A Landmark Study on Palliation of Bone Mets PainWhen a primary cancer such as cancer of the breast, prostate or lung spreads to the bone (bone mets), treatment strategies become complex. In today’s world of oncology, better systemic chemotherapies can add months and even years to a patient’s life; in addition, local cancer control of […] KEEP READING
What You Should Know About CartilageOne of the most fascinating components of the human body is cartilage, an incredibly versatile material. Trying to describe cartilage is like the six blind men who try to figure out what an elephant is: “The elephant is like a pillar,” said the man who touched his leg. “Oh no! […] KEEP READING
How Stress Makes Essential Tremor WorseEssential tremor (ET) is the most common form of uncontrollable rhythmic shaking, though it is sometimes misdiagnosed as Parkinson’s disease. The involuntary trembling results from abnormal communication between certain areas of the brain (cerebellum, thalamus, and brain stem). It is estimated that 10 million Americans suffer from ET, though many […] KEEP READING
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, […] CONTINUE
When a solid tumor such as breast cancer spreads to the bone, it is called metastatic bone cancer or bone mets. The two most prevalent sources for bone mets are breast and prostate cancer. Lung cancer is the third most common type of cancer to spread to the bones. Both small cell lung cancer and […] CONTINUE
A substantial amount of published research on cancer that metastasizes (spreads) to the bones (bone mets). Most of it is focused on theories of how and why cancer cells seem especially drawn to bone, and also the physical processes involved in tumor growth and bone damage once cancer settles there. Another portion of research is […] CONTINUE
For 79-year old Karl Weidamann, a patient suffering with essential tremor (ET), beaming sound waves into his brain produced a result that must have seemed miraculous. It stopped the dominant hand tremor that had plagued him for 15 years. Now he can once again sign his name clearly, feed himself soup without embarrassing splashes, and […] CONTINUE
People who suffer from essential tremor (ET), a non-life threatening but progressive condition, are aware of how others react to them. If their hands shake, they are often wrongly perceived anxious or clumsy. If side-to-side shaking affects their head, it looks like they are saying “no” before the other person has to chance to complete […] CONTINUE
If back pain had been a Founding Father, it might have written this line in the Declaration of Independence: “all men are created equal” (women too, of course). Back pain is very even-handed and does not play favorites. It can attack anyone with no holds barred: rich, poor, young, old, every ethnic group and geographic […] CONTINUE
“The discovery and development of the bisphosphonates … is a paradigm of a successful journey from ‘bench to bedside’.”i Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs most commonly used to strengthen thinning bones (low bone mass) in older people. During aging, the normal balance of healthy bone maintenance (re-absorbing old bone and building new bone) may […] CONTINUE
For 79-year old Karl Weidamann, a patient suffering with essential tremor (ET), beaming sound waves into his brain produced a result that must have seemed miraculous. It stopped the dominant hand tremor that had plagued him for 15 years. Now he can once again sign his name clearly, feed himself soup without embarrassing splashes, and […] CONTINUE
One of the best human partners in medical research is the humble pig. Pigs seem like an unlikely “equivalent” to test new medical procedures for humans, but they are greatly helpful to determine what will or won’t work in our own bodies. For certain clinical studies, they are ideal laboratory animals. Pigs and humans share […] CONTINUE
When essential tremor (ET) is early and mild, symptoms generally don’t interfere with daily tasks. If symptoms worsen, medication may be prescribed to reduce the speed (frequency) and amplitude (size) of motion. One type of drug used to control ET is called a beta blocker. As the name suggests, the action of the drug blocks […] CONTINUE
