All through the second week of February, Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Morning Present” produced a sequence exploring improvements and recommendation in medication. Every day, the sequence examined a special a part of the physique: the mind, the guts, the lungs, the intestine and the musculoskeletal system.
Listed below are the highest takeaways for every a part of the physique.
The Brains
Dr. Leigh Hochberg is a neurologist who leads the Middle for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery at Massachusetts Normal Hospital and directs a analysis workforce that’s creating know-how for brain-computer interfaces. He stated the gadgets may also help folks with spinal twine accidents that consequence within the lack of ability to maneuver one’s arms or legs, in addition to folks with ALS or a brainstem stroke.
The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention estimates a median of 5,000 new circumstances of ALS are recognized annually.
“I feel the potential for this area is substantial,” Hochberg stated.
Final summer time,Dr. Shahram Majidi implanted a tool within the mind of a affected person with extreme paralysis from ALS, the progressive nervous system illness also called Lou Gehrig’s illness. The process for implanting the system was the primary of its variety within the nation. Since then, Majidi stated he has labored to implant gadgets within the brains of two different sufferers as a part of the protection and feasibility stage of a medical trial.
“We’re very hopeful that this would be the starting of a brand new period,” stated Majidi, a professor on the Icahn Faculty of Drugs at Mount Sinai in Brooklyn.
Mind-computer interface gadgets goal to permit performing some actions by thought alone, in response to a Bloomberg report on the breakthrough affected person. The gadgets translate mind exercise into instructions on a pc.
Majidi stated after a couple of weeks of coaching, his sufferers may ship a textual content message, store on-line and notify a caregiver in the event that they wanted assist.
“I feel that may be a important enchancment in high quality of life for somebody who’s bedridden and fully disconnected from the surface world,” he stated.
READ MORE: How mind implants are looking for to remodel lives
The Coronary heart
The danger components for coronary heart illness run far and vast and might have an effect on anybody.
Dr. Ivor Benjamin is director of the Cardiovascular Middle on the Medical School of Wisconsin. He pointed to hypertension, diabetes, excessive ldl cholesterol and weight problems as a few of the distinguished well being issues that might result in problems within the coronary heart.
Extreme alcohol consumption — an issue notably prevalent in Wisconsin — additionally has dangerous results on the guts, he stated. These results vary from circuitry alterations that result in arrhythmias to poisonous results on to coronary heart cells, equivalent to the guts’s muscular tissues and lining.
“The extra threat components you might have, the better your threat for creating an issue,” stated Dr. Robert Wilson, a heart specialist with the Appleton-based Coronary heart and Vascular Institute of Wisconsin.
The most typical coronary heart drawback is coronary artery illness. However Wilson stated the broad class of coronary heart troubles present up by the use of coronary heart assaults and peripheral arterial illness, also called PAD.
READ MORE: 2 Wisconsin cardiologists clarify find out how to look out in your coronary heart
The Lungs
Tens of millions of individuals unknowingly have sleep apnea, stated Dr. William Ehlenbach, affiliate medical director for pulmonology and sleep medication at SSM Well being Dean Medical Group. The sleep problem may cause issues if left untreated.
Signs of sleep apnea embrace daytime sleepiness and never feeling refreshed after waking up within the morning. Some folks with sleep apnea go to sleep even after they do not imply to, which could be harmful for drivers.
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Mattress companions ought to look out for loud loud night breathing and pause in respiratory. Ehlenbach’s estimated half of people that snore have sleep apnea.
“Everybody with obstructive sleep apnea snores, however not everybody who snores has obstructive sleep apnea,” he stated.
Whereas research in a lab had been beforehand the one approach to reliably diagnose sleep apnea, Ehlenbach stated know-how has improved sufficient over the past 15 years to permit for at-home research — though lab research could also be extra complete.
“That is one thrilling space the place I feel the know-how is enhancing,” he stated. “It reduces the barrier to folks getting evaluated for sleep apnea, which is so vital.”
As soon as recognized, steady optimistic airway strain, or CPAP, machines are the best therapy for this dysfunction, Ehlenbach says. The machines have turn out to be smaller and quieter. Masks have turn out to be extra snug, too.
“For most individuals, sleep apnea is a continual situation (that) can be with them for the remainder of their life,” he stated.
READ MORE: Wisconsin pulmonology docs weigh in on undiagnosed sleep apnea, medicine prices
The Intestine
Dr. Poonam Beniwal-Patel, a gastroenterologist at Froedtert Hospital, stated he will get a variety of questions on intestine micro organism as the subject of digestive well being has turn out to be stylish over the previous couple of years.
The roughly 100 trillion microbes within the intestine embrace micro organism, fungi and protozoa — and researchers are studying increasingly about how intestine micro organism have an effect on human well being, he stated. Significantly, the medical neighborhood is getting a greater grasp on how intestine micro organism have an effect on the immune system.
“There have been associations between sure intestine micro organism and medical circumstances, together with psychological well being, weight problems, heart problems and neurological illness,” she stated. “So, in all probability one of the best ways to have wholesome intestine micro organism is to just be sure you eat a balanced eating regimen and likewise partake in common train.”
She was inspired to eat meals which can be low in salt and saturated fat. She stated to eat wholesome fat, fruits, greens and complete grains. And it is a good suggestion to eat some fermentable meals, equivalent to yogurt, kimchi or kombucha.
Probiotic tablets is likely to be widespread, however Beniwal-Patel stated there is not one tablet that works for everybody.
“In the event you have a look at wholesome folks all over the world, you will discover that folks have totally different micro organism of their (gastrointestinal) tract,” he stated. “A part of that relies upon upon what we eat, the surroundings (and) genetics.”
READ MORE: Wisconsin gastroenterologist warns about rising price of colon most cancers in folks underneath 50
Musculoskeletal system
Requested if sufferers ought to take into account steroids or injections for strained tendons, Dr. Dan Malone from the Columbus Neighborhood Hospital referred to as the query “an actual can of worms.”
Whereas a single injection is cheap to attempt for many individuals, generally that solely kicks the street, the rheumatologist stated. Signs would possibly return in months.
“Ssteroids are nice, however they do not remedy the issue in some circumstances,” Malone stated. “For recurrences of the identical situation, that is the place the world of so-called ‘orthobiologic’ therapies are available. I am a believer in orthobiologic therapies not for each ache and ache however for some circumstances.”
Orthobiologic therapies contain utilizing the affected person’s personal physique fluids, equivalent to platelet-rich plasma, Malone stated. The strategy may also help heal frayed tendons when different therapies fail, and there are few downsides, he stated.
Orthobiologic therapies can be utilized on damaged bones and injured muscular tissues and ligaments, as properly, in response to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
“It is price a attempt,” Malone stated.
READ MORE: Rheumatologist suggests orthobiologic therapy as a low-risk technique to assist tendons
