In The News
How to safeguard yourself against colorectal cancer
This may sound familiar, but when it comes to preventing cancer, an ardent reminder is always a good thing. This month marks National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so it is an opportune time for everyone to take a hard look at lifestyle, better understand risk factors and commit to being proactive in maintaining colorectal health. … Read More
Thinking about a C-section? Here's why your hospital may say no.
At hospitals across California, administrators are pushing doctors to perform fewer cesarean deliveries, hiring birth coaches and asking pregnant women to stay in labor longer. For years, medical experts have said that C-sections — a surgical procedure in which a doctor makes an incision in the mother’s abdomen and uterus to remove the baby — … Read More
Lung cancer screening now a routine for smokers
Medical screening tests are done to save lives. Most people know about the importance of screening mammography in the fight against breast cancer and colonoscopy in the prevention of colon and rectal cancer. These tests have become routine in the fight against cancer. Now added to the list is a screening test that can detect … Read More
Hoag uses virtual reality to take surgery into a new dimension
Marcus Barnes couldn’t have envisioned what he was about to see. One month after successful brain surgery, the Irvine resident sat in an operating room at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach and was handed a pair of virtual reality goggles. “There’s your long-gone nemesis,” said Dr. Christopher Duma, neurosurgeon and medical director of the brain tumor … Read More
PPI drugs are not without their side effects
For years, anti-heartburn medication was prescribed like candy. Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) seemed to cure the symptoms of heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux without any side effects. Or so we thought more than a decade ago. Now it seems as though every year researchers discover a new area of the body that has been negatively affected … Read More
Unlikely love story: Brain cancer brought this couple together
Mark Franklin noticed he was losing the ability to communicate. He couldn’t think of everyday words, such as dog or pen. While working as a flight attendant, Cindy Godshall had a seizure in the middle of a Beijing hotel lobby. Both were diagnosed with glioblastoma, a fast-growing cancer of certain cells that support neurons in … Read More
Early diagnosis gives dementia patients better chances
We're at the beginning of the era of “curing” Alzheimer's disease. No more slipping into oblivion. No more loss of dignity. One day – not too long from now – degenerative cognitive conditions will be as manageable as high blood pressure, a disease that requires vigilance to keep at bay but doesn't rob you of … Read More
Miller: Former NFL players turn to Hoag Neurosciences Institute for comprehensive health assessment
Chances are – if you’re reading this – you follow the NFL. You almost certainly enjoy the NFL. Perhaps you even love the NFL. But do you trust the NFL? Not likely, given the evidence that suggests the actual players don’t trust their own league or their own teams and the widely held assumption that … Read More
OCFA Releases PulsePoint Through Grant from Hoag
The Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) released PulsePoint today, a new free mobile app available for iPhone and Android. The app alerts individuals trained in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when a sudden cardiac arrest occurs in a public place in their immediate vicinity. PulsePoint is now available to the residents of Orange County through a generous … Read More
There are good treatment options for the spike in head, neck cancers
HPV is the leading cause of head and neck cancers, but there is good news. Head and neck cancers are on the rise and are due to a new culprit that already affects more than 26 million people in the United States. The oral human papilloma virus (HPV) is now the leading cause of head … Read More