| Radio wave treatment can help when heartburn is a problem
Q. I deal with heartburn from time to time, but so do many of my friends. At what point does heartburn merit a visit to the doctor? A. Because so many people suffer from bouts of heartburn occasionally, people dealing with frequent heartburn aren't always sure if their problem is out of the ordinary. Not all heartburn is created equal. For many people, symptoms are less frequent and easily managed, while other people suffer from regular discomfort. If you're putting up with heartburn symptoms that seem beyond your control, you need to consult a physician. When Heartburn is a Problem A less serious, but very common, form of heartburn is called "episodic heartburn." Episodic heartburn is infrequent, predictable and easily managed with over-the-counter medicine.
Precision-Guided Cancer Weapons
In early 2005, Phil Ogden noticed he was having trouble swallowing food and went to a doctor, thinking he might have acid reflux. The news was far worse. The 66-year-old retired cop from Modesto, Calif., had esophageal cancer, and it had already spread to nearby lymph nodes. Dr. Albert Koong, a radiation oncologist with Stanford University's Comprehensive Cancer Center, asked if Ogden would mind being the first person to undergo a new type of radiation treatment. "The doctor said: 'For the first time in history, we can bomb the equivalent of an outhouse from 30,000 feet with no collateral damage,'" Ogden recalls. .
Wyeth 4Q Profit Up 17 Percent
Wyeth on Tuesday said its fourth-quarter profit rose 17 percent, driven by sales of the antidepressant Effexor and the childhood infection vaccine Prevnar. Net income for the Madison-based drug maker grew to $855.4 million, or 63 cents per share, from $731.7 million, or 54 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Results for the latest quarter included charges of 3 cents per share related to productivity initiatives. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial expected fourth-quarter profit of 71 cents per share. Quarterly revenue rose 10 percent to $5.22 billion, from $4.75 billion last year, compared with a Wall Street consensus of $5.11 billion for the latest quarter. Sales were driven by an 11 percent rise in sales of Effexor to $936.1 million, and a 25 percent increase in sales of Prevnar to $501.7 million.
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