Men diagnosed with prostate cancer find assurance in discussing the state of their disease and treatment options in detail. Understanding grade, stage, prognosis and treatments prepares the patient for making an informed treatment decision, and can actually bring comfort and confidence, since most prostate cancers are very curable. While three choices have dominated treatment —...Continue reading
Dear Teen: Why Won’t You Grow Up?
Dear Mr. Dad: Back when I was in high school, all I wanted was to be independent. I wanted more responsibility, a job so I could have my own spending money, and I was obsessed with getting a girlfriend. Despite my parents’ warnings, I experimented with drinking alcohol and, well, a few other things. I’m...Continue reading
Prostate Cancer: An Aggressive Approach to Active Surveillance
“Active surveillance” is becoming increasingly common in the diagnosis and treatment of men with prostate cancer. Richard Watson ran a successful company producing electric radiant heating systems and authored a handbook for his field, traveling as far as China to discuss international standards. He raised five children and had three grandchildren. He enjoyed playing...Continue reading
Newly Hearing Impaired? Technology and Tips to Make Life Easier
In the world of hearing impairment, there are positive signs. A deaf model won the “America’s Next Top Model” reality show, Uber allows hearing-impaired drivers to give rides, which facilitates their success. The “Toy Like Me” campaign went viral and brought attention to children with hearing loss. That said, take a listen to 14-year-old Harrison,...Continue reading
Genetic Advance for Male Birth Control
When it comes to birth control, many males turn to two options: condoms or vasectomies. While the two choices are effective, both methods merely focus on blocking the transportation of sperm. New research led by Michigan State University and published in Nature Communications, however, has given scientists a genetic foundation for a different option. Chen...Continue reading
Beating Opioid Addiction
Researchers and clinicians at Yale School of Medicine advocate a medicine-centric approach to dealing with opioid addiction. On average, two people die of drug overdose every day in Connecticut. Although the growing availability of the overdose antidote naloxone has saved many lives, the death toll from opioid overdose is still staggering. There’s growing recognition that...Continue reading
Six Ways to Save Your Husband’s Life
In case you hadn’t noticed, men have a pretty lackadaisical attitude toward their health—an attitude that contributes to the fact that they’re 90 percent more likely than women to die of heart disease, 20 percent more likely to die of a stroke, and 40 percent more likely to die of cancer. And the situation is...Continue reading
Five Risks of a Gluten-Free Diet You Should Know About
Health care experts once thought gluten was associated only with celiac disease and wheat allergies. In recent years, gluten or wheat sensitivity has been recognized as a problem linked to the gluten in wheat, rye and barley. Gluten-free diets have become very popular. However, there are health risks that come with excluding gluten from your...Continue reading
Personal Connections Are Essential for Mental Health Recovery
Facing a condition such as bipolar disorder can be frightening. However, for one Yale Medicine patient, healing has happened through a range of personal connections. In his cooking classes, Bob Forlano likes to make dal, the Indian dish with red lentils, celery, onion, garlic, thyme and cumin. “And since I’m a steak-and-potatoes guy,” he says, “I...Continue reading
HIPAA 101: How Healthcare Data Security Impacts Patients
If you’ve been in to see a physician in the last 20 years or so—and we certainly hope that you have—you’ve most likey had to sign a HIPAA disclosure form. Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, commonly known as HIPAA, back in 1996. One of its provisions is to drastically restrict your doctor’s...Continue reading