Debate over ‘right to try’ experimental meds

By Matthew Perrone
Posted on May 01, 2018

The idea is a political crowd-pleaser with a catchy slogan: giving desperately ill patients the “right to try” experimental medicines. Last month, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives became the latest group of politicians to back the effort, sending a bill to the Senate, which President Donald Trump has pledged to sign into law. A federal right-to-try law — first... READ MORE

Glow-in-the-dark dyes to identify cancers

By Marilynn Marchione
Posted on April 30, 2018

It was an ordinary surgery to remove a tumor — until doctors turned off the lights and the patient’s chest started to glow. A spot over his heart shined purplish pink. Another shimmered in a lung. They were hidden cancers revealed by fluorescent dye, an advance that soon may transform how hundreds of thousands of operations are done each year. Surgery has long been the best way to ... READ MORE

New, more secure Medicare cards coming

By Barbara Albert
Posted on April 26, 2018

As you may have already heard, between now and April 2019, new cards will be mailed to all Medicare beneficiaries. With both Maryland and the District of Columbia being in the first wave, you should receive your new card by June of this year. The new card will help protect your identity and keep your personal information more secure by removing your Social Security number and replacing... READ MORE

Try stuffed tomatoes instead of peppers

By Melissa D’Arabian
Posted on April 16, 2018

Does your meatless Monday game need an overhaul? As a meat-eater myself, I find that the trick to meatless meal-making is to have a small repertoire of recipes that can work as a side dish or first course, or be eaten in larger quantities as a vegetarian main dish. This is the same strategy I use when hosting a vegetarian in my home. Today’s Quinoa-Stuffed Tomatoes fits the bill... READ MORE

Tailored treatments for hard-to-treat cancer

By Barbara Ruben
Posted on April 13, 2018

Perhaps chemotherapy was successful at first, but now the cancer is back and growing quickly. Or radiation failed to obliterate all of a tumor. Patients who may have been told that there is nothing else doctors can do are now being sought for a trial of targeted drugs matched to their genetic profiles. A study launched last fall, the Targeted Agent and Profiling Utilization Registry... READ MORE

Fish oil capsules may not help your heart

By Julie Corliss
Posted on April 12, 2018

Every day, millions of people swallow fish oil capsules, many of them lured by the promise that the pills will help them cast off heart disease. In fact, the label of one popular brand includes the line, “May reduce coronary heart disease risk.” Don’t take the bait: these bold marketing claims haven’t caught up with the latest science. Last year, the American Heart Association... READ MORE

Men: never ignore these two symptoms

By Dr. Eric A. Klein
Posted on April 11, 2018

Do you put off seeing a doctor for regular checkups or to discuss a health concern? This can be risky. While symptoms often can be benign or require minimal treatment, in some cases, they also can be early signs of cancer. By dismissing them without talking to a doctor, you could miss a chance for early cancer diagnosis — and early treatment. Doctors identify each of the most common ... READ MORE

Communicating across the generations

By Alexis Bentz
Posted on April 10, 2018

Alexis Bentz is a high school student who writes for the Beacon about ways older adults and students can learn from each other and develop better communication. online pharmacy doxycycline buy with best prices today in the USA buy seroquel online buy seroquel online no prescription All humans have an innate need for connection. We crave social interaction and thrive when we are... READ MORE

Explaining love hormones, eye floaters

By Dr. Howard LeWine
Posted on April 09, 2018

Q: Do humans really have a love hormone? A: online pharmacy order albenza no prescription with best prices today in the USA online pharmacy neurontin for sale with best prices today in the USA online pharmacy buy revia no prescription Yes, we do. It’s called oxytocin. It’s one of the many hormones released into the blood stream from the pituitary gland, a small structure at the... READ MORE

Options for those with hearing problems

By Mary Kane
Posted on April 06, 2018

Stephen Moore began to realize he had hearing problems more than a decade ago, when people seemed to mumble in conversations. He asked his wife to repeat lines at the movies. “It drove her crazy,” he said. He turned the TV volume up so high that family members complained. Finally, when he felt he was missing out on hearing important details during meetings at work, he got his... READ MORE