Thanks to a new artifical disc, 41-year-old triathlete retains mobility after back surgery at Cedars-Sinai's Institute for spinal disorders
For patients with back problems, a new, experimental artificial disc currently being tested at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and nine other centers nationwide, may prove a viable alternative to disc fusion surgery, especially for young, active patients. In this new procedure, a prosthetic disc is placed between two vertebrae in the low back. While patients who undergo fusion surgery need to restrict their motion for up to a year, those who receive artificial discs are encouraged to be mobile right away. To view the full news release on this topic, please go to: http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/newsmedia/pdf/Artificial_Disc.pdf.
Cedars-Sinai's nutritionist offers a 'baker's dozen' weight management tips
It’s no secret that obesity is one of the top health problems facing Americans – half of us are overweight and a third are obese – contributing to more than 300,000 deaths each year. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, obesity in this country is on the rise – despite the fact that tens of millions of Americans are dieting at any given time. In fact, a report from the Institute of Medicine states that we’re spending more than $33 million each year on weight reduction products such as diet foods and drinks. However, according to Netty Levine, MS, RD, a registered dietitian at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s outpatient Nutrition Counseling Center, the key to successful long-term weight management is in focusing less on “dieting” and more on healthy eating and regular exercise.“Most of the popular diets and diet books are for quick results, are not healthy and can do major damage to your body,” she says. “If losing weight to fit into a bathing suit is your only goal, your endeavors will most likely disappoint you. The goal should always be to make health, not appearance priority resulting in a healthy lifestyle for a lifetime.”
New diagnostic tool improves the detection of lung cancer that has spread
A new diagnostic imaging agent has been found to improve detection of lung cancer that has spread, enabling physicians to provide better treatment options for patients with lung cancer, according to Dr. Alan Waxman, Director of Nuclear Medicine and Co-Chairman of Imaging at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The new agent may also reduce the overall costs of patient care by eliminating unnecessary surgeries.
Hope on the horizon for allergy sufferers, new class of drugs expected to be available soon
It’s ba-a-a-a-ck. Summertime in Southern California brings more than beach weather, baseball games and bridal bouquets. It’s also primetime for allergens such as pollens or molds – the things that make life miserable for the estimated 36 million Americans who suffer from seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever). And according to Zab Mohsenifar, M.D., director of the Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, this year is likely to be worse than most here in California due to the higher than usual rainfall earlier this spring. To view the full news release on this topic, please go to: http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/newsmedia/pdf/Allergy_Hope.pdf.
Stanley C. Jordan, M.D., authority on medical aspects of organ transplanation, receives prestigious award recognizing his contributions to research and treatment advances
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Stanley C. Jordan, M.D., was recognized for more than two decades of research when the American Society of Transplantation presented him with its Novartis Established Investigator Clinical Science Award on May 14. The award presentation was part of AST’s professional session, called “Transplant 2001,” held May 11 through 16 in Chicago. Dr. Jordan, medical director of Cedars-Sinai’s Kidney Transplant Program, director of Pediatric Nephrology and Transplant Immunology, and professor of pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles, has directed research leading to major advances in diagnostic and treatment approaches in the care of patients receiving transplanted organs. To view the full news release on this topic, please go to: http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/newsmedia/pdf/Jordan_Transplant_Award.pdf.
To pursue any of these story ideas, please call 310-423-4767. Thank you.