Mayo Clinic Health Matters

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration paved the way for commercial developers to create at-home COVID-19 tests. While no test is yet approved for home use, a fast and cheap test could encourage people to test themselves routinely before going to work or school. Real-time results would enable infected people to self-quarantine right away, keeping asymptomatic people from infecting others. "It...

A bone marrow transplant is a procedure that infuses healthy blood-forming stem cells into your body to replace your damaged or diseased bone marrow. Bone marrow transplants may use cells from your own body (autologous transplant) or from a donor (allogeneic transplant). Bone marrow transplants can benefit people with a variety of both cancerous (malignant) and noncancerous (benign) diseases. On t...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking has become a way of life for many. As the physical boundaries between work and home blur, work-life balance can be a challenge. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Adam Perlman, director of Integrative Health and Wellness at Mayo Clinic in Florida, offers helpful strategies for managing daily stresses during COVID-19. One plan of action? Delegate, delete,...

The concept of herd immunity has sparked debate about whether it would control the spread of COVID-19. Herd immunity happens when a sufficient proportion of a population is immune to an infectious disease, meaning spread from person to person is unlikely. So what is known about immunity and COVID-19? On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. S. Vincent Rajkumar, a Mayo Clinic hematologist and researcher...

Cancer. It's a word that nobody wants to hear. It's a difficult diagnosis that can leave you and your family members scared and confused. Finding guidance along the journey can help. On this episode of Mayo Clinic Q&A, Jeri Lensing and Angela Young discuss the important role of patient navigators at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out...

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group, covers the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Poland gives an update on progress towards a vaccine for COVID-19, discusses therapies for treating the virus and shares research on how effective face masks and physical distancing are in fighting the spread of the...

During the COVID-pandemic, we've heard a lot about telemedicine. While still a relatively new concept, advances in technology have made telemedicine a reality in hospitals, clinics, even the E-R. On this episode of Mayo Clinic Q&A, emergency room physician Dr. Christopher Russi and physician assistant Erin Mason will explain how Mayo Clinic is using telemedicine in the emergency department. Advert...

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a birth defect that affects normal blood flow through the heart. As a baby develops during pregnancy, the left side of the heart does not form correctly. Ava Weitl, now a first grader, was born with HLHS. She had her first heart surgery the day she was born. Now she is part of pioneering research at Mayo Clinic. On this episode of Mayo Clinic Q&A, Ava and...

Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. Chest pain is a common symptom, but it's often not the only one, and understanding the wide-ranging symptoms of heart disease becomes more important as a woman ages. What is a woman's best defense against heart disease? Dr. Rekha Mankad, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist, discusses women’s heart health — this week on Mayo Clinic Q&A. Advertising Inqu...

The heart doesn’t lie, and you may be surprised to learn that your heart can even reveal your physiological age. Artificial intelligence (AI) applied to an EKG can now measure your body's health. On the debut episode of the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Paul Friedman and Dr. Suraj Kapa — both Mayo Clinic cardiologists —explain how your body's age might differ from what's on your birth certificate....

While 6,000 people chose living-kidney donation in 2018, experts say the pool of potential donors is still untapped. Educating would-be donors and recipients about the advantages of living donation is key. Dr. Mikel Prieto, a Mayo Clinic transplant surgeon, discusses the living kidney donation option. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/priva...

When it comes to fighting cancer or living with a cancer diagnosis, does what you eat make a difference? Nutrition is an important thing to consider for people with cancer. Eating healthy foods before, during, and after treatment can help patients feel better and stay stronger. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A, Dr. John Shin, a hematologist and oncologist, discusses nutrition and cancer.   Advertising Inqui...

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a hold on many activities. But one thing that shouldn't fall by the wayside is your child's health. In this Mayo Clinic Q&A episode, Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, discusses the importance of routine checkups, including keeping up with vaccination schedules. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https:...

Across the world, one of the biggest changes forced by the COVID-19 pandemic is in the field of education. Programs from kindergarten through postsecondary have rapidly moved to a distance learning model. Online and remote instruction has its own unique challenges, and has required students and educators to be creative to stay connected. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Alexandra Wolanskyj-Spin...

With the onset of warmer weather and more and more states loosening their COVID-19 restrictions, lots of folks are wondering about some summer staples, like cookouts and a day at the beach or pool.  On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic, discusses how you can minimize your risk during common summertime scenarios. Advertising Inquirie...

During to the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking and distance learning has become a necessity. The new normal means many people needed technology to do their jobs, and that is certainly true at Mayo Clinic. Information technology (IT) has aided Mayo Clinic during the pandemic in two significant ways. One, thousands of employees moved out of their offices and into their homes to work. And two, patients...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing that hasn’t stopped is the need for cancer treatment. While patients might be hesitant to leave their homes for weeks at a time for treatment, there is a fast-track treatment option at Mayo Clinic for some breast cancer patients. Certain low-risk breast cancer patients can now complete their surgery and radiation in less than 10 days. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a unique situation that has required work across federal and state agencies to support communities and frontline workers during this challenging time. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has played a key role by providing effective health and human services and fostering advances in medicine, public health and social services during the COVID-19 cr...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most common mode of transmission for COVID-19 is through close contact from person to person. While it is possible that someone can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or possibly their eyes, this isn’t thought to be the main way the virus spreads. On the Mayo...

While many nonessential businesses closed or suspended operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals continued to operate and take care of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. How have Mayo Clinic hospitals navigated the pandemic and kept patients and staff safe? On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Robert Cima, chair of hospital practice at Mayo Clinic, explains Mayo Clinic's efforts to mainta...

Mayo Clinic has been a leader in developing and deploying testing for COVID-19, but understanding the different types of tests and what they measure can be confusing. Terms like viral, molecular, serology and antibodies aren’t clear for everyone. What are the different COVID-19 tests, and what do they do? On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Bobbi Pritt, chair of the Division of Clinical Microbiolo...

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Government is supporting a national Expanded Access Program to collect and provide convalescent plasma to patients in need across the country (uscovidplasma.org). Convalescent plasma refers to blood plasma collected from people who have recovered from COVID-19. That plasma, which contains antibodies against the virus, is then used to treat others with...

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic’s Vaccine Research Group, covers the latest news on the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Poland reviews the latest literature on COVID-19, discusses vaccine trials and explains some unique symptoms of COVID-19.Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/bran...

As COVID-19 continues to take hundreds of lives each day in the U.S., public health officials say minorities are being affected disproportionately. Early data shows that African Americans and other U.S. ethnic minorities have contracted COVID-19 at a higher rate and experience greater sickness and a higher death rate than other Americans. On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Irene Sia, a Mayo Clini...

The COVID-19 pandemic forced elective surgeries to be delayed while hospitals prepared for the potential influx of COVID-19 patients. Thanks to effective efforts to flatten the curve and the lifting of executive stay-at-home orders, Mayo Clinic is again able to see patients for elective surgeries. What’s different for patients when having surgery during the coronavirus era? And what extra steps is...