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It's like a knife stabbing you in the face. That's how some patients with chronic and severe face pain describe the agony of their condition. Many times doctors aren't sure why it happens, but it's real and symptoms can be tough to treat. But at Mayo Clinic doctors are treating the debilitating pain for some patients with what you could call a brain pacemaker.
Resource: Neurosurgery at Mayo Clinic
Whether you're a professional athlete, high school athlete or weekend warrior, reaching peak performance is a common goal. But that's not going to happen if you have deficiencies in strength or flexibility. In fact, these weaknesses are a common cause of injury. That's why Mayo Clinic's Sports Medicine Department developed a program aimed at helping athletes such as the hockey player you're about to meet, be their best.
Resource: Sports Performance Enhancement at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota
Every day up to two-thousand women have hysterectomies. Many of these women also choose to have their ovaries taken out at the same time to remove their risk of ovarian cancer. But for younger women who are not at high risk for ovarian cancer, doctors at Mayo Clinic are saying, "not so fast." Two studies show that keeping your ovaries until after menopause may protect you from memory problems and Parkinson's disease.
Resource: MayoClinic.com: Women's Health Center
Organ transplantation has come a long way in the past decades. Take heart transplants for example. It used to be that only people under age 50 could get them and they were fairly risky. Now people in their 70's are having transplants and transplant patients of all ages are living longer and feeling stronger. Here's more on the state of heart transplantation from Mayo Clinic.
For decades, heart disease was considered a man's disease. But what many people don't' realize is that each year heart disease kills more women than men. And because of this misperception, women with heart issues sometimes don't get the diagnoses or care they need. Let's go to Mayo Clinic where doctors are trying to change that.
Resource: Women's Heart Clinic
February is a time of year when people tend to complain about the cold. Sure, cold weather can be a nuisance, but did you know that some people are actually allergic to it? It's true. You can be allergic to the cold. More from Mayo Clinic.
The words "you have breast cancer" are never easy to hear. They often mean the beginning of a treatment plan that can be very difficult. For some women, talking about their cancer with those who've been through it can help make the process easier. And doctors at Mayo Clinic say this communication may improve the quality of life of many women fighting this disease.
Resource: Treatment of Breast Cancer
Every year nearly half a million Americans are diagnosed with heart failure. It's a condition that results in your heart not being able to pump blood efficiently. Most cases are caused by coronary artery disease or years of high blood pressure. But the woman you're about to meet had heart failure for a very different reason. A common virus, likely a cold or flu, attacked her heart and nearly took her life. More from Mayo Clinic.
Resource: Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure
Wheat is the grain on which Western civilization was built. It's been used for thousands of years as the foundation of our diet. But 1 out of 100 Americans has a condition called celiac disease, which is an intolerance to wheat, barley and rye. It's symptoms can be subtle, but if you don't stick to a gluten-free diet you could be damaging your body and not even know it. More from Mayo Clinic.
Resource: Treatment of Celiac Disease
He was 26-years-old and too sick to work. For months the young man you're about to meet suffered from a disease called pericarditis. It's a heart condition that doctors at Mayo Clinic say can be difficult to diagnose, often hard to treat and very challenging for many of the people who suffer from it. The key to recovery is getting the right treatment and getting it quickly.
Resource: Cardiovascular Diseases at Mayo Clinic
It's that time of year again. When many spring breakers and vacationers hit the tanning beds to get a head start on that bronze glow. But beware. You can catch a lot more in tanning beds than just a few rays. More from Mayo Clinic.
Resource: Infectious Diseases
Fifty years ago doctors at Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota opened the doors to modern open heart surgery using the heart lung machine. Back then you had about a 50-50 chance of making it off the table. Now you can be 98-percent certain that you'll survive. But doctors at Mayo Clinic say that's not good enough. They're using methods developed by the aeronautics industry to make surgery even safer.
Botox has a reputation for erasing the years by smoothing away wrinkles on your face. But it has other uses in the medical world too. For example, it's used to treat people who have a condition that causes excess sweating. And now doctors are using it to treat enlarged prostates. More on a new study from Mayo Clinic.
It felt like my head was in a vice. That's how some people describe the pain of a migraine. But a migraine is much more than just a headache. It includes symptoms that happen before the pain starts and after it goes away. One of those symptoms is aura, and it can be just as debilitating as the headache itself. And auras can also slightly increase your risk of certain other conditions. More from Mayo Clinic.
Resource: Treatment of Migraine Headaches
Imagine this: You find out you're bleeding internally and the only way to stop it is a big operation. Then you doctor tells you it's so risky you might not make it off the table. That's what the man you're about to meet faced until doctors at Mayo Clinic tried a less-invasive, experimental procedure. The technology allows doctors to see and reach inside the body where they couldn't before.
Imagine you're at the mall and a man or woman collapses. Fortunately, you can increase or even triple that person's chance of survival if you start CPR. Mayo Clinic doctors say that a modified form of CPR will save more lives. It's easier to learn, easier to do and you don't have to blow in someone's mouth.
Resource: MayoClinic.com: CPR
Scuba diving can be a great experience. Every year a quarter of a million Americans put on a wetsuit sand jump in the water to explore the undersea world. If you're properly trained, scuba diving can be very safe. But there are a few common medical conditions that can make diving dangerous. More on diving safely from Mayo Clinic.
Right now there are close to 5-million people in America suffering from heart failure. Many of these people would benefit from a heart transplant, but because most of them are over age 65, they're often not eligible for that life-saving operation. But now, doctors at Mayo Clinic are studying a device that is not only keeping people with heart failure alive longer, but it's also giving them a better quality of life.
Resource: Heart Transplant
When it comes to stroke, time is brain. That's because there's a small window of opportunity after symptoms begin for treatment to be effective. The man you're about to meet knows this all too well. He was in a coma from a massive stroke. But thanks to state-of-the art technology at Mayo Clinic that allows doctors to work inside the vessels of the brain without surgery, this man survived.
Resource: Treatment of Stroke
It's technology the retail industry and libraries have used for some time. Now, doctors at Mayo Clinic are using radio frequency identification to track and trace patient specimens as they go from the procedure room to the lab. Mayo research shows the technology is fast, efficient and helps prevent human errors.
Resource: Colon and Rectal Surgery
Many people with diabetes are at risk of developing wounds on their feet that just won't heal. They're also at risk of getting hardened arteries in their legs, a condition that can be very painful. These issues are what cause some diabetics and some people with peripheral arterial disease to need amputations. But doctors at Mayo Clinic are using a special boot to help prevent amputations and save limbs.
Resource: MayoClinic.com: Diabetes Center
At any given time, up to 60-thousand people are waiting for kidney transplants. But unfortunately, there are not enough donor organs to meet that demand. That's where living-donor kidney transplantation can make a big difference. More on what it means to be a living donor from a couple who went through the process at Mayo Clinic.
Resource: Kidney Transplant at Mayo Clinic
Fifty years ago many babies born with congenital heart defects were not expected to live into adulthood. But thanks to advances in medicine, most of these babies can now expect to live long, full lives. That's great news, but the problem is they sometimes don't get the medical care that they need. More from Mayo Clinic.
Resource: Congenital Heart Disease
Building a home with his own hands. That was the dream of a man named Ernie Lorenz. But symptoms of ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, made it difficult for Ernie to hold a hammer. The disease was also making it hard for him to breathe. But a new device being researched at Mayo Clinic may help Ernie and other ALS patients breathe easier longer.
Resource: Treatment of Lou Gehrig's Disease
Forty years ago Army Staff Sergeant Walt Myers was exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange in Vietnam. Now he suffers profound muscle weakness in his legs. He was facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. But thanks to a special knee brace developed at Mayo Clinic, Walt is walking tall.
Resource: Orthopedic Surgery
When it comes to stroke, time is brain. That's because you only have a three hour window after symptoms start to receive medication that's known to help. But people living in small towns may not have access to this medication, because their hospitals may not have staff trained to administer it. Mayo Clinic is hoping to change that. They're studying telemedicine to help stroke victims in rural hospitals get the treatment they need.
Resource: Treatment of Stroke
Every year thousands of Americans have operations to repair or replace faulty heart valves. For most of those people, it means open heart surgery. But now, doctors at Mayo Clinic are using robots to help them perform certain valve operations without opening the chest. There's less pain, shorter hospital stays and many people get back to work in a couple of weeks.
Resource: Cardiac Surgery
Imagine watching your mother die of cancer. And then finding out you have a different form of the disease. That happened to the woman you're about to meet. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer twice. But she used the strength she gained from her mother's experience to make positive changes in her life, including losing more than 100 pounds. More from Mayo Clinic.
Resource: Cancer Treatment at Mayo Clinic
If you've ever tried to quit smoking, you know how hard it can be. But if you're having surgery, kicking the habit is worth it. Mayo Clinic researchers say if you quit smoking before surgery, even if it's just the day of surgery, you will reduce your risk of certain complications.
Resource: Stop Smoking Services at Mayo Clinic
Jumping in a swimming pool is one of the joys of summer. But for some kids with the common skin condition eczema, also called atopic dermatitis, swimming is out of the question. In fact, pool water is just one of the things that can cause uncomfortable and unsightly flare ups. Let's go to Mayo Clinic to find out how kids and adults can manage chronic eczema.
Resource: Dermatitis
August means football players are suiting up to get back on the field. And as they gear up for the grid iron, many players eat more to bulk up. Doctors at Mayo Clinic along with pros in the NFL say paying attention to nutrition now could mean better health for players in the future.
Resource: Mayoclinic.com: 20 Ways to Revive Your Healthy-Eating Plan
Whether it's from a car, plane, or amusement park ride, motion sickness can turn a summer outing into a mess. Let's go to Mayo Clinic to find out what causes motion sickness and what you can do about it.
Colon cancer can be cured if it and pre-cancerous polyps are caught early. But doctors at Mayo Clinic say only half of all people at risk of colon cancer get screened for the disease. That's because some people don't know they should be screened and others simply don't want to undergo colonoscopy. But a new test developed at Mayo Clinic makes the screening process a whole lot easier. It's called virtual colonoscopy or CT colonography.
Resource: Virtual Colonoscopy
Dementia is a problem of the elderly, right? Generally that's true. But there is one form of the disease that can strike people when they are very young, in their 20's or even their teens. It's called Frontotemporal Dementia, or FTD. And while rare, it devastates lives by rapidly turning young, vital people into those who need constant care.
Resource: Frontotemporal Dementia
Imagine going to the doctor for a routine visit and finding out you have kidney cancer. That's what happened to the man you're about to meet. Treatment for kidney tumors has generally meant removal of the entire kidney. That's not always the case anymore. Doctors at Mayo Clinic say that removing only the tumor and saving the rest of the kidney may mean a healthier life for people like Joe Jacques.
Resource: Kidney Cancer
Is age 50 the new 30? That might be true when it comes to a common knee injury. You see, it used to be that doctors only repaired torn ACL's in young people because people over 50 weren't active enough to need surgery. But now, as more and more people are staying physically active later in life, the philosophy on who should have surgery is changing.
Resource: MayoClinic.com: ACL Injury
The middle school years can be tough. It's a time of change and sometimes a little awkwardness. So imagine going through those years with a condition that causes your hands or arm pits to sweat so badly that you avoid social situations. It's called hyperhidrosis, and doctors at Mayo Clinic say a minimally invasive outpatient surgery can stop the sweating.
Resource: Hyperhidrosis
Every year, thousands of babies are born with spina bifida. It's a birth defect where the spinal column does not close properly, exposing nerves to the environment. Most babies born with spina bifida in the United States have surgery soon after birth. But some children in other countries aren't so lucky. A little boy from Algeria suffered terribly for more than two years until his community helped raise money to send him to Mayo Clinic.
Resource: Spina Bifida
A mother's instinct can be very powerful. Emelda Osorio knew that something was wrong with her newborn baby, but for months doctors in her home country of Honduras couldn't find the problem. Finally, the baby was diagnosed with a bowel condition called Hirschsprung's disease. And thanks to a charitable organization called Operation Blessing, she was able to have life-saving care at Mayo Clinic.
Resource: MayoClinic.com: Hirschsprung's Disease
Research proves that screening for breast cancer with mammograms saves lives. But mammograms are not perfect. They can miss tumors, especially in women with dense breast tissue. That's why Doctors at Mayo Clinic also use MRI's to screen for breast cancer in high risk women. The technology can detect some tumors that mammograms cannot.
Resource: Breast Cancer
When you hire a babysitter, you put the care and safety of your child in the hands of another. But would the person you hire know what to do if your child choked or got injured? The truth is many babysitters would not know how to handle those situations. That's why Mayo Clinic is working alongside a national, non-profit organization called Safe Sitter. The Safe Sitter course teaches tweens and young teens how to keep the kids they babysit safe.
Resource: MayoClinic.com: Child Safety
Studies prove that mammography saves lives. The screening tool can detect breast cancer early when it's still curable. But for the thousands of women with dense breast tissue, mammography is not enough. These women may need additional screening tests such as MRI's. Now, researchers at Mayo Clinic have developed new technology that can spot breast tumors in dense tissue at a fraction of the cost of MRI's.
It's like something you'd see on Star Trek. Placing an electromagnetic device on your head to get rid of Migraine headaches. Doctors at Mayo Clinic are studying such a device and their research shows it works for some patients.
Resource: Treatment of Migraine Headaches
You might have heard the term "brain food" used to describe food that's good for you. Doctors at Mayo Clinic say there really is a diet that benefits the brain. But this diet is not for everybody. It's for kids who have epilepsy, and it's based on extremely high fats and very few carbs. More on how the ketogenic diet is helping some kids with epilepsy become seizure free.
Resource: Ketogenic diet: Can it control seizures in children?
Fifty years ago, many children born with congenital heart defects did not make it to adulthood. The medical expertise just wasn't available. Today things are different, and many of these children live long, full lives. But the man you're about to meet beat the odds. He was born with a complicated heart defect almost 50 years ago. Three surgeries as a kid kept him going, but years later his heart failed. His only hope was a risky heart transplant until he went to Mayo Clinic.
Resource: Heart Transplant
Over the last several years cities across the continent and the world have instituted smoking bans in public places. The bans are inconvenient for smokers, but they're thought to be healthy for communities as a whole. Let's go to Mayo Clinic to find out if smoking bans really do have a positive effect on your health.
Resource: Stop Smoking Services
It's flu season again and public health officials say it's not too late to get a flu shot, as most cases don't happen until after January. But if you get the vaccine, how do you know if it will work or if you'll have a bad reaction to it, or if you even need it in the first place? Doctors at Mayo Clinic are developing a new field of research called vaccinomics. Their hope is to be able to use gene testing to find out exactly who's at risk of getting the flu, who will benefit from the vaccine and who won't.
Resource: MayoClinic.com: Flu Center
Fighting cancer is not easy. Chemotherapy, radiation and surgery can be very hard on your body. Take head and neck cancers, for example. These tumors are often hard to reach. Doctors have to cut through bones such as your jaw to reach them. Now, doctors at Mayo Clinic are using robots to access these cancers through your mouth, leaving face bones intact.
Resource: Robotic Surgery - A Less Invasive Alternative for Management of Tonsillar Cancer
Every winter it happens: Someone dies from exposure to the cold. Hypothermia can happen quickly in very cold weather or in cold water. And it is often life threatening. But hypothermia is a good thing for people who have a cardiac arrest. Let's go to Mayo Clinic to see how emergency department doctors are using it to help keep these people alive.
Resource: Hypothermia
These days you can buy just about anything on the internet. Clothes, cars, food, even prescription medication for erectile dysfunction. Buying these drugs over the internet without seeing a doctor may seem like a good idea because it saves you money. But doctors at Mayo Clinic say it's a practice that could be costly to your health.
Resource: Viagra and Other Oral Medications
The holiday season is a time when many of us over indulge on rich foods and end up with a bad case of heartburn. Occasional bouts of heartburn are nothing to worry about. But if you get it frequently you're at a higher risk of developing Barrett's esophagus which in rare cases can lead to esophageal cancer. Doctors at Mayo Clinic have studied a new treatment for Barrett's that may significantly reduce your chances of developing esophageal cancer.
Resource: Barrett's Esophagus
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