When a person’s kidneys fail, there are two forms of treatment available: dialysis and transplant.

While dialysis replaces some of the functions done by healthy kidneys, a successful kidney transplant offers people suffering from kidney failure a much better quality of life, considerably greater freedom, increased energy levels and a less restricted diet.

“Studies show that people who receive kidney transplants live longer than those who remain on dialysis,” says Radi Zaki, MD, Co-Chairman of the Department of Transplantation, Division of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, at Einstein Healthcare Network.

Of course, waiting for a kidney transplant isn’t as simple as scheduling a surgery.

There are currently more than 100,000 people waiting for lifesaving kidney transplants in the United States, with someone added to the list every 14 minutes and an average wait time for a kidney transplant around three and a half years.

Bob Harper, personal trainer and host of the NBC show “The Biggest Loser,” recently suffered a heart attack.  He reportedly collapsed while working out at the gym and a doctor who was there performed CPR on him.  News of his heart attack came as a great surprise to viewers and fans since he is just 51 years old and appeared to be extremely fit and healthy. (Harper told People magazine that heart problems run in his family, and that his mother died of a heart attack.)

People have a lot of questions about how someone like Bob Harper could have a heart attack and Einstein cardiologist Leandro Slipczuk, MD, PhD, (right) addresses some of the questions:

How does someone who is relatively young and extremely fit have a heart attack?

Data indicates that healthy behaviors such as physical activity, non-smoking, healthy diet and lack of abdominal adiposity (belly fat) could prevent four out of five heart attacks. Nevertheless, other factors such as family history of heart disease, hypertension and high cholesterol provide a significant risk. Sometimes a heart attack can happen even without risk factors and this is why screening is important. 

Weight loss surgery, also called bariatric surgery, changes more than just the contours of the body. It gives people hope.

“Patients can play with their kids or grandkids,” says Ramsey Dallal, MD, one of Einstein’s most experienced bariatric surgeons. “They can function without pain and not feel ostracized. I hear about people crying at the mall because they can finally shop for regular clothes. There is not one aspect of their lives that is not altered dramatically by this surgery.”

What is Obesity?

More than 36 percent of U.S. adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That means a body mass index (BMI)—a ratio of weight to height—of 30 or higher. Obesity contributes to many health conditions, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and certain cancers. Obesity can also put stress on joints.

Most of us associate colon cancer and rectal cancer with older adults. That’s why results of a recent study by the American Cancer Society that found that the rate of new cases of colon and rectal cancer are increasing at a rapid rate among young and middle-aged adults in the U.S., is eye opening, says Richard Greenberg, MD, Division Chair of Colorectal Surgery for Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia.  Based on the study, once age is taken into account, people born in 1990 have twice the risk of colon cancer and four times the risk of rectal cancer compared to people born around 1950.  The study was published February 28 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men and the third leading cause of cancer deaths in women. In 2017, there will be 95,520 new cases of colon cancer and 39,910 new cases of rectal cancer.  Both cancers will result in an estimated 50,260 deaths.  The risk for colon and rectal cancer has been increasing for every generation, with the highest increases among people in their 20s.

Dr. Greenberg weighs in about this study and offers information on how people of all ages can be proactive about their health and help prevent these diseases.

In men with prostate cancer who have had the prostate surgically removed, about a third of the time the cancer doesn’t completely go away or it comes back. In those patients, radiation therapy appears to improve long-term freedom from recurrence, but now comes strong evidence that treatment with antiandrogen drugs, or male hormone blockers—in addition to radiation—improves the rate of survival significantly, and greatly reduces the likelihood that the cancer will spread to other parts of the body.

These findings were published in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Kenneth Zeitzer, MD, (right) of Einstein’s Department of Radiation Oncology, was a co-author of the study.

The study followed 760 men over 12 years who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and had their prostate removed, only to have the disease persist, as shown by increasing blood levels of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA. PSA is a standard test for prostate cancer.

Are sore feet taking the spring out of your exercise routine? Corns, calluses and ingrown toenails putting a damper on those dogs? Chronic foot problems are not normal. They can hamper your springtime activities and, if left untreated, cause more severe joint and back problems.

Here are some common foot problems and remedies from the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society to keep your feet happy this spring.

Athlete’s Foot: If you notice peeling, cracking and scaly skin between your toes, chances are you have athlete’s foot. Caused by fungi that thrive in heat and moisture, athlete’s foot is best treated with over-the-counter anti-fungal powders or creams, good hygiene and keeping your feet dry.

Success begins with knowing where to start. And with the highest percentage of one-year patient survival and one-year graft survival in Philadelphia for adult liver transplantations—according to data released in January 2017 by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients—Einstein's Center for Advanced Liver Disease and Transplantation is the right choice.

A chocolate bar or a bag of chips from the vending machine? A quick bologna sandwich on white bread with mayo from the fridge?

Back in early December 2016, a team of students from the University of Delaware visited MossRehab to test out a portable wheelchair racer trainer. The lightweight trainer is designed to be portable, and is ultimately destined to provide a training aid for Ghana's first paralympic wheelchair racing club, the Go Get Dem team.

Many women are unaware that heart disease is the greatest threat to their health. Yet, heart disease takes more women’s lives annually than every form of cancer combined.

Women’s symptoms of heart disease can be more subtle than men’s, and their response to them is often delayed. Women may feel tired or easily fatigued, but they often make excuses to themselves about what is happening and dismiss the signs.

There are anatomical distinctions as well. Women tend to develop diffuse plaque that usually builds up evenly in their arteries, which are smaller than a man’s. This is significant because it makes it harder for doctors to see a blockage in a woman’s arteries.