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21st-Century Approaches for Advancing Breast Cancer Care 06/15/2017 08:00pm • Breast cancer remains a common disease with a high burden on patients, families and the health care system. One in 8 women will be affected by breast cancer in her lifetime, and the American Cancer Society estimates that doctors will identify more than 300,000 new cases this year alone. Despite the Managing Pregnancy When You Have MS 06/15/2017 08:00pm • For 32-year-old Nikki Aragon of Craig, Colorado, the possibility of pregnancy was too good to be true. A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and an unrelated uterine surgery led her to believe that having children with her husband wasn't in the cards. Yet there she was early in February 2016, looking a Why Hemoglobin A1C Numbers Are Important for Your Diabetes 06/14/2017 08:00pm • Hemoglobin A1C is a number that indicates your average blood sugar for the previous two to three months. If you have a hemoglobin A1C of 5.7 to 6.4 percent, you have prediabetes. If your hemoglobin A1C is 6.5 percent or higher, you have diabetes. Doctors often also use a fasting blood glucose test What's the link between gut bacteria and colon cancer? 06/14/2017 08:00pm • Have you heard about the gut microbiome? It's getting a lot of attention these days for its possible role in colon cancer. What Is the Gut Microbiome? "We live in a world that is microbiotic -- the oceans, soil, air and the skin and gut of the human body," says Dr. Arthur Frankel, professor o What's an Axillary Node Dissection for Breast Cancer? 06/14/2017 08:00pm • The word "dissection" may conjure images of a high school biology lab full of frogs or sheep's eyeballs in various stages of deconstruction. But an axillary node dissection is a decidedly different type of procedure and not one you should fear, even though some doctors are now trying to avoid perfo Renaming (and Rethinking) Obesity 06/14/2017 08:00pm • Even though it's become an increasingly prevalent condition in recent decades, the term obesity is a loaded word in our culture. It often carries a stigma and is associated with being lazy or weak-willed, lacking self-discipline or willpower and being noncompliant with recommended weight-loss treat Could Having Pneumonia Trigger a Heart Attack? 06/14/2017 08:00pm • You likely already know many of the underlying risk factors that can lead to a heart attack, well, by heart: high blood pressure, high "bad" or LDL cholesterol, family history of heart attack, smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet, diabetes, stress, obesity -- the list is not short. But being in ove AFI Docs welcomes world's best docs, spanning food, sports, music, politics 06/14/2017 01:07am • WASHINGTON — The world's best documentaries are coming right here to D.C. The 15th annual AFI DOCS Film Festival returns June 14-18 at the Newseum, E Street Cinema and AFI Silver Theatre, showcasing 112 documentaries whittled down from more than 2,000 entries. "It's a great way to see mo Genetic Testing for Addiction: 5 Things to Know 06/13/2017 08:00pm • It's the closest thing to fortune telling science has to offer -- only in this case, it's not your palms or horoscope being read, it's your genes. Genetic testing for addiction identifies certain genes and their variations that may predict who's at greatest risk of developing substance use disorder 60 Percent of People With Rheumatoid Arthritis May Suffer From Frailty 06/13/2017 08:00pm • If you or a loved one is unlucky enough to have rheumatoid arthritis, you are probably familiar with the constellation of unpleasant symptoms that can accompany the disease, such as fatigue, weakness, chronic pain, joint pain and deformation, loss of stamina and inability to concentrate. You may be Depression Relapse: What Can Trigger It and How to Prevent It 06/12/2017 08:00pm • Depression is one of the most common forms of mental illness, not least because it often comes back. At least half of those who are diagnosed with depression once will have one or more bouts with the disease over the course of a lifetime. And about 80 percent of those who experience two episodes of 4 Tips for Medical School Applicants With Disabilities 06/12/2017 08:00pm • According to a Journal of the American Medical Association study published in December 2016, 3 percent of medical school students have disabilities -- although this may be an underestimation, since in my experience many students with mental illnesses don't report their condition. Students' disabili Pharmacists' Picks: Top Recommended Health Products 06/12/2017 08:00pm • Claritin or Zyrtec? Excedrin or Advil? Carmex or ChapStick? When you've got a drippy nose or monster headache, chances are you head to your local pharmacy in search of relief, where endless over-the-counter treatment options await, sardine-packed on store shelves. For many of us, the which-product- When Should You Alert Your Doctor About OTC Medications? 06/12/2017 08:00pm • You're probably already aware that when you see your doctor, it's recommended you disclose all medications you're taking. This includes not only prescriptions (where many times primary care doctors aren't aware of medications prescribed to patients by specialists), but over-the-counter drugs, suppl OTC Products: How Much Is Too Much? 06/12/2017 08:00pm • Most Americans don't think twice about taking over-the-counter medication to treat a variety of ailments. Before seeing a doctor, many take non-prescription drugs for such conditions as allergies, colds and flu, headaches, toothaches and constipation. In 2015, U.S. residents made nearly 3 billion r