Heart Disease Questions – We’re Here to Help

2012/02/16

February is American Heart Month and it’s an opportunity for people to be more aware of their heart disease risk. To get answers about your own risk, we have an opportunity for you to get your questions answered.

Tonight between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., experts from the Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Heart & Vascular Center will take your calls about heart disease. We’ll be at KSDK/NewsChannel 5 and the number to call will be 314-969-8055 and we’ll also be available to chat with you live at KSDK.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

In the meantime, take this heart disease prevention quiz here to find out your own risk factors.

-Jason Merrill

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Material From Kitchen Sponges Stop Nosebleeds In New Procedure

2012/01/27

Nosebleeds are common. In fact, 60 percent of us have them at some point, but for some it can be very serious. Primarily for those with high blood pressure or on blood thinners, nosebleeds may require medical treatment.

Our Colin Derdeyn, MD, director of the Stroke and Cerebrovascular Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes Jewish Hospital, recently presented data at the International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy finding that a treatment involving the same material in kitchen sponges can make these nosebleeds a thing of the past.

In the procedure, Dr. Derdeyn, an interventional radiologist, performs a minimally invasive embolization, in which polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) particles (the material in kitchen sponges) are injected into the blood vessels to the nose. To do this, he threads a tiny tube called a catheter into a groin artery and advances it through the body to one or more of the four arteries that supply the nose, injecting the PVA particles.  The particles temporarily stop the blood flow, halting the nosebleed and allowing the area to heal. PVA has been used safely in the body medically for about 50 years.

You can read more here in USA Today or watch this interview with KSDK’s Kay Quinn:

For more about Dr. Derdeyn, watch this video here:

-Jason Merrill

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The DASH diet – Dr. Ed Geltman weighs in

2012/01/12

The DASH diet is a hot topic in the news these days, and it’s success is proving to be big competition for other well-known diets for many reasons, one of them being that it MAY lower your blood pressure in as little as two weeks time.

The DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is a sensible approach to nutrition that can have long-term health benefits to your heart.

Click here watch Kay Quinn interview Dr. Geltman, Washington University Cardiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and find out the other benefits of this diet.

 

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New Year Removes Over-The-Counter Asthma Inhalers From Market

2012/01/10

It’s been talked about since September when the FDA announced “over-the-counter asthma inhalers containing chloroflouorocarbons (CFCs) will no longer be made or sold after Dec. 31, 2011.” The reasoning is that the CFCs that propel the medicine from the inhaler were dangerous to the ozone.

Still, human nature being human nature, many are now here in early January wondering what they should do now that their Primatene Mist is empty. What to do? H. James Wedner, MD, chief of allergy and immunology at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital talked about it yesterday with KSDK’s Kay Quinn:

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Neti Pot dangers? Only if you use tap water

2011/12/20

For those with sinus problems, the Neti Pot offers some relief. It’s a nasal irrigation system that uses what looks like a small ceramic teapot to flush the sinuses.

However, news has broken nationally of two deaths in Louisiana tied to the Neti Pot. Instead of using distilled or boiled water, two people were found to have used tap water — which is safe for drinking — that led to a deadly “brain eating” infection.

People read such headlines and can be scared, so I spoke with our Nick Debnath, MD, Washington University otolaryngologist at Barnes-Jewish. He says there is scientific data that prove the Neti Pot is great for allergies and nasal hygiene and they’re very safe as long as you use distilled water.

There’s the rub. The directions say not to use tap water, but in the hustle and bustle of life, many may try to shortcut by using tap water. Unfortunately, tap water can contain amoebas that may be harmless to drink, but may be something far more dangerous when run directly up one’s nostril.

For more, watch this interview with our Mark Levine, MD, with KSDK’s Kay Quinn:

-Jason Merrill

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Is there a link between obesity and cancer? More today on Dr. Oz.

2011/11/22

Obesity is a significant cancer risk factor. Siteman researcher Kate Wolin, ScD, (left) talks about it today on the nationally-syndicated "Dr. Oz" show

About 20 percent of all cancer is due to being overweight or obese, with 11 cancers directly linked:

-colon

-endometrial

-esophageal

-gallbladder

-kidney

-myeloma

-non-Hodgkin lymphoma

-pancreatic

-post-menopausal breast

-prostate

-rectal

Siteman Cancer Center researcher Kate Wolin, ScD, is a renowned expert on the subject and will discuss the connection between obestiy and cancer today on the nationally-syndicated “Dr. Oz” show (preview clip here). Check your local listings, but in the St. Louis area, it’s at 2 p.m. on KSDK/NewsChannel 5.

How important is losing weight in the fight against cancer? Find out more in this segment of Siteman’s “8 Ways to Prevent Cancer” series:

You can also check out your own cancer risk at Siteman’s “Your Disease Risk” site at http://www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu.

-Jason Merrill

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