Health & Wellness - November 2015 Archives

According to the Congressional Research Service, more than 1600 United States soldiers have lost limbs on the battlefield since 2001. The wounded warrior you’re about ...

This story appears this week In the Loop. Debbie Daugherty was driving home from work shortly before Christmas a couple years back when she ...

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Do you have questions about pancreatic cancer diagnosis and treatment, including chemotherapy, radiation and surgery? Share them with ...

ORLANDO, Florida: Un nuevo estudio revela que consumir una bebida energizante de 16 onzas puede aumentar mucho la presión arterial y las reacciones hormonales al estrés. Eso plantea la inquietud de que tales cambios aumenten el riesgo de un evento cardiovascular, dice un estudio presentado hoy durante las sesiones científicas de 2015 de la Asociación Estadounidense del Corazón. Los resultados también se publicaron en la revista de la Asociación Médica Americana. “En estudios anteriores se descubrió que el consumo de bebidas energizantes aumenta la presión arterial en jóvenes sanos”, explica la Dra. Anna Svatikova, fellow de cardiología en Mayo Clinic y primera autora. “Ahora se demostró que el aumento en la presión arterial viene acompañado por incrementos en la norepinefrina u hormona química del estrés, lo que puede predisponer a mayor riesgo de eventos cardíacos, incluso en gente sana”. Los científicos de Mayo Clinic llevaron a cabo un estudio piloto, aleatorio, de doble ciego y controlado mediante placebo en 25 voluntarios sanos con una edad promedio de 29 años. Todos los participantes consumieron una bebida energizante de 16 onzas y un placebo en orden aleatorio, dentro de un período de cinco minutos y en dos días diferentes, separados por un lapso máximo de dos semanas. La bebida del placebo tenía sabor, consistencia y color similares a los de la bebida energizante, pero carecía de cafeína y otros estimulantes, como taurina, guaraná y ginseng.

ESTIMADA MAYO CLINIC: ¿Por qué ahora hay tantos niños con alergia al maní? No recuerdo que antes eso fuese un problema, ni siquiera hace 20 años. ¿Es algo que la mayoría de niños logra superar con el crecimiento? He escuchado que se lleva a cabo un estudio sobre la alergia al maní en los niños para “curarlos” de las alergias. ¿Qué implica eso? RESPUESTA: Usted está en lo correcto respecto a que la cantidad de niños con alergia al maní ha aumentado significativamente en las últimas décadas. A pesar de que los investigadores tienen varias teorías, por ahora no hay ninguna explicación definitiva para dicho aumento. Actualmente están en curso varios estudios para entender mejor las alergias al maní y descubrir maneras más eficaces de tratarlas. En las últimas décadas, ha más que triplicado la prevalencia de las alergias infantiles al maní en Estados Unidos. No son claras las razones detrás de dicho aumento drástico, pero parece que tanto el estilo de vida como las opciones alimentarias y la genética desempeñan alguna función. Por ejemplo, una teoría llamada la hipótesis de la higiene resalta cómo la forma de vivir de la gente en los países desarrollados puede influir sobre las alergias infantiles, entre ellas, la alergia al maní. Los recién nacidos de países en vías de desarrollo tienen menor incidencia de alergias que los nacidos en países desarrollados; sin embargo, cuando una familia de un país en vías de desarrollo se muda a un país más desarrollado, la incidencia de sus hijos a las alergias infantiles aumenta. Por lo tanto, parece que el simple hecho de encontrarse en el ambiente de un país desarrollado cambia las cosas.

In a viewpoint released today in The Journal of the American Medical Association Cardiovascular Special Issue, Mayo Clinic endocrinologists and researchers are warning against the “premature and widespread adoption” of a new type of drug that reduces cholesterol, PCSK-9 inhibitors. They argue that little is known about their long-term safety and efficacy on outcomes that matter to patients. Given the long track record of efficacy and safety and the low cost of statins, they think that it is premature to adopt PCSK-9 inhibitors as alternatives to statins. The Food and Drug Administration has recently approved the new class of drugs for patients with high LDL-cholesterol who also have familial hypercholesterolemia or with clinical cardiovascular disease who are seeking secondary prevention or cannot tolerate statins. The Mayo experts are predicting four situations that will fuel abandoning statins in favor of the PCSK-9 inhibitors: Patients who have muscle problems or other symptoms suggestive of statin intolerance. Patients who have a heart attack or a stroke while using a statin. Patients who may not to be taking statins every day. Patients who have cholesterol levels that remain high despite statins. Media Contact: Bob Nellis, Mayo Clinic Public Affairs, 507-284-5005, newsbureau@mayo.edu https://youtu.be/uUOG2fIhlDI Journalists: Sound bites with Drs. Montori and Rodriguez-Gutierrez are available in the downloads.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I have several varicose veins in my legs that aren’t bothering me other than how they look. My doctor said they are not harmful, but I’m concerned that they are going to get worse. Does having them mean I am at risk for other health problems? What’s the best way to have them treated? ANSWER: Most of the time, varicose veins are a cosmetic issue. They typically don’t raise your risk for other medical problems. If you’d like to get rid of varicose veins, treatments are available to close or remove them. A vein’s job is to return blood that has delivered oxygen to the tissues in your body back to your heart, so it can be resupplied with more oxygen and recirculated. Lack of oxygen in the blood within your veins gives veins the noticeable bluish tint that you see through your skin.

According to the National Cancer Institute, by the end of this year 49,000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer ... and an estimated 41,000 ...

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES E. coli: Prevention With recent recalls of ground beef and outbreaks at restaurants, E. coli has been making headlines. Follow these ...

Flashbacks ... nightmares ... severe anxiety. These are just some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder ... or PTSD. Soldiers returning from combat aren't ...

This patient story was originally published August 26, 2015 in Sharing Mayo Clinic. Others might have panicked, but former U.S. Special Forces Engineer Kevin ...

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: What exactly is the MIND diet, and can it really help prevent dementia? Is it a healthy diet for everyone? ANSWER: The MIND diet is a combination of two other healthy diets, so it is a healthy option. Results from a recent study show that, over time, older adults who followed the MIND diet appeared to have less cognitive decline, such as memory problems. The effect of food on cognitive health has been the subject of research for quite some time. The research has shown that certain foods — particularly plant foods, such as green leafy vegetables, nuts and berries — can help preserve brain function. The MIND diet includes a variety of brain-friendly foods. MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It includes aspects of a Mediterranean diet, as well as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet. A Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, whole grains and fish. The DASH diet, often recommended for people who need to lower their blood pressure, emphasizes vegetables, fruit and low-fat dairy foods, along with moderate amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts.