July 21, 2015

New lung cancer vaccine from Cuba

July 21, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

New lung cancer vaccine from Cuba

Cuba has a new promising lung cancer vaccine called CimaVax that may soon be coming to the United States. Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the United States. It kills more people than colon, prostate, and breast cancer combined. Lung cancer is very difficult to identify early and very difficult to treat being that it is most often discovered in an advanced stage. More than 50 percent of patients die within a year of being diagnosed.

July 19, 2015

What is climate change doing to our health?

July 19, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

What is climate change doing to our health?

The 2014 National Climate Assessment, conducted by a team of more than 300 experts and a federal advisory committee, concluded that new health threats will emerge and existing ones will only get worse. Increased global temperatures, ground-level ozone and air pollution are expected to limit lung function and increase emergency room trips for those with asthma, whose ranks have substantially increased in the past decade.

July 13, 2015

Brain-Eating Amoeba Strikes U.S. Again

July 13, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Brain-Eating Amoeba Strikes U.S. Again

Freshwater-dwelling amoeba strikes again. Two cases of infection with “brain-eating” parasite have already been reported in the U.S. Responsible amoeba. What is it?

free-living, single celled amoeba
Naegleria fowleri
Found pretty much everywhere
Thermophilic (heat-loving)
Most often found in warm freshwater, like lakes or hot springs

July 13, 2015

Ebola Returns to Liberia

July 13, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Ebola Returns to Liberia

Ebola returns to Liberia — three new cases reported this week in the previously Ebola-free country. People are questioning whether Liberia was really free of the disease to begin with. Liberian health officials reported the death of a 17-year-old boy from Ebola on Sunday, and two other cases of Ebola in people who were with the boy when he died. Liberia is now monitoring more than 100 people who had contact with the boy who died, and this number is expected to increase.

July 13, 2015

Eye Color Linked to Alcoholism Risk

July 13, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Eye Color Linked to Alcoholism Risk

People with light-colored eyes may have a higher risk of alcoholism than people with dark-brown eyes, new research suggests. In the study, researchers looked at 1,263 Americans of European ancestry, including 992 people who were diagnosed with alcohol dependence and 271 people who were not diagnosed with alcohol dependence.

July 11, 2015

FDA Approved Heart Drug May Decrease Risk of Death by 20%

July 11, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

FDA Approved Heart Drug May Decrease Risk of Death by 20%

A new heart-failure drug from the drug maker Novartis, has received FDA approved. The company claims that this drug helps reduce death and hospitalizations from heart failure. A lot of excitement has been building up in regards to this drug, Entresto, since the results of a large clinical trial showed a 20% reduction in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease or hospitalization from a worsening heart failure.

July 05, 2015

CDC Warns of Pool Parasite this Summer

July 05, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

CDC Warns of Pool Parasite this Summer

Outbreaks in pools, hot tubs and other recreational and municipal locations can be dangerous according to a report released late last week. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that over 90 outbreaks between 2011 and 2012 results in almost 1800 illnesses and 95 hospitalizations. The outbreaks even caused one death.

July 04, 2015

Hand Washing System Dramatically Improves Hygiene in Hospitals

July 04, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Hand Washing System Dramatically Improves Hygiene in Hospitals

A new hand-hygiene compliance system from the company Hill-Rom has reported an analysis of more than 20 million instances of hand washing dramatically increased the hand washing among hospital staff using the system. Hospitals using Hill-Rom's Hand Hygiene Compliance Solution achieved an average 226% improvement in compliance, with some hospitals showing compliance by caregivers nearly tripled.

July 04, 2015

Orbital Medicine: Exploring Health in Space

July 04, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Orbital Medicine: Exploring Health in Space

As you can imagine, medicine in space is completely different than it is here on earth. Our bodies operate in many different in zero gravity. One would not want to get sick in space. Zero-gravity plays a lot of games with our bones, muscles, organs, eyeballs and the brain itself. There's also infectious risks on a spacecraft which stems from sealing multiple people inside a self-contained vessel. Virus or bacteria could simply circulate around from person to person throughout an entire mission.

June 29, 2015

Listening to the sounds of running water may improve urinary flow

June 29, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Listening to the sounds of running water may improve urinary flow

Recent article from Korea says listening to the sound of running water can help improve urinary flow in elderly, which was published in PLOS ONE. Researchers hypothesize that the sound of running water may be effective in the elderly with urination problems. Running water often used to toilet train toddlers.

June 29, 2015

Scientists helped smokers quit by giving them doses of a drug found in magic mushrooms

June 29, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Scientists helped smokers quit by giving them doses of a drug found in magic mushrooms

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University may have found alternative for people trying to quit smoking unsuccessfully. Psilocybin, the active chemical in magic mushrooms, had double the success rate of other methods. 1950s/60s research involving psilocybin and LSD to treat addiction showed promise. Drugs were criminalized and research was halted. Recently, research has started to reopen with regards to hallucinogens. Notable success with smoking-cessation program.

June 29, 2015

Diagnosing Ebola in Minutes

June 29, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Diagnosing Ebola in Minutes

Researchers from Harvard Medical School (HMS), Partners In Health, and Boston Children’s Hospital. New test for Ebola, successful in field trial. Published in The Lancet, this could be a game-changer for treatment, containment.

June 29, 2015

Medicare is Turning 50

June 29, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Medicare is Turning 50

As of July, Medicare turns 50, In the journal Generations, “A Prescription for the Next Fifty Years of Medicare." Dean of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health writes an article describing a prescription for the future of Medicare. States that Medicare must evolve to improve senior health in the future. When Medicare bill was passed 50 years ago: millions of older adults in the US benefited.

June 27, 2015

Less Meds May Reduce Death

June 27, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Less Meds May Reduce Death

Hospitals are a major entity throughout the healthcare industry. The hospital as a place, is a critical point in a patient's case where what happens in the hospitals, and the care a patient receives, is crucial to their particular health issue.

June 22, 2015

Precision Medicine is the Future of Treating Cancer

June 22, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Precision Medicine is the Future of Treating Cancer

Personalization is threaded into the social fabric of America. Innovation is rooted in customizing and personalizing even the smallest parts of our lives, stemming from technology and retail to travel, media and wellness. The future continues to promise even smarter applications where personalization fits, but what about our health?

June 22, 2015

Scaffold Technology Could Help Scientists Grow Organs

June 22, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Scaffold Technology Could Help Scientists Grow Organs

At the University of Bristol, researchers have engineered a type of "scaffold" technology, which allows them to grow larger pieces of tissue in the lab.

June 20, 2015

Debate on Long-Term Effects of Antidepressants Sparks International Opposing Opinions

June 20, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Debate on Long-Term Effects of Antidepressants Sparks International Opposing Opinions

An international debate has sparked among experts regarding the long-term health effects of patients taking antidepressants. Here's what you need to know.

June 18, 2015

Are we taking too many over-the-counter pills?

June 18, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Are we taking too many over-the-counter pills?

Are we taking too many over-the-counter drugs in America? And do we even pay attention to the health risks or warnings? You may be surprise to find that it's quite possible to overdose on these types of medications, especially if you're not educated on the proper dosage. Here's what you need to know.

June 18, 2015

Weight of Average American Has Increased Since 1960

June 18, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Weight of Average American Has Increased Since 1960

Americans are getting bigger and in this case bigger is not better. New research from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has revealed staggering data of the realities of weight in America. Here are some of the key findings.

June 16, 2015

Places with Highest Life Expectancy

June 16, 2015/ Dr. David Samadi

Places with Highest Life Expectancy

Life expectancy is a statistical measure of how long a person or organism may live, based on the year of their birth, their current age and other demographic factors including gender.