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Mayo Clinic Minute: Be careful when carving on Thanksgiving
Food tends to be the focus on Thanksgiving, but preparing that food is often trickier than many people expect. Dr. Sanj Kakar, a Mayo Clinic orthopedic hand surgeon, says far too many people accidentally carve up their hands while trying to carve up the turkey. Dr. Kakar offers these tips to help keep you out of the emergency department this ...Read more

Why it's so tough to reduce unnecessary medical care
The U.S. spends huge amounts of money on health care that does little or nothing to help patients, and may even harm them. In Colorado, a new analysis shows that the number of tests and treatments conducted for which the risks and costs exceed the benefits has barely budged despite a decade-long attempt to tamp down on such care.
The state — ...Read more

The 'doctor of nursing practice' will see you now
When Vernon Langford sees patients, he typically wears a white lab coat with his title — “Dr.” — and his credentials as a nurse practitioner stitched on the front.
“My credentials are on any jackets I have, the shirts I wear. If I have a name tag, it’s on that,” said Langford, who works as a primary care provider in Seminole ...Read more

Food service 'allows physicians to prescribe a healthy diet'
For the past five years, Advocate Health Care has provided patients with fresh fruit, vegetables and protein out of its Calumet Heights and Hazel Crest, Illinois, hospitals as part of its Food Farmacy.
The program, designed to improve the diets for patients who either struggle to access fresh food or have long neglected to incorporate produce ...Read more
Estrace Cream Is Safe To Use In Woman Who Had Melanoma
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 70-year-old woman who has been using Estrace vaginal cream weekly for several years. I am in excellent health, work out daily, run half-marathons and have my own business. I take 10 mg of atorvastatin daily. Ten years ago, I had melanoma removed from my arm.
My concern is the use of Estrace. My gynecologist recommended ...Read more
A connection with nature nurtures you, body and spirit
Some celebs put their money where their mouth is when it comes to protecting Mother Nature. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation has focused on the health of oceans, rainforests and Antarctica and access to clean water since 1998. That's a health-boost for all of us.
Plants, herbs and minerals have the power to protect and heal, and simply being "...Read more

Weight-loss drugs will be sold as pills, with just as many side effects and cost issues
Novo Nordisk A/S and Eli Lilly & Co. are touting pill versions of their blockbuster weight-loss drugs that could come as soon as next year. But if you’re expecting something cheaper and with fewer side effects, think again.
Obesity pills under development have some major shortcomings in ease of use and side effects that patients may not be ...Read more

The unusual way a Catholic health system is wielding an abortion protest law
A Catholic hospital system is suing several California patients and their advocates because the patients allegedly refused to be discharged. The suits invoke a novel legal approach: accusing them of trespassing under a California law intended to stop anti-abortion protesters from blocking access to health facilities.
Dignity Health has filed ...Read more

Mayo Clinic expert on the importance of lung cancer screening
Screening for lung cancer can save lives, and there's an urgent need for more screening of people of color. That's one of the takeaways from the newly released "State of Lung Cancer" report from the American Lung Association.
"Lung cancer is the largest (cancer) killer of adult men and women worldwide. Many of the reasons for that is it's so ...Read more

On Nutrition: Thanksgiving 2023
I texted my daughter, who lives two states away, to ask what she is most looking forward to when she comes home for Thanksgiving.
“Cooking with you and drinking coffee in the kitchen and watching the Thanksgiving day parade,” she said without hestitation. “And not being at work…”
We can do that! I replied.
She wasn’t finished. “...Read more
Severe Osteoporosis In Woman Requires Infusion Therapy
DEAR DR. ROACH: I am a 71-year-old woman who still works full-time as a teacher. I have osteoporosis and have had two bone scans. My latest scan showed a slight deterioration from the first two years ago. My T-score in my spine went from -2.2 to -2.6. It was recommended by my endocrinologist that I get the Reclast infusion because I have acid ...Read more
Untreated adult ADHD and dementia
It's estimated that 10 million U.S. adults contend with ADHD -- and many are undiagnosed and do not know that it's a contributing factor in their work and relationship problems, depression and frustration, according to CHADD -- Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
That's why a new study linking untreated ADHD in ...Read more

What long-term care looks like around the world
Around the world, wealthy countries are struggling to afford long-term care for rapidly aging populations. Most spend more than the United States through government funding or insurance that individuals are legally required to obtain. Some protect individuals from exhausting all their income or wealth paying for long-term care. But as in the ...Read more

Mayo Clinic Minute: Essential tips to ensure safe sleep for infants
The risk for sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, is highest in the first year of life. SIDS often happens during sleep, which is why knowing and practicing safe sleep is so important.
In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Angela Mattke, a pediatrician with Mayo Clinic's Children's Center, discusses the most current safe sleep recommendations.
...Read more

Mayo Clinic Q and A: How to diagnose and support someone with post-traumatic stress disorder
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I'm reaching out because I'm in a tough spot. A close friend rode out Hurricane Ian in Florida last year and it seems to me that he's struggling now. He's angry and jumpy, while being numb to what's happening around him. He told me that he's not sleeping well, especially when another hurricane is in the news. Is it possible ...Read more
Cancers And Covid-19 Aren't Considered Autoimmune Diseases
DEAR DR. ROACH: Are cancers and COVID considered to be autoimmune diseases? Someone said this to me recently, but I have never heard this before. -- M.C.
ANSWER: No, both cancers and COVID-19 infections are essentially failures of the immune system. The job of the immune system is to keep us safe from invaders -- either outside invaders like ...Read more
Red meat and diabetes -- one more reason to change your diet
There's a lot of talk about how red meat is unhealthy -- but what exactly is red meat and what makes it unhealthy?
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, all meats from mammals, except white meat from poultry, are red because they have higher levels of myoglobin, a protein that gives flesh a reddish color. Beef, veal, lamb, mutton, ...Read more

Environmental Nutrition: Onions are worth the cry!
No pantry is complete without onions.
The Folklore
Eaten and cultivated since prehistoric times, onions are integral to most every cuisine in the world. In addition to its tear-jerking effect on the eyes and pungency to the palate, onions have a many layered history. The Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks believed eating these strong-tasting orbs ...Read more

How to store leftover Thanksgiving turkey so it stays delicious
Cooking a Thanksgiving turkey is no small feat. Not only is it the most important entrée of the year (no pressure), but it’s quite likely the only giant piece of poultry you’ll cook all year, making it more labor intensive (all that brining, basting, and butter-rubbing is serious work) than most proteins that go in your oven. Make your ...Read more

Preventable liver disease is rising: What you eat, and avoid, counts
In today’s fast-paced world, our waking hours are filled with decisions — often surrounding what to eat. After a long day, dinner could well be fast food or takeout. While you may worry about the toll food choices take on your waistline or blood pressure, as a liver specialist, I also want to put fatty liver disease on your radar.
One ...Read more
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