Mayo Clinic Health Matters

Latest Episodes:

The important role of hospice care Nov 22, 2021

Show notes

Ashley Evenson lived with a lifelong illness known as Cockayne syndrome that prematurely aged her. Ashley lived with her disease for 32 years before passing away in 2019.

Ashley received palliative and hospice care over the course of her life, and Ashley's mom, Lynn Evenson, wants people to know about the benefits of hospice care.

"To keep Ashley’s memory alive, I want to tell her story," says Evenson. "And I want to make it open to people to understand and learn what hospice is really about and how it can make a big difference — not just for the patient but for the caregiver, as well."

People are often confused about the difference between palliative care and hospice care. Palliative care is for anyone who has been diagnosed with a chronic illness. When a cure is not possible, a shift to hospice care can offer supportive measures for the patient and the family.

And an early referral to hospice can help everyone involved.

"Hospice can provide so much care and comfort in all aspects of the end of life experience for both the patient and the family, says Jennifer Larson LaRue, a Mayo Clinic psychotherapist. "So it helps that very difficult, painful time go more smoothly, I think."

November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a time to recognize the important work these programs do to help patients and their families when a cure is not possible.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Larson LaRue joins Evenson, who shares her family's journey through illness and their wish to help educate others about the advantages of hospice care.

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Ask the Mayo Mom: Spinal anesthesia has advantages for some pediatric surgeries Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

When a baby needs surgery, parents may be worried about how general anesthesia will affect their child. In place of general anesthesia, Mayo Clinic is using spinal anesthesia in some pediatric urology surgeries.

The advantages of spinal anesthesia include a less time in the operating room and a quicker postop recovery. And since children are never fully sedated, they can feed or eat as soon as they return to the recovery room.

Before surgery, numbing cream is used and preop medication is delivered to the child through the nose. Spinal anesthesia is given using a needle into the patient’s back. This numbs and blocks movement below the belly button.

Because spinal anesthesia only lasts no more than two hours, it is being used for shorter urologic procedures. During the surgery, the child's oxygen, temperature and blood pressure are monitored closely.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Candace Granberg, a pediatric urologist and surgeon-in-chief of Mayo Clinic Children's Center, and Dr. Dawit Haile, chair of the Division of Pediatric Anesthesia at Mayo Clinic, discuss spinal anesthesia for pediatric urologic surgeries.

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Travel trends and colder temperatures could mean a COVID-19 holiday surge Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

Cold weather, increased travel, waning immunity and the potential for new variants may serve up the perfect recipe for a holiday COVID-19 surge, according to Dr. Gregory Poland, head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group.

"I have consistently said what's very likely to happen as we get to the cooler weather and see the trends in travel is that we will have another surge," says Dr. Poland. "We're in this unusual situation where the pandemic is actually getting worse because humans don't want to believe that the pandemic is just as important now as it was a year ago."

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland answers several listener questions and talks more about being vigilant against COVID-19 as the U.S. heads into a second winter with this coronavirus. He also addresses the recent news that wild deer have shown evidence of COVID-19 infection and what that might mean in the battle to eliminate the disease.

Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland.

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Living as a prostate cancer survivor Nov 15, 2021

Show notes

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men, but thanks to improvements in detection and treatment, the likelihood of surviving the diagnosis is good. Both the five-year and the 10-year survival rates for all stages of prostate cancer are 98%, according to the American Cancer Society. As a result, there more than 3.1 million men in the U.S. have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point.

Living after a cancer diagnosis is often called "survivorship." The survivorship experience is different for every cancer survivor, but it's possible to predict some of what the survivor might experience based on the type of cancer. For example, both prostate cancer and its treatment can cause urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

"I think survivorship is just a critical issue in prostate cancer management," says Dr. Matthew Tollefson, a Mayo Clinic urologist. "The location of the prostate is a factor, so many men are concerned about urinary function and sexual function, and to some extent bowel function, because these are all in the the general region of the prostate."

After treatment, men may be hesitant to discuss their side effects or be self-conscious about sharing their feelings and worries. Health care providers can help.

"It's absolutely critical to have that discussion with your doctor, says Dr. Tollefson. "We have effective treatments to manage almost all the side effects that can come up, whether they be issues with body composition, or sexual function or urinary control. It's important to understand that that these are common things and recognize that your physician has likely heard this from many people before and really is well-equipped to help manage and get through some of the issues that that do arise."

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Tollefson discusses what men can expect after treatment for prostate cancer and how they can improve their quality of life going forward.

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Entering the digital front door to a better health care experience Nov 12, 2021

Show notes

Innovation in health care is being driven by technology and data. At Mayo Clinic, the Center for Digital Health is the hub for this digital transformation.

"The Center for Digital Health has the vision of bringing Mayo Clinic to a global community so that we can deliver Mayo Clinic anywhere in a manner that is simple," says Dr. Bradley Leibovich, medical director for Mayo Clinic's Center for Digital Health.

Current projects at the Center for Digital Health include developing a digital front door and improved consumer experience for patients, expanding virtual care, and transforming health care delivery through data and analytics.

One example is Mayo Clinic's advanced care at homeprogram, which provides comprehensive care to patients in the comfort of their own homes. Partnering with Medically Home, technology-enabled services company, some patients with conditions previously managed in a hospital now have the option to transition to a home setting for care and recovery services.

"This enables people who traditionally would need to be in the hospital for a serious condition to stay in their home, having nurses and physicians checking on them via technology, and having data streamed to those providers from their home," explains Dr. Leibovich. "It allows people to stay in their homes more, with their families more. It will enable them to continue working more. It will cure them faster. It will do so with less expense, less frustration. And everybody benefits if we can accomplish that."

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Leibovich discusses work that is underway at Mayo Clinic's Center for Digital Health to improve the patient's health care experience.

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COVID-19 infection and the heart Nov 10, 2021

Show notes

Although COVID-19 has been seen as a disease that primarily affects the lungs, it can affect other organs, including the heart.

Organ damage can lead to health complications that linger after being infected with COVID-19. People with heart disease are at an increased risk of more severe complications from COVID-19, but anyone infected with COVID-19 could be at risk for heart problems.

"Not only have we learned that COVID-19 can cause cardiac injury through multiple mechanisms, but the virus in rare cases, particularly in young males, can cause myocarditis, a specific form of cardiac injury," says Dr. Leslie Cooper, chair of the Department ofCardiology at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

Many people who are infected with COVID-19 experience shortness of breath, which could be a sign of heart complications and needs further investigation.

"The illness itself leads to deconditioning because you're not as active you normally are," explains Dr. Cooper. "So going back to activity take time."

It's hard for the individual to tell which is the cause of their symptoms. Is it the heart, the lungs or deconditioning? I would recommend seeing a medical provider if you've still got symptoms. We can sort that out with generally noninvasive and simple testing," says Dr. Cooper.

While there is a slight risk of myocarditis as a temporary side effect of vaccination for COVID-19, particularly in young males, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends vaccination for everyone 5 and up.

Dr. Cooper agrees.

"The likelihood of a bad thing happening — a hospitalization or dying from the virus itself — is greater with the virus than it is with a vaccine in every case, every analysis, in every study done."

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Cooper discusses COVID-19 infection and the heart.

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Early referrals to transplant can help lung disease patients Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

Unhealthy or damaged lungs can make it difficult for the body to get the oxygen it needs to survive. A variety of diseases or conditions can damage the lungs and hinder their ability to function effectively. When lung disease doesn't respond to medical therapy, a lung transplant may be needed.

A lung transplant is a surgical procedure to replace a diseased or failing lung with a healthy lung, usually from a deceased donor. Depending on your medical condition, a lung transplant may involve replacing one or both of your lungs. In some situations, the lungs may be transplanted along with a donor heart.

For patients with diseases that damage the lungs, an early referral to a transplant center is an important step.

"If you have a disease that you think could merit or benefit from lung transplant, it's extremely important to talk to your physician early in the process," says Dr. Tathagat Narula, a Mayo Clinic transplant medicine physician. "The physician can refer you to a transplant center, where you can receive a complete evaluation. There's nothing wrong in getting established with a transplant center relatively early in the process of your lung disease. "

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Narula discusses evaluation for lung transplant and research working to make more lungs available to those on the transplant waitlist.

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Healthy ways to discipline children Nov 05, 2021

Show notes

Child health experts condemn the use of violence in any form, but some people still use corporal punishment, such as spanking, as a way to discipline their children. Any corporal punishment can leave emotional scars. Parental behaviors that cause pain, physical injury or emotional trauma — even when done in the name of discipline — could be child abuse.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends healthy forms of discipline, such as positive reinforcement of appropriate behaviors, limit setting, redirecting, and setting future expectations. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents not span, hit, slap, threaten, insult, humiliate, or shame children.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, pediatrician and #AsktheMayoMom host Dr. Angela Mattke discusses positive ways to discipline your child with Dr. Chris Derauf, a Mayo Clinic pediatrician, and Dr. Arne Graff, a Mayo Clinic family medicine physician, who both specialize in child abuse at the Mayo Center for Safe and Healthy Children and Adolescents.

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Building a wall of immunity against COVID-19 Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

In anticipation of more COVID-19 vaccine approvals this week, Dr. Elie Berbari, chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Mayo Clinic, says it's good news that younger children will now have more protection against COVID-19.

"It's important that we reach a very high level of vaccination rates to achieve kind of a wall of immunity that could prevent transmission and prevent us from these repeated peaks that we've been dealing with over the last year and a half during this pandemic," says Dr. Berbari.

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Berbari also talks about the rare cases of myocarditis and how the Food and Drug Administration is monitoring those cases. Dr. Berbari also addresses additional COVID-19 vaccine doses for immunocompromised people, the importance of masking, even if vaccinated, and he answers a number of listener questions.

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Using the immune system to treat stomach cancer Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, can affect any part of the stomach. In most of the world, stomach cancers form in the main part of the stomach. But in the U.S., stomach cancer is more likely to affect the area where the esophagus meets the stomach. This area is called the gastroesophageal junction.

Where the cancer occurs in the stomach is one factor doctors consider when determining treatment options. Treatment usually includes surgery to remove the stomach cancer. Other treatments may be recommended before and after surgery, including immunotherapy.

"Over the past three years, we've incorporated immunotherapy into the treatment of stomach cancer. This type of therapy boosts the immune system to go after the cancer," says Dr. Lionel Kankeu Fonkoua, a Mayo Clinic medical oncologist. "Cancer cells are very smart and find ways to evade or put brakes on the immune system. Immunotherapy is designed to release those brakes and unleash the immune system to go after the cancer. And when that's effective, we've seen some dramatic and durable responses in some of these patients."

November is Stomach Cancer Awareness Month. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Kankeu Fonkoua discusses risk factors, the latest treatments and steps you can take to prevent stomach cancer.

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