Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

- Season 8

(2008)

Many times, it can be a difficult task to cope with Parkinson's disease. The primary symptoms of Parkinson's, like tremors and body-rigidity, may be the most obvious but are not always the most disabling. Slowness, stiffness and difficulties with balance can affect a patient's well-being and quality of life as well. In this program, we'll discuss the challenges patients and their families face in dealing with Parkinson's disease. However, by taking a pro-active approach, working with experienced physicians, and cultivating good self-management skills, patients can ...

By now, most people have heard the term HDL - good cholesterol, and LDL - bad cholesterol. But do you know what makes good cholesterol good and bad cholesterol bad? And how does the wrong combination of these lipoproteins affect the risk of heart disease? Today's program will delve into these important questions.

Acromegaly is a hormonal disorder that results when the pituitary gland produces excess growth hormone in adults. The name acromegaly comes from the Greek words for "extremities" and "enlargement" and reflects one of its most common symptoms, the abnormal growth of the hands and feet. The symptoms of acromegaly can vary and they develop gradually over time; therefore, a diagnosis of this condition may be difficult. Once recognized, acromegaly is treatable in most patients, but because of its slow onset, it frequently is not diagnosed correctly. If left untreated, ...

Patients, and providers alike, strive to make patient safety a priority. Whether it's ensuring prescriptions are written and dispensed correctly, monitoring patients from a distance, or diagnosing patients in rural areas of the country, there are many ways to affect a patient's safety. This episode will highlight some important work of health information pioneers and show how programs such as electronic health records can help make healthcare both safer and more efficient.

For thousands of years, seizures have been blamed on everything from evil spirits to mental illness. Now groundbreaking technology is revealing the true nature of epilepsy, a brain disorder that affects more than one percent of the population. Today doctors can often pinpoint the source of seizures within a patient's brain, using sophisticated imaging and brain wave tests. This helps determine the best treatment strategy, with options ranging from medication to a type of pacemaker for the brain. In some patients, brain surgery can even offer a cure.

The Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) program discusses a problem that for years had been considered a natural and inevitable part of the aging process for men. But today, men don't have to feel ashamed and hide their private suffering. TRT can not only bring vitality and passion back to life for the millions suffering from it, but as research is beginning to support, treating low testosterone levels may actually have a positive benefit on other serious medical conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

In the United States approximately 170,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer annually. In this program, we'll explore the challenges patients living with lung cancer face everyday. While smoking is a major risk factor for many patients with lung cancer, non-smokers are also at risk. With advancements in chemotherapy and targeted therapies many patients with lung cancer are living longer fuller lives - making the goal of reaching and surpassing the 5-year survival mark more of a reality.

Thanks to a blood test called prostate specific antigen, or PSA, the quest to discover prostate cancer early is made easier. As a result of early detection, over eighty percent of patients with prostate cancer can be cured. Researchers now believe that prostate cancer cells grow in part due to a failure of the body's immune system to recognize and react to these cells. However, there are new ways to help the immune system recognize prostate cancer cells, and hopefully destroy them.

Most people have two functional kidneys which help regulate electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Kidney tumors may change these important functions and can lead to a diagnosis of kidney cancer. On this program we spend time with courageous patients who are coping with their kidney cancer by seeking A New Approach.

Each year, several hundred children are born with faulty immune systems, leaving them vulnerable to every germ they encounter. Thousands of adults also have primary immunodeficiency, but don't know it. Unlike the "boy in the bubble" 30 years ago, people diagnosed with primary immunodeficiency today can often be successfully treated or even cured. Unfortunately, many cases are being missed - particularly in patients without primary care physicians. In this program, we'll explain why.

Whether the source is injury, aging, or illness, the effects of lower back pain can be devastating. But doctors and researchers are working on better back pain diagnosis, and more effective treatment that aims to improve the quality of life for those suffering from back pain. This episode contains patient stories of searching for the right treatment plan, and finding success in a combination of remedies that can work for each individual patient. With perseverance and patience, doctors say most people who suffer from lower back pain can find relief and live a better ...

The weakening of the body's principle artery, the aorta, under high blood pressure can, over time, cause a ballooning effect that, if left untreated, could lead to a fatal rupture. In an effort to head off this problem, clinicians and researchers are promoting more preemptive screenings for people 50 years of age and older. They also continue to improve on new endoprosthesis to surgically treat aneurysms. This Healthy Body Healthy Mind program explores the relationship between thoracic aneurysms in the chest area, and aortic aneurysms near the abdomen.

The earliest known record of diabetes dates back to 1552 BC on Egyptian papyrus, written by a physician who mentions frequent urination as a symptom. In the summer of 1921, insulin was produced and proven helpful for a dog that was diabetic. And though the overall symptoms and treatment of diabetes still holds true today, the developments of modern science continue to help us better understand this disease. All these discoveries lead to a community of experts and patients who educate and raise awareness of the diabetes epidemic.

Combining the latest image-guided radiological and surgical techniques, radiofrequency ablation (RFA) uses a thin wire probe, inserted directly into tumors, to heat and kill cancer cells with electrical current. Employed successfully for years in liver, kidney and bone cancers, RFA has only recently been tested in lung cancer cases, with positive results. This fascinating episode of "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind" features Dr. Damian Dupuy, who has pioneered the use of ablation to treat lung cancer in the United States.

It is not diagnosed by any blood test or x-ray and it has even been dismissed as nothing more than laziness or a lack of focus. But for millions of adults, Attention Deficit, Hyperactivity Disorder, (ADHD) is a real, life altering condition. Once thought to be just a childhood issue, ADHD is now found in many stages of life, and effects men and women equally. In Adult ADHD: Regaining Focus patients describe how ADHD has altered their lives, and share how they have worked to overcome its effects. Leading medical experts in the field explain how the human brain misfires...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity affects approximately 60 million adults in the United States, and over the past 25 years the proportion of obesity in adults has nearly doubled. The health effects associated with obesity can contribute to as many as thirty serious medical conditions, putting millions of lives at risk. For those who experience morbidly obese circumstances - where diet and exercise don't result in successful or sufficient weight reduction - hope remains. Surgical weight loss is a breakthrough treatment that has given ...

Millions of people with a condition known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) suffer from chronic or long-standing abdominal discomfort. Despite enormous research, a clear cause of IBS remains a mystery. This episode of Healthy Body, Healthy Mind explores the advances being made in treating IBS symptoms, which can range from constipation to diarrhea. One highlight is a look at how beneficial microorganisms called probiotics are making a big difference for patients.

It's a challenge every woman will face one day - menopause. For many, it leads to serious medical issues such as brittle bones, mood disorders or sexual dysfunction. Hormone replacement therapy remains a popular, though controversial remedy. In this edition of Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, we examine the latest findings on possible links between HRT and the risk of cancer and heart disease. We also explore alternatives to HRT.

It may come as a surprise to hear that children can suffer from arthritis... but researchers estimate 1 in 1000 children in the United States and around the world are affected by this disease. Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, formerly known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, is the most common form of arthritis affecting children. It is a disease involving the immune system, which can cause painful inflammation in the joints. Other areas of the body, especially the eyes may also show signs of the disease. There are several different forms of JIA, and each has its own ...

For older Americans, Osteoarthritis needs no introduction - this painful inflammation of the joints is the number one disabling disease among men and women age 40 and up. But, while the causes and cure still elude doctors, there has been much progress made in managing both the condition and the discomfort. This informative episode of "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind" looks at the latest options in surgery, drugs, and physical therapy - including an injection that not only reduces pain and swelling, but actually increases natural joint lubrication.

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate the correct times for sleeping and the correct times to be awake. At various moments throughout the day, people with narcolepsy experience sudden urges to sleep. If the urge becomes overwhelming, they may do so for periods lasting from a few seconds to several minutes. The condition is profoundly disabling, interrupting life's basic day to day activities, including working, driving, even conversing with others. Narcolepsy affects about 1 in every 2,000 Americans.

As much as ten to twenty percent of Asian Americans carry a virus that can cause devastating liver damage. The virus is Hepatitis B, and there are ways to slow or stop its steady attack on the liver. Yet only a fraction of those who know they are infected get the treatment they need. In this edition of Healthy Body, Healthy Mind, we look at what's keeping patients from seeking treatment and why it truly is a matter of life or death.

There are now more than 5 million people in the United States living with Alzheimer's disease, a progressive brain disorder without any cure. This number is expected to skyrocket as America's Baby-Boomers reach age 65 and older, affecting millions of patients and family members alike. While the affects of Alzheimer's disease is eventually debilitating, it's important to realize it is a chronic disease that people can successfully live with for many years. This episode will examine ways to help Alzheimer's patients and their families, cope with the changes that occur ...

Cataracts can affect people of any age, but are more common in the elderly. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. Cataract removal is one of the most common operations performed in the United States. It's also one of the safest and most effective types of surgery. About 90 percent of those who have cataract surgery experience better vision. This program will concentrate on advances in the quality of vision and quality of life due to modern cataract surgery.

GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, commonly known as "acid reflux") is hard to miss, or ignore - especially if you're one of the 15-20 million Americans who suffer from this chronic, potentially dangerous condition every day. But did you know that you can have GERD and not be aware of it? Nocturnal GERD occurs when you're asleep - you might have no symptoms at all during the day - and may be tied to other sleep disorders. Learn the warning signs on this eye-opening episode of "Healthy Body, Healthy Mind".