If your doctor has determined that you’re experiencing prostate cancer symptoms and that your otherwise normal PSA levels are elevated, he likely will order a biopsy of tissue from the prostate gland. Your doctor may elect to biopsy your prostate based on whether or not you have possible symptoms of … Read More
Winter can be a depressing time, especially if you live in a cold northern climate. It’s easy to feel sad when the long, dark days and frigid temperatures keep you cooped up inside. Just about everyone has had the "winter blues" at one time or another. Yet in some people, … Read More
Glioblastoma is a relatively rare brain cancer that affects 3 of 100,000 people in the United States. Pronounced "gly-oh blass toh mah," it develops in star-shaped cells called astrocytes (see sidebar below) that spread quickly to other parts of the brain or spinal cord but not to other parts of … Read More
ALS—the abbreviation for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis—is a rare neurological disorder that's eventually fatal. It was July 4, 1939, when Lou Gehrig made his famous "luckiest man alive" speech at Yankee Stadium, an event that helped give widespread attention to ALS. Gehrig, when he was diagnosed, was only 36 years old … Read More
Smoking, drinking alcohol, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) all can increase your risk of throat cancer, but genital human papillomavirus (HPV) has become a leading cause of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States. In fact, some 9,000 people are diagnosed each year with throat cancer that may be caused by … Read More
You’ve been experiencing an array of symptoms, from headache and nausea to vision disturbances and concentration problems. Understanding that, among other potential disorders, a brain tumor causes these warning signs, your doctor recommends testing to identify the source of your symptoms. At this point, you probably wonder how you might … Read More
Not all headaches are cause for concern. You might suffer an occasional migraine, head pain from a stiff neck, or the after-effects of an extra glass of wine you imbibed the night before. You simply take a few aspirins or another medication and the pain in your brain subsides. But … Read More
Insomnia takes on many forms and has many causes. For some people, stress or depression keeps them from getting a good night’s sleep. For others, the problem is prescription medication or too much caffeine. And for many people, advancing age, an underlying medical condition like Parkinson’s disease, or just poor … Read More
Frontal lobe dementia or frontotemporal dementia (FTD) represents a unique group of neurodegenerative disorders that account for approximately 10 percent of all cases of dementia and tend to occur in people between the ages of 45 and 64. The symptoms of each disorder can vary, depending on the part of … Read More
Dysphagia is a condition that can occur at any age, although it’s more common in older adults. It falls into one of the following categories: Esophageal dysphagia: This is the feeling that food gets stuck in your throat or in your chest. Oropharyngeal dysphagia: This occurs when certain conditions weaken your … Read More
