Dr. Mark Rosenfeld on the Medical Value of Cannabis
Whether you believe cannabis to be an illegal drug or a medical marvel, there’s no doubt that it’s a controversial topic of conversation. Ever since 1913, when California passed a law prohibiting marijuana usage, there has been a consistent debate on whether it should be legally available. And, when it comes to this complicated...
How to Get to Sleep Easily Without Medication
Getting to sleep easily is a struggle for millions of Americans. Many turn to medications or supplements to help them fall asleep or stay asleep all night. Whether someone is using a prescription like Ambien or Lunesta, or using something from the local pharmacy like Benadryl or NyQuil, medications don’t allow for the best quality...
Let’s Get Physical: How the Digital Age is Improving Health and Removing Costs
In 2015—the most recent year for which data is available— the total amount spent on healthcare in the United States was $3.2 trillion, which represents 17.8% of gross domestic product (GDP). This amount far exceeds that of other industrialized countries, most of which have publicly-funded universal health systems. While the federal...
How the Medical Revolution Starts with the Military
Many of us see images of a Special Forces soldier or a tank when we think of the Army, while failing to realize the host of scientific developments taking place within the ranks. As West Point graduate and highly regarded Army physician Dr. Kevin K. Chung told us during an interview, advances in medicine are often sparked by the...
These Real-Life Superhumans Have Powers We Can Only Imagine
Warner Bros. Pictures' Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hit theaters November 18th of last year. After witnessing the magical world of Harry Potter dazzle us on the big screen, we’re geeking out over some superhumans and their own superpowers. Sure, these no-majes can’t scare a Dementor away with a corporal Patronus, but...
Iron-Brain: 5 Habits to Keep Your Brain Healthy
Grab a Raw Snack The more raw fruits and vegetables you eat, the better. They’re packed full of the vitamins, minerals, and omega-3’s needed to keep your brain feeling pumped. Make your next snack raw and you’ll be doing your brain a favor. See this article by Brain Facts to learn more about how different habits of diet can...
Children can pick up THC from secondhand marijuana smoke
The dangers of secondhand cigarette smoke are well documented, and have led to several laws restricting where people can smoke publicly. The dangers of secondhand marijuana smoke, though, have not yet been researched. A recent study led by Karen Wilson from the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai attempts to fill that research...
Increase Your Happiness: Eat, Sleep, and Check-in with Yourself
2016 hasn’t been too kind and many people are trying to find ways to escape their misery. The Google Play Store is full of apps that claim to increase happiness, while nutritionists are offering all sorts of colorful foods to boost serotonin and dopamine levels (the chemicals in our brains responsible for happiness), and fitness...
WHO cancer agency asked experts to withhold documents
LONDON (Reuters) - The World Health Organization's cancer agency - which is facing criticism over how it classifies carcinogens - advised academic experts on one of its review panels not to disclose documents they were asked to release under United States freedom of information laws. In a letter and an email seen by Reuters,...
The Heart of the City
It’s clear that Cleveland has transformed in the last decade, in ways that have fundamentally changed the city. Before reading this section, you may have thought of the city as another in a long line of rust belt cities, whose better days are behind them. However, once you abandon some of these preconceived notions you begin to see...
From Transplant to Print Job
An IV slowly drips out the passage of time as a patient lies nearby, sick of waiting. Like others in need of a transplant, she can do nothing but wait, her spot just one of thousands on a waitlist that, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, grows every 10 minutes. But instead of being put on a waitlist, what if she could...
Cleveland Rocks the Tech Scene
Let’s be honest. Cleveland isn’t the place people think of when “technology” and “innovation” are brought up in the same sentence – Silicon Valley has dominated that head space for years, producing hit after hit in the consumer tech market. But times are changing (as they tend to do), and the city of Cleveland is becoming a...
"Magic Mushrooms" May Cure Depression
A small, human trial conducted by the Imperial College of London produced some surprising results: so-called "magic mushrooms" could possibly cure depression. Psilocybin, the compound in these mushrooms, is known for causing visual hallucinations and the reduction of personal inhibitions. Among drug users, magic mushrooms are usually...
Measles eliminated in the Americas
The Americas is the first region on the planet to have eliminated measles, an international committee from the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) announced on Wednesday. Measles is now the fifth vaccine-preventable disease that has been eliminated in the Americas, following smallpox, poliomyelitis,...
5 Ways to Reduce Antibiotic Resistance
The United Nationals General Assembly convened yesterday to discuss what is being considered “one of the biggest threats to global health.” The threat? Antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when viruses and bacteria change in such a way that they no longer respond to antibiotics. This creates a...
3D-Printing Cartilage
Researchers at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society announced earlier this year that another medical material can now be produced with 3-D printing: cartilage. The researchers’ first step in producing the cartilage was developing a “bioink”—the material from which a 3-D printer crafts a...
The Future of Diabetes Tech with Dr. Kupper Wintergerst
In America’s war on diabetes, technology represents a double-edged sword. As Dr. Kupper Wintergerst of the University of Louisville claims, it’s “one of the reasons why we have kids gaining unhealthy weight...It makes life easier and you’re less apt to walk & exercise. You’re more apt to watch TV, etc..” However,...
New Alzheimer’s drug clears brain gunk
A clinical trial for a new Alzheimer’s drug called aducanumab released promising results today. The drug fights one of the underlying causes of the disease: amyloid proteins. These proteins coalesce onto neurons, forming damaging deposits that scientists believe disrupt communication between brain cells. Most aging brains have...
From Photo Lens to Petri Dish: Fujifilm and Stem Cell Research
They don’t just produce film anymore. As it moves deeper into the 21st century, Fujifilm is acquiring more 21st century interests. And within its plethora of research and development projects, this corporate giant has placed a stake in stem cell science with its company Cell Dynamics International (CDI). To get more of an...
Cannabis in Medicine: Growing the Next Billion Dollar Industry
It’s difficult to avoid the reality that, no matter your state or how you may personally feel about it, the pharmacy door has opened for cannabis, something that, in all likelihood, won’t be just a guest in the field of medicine. Indeed, its stay may be long and, for many, prosperous – if only it can get more than its foot past the...
When Fight-or-Flight Works Against You
You’re reading a magazine or an online article. Chances are you're relaxed. What if that changed? Imagine the class bully is heading your way on the playground. Imagine you are running late to an important meeting and the traffic is backed up, or the pilot has just broadcast a message that the plane is experiencing engine trouble...
A Non-Invasive Solution to Swallowed Batteries
According to the National Capital Poison Center, approximately 3,500 batteries are swallowed each year, mostly by young children. Most of the time, these batteries will pass through the body normally, but occasionally they get stuck; and when they do, they can cause serious problems. A battery lodged in the esophagus or stomach can...
A First-Person Perspective From a World-Class Medical Institution
Our mission at The Steadman Clinic and the Steadman Philippon Research Institute is to keep people of all ages physically active through orthopaedic research and education. We particularly focus on arthritis, tissue, and wound healing, along with rehabilitation, and injury mechanisms and prevention. Dr. Johnny Huard recently joined us....
New Horizons in Bipolar Care
Once known as manic depression, bipolar disorder (BD) is central to mental health discussions in the U.S. According to the National Institute for Mental Health, 6 million adult Americans struggle to live ordinary, balanced, and stable lives in the face of this lifelong, difficult condition. Of that number, an astonishing 25 percent are...
Human Pancreases to Grow in Pigs
By Ashlyn Stewart Scientists at the University of California, Davis are working to use pigs as incubators to grow human organs, hoping to eventually decrease the worldwide shortage of transplant organs. Currently, the pigs are being used to grow human pancreases. The work is in its preliminary stages and a long way off from clinical...
Med Tech and the Football Concussion Crisis
by Robert Yehling Andre Smith of Chicago hits his head in the final play of the game and walks off the field. He later collapses and dies. Casey Dunne, of Dedham, MA, tells her friend she doesn’t feel well after a routine field hockey practice. Soon after, she dies from a brain hemorrhage. Burien, WA, defensive back...Brain Injury: A Brain-to-Brain Partnership
Thanks to two wars, a billion-dollar lawsuit against the NFL by its alumni, and the premature brain injury-related deaths of several sports legends, brain injury has leapt from a case of deniability to part of our social conversation. We’ve taken giant leaps in diagnosing and reporting these diagnoses, increasing preventative...
Conversation with Jim Morgan, VP of Medical IT, FUJIFILM, Inc.
If you dropped your business into a place that fulfilled your technology, research, product development, piloting programs, sales, and prospective employee talent pools — both seasoned experts and young workers — what would you think of your luck? More than likely, you’d feel like you hit the lottery. This...
The Digital Health Revolution is Healthcare’s Latest Evolution
Now that digital health has inundated healthcare like a tsunami, we need to take the next step forward and see how its adoption benefits our health and our options. By Paul Sonnier Digital health is taking the world by storm, and our health plus the delivery of health care will never be the same. The profound impact...