Medical Headlines

     Good Monday morning! I'm Céline McArthur, your new Executive Producer at Ivanhoe Broadcast News. Here's a quick look at some our big stories on www.ivanhoe.com. I'm also interested in hearing about any stories you think we need to cover for our audience of 65,000,000 million households!

     Watch our Medical Headline Videos:

• Four thousand women in the U.S. will die—and another 12 thousand will be diagnosed with cervical cancer this year alone. There’s no cure, but researchers at the University of Tennessee Medical Center are excited about a new therapy that Dr. Larry Kilgore says could improve and extend the lives of patients with recurring or advanced disease. The clinical trial is testing the effectiveness of a combo treatment: the drug Avastin and chemotherapy. Watch our story, “New Hope for Cervical Cancer” to see the results that have doctors and patients pretty excited.
• High-tech toys with a purpose; that’s what you’ll love about our story, “Autism Help: A Robot for Robbie.” Researchers at Vanderbilt University are using robots to help kids with autism learn how to focus and to develop their social skills. Like most kids, Dr. Zachary Warren says those with autism seem to be drawn to technology!
• If you have arthritis in your ankles, you know how painful it can be to walk. Traditionally, doctors would fuse the ankle joint or put in a metal implant. Unfortunately, it’s not always a permanent fix. Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Fernando Pena at the University of Minnesota says he’s developed a new procedure that can have you walking on sunshine for years to come.

     In other news this week, if you want to give up gluten, you have to sacrifice taste—or do you? Registered Nurse and Clinical Assistant Professor Amanda Holliday at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shares a 100-calorie gluten-free recipe she wants you to try. Put it to the test and let us know what you think.

     If you have hearing troubles, take a few minutes to read our In-Depth Doctor’s Interview from our story, “Chew on this! Hearing Device for the Mouth.” Audiologist Dr. Susan Kelleher at Daniel’s Hearing Center at Boston Medical Center shows you how a hearing device fitted onto your tooth can give you better quality surround sound.

     Speaking of chewing, if you bite your nails, you’re doing more than cuticle damage. Dr. Sharon Bergquist at the Emory University School of Medicine says the bacteria under your nails can get into your mouth and cause an infection. That’s one of eight vices Dr. Bergquist says can make you look and feel sick.

     Play it Again, Please!Due to popular demand, we’re revisiting an important story about a possible new treatment for high blood pressure. If medication hasn’t worked for you, Dr. David Brown at Heart Hospital Baylor Plano says renal denervation maybe for you. In short, the idea is to burn overactive renal nerves that cause blood pressure to soar. Read on to find out about the preliminary results of the clinical trial.

     I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on these stories. Please send me an email at cmcarthur@ivanhoe.com with your feedback. In the coming weeks, our producers will be in Denver, Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, and New Orleans, so if you have any stories you think need to be covered, include them in the email.

And there's more where that came from...

Céline McArthur

Executive Producer, Ivanhoe Broadcast News

“Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”
-- Theodore Roosevelt