RSSAilments & Diseases
Swollen Lymph Nodes in Abdomen Not Necessarily Cause for Concern
Gerardo Colon-Otero, M.D. & Kevin Moder, M.D., Mayo Clinic
Mildly enlarged lymph nodes may not be a serious concern. Infections or underlying inflammatory conditions, such as chronic fungal infections, Sjogren's or lupus among others, can result in enlarged lymph nodes that may not, by themselves, cause any problems. However, enlarged lymph nodes can be an early sign of some cancers including lymphoma, a malignancy of lymph node tissues
Suffer From Insomnia -- Try Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Lindsay Lyon
Cognitive behavioral therapy has been applied to everything from depression and anxiety to chronic pain and addiction. But a brand specifically fashioned for insomniacs has been gaining ground. Seventy to 80 percent of people with chronic insomnia -- persistent difficulty in falling or staying asleep--seem to benefit significantly from a treatment course of CBT, experts say
Neurofeedback: An ADHD Treatment That Retrains the Brain
Megan Johnson
A controversial treatment for overcoming attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is getting new respect. Called neurofeedback therapy, it supposedly retrains the brain to produce electrical patterns associated with calm and focus. While the technique is costly, time consuming, and far from proven, its promise is tantalizing.
7 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Type 2 Diabetes Diet
January W. Payne
A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes means lifestyle changes that can be frustrating but are important for a long, healthy life. At the top of the list is adjusting to a type 2 diabetes diet, but a new study of overweight and obese diabetics suggests that diabetics often don't follow recommended nutrition guidelines
By the Way, Doctor: Should Diabetes Treatment Be Changed
Nancy Keating, M.D., M.P.H. - Harvard Health Letters
You have type 2 diabetes, which used to be called adult-onset diabetes. This type of diabetes is caused mainly by insulin resistance. Normally, insulin helps usher blood sugar (which is the same thing as glucose) out of the bloodstream and into cells where it is used for energy.
7 Common Digestive Problems and How to End Them
Sarah Baldauf and January W. Payne
There's something about digestive difficulties that makes them hard to discuss in polite company--which leaves many of us suffering one problem or another in silence. Yet fixes can be as simple as making informed lifestyle changes or taking over-the-counter remedies.
Immune System Response to Infection Varies
Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D.
Your immune system is like an army that is ready to spot and stop invaders like the viruses that cause chickenpox and the flu. Your immune system also goes to war when an old infection comes back to life. But after the battle is over, your immune system quiets down and waits for the next fight.
Insect Repellants: Some of Our Favorite Products Can Carry Dangers of Their Own
Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer
Fear and warnings about West Nile virus and other insect-transmitted disease have driven sales of repellents up by 36 percent over the past two years. Recent studies, however, are suggesting that some of our favorite products carry dangers of their own.
Treat Mini-Strokes As An Emergency, Not a Gentle Warning
Harvard Health Letters
Transient ischemic attack needs a new name. At the outset, there's little difference between a TIA and the most common kind of stroke, an ischemic stroke. The big thing that separates a TIA from a stroke is how long it lasts.
Low Platelet Count Often Related to Underlying Disorder
David Steensma, M.D., Hematology, Mayo Clinic
Low platelet count -- the medical term is thrombocytopenia -- can affect your blood's ability to clot. If platelet levels fall low enough, severe bleeding is possible. Often, the problem is related to an underlying disorder. Once that disorder is treated, platelet counts usually improve.
Vitamin D Deficiency Common But Easily Treated With Supplements
It's well established that vitamin D helps with calcium absorption and helps keep bones strong. There's also evidence that vitamin D helps reduce the risk of common cancers, muscle and joint pain and perhaps even multiple sclerosis. For some people, it's difficult to get proper amounts of vitamin D from the usual sources, which are diet and sunshine. Dr. Philip Hagen of the Mayo Clinic provides suggestions in this article to compensate for Vitamin D defiency.
Ready for Ragweed Season - Tips to Help Fight Pollen Allergy
January W. Payne
It's ragweed season, and for people with this pollen allergy, that means miserable symptoms such as sneezing, a runny or stuffy nose, trouble sleeping, asthma attacks, and itchy skin, eyes, nose, or throat.
8 Tips Can Help Fight Ragweed Pollen Allergy
January W. Payne
No matter how long ragweed season lasts this year, experts suggest getting a jump-start on symptoms before you start to feel lousy. This should come as no surprise to people accustomed to dealing with seasonal allergy symptoms, but we offer eight refreshers for making this ragweed season as painless as possible.
Drug-Free Approaches to Managing ADHD
Megan Johnson
For decades, Ritalin and similar stimulants have reigned over other treatments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD or ADD. The meds are seemingly tried and true, with numerous studies backing their effectiveness. However, the latest results from the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD found that stimulants' effects wane over time. Here's 9 Drug-Free Approaches to Managing ADHD ...
Hamstrung! How to Prevent and Help Heal Hamstring Injuries
Katherine Hobson
This season, hamstring injuries have benched at least four members of the New York Mets. Then it got personal: my boyfriend started hobbling after one of our outdoor workouts, having suffered his own mild hamstring pull. What is this injury, anyway? And what makes everyone from pro athletes to weekend warriors susceptible to it?
Choosing Between Urgent Care Center, In-Store Clinic and ER
Sarah Baldauf
Primary-care physicians are not the only game in town. In fact, depending on where you live, you may have several places to turn, including an urgent care clinic and an in-store "retail clinic" set up in a grocery store or pharmacy along with the local hospital emergency department. The inevitable question then becomes: Which level of care should you seek -- and for what ailments?
Why People Leave the Hospital Against Medical Advice
January W. Payne
A new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reveals that people who leave the hospital against doctor's orders are at higher risk of adverse health outcomes and have increased hospital readmission rates, compared with patients who follow doctors' advice.
9 Safe Ways to Help Cure Insomnia
January W. Payne
Insomnia -- difficulty falling or staying asleep -- can wreak havoc on people's lives. And with the coroner's finding that Michael Jackson died from a lethal dose of the anesthesia medication propofol (Diprivan), which the pop star reportedly received routinely because of his chronic inability to sleep, it's a good time to revisit safe ways to help cure insomnia.
7 Things That Make Sleep Apnea Worse
Lindsay Lyon
More than 12 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep-disordered breathing and many are unaware, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Untreated, sleep apnea has been linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, memory loss, obesity, parasomnias, and insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes
Can You Avoid Arthritis Knee Pain by Building Thigh Muscles
Deborah Kotz
Millions of older women suffer the pain and stiffness of arthritis, especially in their knee joints, which can severely curtail everyday activities like climbing stairs or getting out of a car. It turns out there may be a way to protect our knees and avoid the discomforts of aging: strong thigh muscles.
Radiation in Medicine: A Double-Edged Sword
Harvard Health Letters
Radiation offers extraordinary benefits for the diagnosis of a wide range of diseases and ailments, from broken bones to heart disease. It is a mainstay for treating some types of cancer. Yet exposure to radiation can also damage DNA, the operating manual of a cell. This damage can lead to uncontrolled cell division, the hallmark of cancer.
Ask the Harvard Experts: Is Weight Loss Surgery Safe?
Weight-loss surgery (bariatric surgery) done by experts is getting safer, according to a study reported in the July 30 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Sugar Ain't So Sweet - Adverse Effects of Sugar
Randy Boyer and Andrea Donsky
Much of the fatigue many of us regularly experience is thanks to sugar. It's a subtle poison that's part of our daily lives. So innocuous, it can be found in everything from baby food to toothpaste and its effects are as rampant as its sources. We're exposed to it from infancy, even encouraged to have it.
Angina: Don't Ignore This Major Risk Factor for Heart Attack
Harvard Health Letter
Heart attacks and angina have the same root cause: a pumping heart muscle that isn't getting the blood -- and therefore the oxygen -- it needs. If it's a heart attack, the oxygen shortage causes the death of heart tissue. The medical term is myocardial infarction: The myocardium is the heart's muscle, and an infarct is an area of dead tissue resulting from low blood supply. Angina, on the other hand, is just a symptom of the oxygen shortage -- or, to use some more medical terminology, myocardial ischemia
Ask the Harvard Experts: What To Do About a Plugged-Up Feeling in One Ear
Jo Shapiro, M.D.
The diagnosis of almost any ear problem starts with a few basic questions. One of the most obvious is also one of the most important: Have you lost any hearing?
Mayo Clinic: Treatment of Granulation Tissue Depends on Cause, Extent of Tissue Formation
Shelagh Cofer, M.D.
In people who have narrowing (stenosis) of the trachea, granulation tissue -- the type of tissue the body produces when healing a wound -- can cause serious, and sometimes even life-threatening breathing problems.
Mayo Clinic: Link Between Pancreatic Cancer and Diabetes Not Fully Understood
Suresh Chari, M.D.
Considerable research has been done to examine the complex relationship between pancreatic cancer and diabetes. While long-standing diabetes may slightly increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, new-onset diabetes is more likely to signal the presence of underlying cancer. However ...
Mayo Clinic: Hip Pain May be Relieved by Treatments Other Than Surgery
Edward Laskowski, M.D.
Hip pain can be a sign of many medical conditions. Some disorders, such as severe arthritis could, in time, require a hip replacement. But others, such as bursitis, can be managed with much less invasive treatment options. Exercise may help in some situations, but not all. Before you pursue treatment for hip pain
Mayo Clinic: Classic, Intense Symptoms Not Always Present in People With Bipolar Disorder
Mark Frye, M.D.
The classic symptoms of bipolar disorder, also called manic-depressive illness, are alternating emotional highs (mania) and lows (depression). Increasingly, research suggests that people with bipolar disorder don't always have the classic and intense symptoms. Symptoms can vary from ...
OK to Incorporate Flexibility Into Your Diabetes Diet
January W. Payne
For those newly diagnosed with diabetes, the recommended lifestyle changes can be intimidating. Among the first guidelines are to eat a low-fat diet to help control cholesterol levels and to watch carbohydrate intake in order to keep glucose levels in check. But how do diabetics make these changes without sacrificing the foods they truly love? It turns out that they don't have to strictly adhere to a Spartan eating regimen, experts say.
Cholesterol - 10 Ways to Lower LDL and Raise HDL
January W. Payne
Your doctor tells you that your level of LDL -- the 'bad' type of cholesterol -- is too high, and, in a double whammy, he says that your level of HDL -- the 'good' cholesterol--is too low. Is there anything you can do to decrease the bad while increasing the good? There are steps you can take to accomplish this.
Could Cigarette Smoking Ever Get Safer
Linda Geddes, New Scientist Magazine
Tobacco companies have begun "clinical trials" to assess whether a range of prototype "safer cigarettes" really do slash levels of toxic chemicals entering the body
Finding Effective Treatment For Chronic Pain
January W. Payne
Chronic pain is a problem that -- when healthcare, lost income, and lost productivity are taken into account -- is estimated to cost about $100 billion in the United States each year. More than a quarter of Americans age 20 or older, or about 76.5 million people, say they've experienced pain that lasted longer than 24 hours
Although No Cure Exists, Effective Treatment Is Available for Migraine
Jerry Swanson, M.D., Neurology, Mayo Clinic
At this time, no cure exists for migraine headaches. But that doesn't mean you have to just suffer through them. Although there isn't one pill doctors can prescribe or a surgery we can recommend to cure migraine, effective treatment is available.
Atril Fibrillation Treatment Involves Reducing Risk of Stroke
Stephen Hammill, M.D., Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm that involves the upper heart chambers (atria). During an episode of atrial fibrillation, the atria beat out of rhythm very quickly, up to 400 beats per minute. Fortunately, this rapid rate is slowed to about 70 to 150 beats per minute as the impulse travels to the lower chambers, the ventricles, which then pump blood to the body. The episode may last minutes to several days and individuals with atrial fibrillation should seek medical care promptly.
Treating Heart Failure: The Smartest Approach
Deborah Kotz
About 5 million people in the United States have heart failure, and 300,000 die from it every year. Indeed, heart failure -- the heart can't pump enough blood through the body -- is the most common reason older folks wind up in the hospital, and more than 1 in 4 heart-failure patients must be hospitalized again within a month of being discharged, according to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine. That's despite the fact, the American Heart Association contends, that most of these rehospitalizations are preventable.
5 Risks Linked to Diabetes Medications Like Lantus, Avandia, Actos
January W. Payne
For the 200 million diabetics worldwide, the past few years have brought some disturbing findings about risks that may be associated with certain diabetes drugs. The key thing to remember is not to panic when you hear news of safety concerns about a medication you're taking -- and definitely don't quit taking a prescribed diabetes drug without asking your doctor first.
Cancer and Supplements: What Vitamins, Herbs, and Botanicals Can (and Can't) Do
Health & Wellness - Katherine Hobson
As it turns out, the question of whether--and in what form--nutrients can be extracted from food or plants and used to fight cancer is quite complex. Researchers in this young field are probing the connections and contradictions but have not yet found answers to the question of what vitamins, herbs, or botanicals may help prevent, treat, or ameliorate symptoms of cancer. Here are a few reasons--plus guidance on what to do in the face of incomplete information.
Deep Brain Stimulation: A Pacemaker for Parkinson's Disease and More
Sarah Baldauf
"I thought, 'Oh, my God, that's brain surgery,' " recalls Bill Schmalfeldt. He was considering participating in a clinical trial--the only one testing so-called deep brain stimulation in patients with early-stage Parkinson's disease--that might result in electrodes being permanently implanted deep inside his head.
Brain Stimulation: Can Magnetic or Electrical Pulses Help You
Sarah Baldauf
In recent years, attention has been focused heavily on the potential of brain stimulation therapies, which interrupt misbehaving brain signals. The therapies -- including electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and deep brain stimulation (DBS) -- work to rejigger the brain's electrical circuitry and provide relief from debilitating symptoms that don't respond to medications
Brain Stimulation: Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Sarah Baldauf
Patients who struggle to beat back the demons of depression have another option that is creating serious interest among clinicians and researchers -- transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, a form of brain stimulation.
Atril Fibrillation Treatment Involves Reducing Risk of Stroke
Stephen Hammill M.D., Cardiovascular Diseases, Mayo Clinic
Atrial fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm that involves the upper heart chambers (atria). factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity can increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. Treatment usually involves a combination of lifestyle changes, medication and, in some cases, surgery or catheter ablation.
By the Way, Doctor: Can Ginkgo Biloba Slow Dementia
Anthony Komaroff, M.D. - Harvard Health Letters
Ginkgo is prescribed in many parts of the world as a memory remedy and is readily available in the United States as an over-the-counter herbal supplement. It does have some antioxidant properties
Health, Nutrition & Diet: Getting Out the Gluten
Harvard Health Letters
Gluten seems to be the food ingredient non grata these days. Bakers are coming up with recipes for gluten-free cupcakes and baguettes. Anheuser-Busch sells Redbridge, a gluten-free beer made from sorghum. By some estimates, the sales of gluten-free foods have tripled since 2004. Gluten-free food has become more popular partly because doctors are diagnosing more cases of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder whose symptoms are triggered by gluten, the protein content in wheat, barley, rye ...
Fear of Crowds. When You Need Help for Anxiety
Deborah Kotz
Certain people find the feeling of a crowd pressing in on them to be extremely stressful. When such a feeling causes a panic attack, that's a sign of the anxiety condition claustrophobia. Feeling panicked by the mere presence of strangers is a condition known as agoraphobia
5 Lessons From the Nation's Obesity Report Card
Katherine Hobson
We're still getting fatter, albeit at a slightly slower rate. That's the chief takeaway from a yearly report on the U.S. obesity epidemic, which found that rates of obesity rose in 23 states (last year, rates rose in 37 states). Almost two thirds of states now have adult obesity rates above 25 percent, according to the report
10 Things You Should Know About Alzheimer's Disease
Sarah Baldauf
Alzheimer's disease and other dementias do a number on the mind and body of the individual with the disease and can also take a major toll on the health and finances of the individual's family
Alzheimer's Caregiving: Day-to-day Challenges
Harvard Health Watch
Bath time, mealtime, and bedtime are among the hardest parts of the day. The Alzheimer's disease has a profound emotional impact on the family members who must cope with a loved one's irrevocable decline.
Antacids Not Meant to be Used as Long-Term Treatment for Acid Reflux
Taking antacids for as long as you have can cause long-term side effects. Treatment for acid reflux has advanced considerably over the last 20 years. I recommend you talk with your doctor about ...
Repeated Exposure to Stomach Acid May Result in Barrett's Esophagus
Yvonne Romero, M.D., Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic
Barrett's esophagus does increase your risk of developing esophageal cancer. But esophageal cancer is rare. About 7,000 cases of adenocarcinoma, the type of cancer associated with Barrett's esophagus, are diagnosed each year in the U.S. Less than 10 percent of people who have Barrett's esophagus ever develop esophageal cancer. And, when caught early, this type of cancer can often be effectively treated. The key is ...
If you have heartburn two or more times a week, it could be serious. The problem may be much more frequent than the occasional bout of indigestion. Frequent heartburn can also be a symptom of a more serious problem called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD.
Bone Marrow Donations Involves Less-Invasive Technique Than in the Past
Dennis Gastineau, M.D., Hematology, Mayo Clinic
A person can become a bone marrow donor in two ways. One is to donate to someone you know, usually a family member, who needs a bone marrow transplant. The second is to have your name listed on a national registry of willing bone marrow donors. This registry is used when people who need a bone marrow transplant cannot find a relative who is a compatible donor. Bone marrow donation previously involved a minor surgical procedure, but a less-invasive technique is now used most often.
Guillain-Barre Syndrome a Rare But Serious Disorder
P. James Dyck, M.D., Neurology, Mayo Clinic
Guillain-Barre syndrome is an inflammatory disorder that can cause dramatic weakness and even complete paralysis. Most people recover but may require months, or even years, to regain their strength
Lifestyle Changes May Help Patients Cope With Peripheral Neuropathy
P. James Dyck, M.D., Neurology, Mayo Clinic
Peripheral neuropathy occurs as a result of nerve damage and often leads to pain, tingling, numbness and a lack of sensation in the limbs, particularly the hands and feet. Treatment may ease symptoms, and some lifestyle changes may also help
Avoid Tick-Borne Illness
Harvard Health Letters
The deer tick (also called the black-legged tick), which can carry and transmit the bacterium responsible for Lyme disease. Considered somewhat rare in the mid-1980s, Lyme disease is now the most common vector-borne illness in the United States. About 20,000 cases are reported annually to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Are PET-CT scans good for detecting breast cancer
Harold J. Burstein, M.D.
The short answer is no, PET-CT scans are not suitable substitutes for mammograms. Mammograms take advantage of the fact that most of the female breast is fat tissue, so it's relatively transparent to the low doses of radiation used in mammography.
No Gallbladder, But the Pain Feels the Same
Stephen Goldfinger, M.D.
I've been experiencing pain in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen. My gallbladder was removed four years ago. My doctor thinks I have something wrong with my "sphincter of Oddi.
Stroke: 7 Signs You Could Be at Risk of a Brain Attack
Sarah Baldauf
Stroke can hit like a deadly lightning bolt. And if the victim survives, the aftermath can be debilitating -- affecting functioning from movement to speech. While stroke is the third-leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States, it trails behind other major diseases in awareness and recognition of symptoms.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy Not Meant for Long-Term Use
By Lowell C. Dale, M.D - Mayo Clinic Medical Edge
The purpose of nicotine gum is to deliver small doses of nicotine to your body, which allow you to better manage your withdrawal symptoms and cravings as you quit smoking. However, long-term use of nicotine replacement therapy could potentially cause other health problems.
Screening for Oral Cancer Should be Done with Regular Dental Visits
By Phillip Sheridan, D.D.S - Mayo Clinic Medical Edge
Oral cancer screening is important. A screening should be done every time you see a dentist or periodontist. The standard oral cancer screen is a visual inspection of all areas inside the mouth: the floor, back and roof of the mouth; inside of the cheeks; the gums; the tongue; and the tonsils.
Rare Form of Melanoma Difficult to Treat
By Svetomir Markovic, M.D., Ph.D. - Mayo Clinic Medical Edge
Internal melanoma is usually the result of melanoma that started somewhere on the skin and has spread (metastasized) to an internal organ. In many cases, the primary tumor can't be found on the skin. It may be either too small to be detected, or more commonly, it resolves on its own. The body's immune system is capable of eliminating small melanoma tumors on the skin. But all you need are several cancer cells from that tumor to invade farther into the skin and blood vessels, and melanoma can spread.
Pancreatic Cancer Difficult to Detect Early, Challenging to Treat
Suresh Chari, M.D. - Mayo Clinic Medical Edge
Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease that's difficult to detect early and challenging to treat, making it a leading cause of cancer death. Currently, only about three out of 100 people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer survive five years after diagnosis.
The Earlier Rectal Cancer is Diagnosed the Better the Cure Rate
Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic
The outlook for people with rectal cancer varies, depending on how advanced the cancer is and whether it has spread outside the rectum. Rectal cancer that's confined to the rectal wall and doesn't involve any lymph nodes has a cure rate of more than 90 percent. If the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, the cure rate is approximately 60 percent. Although specific treatment for each patient is based on the location and stage of the cancer, most patients with rectal cancer do not need a colostomy.
Ten Commandments of Cancer Prevention
Health Watch
Despite grim statistics, doctors have made great progress in understanding the biology of cancer cells, and they have already been able to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. But instead of just waiting for new breakthroughs, you can do a lot to protect yourself right now.
Statins & Prostate Cancer
Harvard Men's Health Watch
The most optimistic information about statins and prostate cancer comes from observational studies, which are less persuasive than randomized clinical trials. And the studies also differ in the doses and duration of statin therapy, the particular statin drugs used, and the characteristics of the population being studied. Still, though the results are far from conclusive, they raise hope that statins may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. And there are biologic mechanisms that could explain this effect.
Genetic Screening for Prostate Cancer
Harvard Men's Health Watch
Genes regulate the growth, multiplication, and death of all human cells. In some cases, abnormal genes are passed down from parent to child. If genes are responsible for cancer, then therapies that target genetic abnormalities should be beneficial.
Proscar & Osteoporosis
Harvey B. Simon, M.D. - Harvard Men's Health Watch
I am 76 years old, and I've had an enlarged prostate for at least 10 years. I've been taking Proscar for about a year, and it seems to be helping quite a bit. I have not noticed any side effects, but I'm worried that if the medicine reduces testosterone levels enough to shrink my prostate, it will also give me osteoporosis. Should I change medications?
Many Factors to Consider Before Removing Ovaries to Reduce Cancer Risk
First international study on the prevention of diabetes; Better and more cost-effective treatment possible. Patients with impaired glucose tolerance who receive treatment with acarbose at an early stage can not only prevent type II (adult-onset) diabetes from developing but can also drastically lower the risk of cardiovascular complications such as myocardial infarction. These findings of the large-scale international STOP-NIDDM Study were recently presented at the 21st International Bayer Pharma Press Seminar in Munich. "The clock starts ticking long before diabetes is diagnosed," warned the Principal Investigator of the Study, Professor Jean-Louis Chiasson from Montreal, Canada. According to Professor Chiasson, the findings of the STOP-NIDDM Study confirm that impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), a condition regarded as a precursor stage to diabetes, has to be treated at an early stage if cardiovascular complications which frequently take a fatal course are to be avoided.
West Nile Virus Underlines Threat From Mosquito-Borne Diseases
West Nile virus is spreading rapidly across the United States and poses a significant threat to human health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
New Tool for Mammography Can Help Detect Breast Cancer More Effectively
The government re-affirmed the importance of early breast cancer detection with its recent update to guidelines recommending that women age 40 and older have mammograms. A new computer-aided tool can make mammograms even better by highlighting potential areas of concern, and ultimately increasing early detection.
Insect Repellent Helps Prevent Insect-Borne Diseases - Naturally
Many people are changing their perceptions about mosquitoes - from an itchy annoyance to a potential health risk. Already this year, reports of mosquito-borne encephalitis (West Nile and St. Louis) have been recorded in central Florida and Louisiana. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 20,000 confirmed cases of insect-related illnesses in humans are reported each year.
Drinking Purple Grape Juice Reduces Breast Cancer Cell Growth in Animal Study
A new study finds that drinking purple grape juice reduces breast cancer cell growth in animal study.
Stress & the Expectant Working Mom
For nearly one million working women who become pregnant each year, juggling stress in the workplace along with stress that comes with being pregnant can be a tall order. First among them is how to work and manage a healthy pregnancy at the same time.
People With Diabetes Fear Disability More Than Death
Singing Artist Gladys Knight Urges Americans with Diabetes to "Know More, Do More" to Reduce Their Risk of Deadly Heart Attacks and Strokes
AdvaMed Highlights How Medical Technologies Play a Key Role in Combating Bioterrorism
New medical technologies are under development to improve detection, prevention, and surveillance of bioterrorist attacks, health care experts reported at a recent meeting of the U.S. House of Representatives Medical Technology Caucus on Capitol Hill.
New Hope for Women with Advanced Breast Cancer
FemaraŽ (letrozole tablets) Data Demonstrate Survival Advantage in First-Line Hormonal Treatment of Post-Menopausal Women with Advanced Breast Cancer
Kids Are Not As Healthy And Fit As They Could Be
Health and Fitness Habits Get Worse As Kids Enter The Teen Years. Are children leading healthy lifestyles? Not always, according to a new survey.
Surgeon General Releases Preliminary Findings On Health Disparities and Mental Retardation
Comments from Surgeon General David Satcher at the conference on Health Disparities and Mental Retardation at a news conference in Washington, D.C.