Family Health Blog

If you’ve been living with back pain and a physician has recommended surgery, how do you know if undergoing surgery is the most appropriate treatment? Start gathering the information you need to make an informed decision by asking your physician these key questions. Are there non-surgical treatments that I could try first? For some types... Read More

If you or a loved one have been diagnosed with a serious illness, you may have the option of taking part in a clinical trial of new medication, surgical approach, or medical device. Before you decide to be part of a clinical trial, however, it’s important for you to understand the possible benefits and risks.... Read More

Every year, more than 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke. During the most common type of stroke, ischemic stroke, a blood clot blocks blood flow to the brain, which can cause disability or death. But several recent studies have found that a new device that removes these blood clots can significantly improve stroke... Read More

If you or a member of your family has undergone treatment for cancer, you’ve spent a lot of time with specialists who have carefully monitored your response to treatment, helped you cope with any side effects you experienced, and tracked your overall health and well-being. But what should you do after your treatment is completed... Read More

When you think about the top causes of death in the U.S., what likely springs to mind are diseases like cancer and heart disease and car accidents. While heart disease and cancer are the first and second leading causes of death, the third is actually preventable medical errors. But there are steps you can take... Read More

One of the most difficult gastrointestinal conditions to diagnose accurately is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Although studies estimate that approximately 10 to 15 percent of adults are affected by IBS, only five to seven percent of the population has been diagnosed with the condition. So, what steps do you need to take to get an... Read More

You’ve heard about the ongoing measles outbreak in the U.S. that has now spread to 14 states, but what you may not know is that more than 62 percent of the cases that have been confirmed in California, where the outbreak started, have been adults. How do you know if you’re protected against this highly... Read More

If you or a loved one has been recently diagnosed with cancer, you’re likely to have questions. To understand your diagnosis and treatment options, it’s helpful to sit down with your oncologist and get answers to these six questions before choosing what treatment approach to follow. Also, keep in mind that you should seek a... Read More

While chemotherapy may be the most appropriate and effective treatment option for many breast cancer patients, like most treatments, it can cause side effects. Because chemotherapy drugs kill cells that quickly divide, which is how most tumor and cancer cells grow, they can also affect other healthy cells in the body that divide and grow... Read More

Every year, public health workers record about 30,000 new cases of Lyme disease in the U.S., and that figure may actually underestimate the number of true cases. Lyme disease is caused by an infection with Borrelia burgdorferi, a species of bacteria transmitted through tick bites. The early signs of the disease, which appear within three to 30... Read More