Health & Wellness - September 2013 Archives

Out of the blue and for no apparent reason, multiple sclerosis strikes young men and women in the prime of their life. On the next Mayo Clinic Radio (9/14), Orhun Kantarci, M.D., will join us to discuss the road to diagnosis and how they live with this disease. What is MS? What are the symptoms? Is there a genetic marker for MS? How close are we to a cure?   Also, hear from Twin Cities Public Television reporter Mary Lahammer, who recently revealed to the public that she is living with MS. She's a patient of Dr. Kantarci and will be calling in to join the conversation. Read more about Mary's story. Note: You can hear the program LIVE Saturdays at 9 am CT on I Heart Radio via KROC AM. The show is taped for rebroadcast by some affiliates. On Twitter follow #MayoClinicRadio and tweet your questions. Listen to this week’s Medical News Headlines at  News Segment September 13, 2013 (right click MP3).                                                      Mayo Clinic Radio is a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

  MAYO CLINIC MEDIA ADVISORY: 10 Ways the Human Genome Can Affect Diagnosis and Treatment in Health Learn more: Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine   1. It’s already influenced drug labels and uses for some medicines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has changed medication labeling, doses and uses based on genomic research, including a key drug for breast cancer. 2. It’s making sure your doctor is giving you the right drug at the right dose. Not everyone can tolerate or metabolize the same drugs; genomics shows some medications have no effect or might hurt rather than help certain individuals. For examples, 1 person in 10 cannot tolerate the standard treatment for irritable bowel disease and needs a different drug. 3. It makes developing new medical tests faster and better. It has already resulted in several new tests to diagnose and treat disease, and to avoid some needless therapies, including a treatment test for mood disorders. 4. It may be helping you prevent an illness. It can tell you that you have a greater susceptibility to some conditions, so you can change your behavior to avoid them. For example, those at risk for developing diabetes can make lifestyle changes to lower their risk. 5. It may be helping you or a family member fight a treatment-resistant disease. A genomic scan may reveal a genetic alteration that indicates an alternative, successful treatment. In one case, a mutation led to use of a kidney cancer drug to treat breast cancer. 6. It may help identify an undiagnosed disease. Misdiagnosis sometimes happens with many gene-based conditions. Genomic analysis may pinpoint a diagnosis after months or years of confusion. For example, a person’s genetic inability to produce a certain protein may mimic symptoms of a disease.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzExwqHnDnE Our bodies are very good at fighting infection.  The immune system reacts and attacks bacteria and viruses that make us sick. But sometimes the immune reaction is so strong that it damages the body. This is called a septic reaction or sepsis, and the mortality rate associated with it can be high. Doctors at Mayo Clinic are trying to change that with a sepsis response team in intensive care units. Their goal: to stop sepsis and save lives.  [TRT 2:10]  Script: Surviving Sepsis. Journalists: The video report is available in the downloads. News Network pkgs. can be edited into vo/sots and incorporated in your reporting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGzaAdPFicg&feature=youtu.be&hd=1 As few as 3 percent of Americans eligible to donate blood do, and fear and anxiety are common reasons why many decline to ...

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 76 years old, and over the last year it has been getting harder to do everyday tasks. Even getting out of a chair is sometimes difficult, and I can tell I’m much weaker than I used to be. Is this a normal part of aging, or should I see my doctor? ANSWER: Diagnosing the cause of muscle weakness that develops over time can be challenging. Gradual loss of strength can contribute to many health problems, including increased risk of falls, decreased bone strength and weight gain. A degree of loss of muscle mass and strength can occur as part of aging, but there are many medical problems that can cause weakness, so any concern about this issue should be discussed with your physician. An important distinction is whether your sense of weakness is actually due to the loss of muscle power caused by either central nervous system disease, or by nerves or muscles that aren’t functioning properly. Alternatively, you may feel weak due to factors such as fatigue, sleepiness, lightheadedness or chronic pain.

THIS WEEK'S TOP STORIES Fitness ball exercises: How-to video collection Fitness balls may look like toys — but they can play an important role in nearly any fitness routine. See how fitness ball exercises are done. Video: How to choose a fitness ball Want to add variety to your fitness routine? Here's how to choose the right fitness ball for you. EXPERT ANSWERS Splitting doses: A good strategy for colonoscopy preparation? Spreading preparation over two days is not only more tolerable, but does a better job of cleaning the colon. The Special K diet: Helpful for weight loss? Will eating cereal help your diet? See if the Special K diet works. HEALTHY RECIPES Curried cream of tomato soup with apples Pork tenderloin with apples and balsamic vinegar Apples with dip Baked apples with cherries and almonds HEALTH TIP OF THE WEEK Soapy debate: Antibacterial or regular? Despite soaring popularity, antibacterial soap is no more effective at killing germs than is regular soap. And using antibacterial soap may lead to the development of bacteria that are resistant to the products' antimicrobial agents, making it even harder to kill these germs in the future.

Talking to someone about suicide will increase the chances that they will act on it — true or false? False. The truth: When someone is in crisis or depressed, asking if he or she is thinking about suicide can help. Giving a person an opportunity to open up and share their troubles can help alleviate their pain and open a path to solutions. This is just one of many suicide prevention myths to debunk as we approach World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10. Read entire news release. Journalists: To interview Mayo Clinic or American Foundation for Suicide Prevention experts about suicide prevention, contact Nick Hanson at newsbureau@mayo.edu or 507-284-5005. More myths: Myth: Suicide can’t be prevented. Fact: Suicide is preventable. The majority of people contemplating suicide don’t really want to die. They are seeking an end to intense mental and/or physical pain. Most have a treatable mental illness. Interventions can save lives.

Thank you for participating in the chat this week. For those who missed it or would like to review the information shared you can read the transcript. Mayo Clinic, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and USA Today are teaming up for a Twitter chat Monday, Sept. 9 from 1-2 p.m. (EDT).  Follow #suicidechat.  Those joining the Twitter chat will include @MayoClinic, @afspnational, @AmerAcadPeds, @HarvardHSPH, @USAToday and USA Today's @LizSzabo. World Suicide Prevention Day Tuesday, Sept. 10. There were 38,364 suicides in 2010 in the United States, an average of 105 each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is one suicide for every 25 attempted suicides, and suicide results in an estimated $34.6 billion in medical and work-loss costs. Topics to be discussed include: suicide statistics; trends in suicide rates; common suicide myths; what to do if you fear someone is thinking about suicide; best strategies for suicide prevention and the latest in suicide research, including mental illness, treatment options, military suicides, suicide among the LGBT community, bullying and gun restrictions. Never participated in a chat before, or want tips on how to participate effectively? Watch this video. Questions? Email Nick Hanson at: hanson.nicholas@mayo.edu.

  Transform 2013 is officially underway.   YOU CAN FOLLOW THE SESSIONS ON THIS LIVE STREAM. It's the sixth multidisciplinary symposium held by the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation focusing on transforming the way health care is experienced and delivered, with a dynamic audience of innovators, leaders, designers, entrepreneurs, policymakers and business thinkers. Topics include new models of care delivery, the uncertainty of change in the health care landscape, the intersection of business and health care innovation, and how to scale programs to large populations. See all 2013 speakers.   Read News Release.

  Women’s sexual health, like men’s, is important to overall emotional and physical well-being. Achieving a healthy and satisfying sex life doesn’t just happen. ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EYQ3Txm7Yc Obese teenagers who lose weight are at risk of developing eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In a recent Pediatrics article, Mayo Clinic researchers imply eating disorders among these patients are also not being adequately detected because the weight loss is seen as positive by providers and family members. Eating disorders expert in the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center and lead author of the study Leslie Sim, Ph.D., L.P., says, “Given research that suggests early intervention promotes best chance of recovery, it is imperative that these children and adolescents’ eating disorder symptoms are identified and intervention is offered before the disease progresses." In the article, Mayo Clinic researchers argue that formerly overweight adolescents tend to have more medical complications and take longer to be identified than kids who are in a normal weight range before developing their eating disorders. Click here for news release Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Sim are available in the downloads

  Critically ill patients are benefiting from a new program designed to improve care and shorten hospital stays. The Mayo Clinic Enhanced Critical Care program offers 24/7 remote monitoring of the sickest patients at six Mayo Clinic Health System hospitals. Critical care specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and program medical director Sean Caples, D.O., says, “This is a more proactive way to take care of patients. The way we’re delivering care is changing, but our end goal remains the same: providing the best care possible to patients. We’re taking advantage of new technology to help us do that.” Pulmonologist and director of the critical care unit in Eau Claire Dany Abou Abdallah, M.D., says, “It’s like having an extra set of eyes on every patient. With this program, operations center nurses and physicians continuously review patients’ vital signs and other data. The minute they notice a potential problem, they can alert the local care team.” Click here for news release Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Caples and Dr. Abdallah are available in the downloads. B-roll of the monitoring equipment is also available in the downloads