What is an Aneurysm?
WHAT IS AN AORTIC ANEURYSM?
With Dr.Sateesh Babu
Vascular Associates of Westchester
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African American Women and Breast Cancer
“I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to see my children grow up and my grandchild grow, you get this really scary feeling inside,” says Rosamond Stallings. When 45 year old Rosamond Stallings was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago, doctors urged her to immediately have a mastectomy. “They found like six malignant tumors,” says Rosamond.
Recent studies have shown that 30 percent or more of breast cancer patients fail to receive complete treatment, and that African American women are as much as 10 percent less likely than white women to receive optimal therapy. But now, supported by a $10 million grant from the Department of Defense, a study, led by a team of doctors at Columbia University Medical Center, will look at possible reasons for the disparity.
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What is Carotid Stenosis?
Dr. Sateesh Babu of Vascular Associates of Westchester discusses "What is Carotid Stenosis?", the treatments, who should be screened and future developments, such as new stenting techniques.
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Rapid Flu Test
We getting to the peak of the flu season now folks.
If you haven’t gotten your flu shot, you’re susceptible.
But how do you know if your symptoms are the flu or something else? And why is that so important?
When you get the sniffles, maybe a cough, or a fever, bingo, we label it the flu. And then many of us want an antibiotic--and many times doctors will give it!
The fact is, it may not be the flu, and if it is, an antibiotic isn’t called for. What is called for when you’re first feeling sick is a rapid flu test.
Unfortunately, the latest research shows even doctors will still prescribe an antibiotic, even when testing shows you actually do have the flu!
The study in the archives of internal medicines shows almost 2/3rds of patients who were on antibiotics in the hospital for a respiratory infection, and were then showed to have the flu--and likely not a bacterial infection requiring an antibiotic--still were kept on the antibiotic.
The test: a rapid flu test, like this, which can be done on inpatients or outpatients…
It’s easy--a simple swab of the nose or throat; it’s cheap--about twenty bucks; and in 15 to 30 minutes, you know if you have the flu or not.
Dr. Len Horovitz, a pulmonologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, says, “It is extremely important to diagnose influenza as soon as you can because then you know that you are dealing with a specific viral diagnosis that has specific anti-viral medication, otherwise you might be treating with antibiotics which aren’t necessary. anybody who presents with fevers, dry cough, body aches and is suspect for influenza should be getting this test, because those patients can be treated with a specific anti-influenza medication that other patients wouldn’t get if they simply had a cold or other virus.’
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Everyday Health
With the explosion of the internet there are now countless places to get health information.
Clearly there is one leader: WebMD. It has become a media behemoth.
WebMD is to health websites what McDonalds is to hamburgers--but clearly with a more heart health approach.
But McDonalds has Burger King, what’s the equivalent in the web health world?
Maybe it’s this: everydayhealth.com. The site has been beta testing over the past three months and officially launched two weeks ago.
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BREAST CANCER AND OVARIAN CANCER RISK
There’s an important piece of medical research released tonight which every woman with breast cancer or a family history of breast cancer needs to hear about.
The study looks at whether they need to worry about their risk of ovarian cancer, and what they should do about it.
Up to half of families with multiple cases of breast cancer do not end up having mutations in the major breast cancer genes, the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes. Still, it’s clear there’s a genetic link somewhere…to another gene or genes which have not yet been identified.
What risk do these genes play in terms of ovarian cancer, if any? And do women need to do something about it?
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ASTHMA/LUNG DISEASE
There is new research just released which shows adults with asthma may have an increased risk for developing a different and much longer term lung disease. According to a study published in the medical journal Chest, patients with asthma are at a much higher risk for developing COPD—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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ASPIRIN AND WOMEN
A new study provides evidence women at risk for a heart attack don’t take a major necessary step for protecting themselves. This is the first study that classifies men and women based on heart disease risk and looks at whether they are making the correct medical and lifestyle choices. It finds that surprisingly, women fall short when it comes to taking the right medication to reduce their heart attack risk.
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