Shining The Light On Sunscreen
The American Academy of Dermatology estimates one in five Americans will develop skin caner in their lifetime. It's a stunning statistic, especially here in sunny Florida...


Alzheimer's Research
About five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's Disease, including more than 400,000 Floridians. It's a progressive disease that destroys brain cells, impacting memory and behavior...


New Breast Cancer Therapy
A growing number of women who are being treated for breast cancer are choosing a new radiation therapy with encouraging results...


Toddlers and Nutrition

New For Back Pain
In the U.S., more than 10 million adults suffer from chronic back pain. With an annual cost of more than 50 billion dollars for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, Americans have made back pain their top healthcare expenditure. Now a new surgical procedure called ‘XLIF’ is gaining in popularity. With XLIF, the procedure is performed through the patient’s side, avoiding major muscles of the back. It’s proving to be an effective treatment for many patients who suffer from leg or back pain caused by degenerative disc disease. Find out more in the upcoming Smart Health…


Pet Therapy
A cold, wet nose may not provide a cure for cancer, but therapists are learning that it can certainly help the patient. Animal-assisted therapy is gaining popularity across the country, for people coping with everything from Alzheimer’s disease to cancer. Research shows that animals can lower blood pressure, stimulate brain activity, perhaps even lower cholesterol and minimize heart disease risk. We’ll introduce you to some four-legged therapists as they make the rounds at Moffitt Cancer Center.


Worry Disease
In the U.S., more than 10 million adults suffer from chronic back pain. With an annual cost of more than 50 billion dollars for diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, Americans have made back pain their top healthcare expenditure. Now a new surgical procedure called ‘XLIF’ is gaining in popularity. With XLIF, the procedure is performed through the patient’s side, avoiding major muscles of the back. It’s proving to be an effective treatment for many patients who suffer from leg or back pain caused by degenerative disc disease. Find out more in the upcoming Smart Health…


Buon Appetito: Health Benefits of a Mediterranean Diet
Eating a Mediterranean style diet is getting rave reviews not only for taste, but for health benefits, too. From Italian cooking to Greek cuisine, research is showing the ingredients most commonly used in this region can have a remarkable affect on your health — from heart disease and inflammation to weight loss and living longer. Learn more about the latest research and how you can benefit, as we cook up some wonderful dishes with internationally known Italian chef Giuliano Hazan of Sarasota.

Conquering Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States for men and women. About thirty thousand lives could be saved each year if everyone over the age of 50 was screened for colon cancer. Smart Health takes a look at the latest techniques used to make colon cancer screening easier. We’ll also explore how a conventional colonoscopy compares to the newer, less invasive "virtual" colonoscopy and hear what doctors and patients have to say about the two procedures.


Coffee: The Real Scoop
Many of us wouldn't think of starting the morning without that cherished cup of coffee...and for some, it doesn't stop with one or two! Many have tried to kick the coffee habit, but before you push away that java, tune in to Smart Health for some fascinating research. Can coffee actually stave off cancer, even diabetes, and Parkinson's disease? How does it affect blood pressure and cholesterol? We'll sift through the confusing research to help you decide if that cup of 'Joe' is friend or foe.


Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Of all the medical conditions, chronic fatigue syndrome is one of the most mysterious. It's characterized by extreme fatigue, and a host of other problems, from sore throat to memory loss to muscle soreness. CFS can be debilitating, but its still a controversial condition, often very difficult to have accurately diagnosed. Why do doctors have such a hard time diagnosing CFS, and what treatments are available?


Reiki Therapy
Reiki is a Japanese healing art that is gaining attention and popularity around the world. It involves the transfer of energy from practitioner to patient, and claims to enhance the body's own ability to heal itself. Who's using Reiki therapy, and are the benefits real? Can they be scientifically proven? Find out more about this ancient healing art

Inflammation/the root of disease?
For many years, the focus on prevention and treatment of heart disease has centered around taming cholesterol levels, and keeping blood pressure under control. And certainly, these are still major factors. But more and more, doctors and research scientists are looking at inflammation as a root cause of heart disease, and a host of other health problems.

Inflammation has long been linked to conditions like arthritis. But emerging research now links chronic inflammation to everything from allergies to alzheimer's disease to cancer. Is inflammation the root cause of all disease? And what, if anything, can we do about it?



Living with multiple sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic disease that attacks the brain and spinal cord. It's particularly troubling, because it often targets young people in the prime of life, in their twenties and thirties. The disease is also very unpredictable. Symptoms may vary from mild and intermittent problems, to a progressive, debilitating condition where the person can no longer walk or talk or feed themselves.

There is no cure for MS. But some exciting new research is bringing hope to the thousands of families in Florida who struggle with this disease. This month, on Smart Health, meet a unique family struggling with Multiple Sclerosis in an intimate way. Mike Alexander was diagnosed in 2004. And he also has two sisters diagnosed with MS, each of them experiencing different stages of the disease. Learn about their journey, and why there is great reason for hope!



Prayer and healing
Can the power of prayer help to heal? It's a question that's been asked for generations and most research shows it does seem to make a difference. There is no scientific consensus, but a Largo women who survived a plane crash has no doubt prayer helped in her recovery. Diana Burgess was on the brink of death and expected to never walk again. We share her amazing story of survival and the turn of events she attributes to the power of prayer.



Gender Knee
Are your knees in bad shape? Women are more likely than men to have knee pain and disability. But until now, there hasn't been a knee designed with women in mind. Learn about a new replacement knee that is distinctly different from the traditional knee...shaped to fit a woman's anatomy.

Green Tea/Cancer Cure?
Green tea has not only become a popular beverage, it’s now getting a growing amount of attention for possible medicinal qualities. The Chinese have used it for generations to treat everything from arthritis to depression. Now mainstream medicine is taking notice. Clinical Trials are getting underway at Moffitt Cancer Center to see if green tea can help in the prevention and/or treatment of prostate cancer. Is there really some 'miracle' quality to this popular tea?



"Street Drug" used to Treat Sleep Disorder
Narcolepsy is a debilitating neurological sleep disorder caused by the brain's inability to regulate sleep-wake cycles normally. The primary symptoms are excessive daytime sleepiness, disrupted nighttime sleep, cataplexy, hallucinations, and sleep paralysis.

Now scientists and doctors have discovered a surprisingly effective treatment for some people with narcolepsy. The F-D-A approved drug is called Xyrem. But it has a dark side. It's also known as the 'date rape' drug, “G-H-B,” and has been abused as a recreational drug for years.

Learn how this controversial treatment, when carefully administered, is making a difference for those who suffer with this chronic sleep disorder.



Overcoming the Odds
One of every hundred babies in the United States is born with a heart defect. Bryan Rothlein of Safety Harbor was one of them. Bryan was born with a condition called 'hypoplastic left heart syndrome.' Most people who have this illness don't make it past childhood and many die in infancy. But despite a world of complications, Bryan has beaten the odds. Now as a successful veterinarian, Bryan is thriving -- and he's giving back. Tune in to this inspiring story of how a young man doesn't allow himself to be overcome by a lifetime of physical challenges.



Getting to the Point
Acupuncture is best known to help treat pain, but there are several other uses for this ancient Chinese form of medicine, you may not have heard about. More and more patients are flocking to acupuncture doctors to treat everything from infertility to facial aging to sinus trouble. You'll meet a woman who tried for years to get pregnant even with invitro fertilization, but could not. She turned to acupuncture and now has a happy, baby boy. You'll also see how women who are hesitant to have a traditional face lift are looking to accupuncture for it's unique facial tightening effects. Find out what other conditions are now more commonly being treated by acupuncture and how it all works.

MIGRAINE CURE:
A funny thing happened when doctors patched up a common heart defect in patients who had strokes. It cured many of their migraine headaches! The heart defect is called a "patent foramen ovale." That's Latin for "open oval hole." We're all born with this open flap between the two upper chambers of the heart, but it's supposed to close up in childhood. In about 20% of people, the hole does not close, and it's linked to increased risk of stroke. Doctors are beginning clinical trials in the Bay area to see if this procedure is effective primarily for severe migraine patients.

• For more information on PFO closures, go to www.NMTMedical.com.
• Dr. Tom Sullebarger is the physician who 'closed' the hole in Matt Fosdick's heart. He's the current President of the Florida Cardiovascular Institute, and Associate Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Tampa General Hospital. The website for the Florida Cardiovascular Institute is www.fciheart.com.
• Maria-Carmen Wilson, M.D. is with the Department of Neurology at USF, and she's also Director of the Pain Management Program at Tampa General Hospital.

DRUG TREATMENT/ A FAMILY AFFAIR:
The number of women who abuse drugs and alcohol is on the rise. Now a revolutionary drug treatment program in Pinellas County, run by Operation PAR is helping women get off and stay off drugs. They use a powerful incentive...the women's own children...to motivate them to change. Mothers are allowed to bring their children with them into this residential treatment program. We'll show you how and why it's working.



LIVING WITH MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY:
When Christopher Rhoades was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at about age 3, his parents were told he probably wouldn't live past age 18. But Christopher is beating all the odds. In spite of the hardships and challenges that come with this disease, this active college freshman is not letting MD stand in his way. We'll show you what life is like for this inspiring college freshman and his family.



HYPERBARIC CHAMBER RESEARCH:
You may have heard how hyperbaric chambers are used to treat divers who come up from deep water too quickly and get a dangerous condition known as "the bends." That's when gas bubbles form in the bloodstream. But hyperbaric chambers are now used to treat a variety of health conditions, including wound healing. Some fascinating hyperbaric research going on at USF and UCH-Carrollwood could one day impact the way we treat everything from alzheimer's disease to cancer. FInd out how the hyperbaric chamber is playing a larger new role in health care.

Dash Alert
The statistics on heart attacks are striking…A heart attack occurs about every 20 seconds in this country…and a death about every minute. Of those deaths, about half of them occur within the first hour after the heart attack. Timing is everything.

Doctors at Sarasota Memorial Hospital have come up with a special program designed to save more lives – by getting heart attack patients where they need to be – fast. The program is called “Direct Angioplasty Saves Hearts,” or “Dash Alert.” By getting patients interventional services more quickly, they can restore normal blood flow and minimize heart damage. Ironically, one of the doctors who helped design the program had a heart attack himself, and experienced the life-saving benefits of Dash Alert firsthand.

To find out more about heart attack, stroke, and cardiac warning signs, go to www.AmericanHeart.org.

21st Century Physicals
Getting a physical exam regularly has always been recommended by your doctor. That hasn’t changed. But the exams themselves have changed in many ways. New blood tests can tell us more about our heart, blood, and brain than ever before. Doctors aren’t asking all the same questions either. What tests should you ask your doctor for? What questions should you ask? We’ll show what a 21st century physical should look like.

For more information on what you should look for in a physical exam, check out the National Institutes of Health web site. Go to www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus. Key words "Physical exam."

The physician featured in this story is Lisa Saff Koche, M.D., with the Florida Cardiovascular Institute in Tampa. To contact her, call (813)353-1515, or log onto to the website at www.fciheart.com.

Wounded War Veteran's Yoga
With the advances of medical technology on the battlefield, more soldiers than ever before are surviving war, but coming back home with life altering disabilities. An unlikely duo has teamed up to help these wounded war vets on their road to recovery. A petite, blond yoga instructor from Tampa and a retired Admiral and former Navy Seal are introducing tough and sometimes skeptical soldiers to the benefits of yoga. These young men have suffered traumatic brain injuries and lost limbs. The yoga offers them a way to reconnect with their bodies to make the most of their rehab at the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital. You can see the transformation as the breathing and stretching seems to strengthen not only their bodies, but also their confidence. We introduce you to an army soldier and a marine who share the stories of their "Alive Day" and tell us why they're giving yoga a chance to make a difference in their lives.

For more information on yoga classes as a supplement to traditional rehab for veterans or civilians you can contact Annie Okerlin through her Yogani Studios website at www.yogani.com

Enable America's Vet Connect Program can help connect you to resources to ease a soldiers transition back into civilian life. Visit the Enable America website at www.enableamerica.org

Slimming Surgery
"Lap-band" surgery for weight loss is less invasive than gastric bypass, and it's become quite popular. It involves placing a restrictive band around part of the stomach to limit food intake. One Pasco County surgeon has performed thousands of these surgeries, and has even had the procedure done on him. He’s lost 100 pounds. But we’re learning more about the down side. Sometimes the band can erode into the stomach or break apart, or the band may slip. Some people can’t tolerate other side effects and have to have the band removed. How good is lap-band surgery, really? We'll follow the story of a Spring Hill woman who's made the decision to change her life with this fascinating surgery.

Candidates for Lap-band surgery for weight loss must have a body mass index of 35 or higher. To caluculate your body mass index, and for more information on this surgery and others for weight loss, check out www.endofobesity.com. Also, you can log on to www.floridaobesitysurgical.com.