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January 26th, 2011
05:23 PM ET
Mind-body: The connections in tears, sweatDr. Charles Raison, CNNHealth's Mental Health expert and an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, writes regularly on the mind-body connection for better health. My 82-year old-mom should be a poster child for the power of the mind. Wracked with a debilitating and progressive neurological condition that has made her barely able to stand, she nonetheless manages to lean on her walker and shuffle out to her car every Sunday morning, and then drive 30 miles to attend church. Not just any church, but the only New-Age type church within a hundred-mile radius that believes—what else?—that you can change reality through the power of positive thinking. Those of us who do research in the field of mind-body medicine often seem to be not so different from my mom. Much of our work focuses on ways in which the mind can affect the body for good or ill. While we wouldn’t make claims as outrageously hopeful as my mom’s church, scientific studies increasingly demonstrate that the mind can indeed be very powerful in terms of health outcomes. 
January 26th, 2011
05:01 PM ET
Shockable cardiac arrests more common in publicHaving a cardiac arrest that can be treated by electrical stimulation is more common in a public setting compared with having a cardiac arrest at home. That's the finding of a new study by Canadian and U.S. researchers, published in the New England Journal of Medicine. When the heart’s electrical system malfunctions, causing it to beat irregularly, it’s called cardiac arrest. The irregular heartbeats are called arrhythmias. Two of the most common arrhythmias are ventricular fibrillation, when the lower heart chambers quiver rather than pumping blood properly to the body, and pulseless ventricular tachycardia, where the lower chambers beat rapidly, preventing the heart from filling with blood, and stopping the pulse. Death will result if the heart’s proper rhythm can’t be restored, and both arrhythmias can be treated by shocking the heart back into rhythm with an AED. 
January 26th, 2011
04:15 PM ET
Breast implants may cause rare cancerThe Food and Drug Administration says it has found a possible link between breast implants and a very rare type of cancer. After reviewing data published between 1997 and 2010, the agency determined people with both saline and silicone gel-filled implants have a small but significant risk of anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. According the American Cancer Society, ALCL is a fast-growing lymphoma that usually affects the lymph nodes, but can also appear on skin. Between 1 and 2% of lymphomas are ALCLs. It's more common in young people and can be cured with aggressive chemotherapy, radiation or surgery. 
January 26th, 2011
12:51 PM ET
CDC: Almost 26 million Americans have diabetesAlmost 26 million Americans older than age 20 have diabetes and more than a quarter or 7 million do not know they have the disease, according to estimates released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday. In addition, more than one-third of adults in the United States (35%) are believed to have what's called "prediabetes," which means their blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered diabetic. Diabetes was the seventh-leading cause of death in 2007. People with diabetes are at increased risk for heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease and amputations. 
January 26th, 2011
12:42 PM ET
Allegra approved for OTC salesThe nation's best-selling antihistamine, Allegra, was approved Tuesday by the U.S .Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter use in adults and children 2 and older. The allergy medicine, made by the pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis, will hit shelves March 4, just in time for the spring allergy season.
January 26th, 2011
12:17 PM ET
Study names cities with top hospital careWest Palm Beach, Florida; Brownsville, Texas; and Dayton, Ohio top the list of cities with the best hospital care according to HealthGrades, an independent health care ratings organization. The HealthGrades list may surprise some who may have thought Cleveland or Houston or New York might top the list. But to get high marks, a city has to have the most "high performing" hospitals. For example, West Palm Beach, Florida, which ranks No. 1, has nine out of 12 of its hospitals listed as excellent. Other cities in the Top 5 include Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, and Tucson, Arizona. This doesn't mean that if you're searching for the best cancer center you won't want to consider a facility like the Cleveland Clinic or the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. But what this does indicate, according to HealthGrades, is that certain cities have a higher percentage of hospitals that excel so no matter which hospital you choose, you're likely to get excellent care.
January 26th, 2011
09:38 AM ET
Human Factor: A Jonas battles diabetesIn the Human Factor, Dr. Sanjay Gupta introduces you to survivors who have overcome tthe odds. Confronting a life obstacle – injury, illness or other hardship – they tapped their inner strength and found resilience they didn’t know they possessed. Here is the pop star and one-third of the Jonas Brothers, Nick Jonas, on how his journey with diabetes has affected his life and music.
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  About this blog
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the latest stories from CNN Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Senior Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen and the CNN Medical Unit producers. They'll share news and views on health and medical trends - info that will help you take better care of yourself and the people you love.
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