Headlines in Health

Cancer of the skin is by far the most common of all cancers. Melanoma accounts for less than 5 percent of skin cancer cases but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). Advanced melanoma can be a deadly disease. The ACS estimates that about 68,720 new melanomas were diagnosed in the United States during 2009.

The growing threat of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphyloccus aureus) infection outside of hospitals has many parents worried. School children face heightened risk due to the close contact with their peers and sharing of school and play equipment.

The first week in June was National Headache Awareness Week. If you’ve ever experienced a severe, debilitating migraine with intense nausea and visual disturbances, you can readily identify with the 28 million Americans who suffer from migraines (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, 2010). This is approximately one in every nine Americans, and seventy five percent of migraine sufferers are women.

At the end of April 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved of a revolutionary new vaccine that might extend the life of prostate cancer patients with fewer of the harsh side effects of traditional treatments such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. For decades, researchers have been trying to harness the power of the body’s own immune system to battle cancer. This new vaccine may be the first in what many hope is a new line of cancer treatments that use the body's own immunity to destroy cancer.