The 9 Medical Breakthroughs That Could Change Your Life

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 13 Jun 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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Medical Headway, LLC (Medical Headway), an online medical breakthrough library, has a simple yet potentially life-saving goal. And that is to make the latest medical breakthrough news available and easily accessible to all consumers -- without cost.

Medical breakthroughs have improved and saved the lives of millions. And leading edge advances in medicine reported on MedicalHeadway.com are doing just that today. The fact is, we all benefit from credible, professional medical advances that improve or sustain our health and the health of our loved ones. Medical professionals provide care and guidance. But when things get tough and options appear limited, most of us want to find a way to regain some control. You're not alone if you choose to do that by supplementing your medical professional's advice -- through reading and learning as much as you can about your condition. You want to understand your situation better, and you want to be alert for anything on the forefront that promises a better outcome. It's clear to you that medical knowledge is advancing every minute of every day -- and Medical Headway is here to help report medical breakthroughs as they happen.

One common but frightening diagnosis women face is breast cancer. Moreover, because breast cancer runs in some families, the threat hangs over some women for decades. And statistics confirm the fear is justified. According to American Cancer Society (ACS) reports, the U.S. breast cancer rate -- with respect to newly diagnosed cases -- will skyrocket from 78,480 in 2007 to 182,460 in 2008. The ACS expects the breast cancer death rate to remain virtually constant, with a continued upward trend. They predict 20 more women will die from breast cancer in 2008 than the previous year, reaching 40,480 deaths.

If you or someone in your family or circle of friends is living with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer, you'll want to read and share these exciting medical breakthrough reports available to you now at MedicalHeadway.com -- from researchers at renowned institutions:

-- Researchers Decoding Saliva's Secrets to Detect Breast Cancer -- from researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Studies confirm that specific protein markers in human saliva can provide an early, non-invasive diagnosis of breast cancer.

-- DNA Test Improves Breast Cancer Treatment -- from Genelex, an accredited DNA Testing Pioneer. Their test identifies patients at risk for failure under Tamoxifen, ensuring precious treatment time is not lost using an ineffective protocol.

-- Supplemental Breast Ultrasound Boosts Cancer Detection -- from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. This report confirms that for women at high risk of developing breast cancer, breast ultrasound combined with mammography may detect more cancers than mammography alone. This report confirms that for women at high risk of developing breast cancer, breast ultrasound combined with mammography may detect more cancers than mammography alone.

-- Optimal Boost™ Approach to Breast Cancer Treatment -- from IntraOp Medical, the world leader in intraoperative electron-beam radiation treatment. In this treatment, a device applies a high dosage of radiation to the tumor bed at the time of the lumpectomy, followed by traditional post-operative radiation therapy. Benefits include increased survival rates, better local tumor control, shorter treatment cycles, and fewer side effects.

Did you know that over 21 million American adults suffer from depression, and, of those, 4 million live with deep depression? Medical Headway is proud to spotlight a breakthrough that addresses a condition which affects millions.

-- Deep Brain Stimulation Study Offers Hope for Severe Depression -- from St. Jude Medical, Inc. The first multi-center study investigating deep brain stimulation (DBS) for major depressive disorder of a specific area of the brain reveals positive results. Researchers hope the study results lead to therapy that will help those patients who do not respond to medications, psychotherapy and, in some cases, electroconvulsive therapy.

Pain -- whether chronic and disabling from physical or neurological conditions, stemming from a sports-related injury or resulting from surgery -- compromises the quality of life and impedes the healing process for over 90 million sufferers in the U.S. and 1 in 5 people in Europe. Leading edge breakthroughs noted in these reports address the serious problem:

-- ActiPatch™ is the New Way of Medicine -- from Bioelectronics Corporation, the maker of ActiPatch™, a drug-free anti-inflammatory patch recommended for sports injuries, plastic surgery recovery and a variety of chronic pain issues. ActiPatch is a wafer-thin patch with a microcurrent that has been shown to reduce pain and swelling and accelerate healing with no side effects. Cleared by the FDA for treatment of swelling stemming from cosmetic eyelid surgery, physicians are so impressed with the ActiPatch that they are recommending it for surgical recovery; sports injuries; and a complete assortment of aches, pains and soft tissue injuries.

-- Long-Life Neurostimulator Treats Chronic Pain -- from Advanced Neuromodulation Systems, Inc., a St. Jude Medical Company. The world's smallest, longest-lasting rechargeable neurostimulator treats chronic pain of the trunk or limbs and pain from failed back surgery and has earned the European CE Mark as well as approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The device is similar in function and appearance to cardiac pacemakers, delivering mild electrical pulses to the spinal cord which interrupt or mask pain signals to the brain.

Uncontrolled bleeding is a major issue for physicians treating acute, traumatic wounds. Medical Headway is pleased to share news about a product originally developed for the military that is now available to first responders and private consumers.

-- Z-Medica Corp. Launches Two Rapid Hemostatic Products for Consumers -- Including First Antimicrobial Formulation -- from Z-Medica, a medical products company focused on innovative hemostatic, better known as "blood- clotting," nano-technologies. While the concept of the original QuikClot® product was to quickly stop traumatic arterial & venous bleeding in combat and tactical situations, the new consumer product line -- including QuikClot® Sport™ & QuikClot® Sport Silver™ (antimicrobial) -- uses similar technology to provide acute bleeding first-aid in a variety of consumer settings: sport/outdoor adventure; work; home; school; or car. These products are all based on innovative, lifesaving hemostatic nano- technologies. They consist of "clotting sponges" that are inserted directly into a bleeding wound. Small and light enough to fit within any first aid kit, the product has 510k clearance from the FDA. The products are easily applied by anyone who can tear open a packet and follow simple written instructions.

Finally, thanks to one medical research center, there is hope for children born with misshapen skulls, or plagiocephaly. See the report briefly described below:

-- STAR Cranial Centers of Excellence Offer Cutting-Edge Treatment to Children -- from STAR Cranial Center of Excellence, with locations in Columbia, MD and Dallas, TX. Treatment for children born with deformational plagiocephaly -- or misshapen skulls -- is most effective if begun at 4 to 6 months of age. Some physicians believe that lack of treatment can lead to developmental delays, visual impairment and misaligned ears, eyes and jaw. The STARscanner is a system that scans a child's head -- before, during and after treatment in under 2 seconds -- providing the precise measurements needed to fabricate the custom STARband cranial helmet and monitor treatment progress. The STARband is the most prescribed cranial remolding orthosis in the world, with over 50,000 babies benefiting from STARband treatment since 2001. The STARband helmets are modified approximately every two weeks to accomodate growth.

All these advances and more can be found on the Medical Headway website. We invite you, your family, friends, and neighbors to help us achieve our goal -- in making our site known and used by all who could benefit from access to the latest in medical breakthrough information. We welcome your comments at questions@medicalheadway.com and look forward to your visit to http://www.medicalheadway.com.

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