Monthly Archives - May 2010

San Diego’s Rady Children’s hospital is the first medical building on the entire West Coast, and one of only five in the country, to have a new low radiation x-ray machine which decreases radiation exposure up to 90%.

The new device is being called the EOS, and some doctors asked the hospital stay at the machine does come with some limitations, however it proves to be very useful for treating children with spinal deformities or anyone requiring constant x-rays over a long period of time. As far as caring for adults, this device is typically used only for patients suffering from degenerative bone diseases.

It is important to understand that EOS is not a substitute for CT scans, as those enabled doctors to see inside organs and other bodily tissues. Studies have shown that high levels of radiation can increase a person’s chances of developing certain types of cancer. While CT scans pose great risks of radiation exposure, continuous x-rays can also pose a similar danger.

According to a 2009 report by the national Council on radiation protection and measurements, medical devices account for a bout half of the radiation exposure Americans receive each year. You may be surprised to learn that x-ray machines only account for about 5% of that amount. Other x-ray devices such as those used in dentist offices and LASIK San Diego clinics are included in the totals.

According to Dr. Kimberly Applegate of Atlanta, it is important that children are protected from this radiation as they tend to be especially vulnerable to the damage caused by radiation to their cells while their bodies are still growing – Lasik surgery San Diego.

This new EOS x-ray machine has set the stage in some of the latest advancements at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego.

With the constant sunshine that San Diego experiences year after year, it would seem prudent that San Diego residents would be very well versed in the dangers of too much sun exposure when compared to the rest of the nation.

However, a recent survey done by the American Academy of Dermatology reports otherwise. Our local sunny metropolitan area ranked 17th out of 26 of the nation’s largest urban centers in eight term researchers call “suntelligence” – a person’s behavior, knowledge and attitude toward preventing and detecting skin cancer due to overexposure to the sun.

You may also be surprised to know that other large California cities ranked poorly as well. San Francisco ranked 14th, the highest placement of all California cities, And Los Angeles finished in 22nd place.

Topping out the list was Hartford Connecticut, Salt Lake City, Denver, and Tampa. Seattle, Cleveland, Chicago and Pittsburgh came in at the lowest spots. San Diego Lasik eye surgery.

The survey was based on the results of more than 7100 people that was completed online. Participants were asked a wide range of questions by researchers, including how many hours they typically spend in the sun each week, how often they use sunscreen or wear hats to shield themselves from the sun’s rays, and whether or not sun exposure in childhood is related to skin cancer later in life.

Also, nearly 43% of San Diegans were unaware that it is not wise to use indoor tanning beds.

San Diego LASIK doctor Neil Harris was quite surprised at the surveys results and agreed that if this is truly the case then “San Diegans needs to wise up and educate themselves about the harmful effects the sun can cause.”

Genetic testing kits from Pathway Genomics hit the shelves of Walgreens drugstores nationwide this week and will likely result in a spike of consumer interest focused on genetic testing.

In the recent past, most of these genetic testing products have been sold mainly online or through doctors offices and have drawn relatively little interest since they sprang onto the scene just under three years ago. Rough estimates put the total sales of thus far of these kits at 50,000 to 100,000 test kits sold.

The low interest and low sales is partly due to the price of one of these genetic testing kits. The cost ranges from about $300-$2000 for a comprehensive genetic testing kit. These kits will test your DNA to identify risks for her drug reactions, the likelihood of passing on mutations to children, or developing specific diseases and heart conditions. Lasik reviews San Diego.

Pathways Kit is being sold and Walgreens stores for about $20. The consumer will place their saliva into a special container and ship it to the company for analysis. The analysis will cost between $79 and $249 depending on the tests you request. We checked Pathway’s website, and the company is offering a single testing package for $399.

Jim Woodman, the vice president of corporate strategy for Pathway Genomics, said “We are really doing this to increase consumer awareness, not just for us but for the entire genetic-testing industry.”

Pathway Genomics is headquartered in Sorrento Valley area of San Diego near local Laser eye surgery San Diego offices. This genetic testing move by the company represents a big step for the privately owned business, which launched its service in September.

A plethora of hospitals and community clinics in San Diego County has just one a $15.3 million federal grant allowing them to electronically link medical records of patients into a system that can be easily shared between doctors.

By digitally linking records, this helps to reduce errors while enabling physicians to quickly and easily reduce certain health-care costs and better promote preventative health maintenance.

This was announced on Tuesday in Washington DC by VP Joe Biden and health and human services secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Sebelius said these grants will generate several well-paying jobs and every one of the affected areas and she hopes these projects can serve as models for other cities throughout the country to follow in their footsteps.

“These pioneering communities are going to lead the way in bringing smarter, lower-cost health care to all Americans through use of electronic health records,” Biden said. “For the residents of these communities, the future is about to become a reality.”

In San Diego the UCSD medical Center will be functioning as the leading facility for this local initiative. Other local members include Scripps health, sharp healthcare, the San Diego Naval medical Center, the San Diego VA healthcare system, the San Diego Council of community clinics, Rady Childrens Hospital, the County office of emergency medical services, and the San Diego County medical Society. It is expected that LASIK San Diego and vision providers will be included making the process that much more streamline. Custom Lasik San Diego.

It will take some time for these changes to take place but we can rest assured that in the near future we can look forward to better healthcare record maintenance.