Washington Post, ‘Black hairy tongue’ is an actual medical condition, and it looks as weird as it sounds by Lindsey Bever — …Luckily, black hairy tongue, or lingua villosa nigra, is typically painless and temporary. It occurs when the tiny bumps on the tongue, called papillae, which are normally about 1 millimeter in length, grow longer than normal, start to trap food particles (as well as bacteria, yeast and other things) and become stained, giving the tongue the characteristic appearance, according to the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic says the condition is sometimes caused by antibiotics — which can alter the bacteria and yeast in the mouth — tobacco, certain diets and excessive quantities of coffee, tea and alcohol as well as poor oral hygiene. Additional coverage: Chicago Tribune

Washington Post, They’re more than relaxing. Research shows saunas can be good for your health. by Amby Burfoot — Study: The Mayo Clinic Proceedings recently published a paper titled “Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence.” The researchers conclude: “Emerging evidence suggests that sauna bathing may be linked to several health benefits, which include reduction in the risk of vascular diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and neurocognitive diseases; nonvascular conditions such as pulmonary diseases; mortality; and amelioration of conditions such as arthritis, headache, and flu.” Additional coverage: New York Post

Reuters, Limited English may mean less-gentle death in ICU by Lisa Rapaport — Death for patients in U.S. intensive care units may look a lot different for people with limited English proficiency than for native speakers, a large study suggests. About 8.5 percent of U.S. adults don't speak English as their primary language, researchers note in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. While communication is crucial for decision-making at the end of life, it's not been clear how language skills might influence the type of care dying patients receive. For the current study, researchers examined data on 27,523 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) in a large academic hospital over a three-year period. The total included 779 people, or about 3 percent, with limited English proficiency. Additional coverage: WHBL

The Atlantic, With CRISPR, Scientists Engineered Nearly 4,000 Mutations of a Breast-Cancer Gene by Sarah Zhang — BRCA1 is one of the best-studied cancer genes in the world. Still, on occasion, doctors will test a patient and find a BRCA1 mutation no one has ever seen before. This creates a dilemma. The newly discovered “variant of unknown significance,” or VUS, could be harmful, making a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer as high as 72 percent. Or it could be nothing to worry about at all. “You hear these horror stories about people who have a VUS,” says Fergus Couch, a breast-cancer researcher at Mayo Clinic. “They have the surgery”—to preemptively remove their breasts—“because they’re convinced the VUS is actually pathogenic, but then we find out later that it is neutral.” The invasive surgery was never necessary at all. The opposite can also be true: A variant that looks neutral could turn out to be pathogenic.

New York Times, A Diagnosis Update: New Information on a Young Girl’s Rare Genetic Condition by Lisa Sanders, M.D. — Last week I presented the case of the 6-year-old girl in South Dakota who had episodes of transient muscle weakness dozens of times a day, starting around the time she turned 1. The events seemed to be triggered by strong emotions, particularly joy. She had thorough work-ups as neurologists, first in South Dakota, then at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., tried to figure out the cause of these odd spells. Just before she turned 4, Kamiyah was accepted into the National Institutes of Health’s Undiagnosed Diseases Network — truly the diagnosticians of last resort. She spent a week in Bethesda, Md., getting test after test, as doctors there searched for disorders that could cause the symptoms she was experiencing. All that testing finally produced an answer: She had a genetic abnormality causing these attacks of muscular weakness.

New York Post, Mona Lisa probably had an underactive thyroid by Guy BIrchall — Mona Lisa’s mysterious smile has baffled the world for centuries, but a medical professor thinks he may have cracked the key behind it. Experts now think the smirk was caused by an underactive thyroid gland. Known as hypothyroidism, it can cause swollen hands, thinning hair and a lump in the neck – all visible in the portrait…The new analysis published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings reveals noblewoman Lisa Gherardini – widely believed to be the subject – displays classic signs of hypothyroidism. Additional coverage: Telegraph, The Independent, Fortune

Forbes, Here Are The Best Companies For Millennials by Kaytie Zimmerman — 12. Mayo Clinic: “One of the first things that you notice when you work at Mayo is how proud people are to work there,” said Jessica Chard, former RN at Mayo Clinic, a healthcare company. “It’s an honor and privilege to work at such a prestigious medical institution. You feel like you are contributing to the betterment of society in a real and substantial way.”

NPR, Contagious Hand, Foot And Mouth Disease Throws Curveball Into MLB Season by Amy Held — Astros relief pitcher Brad Peacock has come down with hand, foot and mouth disease, a team spokesman confirmed to NPR, in Major League Baseball's third known case of the contagious virus this season. Peacock is home recuperating in Houston, the Houston Chronicle reports, after falling ill while he was with the team last weekend in Boston. He was feeling worse by Monday in Detroit, where the team's medical staff attended to him before sending him home…The Mayo Clinic points out that the disease isn't foot-and-mouth disease (also known as hoof-and-mouth disease), "which is an infectious viral disease found in farm animals. You can't contract hand-foot-and-mouth disease from pets or other animals, and you can't transmit it to them."

HealthDay, Online History Gives Clues to Heart Ills by Robert Preidt — The analysis also revealed that there are more searches about heart disease in regions of the United States with higher rates of heart disease deaths than in areas with lower rates. Online search data could help estimate heart disease rates in specific regions, the researchers said. The study was published Sept. 4 in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings… Internet search engines and social media postings can act like the proverbial "canary in the coal mine" in the early detection of disease trends, Dr. Joseph Murphy and Dr. R. Scott Wright wrote in an accompanying editorial. The cardiologists at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., also said searches and postings will "sing like a canary" in spreading important public health warnings. Additional coverage: WebMD

HealthDay, An Ancient Art May Work Best to Prevent Falls in Old Age — The ancient practice of tai chi may beat strength training and aerobics for preventing falls among seniors, a new trial shows. A modified senior-centered tai chi program reduced falls nearly a third better in a head-to-head comparison with an exercise regimen that combined aerobics, strength training and balance drills, the researchers reported…Although tai chi did work better, people following a traditional exercise program still gain a benefit, noted Nathan LeBrasseur, a physical medicine and rehabilitation researcher with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "I would not discourage people who are actively participating in a strength and aerobic exercise program to throw in the towel and say, 'Now I need to do tai chi,'" said LeBrasseur, who wasn't involved in the study. "The real challenge is getting people to adopt and stick to an exercise program."

CNBC, Start-up AliveCor can now detect a dangerous blood condition by monitoring heart signals, and the FDA has given it 'breakthrough status' by Christina Farr — AliveCor, a Silicon Valley start-up that develops technology to monitor people's heart health, on Monday received "breakthrough device" designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for developing a new way to detect high blood potassium levels without requiring any blood. AliveCor worked with doctors at the Mayo Clinic, which is also an investor in the company, to develop a new technology that looks for a dangerous condition called hyperkalemia without requiring any blood from the patient. It instead looks for patterns in electrocardiograms (ECGs or EKGs), which are essentially recordings of the electrical signals of the heart.

Post-Bulletin, Rare heart defect inspires gathering that offers inspiration by Randy Petersen — …Dr. Timothy Nelson, director of the program at Mayo Clinic, said the connections are crucial for the ongoing efforts. “This is an inspiration for all of us,” he said of the event that brings patients, their families and researchers together. “Everybody thinks the other person is the hero today,” he said after a morning of presentations to a crowd of approximately 200 in Mayo Clinic’s Gonda Building. Nelson said research is showing promise in efforts to strengthen young hearts using patients’ own stem cells, which are obtained at birth. Treatment for hypoplastic left heart syndrome typically involves a three-stage surgery to reroute blood flow in the heart, and stems cells are showing promise for strengthening and possibly building new heart muscle during the process, Nelson said. Additional coverage: KTTC, KIMT

Post-Bulletin, Doctor creates garment for patients' dignity by Jeff Kiger — When it comes to covering a patient’s … dignity, the inadequacy of hospital gowns often makes them a punchline in jokes. For patients and their medical providers, the intimate exposure of their genitals during treatment is no joke. As an orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon at Mayo Clinic, Dr. Bruce Levy regularly experienced patients’ discomfort with their exposure as they were spread-eagled with their feet in stirrups for a hip procedure. A small blue towel would be used to cover the patient, though it would often fall, causing more embarrassment. It was a daily situation that bothered him. “It is my philosophical belief that medical providers and hospital institutions are responsible for maintaining patient’s personal privacy and dignity,” said Bruce Levy. “It’s not right to have our patients so exposed.”

Post-Bulletin, Mayo Clinic to host Commonweal's 'Elephant Man' by Tom Weber — A staged reading of the Commonweal Theatre production of “The Elephant Man,” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at Mayo Clinic. The play, which was a part of the 2017 season at the Commonweal, features Brandt Roberts in the title role. “The Elephant Man” is about John Merrick, who was born with a genetic disease that left him horribly disfigured. The play delves into science and medicine and explores concepts of beauty. The play will be presented in Geffen Auditorium on the subway level of Mayo’s Gonda Building.

KTTC, FDA, Minnesota Department of Health warn of e-cigarette epidemic by Erin O’Brien — The FDA is taking action against what it calls a youth e-cigarette epidemic. The agency says it sent 1,100 warning letters to stores for illegally selling e-cigarettes to minors. …Dr. Michael V. Burke, the Program Director of Mayo Clinic's Nicotine Dependence Center says the nicotine in e-cigarettes is especially dangerous for adolescents because they're more susceptible to addiction. The brain development that's meant to control impulses doesn't happen until we're in our early to mid 20's and so if a tobacco company or an e-cigarette company can hook somebody while they're young, they're more likely to have a customer for life," he explained.

KIMT, Mayo Clinic looking to expand therapy dog program by Ryan Odeen — Mayo Clinic is working to bring a different kind of medicine to it's patients. that's right... the world renowned medical center is working to expand the use of therapy dogs.

KIMT, Mayo therapy dog program: 'Many times you'll hear a parent say this is the first smile I've seen all day' by Annalisa Pardo — There’s a certain kind of medicine that helps patients and it doesn’t come in a bottle. It actually comes on four legs and with a wet nose. It’s therapy dogs. Mayo has about 30 therapy dogs in its mostly volunteer program…These smiles the dogs bring patients are backed by science. Research shows engagement with a dog can reduce anxiety and pain. Mayo is also researching how the animals can help nurses with burnout or productivity.

KIMT, Battle of the badges blood drive kicks off in Olmsted County by Jeremiah Wilcox — The American Red Cross reports that every two-seconds someone in the US is in need of blood. To get more people to donate, Mayo Clinic is taking a different approach. They’re starting their first “Battle of the Badges” blood donation challenge. This involves first responders groups in Olmsted County looking to get into the community to get people to donate blood. “We don't have a substitute for blood products so we are completely dependent on our community here.,” said Dr. Justin Kreuter.

Pioneer Press, Little Leo the lion-hearted’s success with an incurable disease now has Mayo interest by Ruben Rosario — The parents behind the “Lorenzo’s Oil” story, which was made into a popular 1992 film, bucked doctors, studies and pessimism and uncovered a medication that arguably helped extend the life of their terminally ill son by decades. Now meet, in a sense, their Minnesota counterparts — the St. Martins of West St. Paul. The parents, Denis and Anne, both 36, are salt-of-the-earth folks. He’s an electrical foreman with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, St. Paul Local 110. Until the life-threatening medical drama involving their youngest child, Leo Victor, she worked as an operations account manager for the Boys and Girls Club of the Twin Cities… Long story short: The St. Martins, with the invaluable help of a close family friend, came up with a dietary formula and regimen they believe has helped improve the toddler’s battle with infantile Pompe, a serious, lifelong and incurable disease. Their effort now serves as the catalyst and inspiration for a proposed clinical trial spearheaded by Mayo Clinic physicians. “In my career, nobody (parent) has ever come to me like that for a first visit with a research plan and a hypothesis,” Dr. Jonathan Johnson, the toddler’s cardiologist, informed me this week.

Star Tribune, Mayo Clinic signs on as a founding partner of new health/technology conference by Patrick Kennedy — This fall’s inaugural Manova Global Summit, a healthcare and technology conference that is focused on the consumerization of health and medical delivery through technology, scored a major boost this week when the Mayo Clinic signed on as a founding sponsor of the event. The Mayo Clinic joins the Medical Alley Association and Walmart as founding partners. Local firm 2023 Partners is the producing partner of what they hope turns into an annual global event and has done much of the work organizing speakers and venues.. Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, who was elected to succeed CEO Dr. John Noseworthy in April, will join the list of speakers that include the founder of the Huffington Post, Arianna Huffington; Blue Zones author, Dan Buettner; Proto Labs CEO, Vicki Holt, and the former acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Andy Slavitt.

Star Tribune, New health summit will build Minnesota's brand — With a registration fee for nonstudent individuals starting at $850, MANOVA isn’t for everyone. (Group discounts are available.) But for health and wellness specialists who seek a window on their industry’s future and connections with those who will help shape it, the summit should have considerable appeal. In addition to Medical Alley, the event’s founding partners include Walmart and Mayo Clinic; the event is also getting substantial support from Minnesota Public Radio and the University of St. Thomas. The MANOVA organizational team, which calls itself the 2023 Partners, is headed by Mark Addicks, a former chief marketing officer for General Mills.

News4Jax, Iron deficiency signs you might be ignoring — With anemia, you have fewer blood cells to carry oxygen to vital organs in your body- like your heart which can lead to shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain. It can put some people at a higher risk for developing heart problems such as heart murmurs or an enlarged heart...A common misconception is that only women can be iron deficient. Experts at Mayo Clinic said even though women are at a greater risk, men who have a poorly balanced vegetarian diet, donate blood frequently, or have internal bleeding can also be iron deficient.

Florida Times Union, Health Notes: Play at Ritz will be about African Americans coping with Alzheimer’s by Charlie Patton — As part of efforts to educate leaders and decision makers about Alzheimer’s disease and its human and economic toll, the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and AfricanAmericansAgainstAlzheimer’s are jointly presenting the play “Forget Me Not” at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday at The Ritz Theatre & Museum, 829 N. Davis St. The play, written by award-winning playwright Garrett Davis, tells the story of an African American family coping with Alzheimer’s disease. It was written to raise awareness about the disease, overcome barriers to clinical trial participation and shed light on Alzheimer’s disproportionate impact on the African American community.

South Florida Reporter, Does Gum Get Stuck In Your Stomach? — Chewing gum can be a fun treat or a quick fix for bad breath. But, if swallowed, does it really get stuck in your stomach? “Folklore would suggest that if you swallow gum, it stays in the stomach a really long time – up to seven years,” says Dr. Mark V. Larson, a Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist. “That simply is not true.”

WXOW La Crosse, Big donation for homelessness battle by Roger Staffaroni — Gundersen Health System and Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare presented major donations to the La Crosse Collaborative to End Homelessness. Two large checks, each one for $75,000, were presented to the organization at the downtown La Crosse Catholic Charities facility. According to Project Manager Julie McDermid, the combined efforts make a big difference. “It’s wonderful. We are based on collaboration, and we’ve actually had representation from both Mayo and Gundersen on our design teams before we were even officially a project.  This donation is a continuation of that partnership and collaborative,” McDermid said. Additional coverage: WKBT La Crosse, La Crosse Tribune

WXOW La Crosse, Mayo expands 3D mammography to Monroe County — Mayo Clinic Health announced an important step forward in the fight against breast cancer at their Sparta clinic Monday afternoon. The Sparta Mayo Clinic has received new 3-D mammography technology. The new tech, also called digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), offers a new image of the breast when examined. The screening more closely follows the curvature and takes several images as it moves, evaluating the tissue layer by layer. “It’s especially helpful for women who have denser breasts,” Family Physician Tracy Worsing said. “These are women who in the past would have more likely chances of having abnormal tests or false positives… so, really nothing wrong, but they couldn’t say 100% it was normal because of the type of tissue that they have.” Additional coverage: WKBT La Crosse

Chippewa Herald, Performance training program begins at Mayo Clinic locations — Athletes from middle school through college can receive performance training at Mayo Clinic Health System sites in Eau Claire and Menomonie this fall. Clinics are held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sept. 25 through Nov. 1. The cost is $120. The six-week performance training program is designed to improve various aspects of athletic performance, including agility, confidence, jumping, strength, and increased linear and multidirectional speed.

WKBT La Crosse, Meals in Minutes: Southwest Breakfast Scramble — Chef Heather VanHorn of Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse shared her recipe for a Southwest Breakfast Scramble with News 8 This Morning. The recipe includes tofu, a good source of protein and calcium but one that's also low in calories and fat.  Chef Heather says increasing your soy intake can improve your LDL cholesterol and may be protective against some cancers.

La Crosse Tribune, La Crosse Fight the Flood concert aims to raise $150,000 by Randy Erickson — …Businesses are being encouraged to give generously to the cause, and at least one already has. At a press conference Friday, Joe Kruse, chief administrative officer of Mayo Health System in La Crosse, announced a donation of $15,000, $5,000 from the local health center and $10,000 from the parent organization in Rochester. Additional coverage: WKBT La Crosse, WEAU Eau Claire, WXOW La Crosse

NBC 4 New York, How to Avoid Getting Sick While Traveling on an Airplane — Wear a flu mask: Wearing a mask to keep from getting sick “can’t hurt and it might help,” Dr. James M. Steckelberg, a consultant in the Division of Infectious Diseases and a professor of medicine at Mayo Medical School, says on the Mayo Clinic’s website. “Some studies have shown that using a surgical mask can help prevent influenza,” he says. Flu can travel through the air when someone coughs, sneezes or talks, so a mask can help keep those germs at bay.

Becker’s Hospital Review, Mayo, GE, Deloitte join to expand personalized medicine by Jessica Kim Cohen — Vineti, a cell and gene therapy platform, and Deloitte, an audit and consulting firm, are collaborating to bring personalized medicine solutions to life sciences companies, healthcare providers and patients. Vineti, which was co-founded by GE and Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, offers healthcare providers a cloud-based software platform to streamline the process to connect patients with individualized cell and gene therapies, primarily by managing and centralizing data from providers, pharmaceutical companies and drug manufacturers. Under the partnership with Deloitte, Vineti will integrate its platform with Deloitte's ConvergeHEALTH Patient Connect, a patient engagement tool that connects patients and providers with pharmaceutical and medical device vendors.

The Independent, E coli: What is the bacteria and what are the symptoms of infection? by Sabrina Barr — …Signs that you may have been infected by E coli bacteria can take approximately three or four days to arise, as stated by the Mayo Clinic, an academic medical centre based in Minnesota. Symptoms include having diarrhoea, which may either seem mild or contain blood, experiencing painful stomach cramping, feeling nauseous or vomiting. It can also cause a number of various illnesses including cystitis, urinary tract infections and pneumonia.

Express UK, High blood pressure: Does drinking coffee increase your risk of hypertension? by Karolina Kaminska — According to Dr Sheldon Sheps at Mayo Clinic, caffeine can cause a short, “but dramatic” increase in blood pressure, even if you don’t have high blood pressure to begin with. “Some researchers believe caffeine could block a hormone that helps keep your arteries widened,” said Dr Sheps. “Others think caffeine causes your adrenal glands to release more adrenaline, which causes your blood pressure to increase.” However, although some people who regularly drink caffeinated drinks have a higher average blood pressure than those who don’t, others who drink a lot of caffeinated drinks develop a tolerance to caffeine, according to the doctor.

MedPage Today, Rapid Tumor Growth Tied to Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer by Kristin Jenkins — Aaron S. Mansfield, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, told MedPage Today that the findings are consistent with his clinical experience, and agreed that better predictors of which patients will or will not benefit from immunotherapy are needed. "PD-L1 and tumor mutational burden have their limitations," he said. This is the largest characterization of a NSCLC cohort that I am aware of," said Mansfield, who was not involved in the research. "Based on these data, HPD seems to be more common for a small subset of patients treated with immunotherapy." He pointed out that many questions still remain, including whether patients who experience HPD while on immunotherapy would do so with cytotoxic chemotherapy, and whether patients who receive frontline chemoimmunotherapy are also at risk of HPD. And Mansfield agreed with the study authors that a common definition of HPD is needed to move forward.

St. Olaf College, St. Olaf students innovate alongside Mayo Clinic experts — As part of a decade-long partnership with Mayo Clinic, eight St. Olaf College students gained hands-on experience this summer in the business side of health care. Through the college’s Mayo Innovation Scholars Program, the students worked on two health care projects offered by Mayo Clinic’s Department of Surgery and their Center for Innovation. The Mayo Innovation Scholars Program, offered at St. Olaf each summer and Interim, provides an opportunity for selected undergraduate students to evaluate projects submitted to Mayo Clinic Ventures, the arm of Mayo responsible for evaluating potential business opportunities for discoveries and inventions created by Mayo Clinic physicians and researchers.

Health Data Management, Mayo, Healthmyne to work on module to assess treatment effectiveness by Fred Bazzoli — The Mayo Clinic is working with a vendor to fine-tune a platform to aid care decisions based on radiological images. Healthmyne has signed a joint development agreement with the Rochester, Minn.-based delivery system to evaluate a new module in the company’s Quantitative Imaging Decision Support platform in its Scottsdale, Ariz., facility. The intent of the collaboration is to use the platform to measure therapy responses for cancer patients, using Healthmyne’s proprietary algorithms automate the extraction of quantitative imaging metrics when images are being read by radiologists.

Gainesville Times, Dementia: A devastating diagnosis, memories lost and moments cherished by Jeff Gill — Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most feared diagnoses on the planet. It isn’t just incurable. It can be slow and terrible in its progression, as sufferers lose all awareness of people and surroundings….“Your risk increases greatly after you reach age 65,” according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. “The rate of dementia doubles every decade after age 60.” People with rare genetic changes linked to early-onset Alzheimer's begin experiencing symptoms as early as their 30s, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Healio, Barrett’s esophagus tied to esophageal adenocarcinoma survival — Patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma who displayed Barrett’s esophagus or intestinal metaplasia had better survival than patients without, according to research published in Gastroenterology. Tarek Sawas, MD, of the division of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues wrote that BE serves as a precursor lesion in many cases of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), but in patients without BE or intestinal metaplasia (IM), it has been assumed that the cancer overgrows or replaces the lesion. However, the researchers hypothesized that there could be evidence of two completely different forms of EAC. “There might be a group of patients with EAC without co-existing Barrett’s esophagus/IM (non-BE/IM) at the time of cancer diagnosis who have a more aggressive form of EAC which might lead to a poorer prognosis when compared to those with prevalent Barrett’s esophagus/IM (BE/IM),” they wrote.

IndyStar, Brad Keselowski's daughter wanted no part of kissing bricks after dad's Brickyard 400 win by Matthew Van Tryon — Never mind that her dad had just won the Brickyard 400 at IMS. 3-year-old Scarlett Keselowski had no interest in kissing the bricks…After going to the Mayo Clinic, Scarlett was rediagnosed with laryngomalacia, a weakness in the muscles of the throat. She had emergency surgery and went home on Father's Day.

Markets Insider, MyCare becomes Recognized Referral Facilitator for Mayo Clinic — Assured Diagnosis Inc., the owner and developer of the MyCare programs (collectively "MyCare"), announced today that it has become a Recognized Referral Facilitator for Mayo Clinic in Canada. MyCare's Recognized Referral Facilitator location is based in Vancouver, BC and can offer in-country support to patients seeking care at Mayo in the United States. MyCare representatives are trained to assist patients as they seek a second opinion or treatment at Mayo Clinic, including providing Mayo Clinic information, travel assistance and other concierge services. MyCare has been referring patients to Mayo Clinic for several years. Now, as a Recognized Referral Facilitator, MyCare will have the benefit of a dedicated Mayo relationship management team, training and access to Mayo Clinic's provider portal, and Mayo Clinic patient materials. Additional coverage: Arizona Republic

SELF, You Could Have a Herniated Disc Without Even Realizing It by Korin Miller — Risk factors include having excess body weight, which can put extra pressure on the discs in your lower back, as well as having a physically demanding job that requires you to make repetitive motions such as lifting, pulling, pushing, and bending, the Mayo Clinic says. It’s even possible to have a genetic predisposition to getting a herniated disc.

Managed Care, Health Care Quality: It’s Motherhood and Apple Pie. Until You Start To Measure It. by Lola Butcher — …When he’s using microsurgical techniques to treat unbearable facial pain, neurosurgeon Richard Zimmerman, MD, values precision above all. But as the chair of quality outcomes at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, he has come to accept that the government’s system for measuring health care quality is less than precise. “If you’re a hematologist–oncologist, the survival rate of cancer patients might be a better indication of quality than how often you document that you have screened for depression,” he says. But screening a patient for depression—or, more accurately, documenting that you have screened for depression, regardless of whether you actually remembered to do so—leads to higher pay from the Medicare program. Nobody’s paying more for high cancer-survival rates. Welcome to health care’s pay-for-value movement, in which public and private payers want to reward—and penalize—physicians based on the quality of care they provide.

VentureBeat, Apple Watch Series 4 hands-on: Health monitoring takes a big step up by Dean Takahashi — Apple started its HealthKit initiative back in 2014, and it has had an iOS health app for a while. It partnered with the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins through its ResearchKit platform to allow large studies to use data from iOS device users. The device has a new watch face, dubbed Breathe, that helps you do breathing exercises. It recommends that you take a break and a deep breath every now and then. If you do fall, an emergency services screen appears, and you can call for help with a single tap. If you don’t move for more than a minute, it will call 911 for you.

Cronica, UANL colabora en banco mundial de genes asociados a trastorno bipolar — Psiquiatras mexicanos de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (UANL) colaboran con el Departamento de Psiquiatría de la Clínica Mayo, en Estados Unidos, para integrar el primer banco de genes asociados al trastorno bipolar, informó en breve visita a la Ciudad de México el doctor Mark Frye, jefe de psiquiatría de la Clínica Mayo.  Fundada en 1889 en Rochester, Minnesota, Clínica Mayo es el más antiguo centro de salud de Estados Unidos dedicado a la investigación y atención clínica sin fines lucrativos. La colaboración binacional surge debido a la falta de datos genéticos de población amerindia al integrar en su mismo reservorio todos los genes humanos asociados a este mal que antes se llamaba trastorno maniaco-depresivo.

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Tags: 3D mammography, Alfred Moes, AliveCor, Apple Watch, Barrett's esophagus, black hairy tongue, blood donation, Brad Keselowski, Breast Cancer, Christopher Ewers, CRISPR, dementia, Dr. Bruce Levy, Dr. Fergus Couch, Dr. Gianrico Farrugia, Dr. James M. Steckelberg, Dr. John Noseworthy, Dr. Jonathan Johnson, Dr. Joseph Murphy, Dr. Justin Kreuter, Dr. Mark V. Larson, Dr. Michael V. Burke, Dr. Nathan LeBrasseur, Dr. R. Scott Wright, Dr. Richard Zimmerman, Dr. Sheldon Sheps, Dr. Tarek Sawas, Dr. Timothy Nelson, Dr. Tracy Worsing, e-cigarette, E. Coli, Erik Ewers, expansion, Florida expansion, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, Healthmyne, heart disease, Heather VanHorn, Herniated Disc, homelessness, Hypertension, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, hypothyroidism, iron deficiency, Jessica Chard, Leo Victor, Manova, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Millennials, Mona Lisa, MyCare, Phoenix expansion, Rosemary Stevens, saunas, t'ai chi, therapy dog, travel health, Uncategorized, Vineti