Mayo Clinic Health Matters – Details, episodes & analysis

Constantly tuning into the news can feel stressful, and sometimes... inescapable. Even when you turn off your TV, you'll still find out what's going on - online, through friends, or through social media. So how can we find ways to be calm when it feels like we're constantly being bombarded?

On this episode of Health Matters, clinical psychologist Adam S. Anderson talks about how our bodies are wired to seek information, why negative, sensationalist news can feel addictive, and how we can adjust our relationship to the news by implementing healthy habits.

Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.

Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

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Awkward. Taboo. The stuff of juvenile comedy. That's how many people would describe hemorrhoids, if they even talk about them at all. And if the emotional discomfort isn't enough, they're also pretty physically uncomfortable.

But for something we don't talk about, a LOT of us experience them. One in two people will experience a hemorrhoid by the time they reach 50.

On this episode of Health Matters, gastroenterologist Dr. Sarah Umar — also known to her Mayo Clinic patients as the Queen of Hemorrhoids — joins us to answer all our burning questions about hemorrhoids.

Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.

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When an infant starts experimenting with solid foods, their whole world expands. Like breast milk and formula, food is fuel for your body and a vehicle for love. But it is also a cornerstone of culture, defining a shared national identity. It provides entertainment and spreads joy. And it helps us understand the world and our place in it. On this episode of Ask the Mayo Mom, host Dr. Angela Mattke talks to Dr. Leslie Kummer, a primary care pediatrician with special interest in breastfeeding medicine, about beginning the weaning process, safely introducing kids to the wonderful world of food, and sharing the love.

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New cases of COVID-19 are down 90% from the peak, with under 75,000 new cases reported last week across the U.S. 

"What we're observing is a pretty dramatic suppression of cases," explains Dr. Gregory Poland, head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. "This is good news, but we need to be cautious."

Dr. Poland warns that there are still people who are vulnerable to COVID-19 infection, including people who are immunocompromised; children under 5 who cannot yet be protected by COVID-19 vaccination; and the more than 30% of the U.S. population that is not fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 tracking tool data.

"'I'm as weary of COVID-19 as everybody else," says Dr. Poland. "But we still need to take this seriously." 

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland discusses the latest COVID-19 news, including new COVID-19 vaccines coming for approval; the latest on long COVID; and his recent commentary with his colleague, Dr. Richard Kennedy, a Mayo Clinic internist, on the need for more research infrastructure and research funding in order to maintain public confidence in vaccines.

Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland.

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When it comes to the heart, it can be scary to seek care when you think you might be having a problem. Tests may be necessary to evaluate your heart, and the unfamiliar terminology associated with these tests can be confusing and intimidating. 

Understanding terms like EKG, echocardiogram, coronary angiogram or stress test may help alleviate the fear.

"Whenever we order these tests, we don't want you to have anxiety," says Dr. Christopher DeSimone, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist. "These tests are all done for a reason: to get you a diagnosis and to help you feel better. "

As American Heart Month wraps up, Dr. DeSimone joins the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast to break down the terminology and explain what to expect during cardiac testing and evaluation.

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Skin cancer — the abnormal growth of skin cells — most often develops on skin exposed to the sun, but it also can occur on areas of skin not ordinarily exposed to sunlight. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the U.S.

"And the incidence of skin cancer is rising," says Dr. Dawn Davis, a Mayo Clinic dermatologist.

The three major types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. Early detection of skin cancer gives you the best chance for successful skin cancer treatment.

While it is common to have freckles and moles develop over time, it is important to know your skin and recognize when changes occur.

"It's important to know what skin lesions you have," explains Dr. Davis. "Know what they look like, so that if they change, you can come to the dermatologist or health care provider for evaluation."

Melanoma is the most serious and deadly form of skin cancer. Dr. Davis says the "melanoma alphabet" can help with early detection:

• Asymmetry 
  Look for moles with irregular shape.
• Border 
  Look for moles with irregular, notched or scalloped borders.
• Changes in color 
  Look for growths with different or uneven colors.
• Diameter 
  Look for new growth of more than one-quarter of an inch in diameter.
• Evolving 
  Look for changes over time.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Davis discusses skin cancer detection and treatment. Dr. Davis also recommends steps to take to protect your skin including avoiding ultraviolet rays, and wearing sunscreen and protective clothing.

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For heart surgery patients, a cardiac reoperation or reintervention is sometimes needed. A reoperation is a second or subsequent surgery needed due to complications that develop over time.

People who require a second or even third heart surgery often fall in to three groups: 

1. Patients with aortic dissections 
   For patients with aortic dissections, emergency lifesaving surgery is performed initially. Then additional surgeries are often needed to repair the aorta.
2. Patients who receive tissue valves 
   Tissue valves typically last a decade before a reoperation is needed to replace the deteriorated valve.
3. Adults with congenital heart disease 
   Patients with congenital heart disease often have surgery as a newborn or infant. As they grow and age, additional operations may be necessary.

Cardiac reoperations are even more complex than first surgeries, due to scar tissue and other underlying conditions that develop. It is important to have a surgeon with a highly advanced set of surgical skills and techniques. Mayo Clinic surgeons perform more than 300 cardiac reoperations each year.

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Alberto Pochettino, a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular surgeon, discusses cardiac reoperations and reinterventions.

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Thanks to significant advances in techniques and devices, minimally invasive procedures can be used to treat some congenital heart disease defects. Innovative procedures using catheters through blood vessels in the legs or neck allow interventional cardiologists to repair heart defects without surgically opening a child's chest. 

Specialists at Mayo Clinic's Center for Congenital Heart Disease use catheter-based procedures to treat some heart valve replacements and many other conditions, including tetralogy of Fallot, patent ductus arteriosus, patent foramen ovales, and atrial septal defects. 

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Jason H. Anderson, a Mayo Clinic pediatric interventional cardiologist, joins Ask the Mayo Mom host Dr. Angela Mattke to discuss innovative procedures to treat congenital heart defects.

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As the U.S. moves beyond the omicron surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, key indicators are dropping.

"Both the acute indicators — number of cases — and the lagging indicators — hospitalizations and then deaths — are all dropping slowly, but they're surely dropping," says Dr. Gregory Poland, head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group. 

Experts warn that caution is still needed to protect yourself in certain situations, including masking in crowded indoor settings and making sure you are up to date with your COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters.

While the latest surge wanes, COVID-19 research continues. 

On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Poland discusses the latest COVID-19 news, including a new study on the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the heart and why Pfizer is delaying the request for emergency use authorization of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under 5. 

Research disclosures for Dr. Gregory Poland.

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Thanks to research and treatment advances over the past few decades, most children diagnosed with cancer now live on to pursue full adult lives. To ensure that those children will one day have the option to become parents, families must consider the risk of infertility when deciding about cancer treatment.

Researchers and health care providers have made progress in minimizing the side effects of cancer treatment without reducing its effectiveness, allowing many cancer survivors to have children after spontaneous recovery of fertility. However, some cancers require rigorous treatment that almost always leads to permanent infertility. But there is hope for those families through fertility preservation.

Mayo Clinic's Fertility Preservation Program offers several options for fertility preservation, depending on the child's age, stage of puberty, diagnosis and proposed treatment plan. Both ovarian and testicular tissue cryopreservation is possible.

"We hope the pediatric Fertility Preservation Program brings a lot of optimism for the future for these children," says Dr. Asma Chattha, chair of Pediatric Gynecology at Mayo Clinic. "They're obviously fighting an uphill battle. It's a very difficult time in their lives. But barring none, I've always found the conversation surrounding fertility preservation to be a source of hope for families." 

In recognition of International Childhood Cancer Day on Tuesday, Feb. 15, Dr. Chattha joins the Mayo Clinic Q&A Podcast to discuss what patients and their families should consider when making decisions related to fertility preservation, and the steps involved in the process.

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