November 9, 2012

Mayo Clinic in the News Weekly Highlights

By Karl Oestreich

 

 

Nov. 2, 2012

Mayo Clinic in the News is a weekly highlights summary of major media coverage. If you would like to be added to the weekly distribution list, send a note to Emily Blahnik with this subject line: SUBSCRIBE to Mayo Clinic in the News.

Thank you.

Karl Oestreich, manager enterprise media relations

 

NY Times
Smoke-Free Workplace Leads to Fewer Heart Attacks
by Anahad O’Connor

A new study has found the strongest evidence yet that smoke-free workplace laws that reduce secondhand smoke inhalation can lead to reductions in heart attacks. The research, carried out by scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., found a 33 percent drop in heart attack rates in one Minnesota county after public smoking bans were enacted. “I think the bottom line is this should turn the page on the chapter discussing whether or not secondhand smoke is a risk factor for heart attacks,” said Dr. Richard D. Hurt, an author of the study and a professor of medicine at Mayo.

Circulation: The New York Times has the third highest circulation nationally, behind USA Today (2nd) and The Wall Street Journal (1st) with 1,150,589 weekday copies circulated and 1,645,152 circulated on Sundays.

Additional coverage:  NPR, Reuters, Washington Post, MedPage Today, Senior Journal, KOSU Okla.US News & World Report, TIME, Newsday, NBC News, LA Times , USA Today , MarketWatchWYSO Miami, The Bunsen Burner, Healthline, Clinical Endocrinology News, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Indianapolis Star, KNAU Ariz. , FOX News, Daily Titan Calif., Science News, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Tiroler Tageszeitung (Austria), Focus (Germany), Winnipeg Free Press Canada, Yahoo! News Canada, MSNBC.com, HealthDay, Chicago Tribune

Context: A decline in the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI, heart attack) in one Minnesota county appears to be associated with the implementation of smoke-free workplace laws, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in nonsmokers, and research suggests that the cardiovascular effects of SHS are nearly as large as those with active smoking, according to the study background. Elimination of smoking in public places, such as by smoke-free laws and policies, has the potential for reducing smoking and perhaps cardiovascular events.

Richard D. Hurt, M.D., and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., evaluated the incidence of MI and sudden cardiac (SCD) death in Olmsted County, Minn., during the 18-month period before and after implementation of smoke-free ordinances. In 2002, a smoke-free restaurant ordinance was implemented and, in 2007, all workplaces, including bars, became smoke free.

Study Article and Abstract

News Release

Public Affairs Contact: Kelley Luckstein

Chicago Tribune
Exercise should be prescribed like other medicine, doctors say
by Janice Neumann

Doctors should prescribe exercise for patients who are physically inactive to help keep them disease-free, according to a recent commentary in the Journal of Physiology. Dr. Michael Joyner, a professor of anesthesiology at Mayo Clinic, argues that if doctors "medicalized" physical inactivity, exercise could be the prescription of choice for high blood pressure, heart disease, some cancers and other health ills.

Circulation:  The Chicago Tribune’s average weekday circulation is more about 425,000. Average Sunday circulation is more than 781,000. According to the Tribune, its newspaper reaches more than five million consumers while covering 76% of the market.

Context: A sedentary lifestyle is a common cause of obesity, and excessive body weight and fat in turn are considered catalysts for diabetes, high blood pressure, joint damage and other serious health problems. But what if lack of exercise itself were treated as a medical condition? Mayo Clinic physiologist Michael Joyner, M.D., argues that it should be. His commentary is published in the August issue of The Journal of Physiology.

News Release

Public Affairs Contact: Sharon Theimer

Better Homes & Garden
Health Ask our Expert: Lynne Shuster, M.D., director of the Office of Women’s Health at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Q. I recently saw a sign for free diabetes screenings at my local drugstore. Are these tests trustworthy? A. If you’ve never been tested for type 2 diabetes, and if you’re over 45 or have risk factors…a free pharmacy screening is a great place to start.

KAAL
Teen Girl Uses Disease to Help Others
by Brittany Lewis

For many 13-year-olds, the biggest worry they have is homework or what their friends are doing. But for one young girl, her worries are much bigger than that. Ballet, jazz, tap. 13-year-old Katie Rhoten does it all. "I love to dance. I've been doing that since I was two years old and it's one thing that I really love," she said. But last year, she was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and could only dance for 30 minutes a week…A disease thought to be reserved for the older, striking someone so young. "Well roughly 1 in 1,000 kids will get arthritis and most of them are younger than 13 probably 50 percent of the ones are actually before age seven is. The good thing is the long term outlook is generally pretty good," said Dr. Tom Mason, a Pediatric Rheumatologist at Mayo Clinic Children's Center.

Florida Times-Union
Neptune Beach breast cancer survivor embraces journey
by Janay Cook

Debbie Cooper was 110 feet underwater and losing oxygen. Her scuba-diving tank had run out and she began to panic. Suddenly her husband, Robby, handed her his air valve. They began to buddy-breathe, an emergency rescue-breathing technique…Two years later on Jan. 10, the healthy 49-year-old with no family history of breast cancer was diagnosed with the disease’s Stage 3. Cooper said she would essentially have to buddy-breathe the next nine months, getting by with the support of her friends, family and co-workers…According to Kathleen Gargin of Mayo Clinic, Cooper had no major complications throughout the treatments and maintained a positive attitude.

 

For more coverage of Mayo Clinic in the News, please link to our news clip blog here.

To subscribe: Mayo Clinic in the News is a weekly highlights summary of major media coverage. If you would like to be added to the weekly distribution list, send a note to Emily Blahnik with this subject line: SUBSCRIBE to Mayo Clinic in the News.

To unsubscribe: To remove your name from the global distribution list, send an email to Emily Blahnik with the subject: UNSUBSCRIBE from Mayo Clinic in the News.

Tags: Archives of Internal Medicine, Better Homes & Gardens, Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Cancer, Chicago Tribune, Clinical Endocrinology News, Daily Titan Calif., Debbie Cooper, diabetes, Dr. • Better Homes & Garden, Dr. Lynne Shuster, Dr. Michael Joyner, Dr. Tom Mason, Eau Claire, endocrinology, Endocrinology / Diabetes, Florida Times-Union, Focus (Germany), Fox News, HealthDay, Healthline, high blood pressure, Indianapolis Star, JAMA, joint damage, Katie Rhoten, KNAU Ariz., KOSU Okla.US News & World Report, LA Times, MarketWatch, Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic Children's Center, Mayo Clinic in the News, Mayo Clinic Office of Women's Health, MedPage Today, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, MSNBC.com, NBC News, Newsday, Nicotine Dependence Center, NPR, Obesity, Pediatrics, Reuters, rheumatoid arthritis, Rheumatology, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Science News, Senior Journal, The Bunsen Burner, The Journal of Physiology, TIME, Tiroler Tageszeitung (Austria), USA Today, Washington Post, Winnipeg Free Press Canada, Wisconsin, WYSO Miami, Yahoo! News Canada

Contact Us · Privacy Policy