NBC News, How to keep yourself (and your dog) cool in a heatwave by Vivian Manning-Schaffel — Thanks to climate change, summers are longer and hotter, and we only have more extreme vacillations in temperature to look forward to… The most serious heat-related illness, heatstroke is described by The Mayo Clinic as the body “overheating due to prolonged exposure to or physical exertion in high temperatures.” Symptoms include high body temperature (of 104+), slurred speech or an altered mental state, skin that’s hot to the touch, nausea, vomiting, rapid breathing, rapid pulse and a pounding headache.

New York Times, Anti-Vaccine Activists Have Taken Vaccine Science Hostage by Melinda Wenner Moyer — Americans who don’t want to vaccinate are increasingly getting their way: A June study found that, over the past decade, the number of philosophical vaccine exemptions rose in two-thirds of the states that allow them. What drives these wrongheaded decisions is fear — fear that vaccines are somehow dangerous, even though research shows the opposite. And these choices have consequences… But even an inconclusive paper can be important, others say, as it can spur the larger, more definitive studies that are needed. It should be “put out there for the scientific community, to look at it, see it, know about it, refine study design and go and look again,” says Gregory Poland, a Mayo Clinic vaccinologist and the editor in chief of Vaccine. It is crucial, though, for researchers to carefully explain such results in their papers to prevent misinterpretation.

NPR, How One Boy's Fight With Epilepsy Led To The First Marijuana-Derived Pharmaceutical — The first medication derived from marijuana could be in pharmacies as early as this fall. The FDA recently approved it to treat two rare types of epilepsy. KQED's Lesley McClurg has the story of one family's quest to get this drug… MCCLURG: Sam is now 17. The drug still works. And he doesn't have any side effects. For the past six years, the FDA has allowed what's called a compassionate use for Sam. Along the way, hundreds of other patients have tried the drug in clinical trials, which eventually led to its recent FDA approval. The brand name for the CBD drug is Epidiolex. JOE SIRVEN: This is what everyone asked about. MCCLURG: Dr. Joe Sirven is a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. SIRVEN: This almost had like instant name recognition.

Washington Post, Patients are desperate to resemble their doctored selfies. Plastic surgeons alarmed by ‘Snapchat dysmorphia.’ By Allyson Chiu — emember the days when people would bring photos of celebrities to the plastic surgeon’s office and ask for Angelina Jolie’s lips or Brad Pitt’s jaw line? That’s not the case anymore. Now, people want to look like themselves — heavily edited or filtered versions of themselves, that is… According to the JAMA article, “Snapchat dysmorphia” is a form of body dysmorphic disorder. Also known as body dysmorphia or BDD, the condition is a mental disorder that causes people to be “extremely preoccupied with a perceived flaw in appearance that to others can’t be seen or appears minor,” according to the Mayo Clinic. People who have BDD tend to obsess over their appearance and body image, often checking the mirror, grooming or seeking reassurance for many hours a day, the clinic said. Treatments include cognitive behavioral therapy and medication. Additional coverage: USA Today

HuffPost, How To Drink Beer Without Getting A Beer Belly by Courtney Iseman — We know beer isn’t exactly calorie-free — hello, phrases like “beer belly” and “beer gut” — but is it unrealistic to think we can stay healthy while drinking a beverage that’s used to describe a gut? First, let’s get one thing straight. “Beer belly” is a misnomer, according to registered dietitian, food scientist and Master Brewers Association of the Americas beer steward Joy Dubost. “The notion of the beer belly is not scientific. Beer doesn’t contribute any more caloric input than any other food or beverage item,” she said… According to the Mayo Clinic, drinking without eating may stop your liver from releasing stored glucose into the bloodstream, causing low blood sugar, which can make us crave foods that will quickly bring that level back up — foods high in sugar and other carbs.

ABC News, Arizona State wide receiver Kyle Williams is aspiring surgeon by Ralph D. Russo — Kyle Williams was banged up during his freshman season at Arizona State, a shoulder injury that was not particularly serious. In fact, it turned out to be fortuitous. The Sun Devils wide receiver was worked on by Dr. Anikar Chhabra, the team physician and director of sports medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. Already interested in a career in medicine, Williams shared his curiosity with Chhabra. "You could tell his mind was special in that he asked the right questions," Chhabra said. Williams has spent the past two summers shadowing Chhabra at Mayo Clinic and working as a research intern. One of the better slot receivers in college football, the 19-year-old Williams has NFL hopes and very clear long-term goals in medicine.

Washington Post, Beyoncé, Serena Williams open up about potentially fatal childbirths, a problem especially for black mothers by Allyson Chiu — Beyoncé. Serena Williams. While one is a singer and the other is a professional tennis player, there are many similarities between the women’s lives. Both are at the top of their respective fields — Beyoncé has 22 Grammy Awards. Williams has 23 Grand Slam singles titles. Both are African American. Both are mothers. But the women have shared one life experience that has recently attracted widespread attention: Both survived potentially fatal pregnancy complications. On Monday, Beyoncé revealed in Vogue’s September issue that she delivered her twins, Rumi and Sir, in June last year by emergency Caesarean section after being bedridden for a month because of “toxemia,” a condition better known as preeclampsia. The complication causes high blood pressure and can damage organs such as the liver and kidneys, according to the Mayo Clinic. The only cure for preeclampsia is delivering the baby.

New York Times, SUMMER JOBS: Arizona State WR Williams Is Aspiring Surgeon by The Associated Press — Kyle Williams was banged up during his freshman season at Arizona State, a shoulder injury that was not particularly serious. In fact, it turned out to be fortuitous. The Sun Devils wide receiver was worked on by Dr. Anikar Chhabra, the team physician and director of sports medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. Already interested in a career in medicine, Williams shared his curiosity with Chhabra. "You could tell his mind was special in that he asked the right questions," Chhabra said. Williams has spent the past two summers shadowing Chhabra at Mayo Clinic and working as a research intern. One of the better slot receivers in college football, the 19-year-old Williams has NFL hopes and very clear long-term goals in medicine. Additional international coverage: Telegraph, China Post, Yahoo! Sports (Canada)

Washington Post, Doctors Reckon With High Rate Of Suicide In Their Ranks by Blake Farmer — Alarms go off so frequently in emergency rooms, doctors barely notice. And then a colleague is wheeled in on a gurney, clinging to life, and that alarm becomes a deafening wake-up call… It’s been an uncomfortable topic to address. A 2018 study from Mayo Clinic finds disenchanted doctors are more likely to make mistakes.

KROC-Rochester, 160 Candles for Rochester! By Kim David — We haven’t heard of any official parties but Rochester is observing a birthday Sunday. The city was incorporated August 5th, 1858… The 1860 census put the new town’s population at 1,424. About 5,000 people were living in Rochester when a killer tornado struck Aug. 21, 1883. Nearly 40 people were killed and destruction was widespread. But that disaster also marked the infancy of what would become Rochester’s claim to fame - the now world-famous Mayo Clinic. Dr. William W. Mayo had been practicing in the city and in the aftermath of the tornado, he was approached by a group of local nuns ( Sisters of St. Francis) who proposed a new hospital. The nuns, Mayo, and his sons opened St. Marys Hospital in 1889 and the rest is history.

KIMT, Handmade distraction pads in high demand at Mayo Clinic by DeeDee Stiepan — Mayo Clinic is home to some of the most advanced pieces of medical equipment available. But recently, a growing number of departments in St. Mary’s Hospital have found that a very simple tool is effective to not only keep patients safe but also to bring them comfort. They’re called distraction pads and they are hand crafted by volunteers.

Post-Bulletin, Austin Gold Cross ambulance station breaks ground by Katie Lauer — The site of a new Gold Cross ambulance facility in Austin broke ground Friday. The future facility, located at 18th Avenue and 5th Street Northwest, is a collaboration between the City of Austin and Mayo Clinic. “As Austin and corresponding needs for emergency medical services continue to grow, Gold Cross will be able to respond to increasing call volumes and continue to serve the needs of patients into the future,” Kristopher Keltgen, the Gold Cross operations manager and facilities project lead said. “This project represents our commitment to best meet the current and future needs of patients and visitors to the region who may require emergency medical services.”

Post-Bulletin, Don't forget to schedule those shots by Anne Halliwell — There are plenty of things to worry about in the last month before school starts. But don’t forget to schedule those shots. Robert Jacobson, the medical director for the employee and community health immunization program at Mayo Clinic, ran through the immunizations parents and children should receive at every grade level. And that list goes way beyond flu shots.

Post-Bulletin, Lens on History: Making room for guests by Lee Hilgendorf — Visitors to Rochester in the early 1900s were met with a very real shortage of places to stay. People with homes near Mayo Clinic began renting out spare bedrooms, attics and porches to visitors. The rooming house business flourished. Enterprising business people with no time to waste began looking for existing buildings to convert into lodging. In 1910, the team of Schuchard and Smith purchased an implement dealer on the corner of Center Street and Broadway.

Twin Cities Business, Re-envisioning Rochester by Gene Rebeck — As you drive into Rochester, one of the first things you notice is the veritable forest of cranes that dominate the skyline. Most of the construction activity is related to the Destination Medical Center (DMC), a 20-year, $5.6 billion project to position the city as a global destination for health and wellness. Now, five years since the project officially got underway, DMC is making headway, with its first approved building, a 20-story Hilton hotel, due to open next spring. DMC is the largest public-private economic initiative in Minnesota’s history and one of the largest in the country. Mayo Clinic first proposed DMC in 2010. Three years later, the state agreed to allocate $585 million for public infrastructure projects once $200 million in private investments were raised. Last year, DMC exceeded that goal by nearly $100 million.

Star Tribune, Brain ailment knocks former Vikings lineman Mike Harris out of NFL but into a coaching career by Andrew Krammer — Thirty-one months after his last snap for the Vikings and about nine months after brain surgery, Mike Harris is living a full life… Three months after signing a one-year, $2 million extension with the Vikings, Harris was diagnosed with a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in June 2016. The Mayo Clinic says AVMs are “rare and affect less than 1 percent of the population.”

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Rochester OKs sale of riverfront land for towers; developer will pay with parking spots by Mark Reilly — Rochester's City Council gave another boost to a $180 million project that would build a pair of towers along the Zumbro River, voting to approve the sale of city-owned land to a developer. The Post-Bulletin reports on the 5-1 vote to sell the parcel to Bloom International Realty, a United Arab Emirates-based developer that envisions towers (22 and 26 stories in height) with senior-living residences, a hotel and apartments in the Minnesota city, which is home to the Mayo Clinic… Besides the Bloom project, there's Mayo Clinic's multibillion-dollar Destination Medical Center effort and a $125 million apartment project from Minneapolis-based Alatus.

Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Allina Health to add third in-store retail clinic by Katharine Grayson — Allina Health System, which jumped into the retail-clinic business earlier this year through a deal with Hy-Vee, will open its third in-store clinic next month… West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee taps outside health care providers to run its in-store clinics. It also has deals with St. Paul-based Entira Family Clinics, Shakopee-based St. Francis Regional Medical Center and Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic. Robbinsdale-based North Memorial Health Care previously had clinics inside Hy-Vee locations, but those later closed.

WDAZ, Dangerous release: Professionals describe self-harm behavior by Pamela Knudson — Mental health professionals say patients they see engaging in cutting and other self-harm are resorting to the behavior to relieve the intense emotions they are unable to manage in a healthy way. Ajeng Puspitasari, a clinical psychologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said such behaviors are more prevalent "in younger populations—adolescents and young adults, but adults do engage in self-injurious behavior." "It's a way to cope with intense emotions," she said. "Unfortunately, some feel better immediately after they cut, but there are consequences—the wounds, the responses from others—that are more severe and problematic."

WEAU Eau Claire, Teams practice ahead of this weekend's Dragon Boat Festival by Jessica Bringe — Ahead of the Half Moon Dragon Boat Festival, teams were out on the water Thursday perfecting their rowing skills. The event is a collaboration between Mayo Clinic Health System and Hope in the Valley. The proceeds from this year's event will go to the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Eau Clarie, Joshua's Camp, the American Cancer Society and the CVTC Wig Bank. The festival hits the water this Saturday from 9 a.m. to - 4 p.m.

WXOW La Crosse, Mayo Clinic study finds opioid prescription rates remain unchanged — There's been a lot of attention in recent years on the opioid epidemic and how to curb the over-prescription of painkillers.  But a new Mayo Clinic study finds not much is changing.  The study looked at 48 million U.S. patients.  For patients with Medicare, it found the opioid prescription rate remained the same over the last five years.  For people with commercial insurance, it stayed the same over the last decade.  Researchers didn't look at why the numbers aren't changing, but the study's lead author, Dr. Molly Jeffery, says the results were surprising. Additional coverage: The Hill, Medscape, WNAX, Austin Daily Herald, Digital Journal

Mankato Free Press, Converted fire hall gives Gold Cross more centralized location — Gold Cross will continue to use its 1755 Bassett Drive station as well as its North Mankato posting site — a place for ambulances go on standby while waiting for their next dispatch. The old fire hall also will be used to train Mayo and public safety staff on life support measures. Mankato Director of Public Safety Todd Miller called the converted fire hall a mutually beneficial arrangement between the city, Mayo Clinic Health System and Gold Cross. “It’s really win/win for us because we’re working close together, getting training from them and we can assist them as they’re downtown,” he said.

Red Wing Republican Eagle, River City Ramble returns Aug. 4 — Mayo Clinic Health System and the Red Wing Family YMCA encourage families to get active together by participating in the River City Ramble coming up Saturday, Aug. 4. The family-friendly event is designed for all fitness levels to help make physical activity a part of everyday life…"The Ramble is a great community event," said Dr. Brian Whited, CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System in Cannon Falls, Lake City and Red Wing. "We encourage the community including families with children of all ages to come and participate in a healthy fun activity."

Leader-Telegram, 40 teams paddle for a good cause and chance to win title of fastest dragon boat by Emilee Wentland — Bearing a lei and a grin, Tanya Telisak Berg was ready to have fun on the lake this weekend. Telisak Berg had teamedup with a group of friends toparticipate in this year’s Half Moon Dragon Boat Festival. Their team, the Chippewa Paddlers, was sponsored by Telisak Berg’s business, Mainstream Boutique. “Getting the community together to support (the cause) — it’s kind of fun to be a part of that,” she said. This was Telisak Berg’s first dragon boat race, she said. She and her business have partnered with Hope in the Valley, one of the event’s sponsors, in the past. Hope in the Valley’s founder, Renelle Laffe, reached out to Talisak Berg and asked her if she’d like to sponsor a boat. The festival raises money to donate to cancer charities. This year’s charities were Joshua’s Camp, American Cancer Society, Wig Bank and the Albert J. and Judith A. Dunlap Cancer Center at Mayo Clinic Health System. Additional coverage: WEAU-Eau Claire, WQOW-Eau Claire

Austin Daily Herald, Gold Cross breaks ground for new $2.2M ambulance facility in Austin by Hannah Yang — Gold Cross, Mayo Clinic’s ambulance service, broke ground on Friday afternoon and started its construction phase of a new $2.2 million station to base ambulances and staff in the Austin area. The project’s completion date was expected to happen in January 2019.

WKBT La Crosse, Local doctors see an increase in cases of Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease by Alex Fischer — "Just in the past couple weeks, I've seen at least two to three kids in-clinic who have likely Hand-Foot-and-Mouth," said Dr. Angela Esquibel, who practices family medicine for Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse. Doctors says giving affected children plenty of fluids, soft and cold foods, and age appropriate doses of Tylenol or Ibuprofen can help. Esquibel says one of the best ways to avoid getting the disease is using good hygiene.

WKBT La Crosse, Experts to expect a rise in lung cancer deaths among women by Alex Fischer — A study in the journal Cancer Research looked at data from 52 countries and projects deaths from lung cancer among women will increase 43% globally by the year 2030. Dr. Daniel Deetz, who practices pulmonary medicine for Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, says that while other things can contribute to a lung cancer diagnosis, over 90% of lung cancer cases can be attributed to smoking.

La Crosse Tribune, Parks and Recreation, Bethany St. Joseph keep Smart Seniors program going by Mike Tighe — The Smart Seniors program grant from Bader Philanthropies to the La Crosse County Health Department ended this summer, but the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and Bethany St. Joseph Corp. picked up the ball to keep the initiative rolling… The classes, intended for people 50 and older, are the result of a collaborative effort among Bethany St. Joseph, Spring Brook Assisted Living, Gundersen Health System, Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare, Move It or Lose It and community volunteers.

La Crosse Tribune, Vatican approval advances FSPA transfer of La Crosse hospital to Mayo by Mike Tighe — The transfers of two hospital systems and Viterbo University in La Crosse from the oversight of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration to lay leadership have received approval from the Vatican and are expected to take place by Nov. 1, according to the FSPAs… The name of Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse is expected to remain the same in that part of the transition, which shifts Mayo-Franciscan to Mayo Clinic Health System in Rochester, Minn., as a faith-based but non-Catholic organization… Mayo Clinic will hew to principles that have guided the hospital since the FSPAs founded St. Francis Hospital in 1883, said Dr. Tim Johnson, regional vice president for Mayo’s Southwest Wisconsin Region. “Mayo Clinic Health System will continue to meet the medical needs of the communities we serve, while remaining committed to Mayo-Franciscan values that will continue to guide our decision-making and our culture,” Johnson said Monday.

WEAU Eau Claire, New hotline helps Wisconsin doctors treat addiction by Tajma Hall — Dr. Terrence Witt from Mayo Clinic Heath System in Eau Claire says alcohol is one of the most common addiction problems he sees but opioid addiction and methamphetamines are also an increasing problem in the region. He says addiction and behavioral health resources are somewhat limited and addiction specialists are relatively uncommon in Wisconsin and the U.S. That's why UW-Madison and UW Health are setting up a new hotline that Wisconsin doctors can call to consult with addiction specialists. "I think this will provide us with one more tool that we can use as we treat people in our practice ....from the standpoint of assessment diagnosis as well as next steps related to treatment," said Dr. Witt.

KEYC-TV, MIDDAY EXPERT: The Prevalence Of Varicose Veins by Kelsey Barchenger — Gregory Snyder, M.D., Vascular Interventional Radiologist with Mayo Clinic Health System joined KEYC News 12 this Midday to talk about varicose veins, their impact, cause and in which cases treatment is necessary.

WKBT-TV La Crosse, Correct backpack usage for returning students — Overly heavy or misused backpacks can also cause issues for new and returning students. Ralph Tyler, physicial therapist, is the featured expert.

WKBT-TV La Crosse, School immunizations — As school nears, parents will also need to make sure their kids have all of their immunizations. Dr. CJ Menagh, pediatrician, Onalaska clinic is the featured expert.

La Crosse Tribune, 21 businesses help La Crosse County achieve silver level for wellness by Mike Tighe — Employees at Allergy Associates are picking pecks of produce from their award-winning straw bale garden behind the Onalaska business’s buildings… Reaching that level was a three-year process, and the county will not rest on its laurels, said Sarah Havens, community and preventive care services director at Gundersen Health System who co-chaired the county effort with Lori Freit-Hammes, health promotion director at Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare.

Red Wing Republican Eagle, Olympians land into Ski Jumping Hall of Fame by Cate Zenzen — Courage. Confidence. Character. These are the attributes that make ski jumping athletes stand out to coach and three-time Olympic competitor Alan Alborn. He was among the coaches, athletes and contributors in attendance at the 2018 American Ski Jumping Hall of Fame induction ceremony Aug. 4 at the St. James Hotel… Demong started USA Nordic 10 years ago and has since been working closely with Mayo Clinic on the health and performance of the athletes. After the ceremony, the team spent Monday and Tuesday doing tests in Minneapolis to provide the hospital with data on overall athlete health.

Wisconsin Health News, Mayo Clinic Health System receives state grant to improve rural emergency care — A $47,000 matching grant from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services was received by Mayo Clinic Health System to train emergency medicine advanced practice providers in point-of-care ultrasound — a technology used to provide timely diagnoses for trauma and critical care patients. The grant is part of more than $300,000 awarded to support development of eight training sites to ensure access to quality health care in rural and underserved areas of the state… “Mayo Clinic Health System has committed to standardizing emergency care as much as possible, regardless of Emergency Department size or location,” says Alex Beuning, M.D., regional director of Emergency Medicine at Mayo Clinic Health System in northwest Wisconsin. “This training will ensure that the emergency providers working in these rural locations are proficient in point-of-care ultrasound used for trauma and critical care patients.”

Brit + Co, Why Pregnant Millennials Are More Likely to Be Depressed Than Earlier Generations by Emily Shiffer —“In my office what I’ve increasingly noticed is that women are isolated. They move to a town for their own or their partner’s career or job and just don’t have the same sort of extended networks of family or friends,” says Katherine Moore, MD, psychiatrist and director of the Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Clinic at the Mayo Clinic. Financial pressures or feelings of guilt and anxiety about returning to work could also be a contributing factor. “Increasingly among educated women, career choices are harder in some ways,” notes Moore. “A woman might have the opportunity to leave the work force for an extended period of time on maternity leave, and it can be hard to know what the right choice is [to return to work or stay at home]. Going down to one income and access to affordable, quality childcare can be a big stress for women.”

MD Magazine, FMT Consistently Demonstrates Efficacy for Recurrent C. difficile Infections by Brandon May — During a session at the Anaerobe Congress 2018 in Las Vegas, NV, this July, Sahil Khanna, MBBS, MS, of the Mayo Clinic presented an up-to-date review of the current literature showing the effectiveness of fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) for patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). Khanna told MD Magazine® that FMT is a highly effective treatment option for recurrent CDI. “There are large phase 3 clinical trials which are being performed to study the effect of standardized microbiota-based therapies for recurrent CDI,” Khanna said. “There is a need to streamline identification of patients with true CDI who would benefit from FMT.”

Healio, Teens with depression may benefit from collaborative care treatment — Using substance abuse and anxiety assessments at the enrollment of collaborative care treatment for depression can help identify teenagers with depression at risk for treatment failure, findings published in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry suggest. “While collaborative care models are demonstrating success in treating depression in adults, few studies explore the use of collaborative care in pediatric populations with depression,” Alexander D. Ginsburg, MA, MCRP, from Mayo Medical School, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, and colleagues wrote. “Adolescent depression may be particularly well suited for collaborative care approaches because it has a high prevalence, confers profound morbidity and presents a substantial societal economic burden.”

The Beacon, Can brain games lower dementia risk? by Dr. David Knopman —Dear Mayo Clinic: Do puzzles and other activities or apps that claim to lower one’s risk of developing dementia actually work? Are there other things people can do to decrease the risk? Answer: Doing activities that stimulate your brain may reduce your risk of developing dementia. But it’s more complex than taking up puzzles or computer games at age 65. Research suggests that the value of cognitively stimulating activities builds up over a lifetime. That means: acquiring a good education, working in a job that is mentally stimulating, and engaging in pastimes, hobbies and social activities that are mentally engaging are all part of reducing your risk for developing dementia. — David Knopman, M.D., Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Pain News Network, Mayo Clinic: Opioid Prescribing Has Not Changed by Pat Anson — Numerous studies have shown that opioid prescriptions are falling. The trend started in 2011 and appears to have accelerated since the release of the CDC’s 2016 opioid prescribing guidelines… But according to Mayo Clinic researchers, opioid prescribing hasn't changed that much and remains at high levels. In a study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), they report that opioid prescriptions for Medicare and privately insured patients have remained relatively stable over the past few years. And the average daily dose of opioids is well above what it was 10 years ago. “If you’re hearing the message that prescription opioid use is starting to decline, I think we need to counter that message and say in most populations it really isn’t moving very much.” says lead author Molly Jeffery, PhD, scientific director of the Mayo Clinic Division of Emergency Medicine Research. “Our data suggest not much has changed in prescription opioid use since about five years ago.” Additional coverage: MinnPost

Healthline, Are Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms Linked to Vitamin D Levels? By Brian Mastroianni — New research presented at last week’s 70th American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) Annual Scientific Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo in Chicago suggests that taking in some extra vitamin D could possibly be crucial to alleviating some rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms… While this is the first study to look into how a person’s vitamin D levels could impact the course of a person’s RA treatment, the link between vitamin D and the condition is well known, said Dr. Daniel Small, a rheumatologist at Mayo Clinic. He told Healthline that since vitamin D is “very important” for a person’s immune system, brain, and bones, low levels are usually tied to “a worse prognosis in pretty much all of the diseases that affect these systems.”

Alzform, Could Better Blood Pressure Management Preserve Cognition? — Is 120 the new 140…for systolic blood pressure, that is? The penultimate day of the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2018, which ran July 20–26 in Chicago, brought some good news on prevention. Researchers reported data from the SPRINT MIND trial, which tested if reducing systolic blood pressure in older adults to below 120 mmHg staved off cognitive decline. It seems the strategy paid off. Over about three years, on average, 19 percent fewer cases of mild cognitive impairment emerged in the treatment group than in people on standard hypertension therapy, which typically aims for 140 mmHg or less… David Knopman, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, chaired a press briefing on the trial but was not involved in the study. He told Alzforum that he considers the methodology for cognitive diagnosis state-of-the-art. “This is the standard way to assign cognitive diagnoses in studies of the scale of SPRINT, where it is simply impossible to have a clinician sit down with each participant and their informant face-to-face,” he told Alzforum.

Neurology Times, A New Look at Tobacco Use and Headaches by Veronica Hackethal, MD — People with cluster headache who have never been exposed to tobacco may have a different type of headache syndrome than those with cluster headache who have been exposed to tobacco, either through a personal history of smoking or through secondhand smoke.1A recent study found that those exposed to tobacco smoke may have a worse headache syndrome, and more headache-related disability than those who were never exposed to tobacco. “The nonexposed subtype appears to have an earlier age of onset, higher rate of familial migraine, and less circadian periodicity and daytime entrainment, suggesting a possible different underlying pathology than in the tobacco-exposed subform,” wrote Todd Rozen, MD, FAAN, of Mayo Clinic Florida, Jacksonville, Florida.

Woodbury Bulletin, Health briefs: Red Cross blood shortage continues; Learn about dementia care Aug. 6 in Woodbury — Washington County Public Health and Environment and Woodbury Thrives will host a presentation on caring for a loved one with dementia 5:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 6, at the Central Park Amphitheater in Woodbury. Angela Lunde, an associate of neurology from the Mayo Clinic, will present Caring for a Loved One — The Dementia Experience. Professionals and community members are encouraged to attend this free event. Lunde will identify ways care partners may invite more ease into their personal experience of caregiving and explore a perspective of understanding dementia that leads to increased wellness and wellbeing.

Business Insider, Taking regular saunas seems to transform your health — more evidence that there could be a 3rd pillar of physical fitness beyond diet and exercise by Kevin Loria — It's good to get hot. Taking a regular sauna is more than just a way to relax, according to a recent medical review of a number of studies published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings  . People who take saunas regularly have lower rates of cardiovascular disease and fewer problems with blood pressure. They also have fewer issues with lung disease, cognitive disease, and mental health, according to that review. Something about regularly exposing yourself to hot temperatures, which gets your blood pumping much like exercise, seems to be associated with a better quality of life, according to the review. Additional coverage: Inquisitr, Bobr Times

Daily Mail, RPT-FOCUS-Eisai/Biogen to advance Alzheimer's drug, provide fresh hope by Julie Steenhuysen and Deena Beasley — Eisai Co Ltd and Biogen Inc will move forward with late-stage clinical trials of their Alzheimer´s disease drug, BAN2401, and are working with regulators to design the next studies and gain expedited review as a breakthrough therapy. The companies announced this month that despite failing at an earlier stage, the drug slowed Alzheimer's progression at its highest dose, providing renewed hope in a field littered with failures… "All the chips are on the table with these two trials," said Dr. Ronald Petersen, an Alzheimer's expert from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

ShortList (UK), Why are our memories getting worse? By Andrew Dickens — want to have those memories,” says Mike ‘Pretty Boy’ Hales. “I want to tell my kids about my career, the excitement, the journey. The places, the people. It’s a rollercoaster. I want to think back to good times, the way I think back to great moments at school. Memories make you happy.” Mike, 21, is one of Britain’s most promising MMA fighters and, therefore, a man who, as part of his chosen profession, gets punched repeatedly in the head. Getting punched in the head is a well-known cause of memory-loss. This must be a concern for someone so keen to remember… “In general, we all lose some memory faculty,” says Dr Ronald Petersen, a professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic. “We all slow down a bit. Later, in your sixties or seventies, you might struggle more with names, have those ‘senior moments’, or find it harder to learn new things, but unless we suffer disease or injury, we get by.”

Duluth News Tribune, Young body builder battles rare autoimmune disorder by John Lundy — Paisley Forsell used to enjoy hiking, cliff jumping and competition body-building. She loves riding roller coasters… Forsell was diagnosed in February 2017 with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMO), a rare autoimmune disease that attacks the optic nerves and spinal cord. Since then, her life has been on something of a medical roller coaster, with her treatments for NMO leading to bone deterioration that required double knee surgery twice within 10 months… Both intractable vomiting and intractable hiccups can be symptoms of NMO, said Dr. Michel Toledano, a Mayo Clinic neurologist who would lead Forsell's treatment less than two years later. But the connection can be missed, he said… Eventually, an MRI at St. Luke's suggested NMO. It was confirmed via a blood test sent to the Mayo Clinic. It was researchers at Mayo who discovered that an antibody called APQ4 is a marker for NMO, Toledano said, although it's possible to have the symptoms of NMO without having the biomarker. Forsell was referred to the Mayo Clinic, where Toledano said he ordered the standard treatment of steroids to fight the disease.

Becker’s Hospital Review, 5 things to know about health IT consulting firm The HCI Group by Julie Spitzer — When implementing a new health records system, integrating new platforms or ramping up cybersecurity, healthcare organizations turn to various consulting firms for help. Take Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, which tapped consulting firm The HCI Group to help pull off its 25,000-user Epic EHR go-live in May. "A typical go-live is somewhere between 500 to 4,500 end users at a single time, and a large implementation would bring up 5,000 to 10,000 users at once," The HCI Group Executive Vice President of Operational Delivery Jason Huckabay told Becker's Hospital Review at the time. "The Mayo go-live brought 25,000 clinical users live at a single time."

Science News, Football and hockey players aren’t doomed to suffer brain damage by Laura Sanders — A career of hard hits to the head doesn’t inevitably lead to brain decline, a small study of former football and hockey pros suggests. The results counter a specter raised by other studies on pro football players’ brains after death… The new study may ease concerns raised last year, when researchers reported in JAMA that 110 of 111 post-mortem brains of former pro football players had CTE (SN: 8/19/17, p. 15). Those brains were donated by family members who suspected something was amiss, possibly leading the sample to include more CTE diagnoses than other populations. “People who do not have symptoms do not donate their brains,” says neurologist Rodolfo Savica, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., who was not involved in either study. Because of that inevitable bias, the earlier study couldn’t answer how common CTE is among athletes who incur repetitive head blows.

WJCT Public Radio, Elite Airways Service From St. Augustine’s Airport Postponed Until Early October by Brendan Rivers — Elite Airways has announced it is postponing the start of twice weekly service between Rochester (Minn.) International Airport (RST) and Northeast Florida Regional Airport (UST) in St. Augustine as well as Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Officials said the updated schedule is set to kickoff on Oct. 4, with twice-weekly service on Thursdays and Sundays between RST and PHX. The twice-weekly service on Fridays and Mondays between RST and UST will begin on October 5. Service was originally scheduled to begin on July 19 and 20. Fares will start at $299 each way… According to the airline, the nonstop flights will help connect Mayo Clinic headquarters in Rochester, Minn. with its campuses in Jacksonville and in Phoenix, Arizona. Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville campus has 261 beds and nearly 6,000 employees, according to the organization’s website.

Real Simple, Jet Lag–Everything You Need to Know About the Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments by Stacey Leasca — Returning from a dream vacation is already sad enough, but when you add jet lag to the mix, it can turn into a real nightmare… The Mayo Clinic defines jet lag as a “temporary sleep problem that can affect anyone who quickly travels across multiple time zones.” It is also often referred to as "jet lag disorder."… Symptoms of jet lag are compounded the farther you travel, the Mayo Clinic reports, adding that it typically takes one day to recover from jet lag for each time zone crossed.

Self, What You Need to Know About Toxemia, the Scary Complication Beyoncé Had While Pregnant With Twins by Korin Miller — Beyoncé Knowles gave birth to twins Rumi and Sir over a year ago, but she didn't reveal very much about her experience until now. In the new issue of Vogue, the notoriously private singer spoke about going through harrowing pregnancy complications, which led to an emergency C-section. In an essay she wrote for the September issue, Knowles said she was diagnosed with “toxemia” during her pregnancy… Toxemia—more commonly referred to these days as preeclampsia—is a condition in which you have high blood pressure during pregnancy, the Mayo Clinic explains… Early in pregnancy, new blood vessels develop and evolve to send blood to the placenta, the Mayo Clinic explains. But in people with preeclampsia, the blood vessels don’t seem to develop or work the way they should—they’re narrower than normal blood vessels and respond differently to hormonal signaling, which limits the amount of blood that can flow through them.

Guardian, How ablation destroys cancer to prolong lives by David Cox — Seven years ago, when Heather Hall was informed by her oncologist that her kidney cancer had spread to the liver, she initially assumed she had just months to live. “I’d been on chemotherapy for a while, but they’d done a CT scan and found three new tumours,” she says. “But they then said that, because the tumours were relatively small, they could try to lengthen my prognosis by removing them with ablation.”… “When we were first using ablation we could only treat the simplest tumours – for example, the ones in the middle of the liver, away from the blood vessels, because the devices were less powerful and predictable,” says Matthew Callstrom, a professor of radiology at the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota. “But now, for example, with microwave ablation – which works by radiating an energy field out of the tip of the needle into the tumour, heating the water within the cancer cells until they are destroyed – you can tune the shape and diameter of that field to prescribe exactly how deep it goes into the tissue. This means we can safely go after more and more complex tumours.”

Forbes, Preventing Hair Loss During Chemotherapy Is Now Possible, But Insurance Coverage Is Inconsistent by Victoria Forster — Hair loss is by far the most well-known side effect of chemotherapy treatment for cancer treatment and broadly accepted as inevitable. But now a technique once dismissed as oncologists as nonsense is now helping thousands of women keep their hair during breast cancer treatment. "Several patients have told me it's one of the worst side effects of their treatment. It can affect them really badly psychosocially. Some patients have even refused lifesaving chemotherapy because they don’t want to face losing their hair,” said Dr.Saranya Chumsri, M.D, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center in Jacksonville, Florida… “With cooling machines, the temperature is more constant, there is no need to constantly change the cap. Patients can get a bad ‘ice cream’ headache when they change the cap when it’s really cold at the start," said Chumsri.

Ozy, How Your Genes Could Be Used to Cure Cancer by Molly Fosco — Judy Perkins, a 52-year-old breast cancer patient, had been in remission for a decade when her cancer returned with a vengeance. She stopped responding to treatment and was grappling with a terminal diagnosis. But then Perkins learned about a National Institutes of Health trial that involved the extraction of immune cells to treat cancer. She enrolled, went for treatment and, within months, her advanced breast cancer was eradicated through the use of immunotherapy tailored to fight her tumors… There are likely 20 times more companies and research institutions focused on the development of personalized immunotherapy for cancer treatment today, compared to a decade ago, says Keith Knutson, a professor in the department of immunology at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida… At the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Knutson’s team is developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer vaccines aimed at stimulating the immune system right after tumors have been removed through surgery.

Everyday Health, Myths and Facts About Tardive Dyskinesia by Becky Upham — Antipsychotic medication can play an important role in treating conditions like schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder — but people who take antipsychotics can also experience a little-discussed side effect called tardive dyskinesia, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)… Although tardive dyskinesia can occur from short-term use, it usually doesn’t appear before the three-month mark, says Nucifora. Adds Anhar Hassan, MB, BCh, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota: “Tardive dyskinesia also rarely occurs after a single dose.”

HealthDay, Boxers vs. Briefs and Your Chances of Becoming a Dad by Dennis Thompson — Attention guys: Your tighty whities may not be doing your sperm any favors. Men who wear tight-fitting briefs have sperm counts that suffer in comparison to men who wear boxers, according to results from the largest study to date on the controversial topic… The Mayo Clinic has more about low sperm counts.

Becker’s Hospital Review, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic among most diverse hospitals by Megan Knowles — BlackDoctor.org, a health and wellness website for African-Americans, announced its 2018 Top Hospitals For Diversity, honoring hospitals that deliver high quality care while promoting equity and inclusion in their operations, programs, services and staffing.

Kansas City Star, Nail salon wouldn’t give woman a manicure. So a Walmart cashier offered a helping hand by Lisa Gutierrez — She wanted a manicure, a coat of pretty polish on her nails. So Angela Peters stopped into the independently-owned nail salon inside the Walmart where she shops in Burton, Michigan. “When I went in there they denied me because they said I moved too much,” Peters told WNEM in Bay City, Michigan. Peters has cerebral palsy. She uses a wheelchair and yes, her hands have a mind of their own. Cerebral palsy does that to a body. It is a movement disorder that, according to the Mayo Clinic, can cause abnormal reflexes and involuntary movements, floppy or rigid limbs.

Self, 8 Possible Reasons Your Contacts Feel So Scratchy by Korin Miller — In a perfect world, your contacts would seamlessly meld onto your eyeballs without ever causing you discomfort. In reality, sometimes it can feel like your contacts, in a mission to aggravate your eyeballs, are wearing the tiniest, scratchiest wool sweaters of all time… One major part in treating your allergies is staying as far away from your allergens as you humanly can. If that’s not enough (or not possible), your doctor may recommend anti-allergy medications in the form of eye drops, pills, nasal sprays, and the like, according to the Mayo Clinic. Depending on the severity of your allergies, you may also be a candidate for allergy shots, which train your body to be less responsive to your triggers over time… If your eye is still irritated but you can’t see anything stuck in there, wash your hands and fill up a small drinking glass with water or saline solution, the Mayo Clinic advises… This is called a corneal abrasion, and symptoms include a gritty, scratchy feeling, pain, redness, tearing, sensitivity to light, a headache, and feeling like something’s in your eye, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Daily Mail, Gobbledy goop! Gwyneth Paltrow's wellbeing website recommends a bee-sting treatment that could kill you and goat milk that gives you gas, because the star didn't want tips fact checked by Sarah Rainey — Ten years have passed since Gwyneth Paltrow — actress, earth mother and self-styled lifestyle guru — founded her wellness website, Goop. It has grown from a weekly newsletter into an e-commerce business worth £190 million and with more than a million global subscribers all hooked on Gwynnie’s brand of wellness mumbo-jumbo, which promotes weird and wonderful medicines, bizarre beauty products and outlandish dietary advice. But it seems science has finally called time on Goop’s gibberish… Colon cleanses can also be detrimental to health. Dr Michael F. Picco, of the Mayo Clinic in Florida, says the side-effects of coffee enemas may include cramping, bloating, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, as well as dehydration and rectal tears.

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