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder. Seizure symptoms vary, ...

Treatment for Kidney Stones Depends of Type and Cause of Stones November 8, 2013 Dear Mayo Clinic: I continue to get kidney stones ...

The Mayo Clinic Board of Trustees welcomes Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, as a new member. During today's meeting the trustees also elected Shirley Weis, retiring Mayo Clinic vice president and chief administrative officer, as an emeritus trustee. Since joining Google in 2001, Schmidt has helped grow the company from a Silicon Valley startup to a global leader in technology. As executive chairman, he is responsible for the external matters of Google: building partnerships and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership, as well as advising the CEO and senior leadership on business and policy issues. Click here for news release.

Mayo Clinic is announcing the appointment of six members to the DMC Economic Development Agency (EDA) Board who will oversee the private economic development corporation authorized by state statute to provide a wide range of planning, development and marketing services to the Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC). Mayo president and CEO John Noseworthy, M.D., says, “Today’s announcement represents another important step forward in making the DMC vision a reality. These leaders who have agreed to serve on the DMC EDA Board bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge that will ensure the work of the EDA is of the highest level and fulfills the mission of the DMC initiative in a way that benefits the people of Minnesota and the Rochester community.” EDA Board Members: (Biographies) Jerry Bell, former president, Minnesota Twins Lisa Clarke, EDA executive director, liaison to Mayo Clinic DMC Oversight Committee Patricia Simmons, M.D., chair of the EDA Board, DMC physician lead, Mayo Clinic Gary Smith, Olmsted County resident, president, Rochester Area Economic Development Inc. (RAEDI) Wendy Wood, Rochester resident, Senior Investment Manager at University of Minnesota Foundation Investment Advisors Srilatta Zaheer, Ph.D., dean, University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management  Click here for news release.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AReHTIVuCbA&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made a preliminary determination that "partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are ...

A epilepsia é um distúrbio neurológico crônico, do qual há muito desconhecimento e muitos preconceitos. Historicamente, as pessoas com essa doença enfrentam um estigma criado por uma sociedade discriminadora, que ignora o que é realmente a epilepsia. Hoje em dia, a medicina já produziu avanços notáveis no tratamento dessa doença. Um exemplo é um procedimento minimamente invasivo, a ablação a laser, que surgiu como uma alternativa viável à cirurgia aberta da cabeça. Essa técnica tem sido usada com êxito pela Clínica Mayo, como nos explica o professor de Neurologia e diretor da Unidade de Monitoramento da Epilepsia da Clínica Mayo em Jacksonville, na Flórida, William Tatum.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufMajZCWM-A Research from Mayo Clinic finds that half of elderly patients who start dialysis after age 75 will die within one year. Lead study author and a health care delivery scholar with the Mayo Clinic Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Center for the Science of Health Care Delivery Bjorg Thorsteinsdottir, M.D., says, “Many elderly patients and their families feel that they have no choice but to start dialysis, with several expressing regret from having initiated therapy. The goal of our study was to develop evidence about dialysis outcomes to help guide shared decision-making among the patient, family members and care team.” The findings are being presented this week at the American Society of Nephrology’s Kidney Week 2013 in Atlanta. Click here for news release. The graph below shows patients age 75 or older who start dialysis in the intensive care unit have significant risk of dying within one year of hospitalization. Groups starting in other settings fare better.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsmTRjwTfgo&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 It's an epidemic spreading steadily and painfully, joint by joint. Arthritis now afflicts nearly 1 in 4 American adults, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported Thursday. [CDC news release] It found that 22.7 percent of U.S. adults -  52.5 million people - have arthritis, and that 22.7 million of them say arthritis is limiting their daily activities. In all, the number of adults with arthritis rose 2.5 million during the 2010-12 period studied, compared with the previous analysis, covering 2007-09. Mayo Clinic rheumatologist Shreyasee Amin, M.D., offers these comments on the CDC statistics: “The aging population in general is increasing, and osteoarthritis, which is the most common form for arthritis and which doesn’t get a lot of attention in the media, is probably one of the things that’s contributing to that increase.” “The fact that obesity is certainly an increasing problem in the country and obesity contributes to a higher risk of osteoarthritis in the knees in particular, that might be one of the reasons that we’re seeing this increase.” “It’s sort of a catch-22 or a vicious circle that people run into: If you’re in pain you aren’t physically active, it puts you at risk for other conditions like osteoporosis, it may make you more prone to falling and breaking a bone. If you’re overweight because you’re not active enough anymore, you’re more likely to get diabetes and its complications maybe further aggravate heart disease, and some forms of obesity have been linked to cancer. So I think it really is important for us to recognize arthritis, do what we can and study it better so that we can improve the health of people before they get to that point where they’re into that level of pain and injury.” “I think because arthritis is so linked to other diseases, and physical inactivity that can result from arthritis can contribute to other complications like obesity, leading to diabetes and  further problems with heart disease, I think more attention needs to be drawn to preventing arthritis, understanding the mechanisms that contribute to osteoarthrtis in particular, which is so common, and I hope that helps spur our research dollars to better understand this condition and prevent it.” Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Amin are available in the downloads. To interview Dr. Amin, Dr. Krych or other Mayo Clinic experts on arthritis, please contact Sharon Theimer in Mayo Clinic Public Affairs at newsbureau@mayo.edu or 507-284-5005. There are more than 100 forms of arthritis: Osteoarthritis, also known as wear-and-tear arthritis, is the most common.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R-aKCLoz3g Use of a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure to remove superficial, early stage esophageal cancer is as effective as surgery that takes out and rebuilds the esophagus. This is according to a study by researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Lead author Michael Wallace, M.D., says, “Endoscopic resection in the esophagus is similar to how we remove polyps in the colon, although it is much more technically complex. Esophagectomy is a major surgical procedure that cuts out the entire esophagus and pulls the stomach into the neck to create a new food tube. Patients now have the option to preserve their esophagus when only early stage cancer is present.” The research, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, examined national outcomes from endoscopic treatment compared to esophagectomy, surgical removal of the esophagus. Click here for news release.  Journalists: Broadcast quality video and audio are available in the downloads.