Treatments Archive

A 2023 study confirms prior research showing that men with low testosterone levels who use testosterone replacement therapy for 14 months are not at a higher risk for prostate cancer over the following several years.

Several types of "electroceutical" therapies use tiny zaps of electricity to help ease chronic pain. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) therapy and electroacupuncture are designed to work by interrupting pain signals being sent to the brain. Scrambler therapy is thought to work by changing pain information sent to the brain. Good candidates for such therapies are people with arthritis, neuropathy, neck or back pain, or pain from cancer treatment. Some people should stay away from electroceuticals, including those with any kind of implanted stimulation device, such as a pacemaker or bladder stimulator.

Men with advanced prostate cancer are typically treated with hormonal treatments followed by chemotherapy, but a recent study evaluated the potential of a treatment that uses radioactive particles injected into the body.

Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Eugene Braunwald, known as "the father of modern cardiology," identified five promising future trends in cardiology. They include (1) using polygenic risk scores in newborns for early prevention of heart disease; (2) the emergence of a battery of drugs to treat inflammation; (3) improvements in cardiac cell therapy for repairing damaged hearts; (4) the development of smaller, more powerful, and less expensive left ventricular assist devices; and (5) transplanting genetically modified pig hearts into humans.

When prostate cancer recurs after initial treatment, doctors typically treat it with hormonal therapies. But results from a large clinical trial show that a different medication (or combination of two medications) is a better approach.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression that begins in late fall and early winter, is caused by lack of sunlight exposure. Common symptoms of SAD include lack of sexual energy, overeating, problems sleeping, and social withdrawal. SAD is also associated with impaired cognitive function. Getting more sunlight from being outdoors or sitting in front of a sunlit window helps stimulate the brain's 24-hour sleep-wake clock. Taking antidepressants and using light therapy (which involves sitting in front of a light box) also can help manage SAD.

Breast cancer survival rates have markedly improved over the past several decades, driven by improved treatments. Less intensive chemotherapy can often be used, and immunotherapy and targeted drugs enable doctors to tailor treatment combinations to each woman. Women with metastatic breast cancer are often living many years because of new treatments that extend their lives. To improve outcomes, women with early-stage breast cancer should seek a multidisciplinary care team, in which many different specialists work in collaboration.

A new technique for prostate cancer treatment can limit side effects from radiation therapy. It relies on specialized types of medical imaging scans that allow doctors to visualize the cancer during treatment.

In some men with localized prostate cancer, focal therapy is an alternative to radical prostatectomy. This procedure removes only the cancerous part of the gland, and growing evidence shows it can be an effective strategy.

Dry eye syndrome is one of the most common eye problems among older adults. Common symptoms include a gritty feeling in the eyes, sensitivity to light, or fluctuating vision that comes and goes. People with the condition can have good and bad periods, but by following prevention methods and seeking treatment when the disease flares, they can keep dry eye from interfering with their lives.