Updated: 3:32 PM It can improve life expectancy, resolve Type 2 Diabetes and cut risk of coronary disease in half. Bariatric surgery is helping a lot of people take control of their weight and their lives, but re-routing organs to achieve that goal can be scary for those considering operations.
Updated: 3:34 PM Hypothermia can be deadly! Getting too cold can cause your body to shut down. It's that same theory doctors are now using to help save the lives of stroke patients.
Updated: 3:36 PM They died waiting. In a seven year span, 533 kids hoping for heart transplants didn't get one in time.
Updated: 3:38 PM Born with sickle cell-and sick from lupus, a young woman is given a second chance after a breakthrough procedure cures her of both!
Updated: 3:47 PM It's easy to gain weight during the holidays, especially with all the dinners and parties and mindless eating they bring. In fact, half the weight we gain all year comes during the weeks leading up to the new year.
Updated: 3:49 PM Caused by chemotherapy, it's one of the most obvious signs of cancer treatment, but a cool new therapy is helping some patients lock-in their locks .
Updated: 3:45 PM It's the third leading cause of death in the United States-and it literally takes a person's breath away. I'm talking about chronic pulmonary disease or COPD. Some of the most effective treatments may not come in a pill or a bottle.
Posted: 6:14 PM Look in the mirror do you see a slight curve on your back? Three-percent of us have scoliosis. It's a minor problem for most people, but for some children it's severe and requires treatment.
Posted: 6:12 PM 190 million doses of antibiotics are administered in hospitals every day, but what happens when your body becomes so used to the drugs it can no longer fight off serious or even simple infections?
Posted: 6:01 PM Those with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy will likely die well before they reach their mid-20's, but, one young man and his father are focusing on prolonging lives until there's a cure.
Posted: 6:40 PM 80-million people in the U.S. suffer with high blood pressure. One in three of those can't get it under control. That can lead to heart disease, stroke or kidney failure. Now a new implant is literally changing the minds of those who can't get relief from drugs alone.
Posted: 4:29 PM 25.8 million children and adults in the U.S. have diabetes. That's eight percent of the population. The disease causes more deaths a year than breast cancer and AIDS combined.
Posted: 4:19 PM Close to 26 million people in this country have diabetes, including one in every 400 children. For years, the only choice those with insulin-dependent diabetes had was to wear an insulin pump with tubes, but they can sometimes tangle up and embarrass the user or get in the way of enjoying activities. Now, the world's first tubeless insulin pump is changing that.
Posted: 6:24 PM 166-thousand Americans are living with spina bifida. The disease strikes before birth, often crippling a child's chances of walking and causing a dangerous buildup of fluid on the brain. Surgery usually takes place within a few days after birth, but now results from a new study have opened up the way for kids to get treatment before birth.
Posted: 6:19 PM Super bowl champs and NFL hall of famers are a few of the athletes who'll be part of a major study, After they're dead. A former pro-wrestling star who helped get the NFL's concussion policy changed wants to treat and prevent a form of dementia called CTE.
Posted: 3:47 PM Coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath. 24 million Americans experience these symptoms when asthma attacks.The chronic respiratory disease is obvious in some, but other patients suffer a long time while doctors struggle to figure out their problem. Now, a new test is helping undiagnosed asthmatics breathe a lot easier.
Updated: 4:28 PM Out of their white coats and into camouflage. Doctors and nurses who volunteer for service are required to get a taste of the battlefield before they head to hospitals near war zones. They only have days to train for what they might encounter, and what they learn from the military may be the opposite of what they're taught in school.
Updated: 4:05 PM Giving a voice to the dead without a single slice. It's so cutting edge, the producers of CSI are using this 3-D technology to get ideas for their show.
Updated: 4:03 PM Treating cancer could start even before you know you have it. Cancer vaccines are game changers in the fight against the most common forms of this deadly disease.
Updated: 4:01 PM You've seen it in numerous movies. Combat medics rushing to the aid of injured troops, putting their own lives on the line to save another. It takes intense training, and one technique can mean the difference between life and death.
Updated: 3:59 PM Decade to decade, war to war, combat medics have been on the front lines, treating troops on the brink of death. As battle tactics evolve, so too does battle medicine.
Updated: 3:56 PM They work their way through your body sending signals instead of delivering medicine. Right now, smart pills are helping solve medical mysteries and can do a whole lot more.
Updated: 4:52 PM More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer's disease. That equals the same amount of people living in the entire state of Minnesota, or Colorado or Maryland. There is no cure. Early diagnosis is difficult and very few drugs are being tested to slow the progression. Doctors are working on new ways to diagnose and treat Alzheimer's disease that could be the top game changers of this year.
Updated: 4:49 PM Work may be hazardous to your health! New research shows sitting at your desk all day could be killing you. And if you think you're covered because you hit the gym, think again. Sitting for hours at a time can reverse those benefits.
Updated: 3:55 PM 250,000 Americans are living with a spinal cord injury. 53% have lost the use of their legs. But bionic breakthroughs are changing the game for these people and helping them move around like never before.
