January 2014

Communicating Oncofertility to Children

978-1-4614-8234-5 (1)We’re jumping back into the chapter reviews of Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines.  Today, we’re reviewing Chapter 8, Communicating Oncofertility to Children: A Developmental Perspective for Teaching Health Messages by Dr. Ellen Wartella, Dr. Alexis Lauricella and Lisa Hurwitz.  Communicating health information as a whole, and especially reproductive health and sexuality, requires an understanding of what is developmentally appropriate for children.

Are You Suffering from Adult ADHD?

Many people don’t realize that the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can continue into adulthood as a form of adult ADHD.  Adult ADHD can only result from a pre-existing diagnosis of childhood ADHD—meaning, one is only susceptible to adult ADHD if they suffered from this disorder as a child. Roughly 3-10% of school-aged children are afflicted by ADHD, and 60% of these children will continue to have symptoms when they’re adults. Symptoms manifest themselves into forgetfulness, excessive daydreaming, constant fidgeting, and the inability to sit still.

Women’s Health Through the Ages

This month marks the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the pivotal case where the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion. Many see this decision as both a political and religious issue, while others view this as the right for women to make private medical decisions without the interference of politics. Regardless of how you view abortion, it’s important to recognize the evolution of women’s health in America to see how far we’ve come in this field.

Here is a brief timeline outlining notable events in women’s health in the United States.

FDA Advocates for Sex as a Research Variable

Men and Women are physiologically different, and it is essential to ensure adequate participation of both sexes in research studies in order to determine sex-based differences in disease presentation, prevalence, and treatment. A press release from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Publishers revealed a study that tested the participation rate of women in post-approval studies mandated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Avoiding Wrinkles: Ways to Protect and Prepare Your Skin for Aging

Everyone wrinkles at the same rate and there’s not really much we can do to prevent it, right? Wrong. There are certain habits that can help you avoid premature wrinkles, making your skin look younger (and healthier) longer. Tanning is one of the leading causes of premature wrinkles. When you go tanning, ultraviolet rays are penetrating deep layers of the skin, weakening the skin’s support structure. Wearing lotion with SPF 15 or higher will help protect your skin, and should become part of your routine.

New Childbirth Assistance Device Has Potential to Save Lives

Every year there are roughly 137 million births globally. Of these, about 10% may result in serious complications. Tragically, approximately 5.6 million babies are stillborn or pass away soon after, and around 260,000 women pass away every year in childbirth. These situations often occur in underdeveloped countries or rural areas where women do not have access to hospitals or procedures such as a cesarean section when undergoing an obstructed or prolonged labor.

Swedish Surgeons Take Innovative Transplant Approach to Childbirth

Swedish doctors are attempting an innovative surgery to give womb-less women the opportunity to give birth to their own children. Nine women in Sweden have received womb transplants and doctors intend to help these women (through in-vitro fertilization) become pregnant and carry their own children. Each of the nine patients was either born without a uterus or had it removed due to cervical cancer. This is the fist major experiment to test the possibility of live, biological births in womb transplant patients.

CDC Announces Decrease in New Lung Cancer Incidence Rates

In the January of 1964, the Surgeon General made its first report linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer. Yesterday, the CDC announced a new triumph in the war against lung cancer by announcing that the rate of new lung cancer cases have decreased among men and women in the United States since 2005. Lung cancer incidence rates decreased 2.6% per year among men, and 1.1% per year among women. While, generally, this is a significant victory, the differing rates between men and women are troubling.

Focus on Family

Luke blogBelow is a guest post from Luke Tripodi on the importance of family during his cancer journey.  We thank him for taking the time to guest post and wish him continued health!

By Luke Tripodi

My story starts off the same way so many others’ do.  It starts with a diagnosis.  The shock, sadness, and fear of the unknown.  Then comes selecting a doctor, a hospital and a treatment plan.  And finally your treatment either works or it doesn’t…or it does but then the cancer comes back so really it didn’t work, and then you think it worked but the cancer comes back again so really it didn’t work…