Low Back Pain
Presented by: Matthew Smuck, MD
Chief, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Services
Stanford University Medical Center
January 17, 2013
Up to 80 percent of adults in the United States will experience some kind of back injury at least once. Low back pain is the second most common reason for visiting a doctor (the common cold is No. 1).
While back pain can be both physically and emotionally draining, most people do recover. Acute pain is usually caused by an activity, movement, or spasm, and lasts a short time. Chronic pain lasts longer than three months and may not be associated with any obvious tissue damage.
Latest Advances in Lung Cancer Screening and Treatment
Presented by:
Daya Upadhyay, MD
Assistant Professor, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Joseph Shrager, MD
Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery; Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery
Billy W. Loo, Jr., MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology
Heather Wakelee, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Oncology Division
Stanford University Medical Center
November 15, 2012
Lung cancer gets less press than many other terrible cancers that affect wide swaths of the population, but, sadly, it is still the number one cause of cancer deaths in both men and women. At a presentation hosted by the Stanford Health Library, four Stanford doctors specializing in various aspects of lung cancer testing, diagnosis and treatment outlined advances that are making screening more accurate, surgery less invasive, radiation therapy more precise and genetics-based medical therapies far more targeted.
Mastering the Stresses of Survivorship
Presented by: David Spiegel, MD
Willson Professor and Associate Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
November 6, 2012
A diagnosis of breast cancer used to imply a terminal condition. But new understanding of the molecular and cellular processes behind the disease has led to more effective diagnostic tools and vast improvements in treatment. The result is that breast cancer now is considered more of a chronic condition rather than a terminal disease.
Understanding Adult and Pediatric Eating Disorders
Presented by: Debra L. Safer, MD
Co-Director, Stanford Eating and Weight Disorder Program
November 1, 2012
Eating disorders are abnormal behavior patterns that compromise physical health and mental well-being. These behaviors include anorexia nervosa (self-starvation), bulimia nervosa (binge eating and purging), binge eating disorder, and other non-specified conditions.
The Sun and Skin Cancer
Presented by: Sumaira Z. Aasi, MD
Clinical Associate Professor, Dermatology
October 10, 2012
Skin is the largest organ of the human body. It serves a tremendous immune defense system designed to protect you from the environment, regulates internal temperature, and keeps out infection. It’s also a window to your overall health.
The Dawn of Personalized Medicine
Presented by: Euan Ashley, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Cardiovascular Medicine
Stanford University Medical Center
June 7, 2012
We know that genes play a crucial role in influencing how we look and act, as well as our susceptibility to disease. Now scientists are trying to use that knowledge in exciting new ways, such as preventing and treating health problems based on therapies tailored to an individual’s unique genetic makeup.
But to understand the future of genetically based personalized medicine, it’s important to understand the basics, says Euan Ashley, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine and director of the Stanford Center for Inherited Cardiovascular Disease, who spoke at a presentation sponsored by the Stanford Health Library.
