It may be time to rethink traditional lymph node removal and radiation.

Studies released in 2010 include several that may lead to changes in at least two areas of early breast cancer treatment.

Limited lymph node removal Removing lymph nodes in the armpit (axilla) is a common part of breast cancer treatment, because it provides a way to find out if cancer has spread beyond the breast. The lymph nodes are a logical first place to look, because they filter lymph fluid from the breast. Today, sentinel lymph node biopsy — removing and checking only the lymph node or ...

 

Stretching, strengthening, and range-of-motion exercises can help relieve pain and prevent injury.

Painful hands can affect everything from the way we work and play to how we communicate and express ourselves. The most common cause of hand pain is arthritis. Another is carpal tunnel syndrome, a nerve impingement in the wrist that may cause numbness and finger weakness. Both of these disorders disproportionately affect women.

The work we do often places stress and strain on the tendons of the wrists and hands. A lot of repetitive stress injury is produced by today's computer-heavy workplace, with its long hours, rapid ...

Celeste Robb-Nicholson, M.D.

There's been a lot in the media lately about radiation exposure from medical imaging, and many of my patients are asking about it. They want to know if radiation from mammograms, bone density tests, computed tomography (CT) scans, and so forth will increase their risk of developing cancer. For most women, there's very little risk from routine x-ray imaging such as mammography or dental x-rays. But many experts are concerned about an explosion in the use of higher radiation–dose tests, such as CT and nuclear imaging.

In 2006, about 62 million CT scans were performed in the ...

Older people who take calcium supplements have a 30% increased risk of heart attack, according to a meta-analysis (a review of multiple studies) published online July 29, 2010, in the medical journal BMJ. But another meta-analysis, published by Harvard researchers in Annals of Internal Medicine (March 2, 2010), found that calcium supplements had no effect on cardiovascular events. These conflicting findings have raised questions for clinicians and women, including readers of Harvard Women's Health Watch. Postmenopausal women are generally urged to get adequate calcium through diet and supplements to help protect against osteoporosis and bone fractures. Many now want to ...

While it's well known that a sedentary lifestyle is unhealthy, some newer research suggests that people who spend more time sitting are more likely to die.

Q. I've been advised not to take my statin drug, simvastatin, with grapefruit juice. But is it safe to take the medication at night and then drink grapefruit juice in the morning?

A. Grapefruit is a great low-calorie source of vitamin C, fiber, and other nutrients. But we've known for several years that this citrus fruit and its juice can interact adversely with many prescription drugs, including some of the statins that are widely used to lower cholesterol. (There's some evidence that pomelos, a fruit that resembles grapefruit, and Seville oranges, which are used in making marmalades, have a similar ...