'brain' posts

Your brain is your body’s control center and keeping it healthy helps keep your whole body healthy. Often times, however, our physical ailments take center stage. But did you know that mental health and physical health are connected? This is why it is important for us—from birth to old age—to keep our brains happy and healthy. Whether we do this by working on our daily crossword or carving out time each day to focus on activities that keep us positive, activities that improve brain health improve our overall health, too.

When it comes to maintaining brain health, there are four specific areas on which to focus:

SEATTLE, Feb. 6, 2013 – Swedish Neuroscience Institute has added a new and innovative therapy to its treatment arsenal for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) – a very aggressive and difficult to control brain tumor.

SEATTLE, Nov. 29, 2012 - Swedish Medical Center announced today that the Ben and Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment (Ivy Center) will receive an additional $2.5 million grant from the Ben & Catherine Ivy Foundation (Ivy Foundation). The grant, the second received from the Ivy Foundation in three years, will be used to identify new drugs with potential for clinical use in brain cancer treatment.

Who likes thinking about stroke? It’s scary! But when we talk about it, we learn how to prevent and treat it. With quick and careful treatment—from diet and exercise to medications and guided rehabilitation—life can go on happily and healthily after stroke. But first of all, we need to start the conversation. So let’s chat.

You: What is a stroke?

Me: A stroke occurs when a clot of blood gets stuck in your brain or a blood vessel in your brain bursts. Many factors can increase your risk for stroke. Do you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes? Do you smoke or are you overweight? Take this free risk assessment to see if you might be at risk for stroke.

You: How do I know if it’s a stroke?

Me: If you or a loved one has a stroke, check for signs and call 911 as soon as possible. When a stroke occurs, blood cannot get to parts of the brain that control speech and movement. When you notice these signs, the key is to think and act “FAST:”

F – Face: If...

SEATTLE, Aug. 29, 2012 - The Issaquah Press posted an article on their web site today headlined 'Issaquah brothers become brain surgeons for a day' about two Issaquah brothers who were among those invited by the Swedish Neuroscience Institute to become brain surgeons for a day on Aug. 24.

SEATTLE, Aug. 27, 2012 – Since its opening in 2008, the Ben & Catherine Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment (the Ivy Center) at Swedish Medical Center's Neuroscience Institute has led the expansion drive of major research projects and expanded treatment options for patients living with brain cancer in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the world. The Ivy Center was founded in 2008 to create a world-class treatment and research facility focused on delivering excellent patient care and advancing progress toward more effective treatments for brain cancer.

Dr. Greg Foltz, a brain surgeon from the Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute in Seattle is inviting 25 people (including students) to join him on Friday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to become a “Brain Surgeon for a Day.” (Enter by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, August 9, 2012.)

Randomly selected individuals will spend time learning about the brain and its key parts. These individuals will see how Swedish surgeons are using the latest research to find new treatments for brain cancer. As part of the event, these individuals will:

• Walk away with their own pair of Swedish medical “scrubs”, just like a doctor
• Participate in a behind the scenes tour and gain special access to places within the hospital most visitors do not get to see
• Rub elbows in the confides of the “green room” and meet some of the smartest physicians of the Pacific Northwest region
• Learn about brain tumors and why some are so deadly

At the conclusion of the tour, Dr. Foltz and other neuroscientists will host a lunch session with participants about his every day battle against brain cancer, a disease he hopes will be cured one day soon.

“Brain Surgeon for a Day” Schedule of Events:

• 11:00 AM: Scrub Up with your new pair of medical scrubs
• 11:05 AM: Meet and Greet with Dr. Greg Foltz of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Swedish
• 11:15 AM: Take part in an interactive session with brain tissue samples at the Seattle Science Foundation
• 11:50 AM: Guided behind-the-scenes tour of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center research lab, clinic and research partners
• 12:05 PM: Visit a behind-the-scenes location
• 12:20 PM: Lunch and Q&A session with Dr. Foltz and other special guests
• 1:00 PM Conclusion

Other possible events during the two-hour event:

• See the first commercial Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Core Facility in the U.S. and how it is being used for brain cancer.
• Explore the genome sequencing machines that help decode DNA in tumors.
• Meet ....