Charlotte Latvala

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Surgery is the oldest type of treatment for cancer, but that doesn't mean our methods are outdated. We use the latest minimally invasive techniques for cancer surgery whenever possible.
What Is Cancer Surgery?
In some cases, we use surgery to remove cancer, especially when it's found in just one part of the body. But sometimes surgery is a tool to diagnose cancer or to find out how far cancer has spread.
Cancer surgery is sometimes used alone. But we often combine it with ...

Dietary supplements — vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other botanicals — are wildly popular. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 57% of U.S. adults use dietary supplements. This includes everything from multivitamins and probiotics to fish oil and ginseng.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate dietary supplements as strictly as prescription medications. Instead, companies that manufacture supplements must have evidence that their produc...

Your immune system is built to fight off germs. The healthier you are, the better it works. An immune system that’s functioning properly can help ward off colds and flu as well as protect you from chronic and serious diseases like type 2 diabetes and cancer.
Here are some simple ways you can boost your immunity during cold and flu season — and all year long.
Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. You should get most of your vitamins and nutrients from unprocessed foods. Foods high in vitamin C an...

If your child has food allergies, your doctor may recommend a food challenge.
Don’t worry; a food challenge isn’t an eating contest. Rather, during a food challenge, your child will eat a certain food in a supervised place like a doctor’s office. The results may confirm that your child is or isn’t allergic to the food.
Here’s what you need to know about food challenges.
What Is a Food Challenge?
A food challenge (also called an oral food challenge) is a medically controlled method of confirmi...

Doctors use antibiotics to prevent and treat bacterial infections. These drugs have saved many lives for decades.
But sometimes bacteria mutate and the antibiotics that used to kill them don't work as well — or at all. When they no longer work well, bacterial infections can become more dangerous and spread.
The World Health Organization says antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health today.
Call the UPMC Center for Care of Infectious Diseases to learn more or make an...

You know that snoring disrupts your sleep (not to mention that of your partner). And sleep deprivation can lead to morning headaches, daytime sleepiness, and a lack of focus. But at its worst, snoring is a sign of sleep apnea, a more serious condition.
Here’s what you need to know about this common problem — and how to stop snoring.
What Causes Snoring?
Snoring begins when you’re asleep and the muscles of your soft palate, tongue, and throat relax. As you breathe, your soft palate and uvula v...

If you have a bone infection or a wound that’s not healing, your doctor might recommend hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy. The treatment consists of breathing in pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber.
Hyperbaric Medicine FAQs
Julie Bielec, MD, is medical director of the Wound and Hyperbaric Center of UPMC Western Maryland. She explains what hyperbaric oxygen therapy wound healing is, and who might benefit from this treatment.
Q: What is a hyperbaric chamber used for?
A: For years, doctors have u...

Every now and then, you find yourself clicking on some annoying article — even though you already know what it’s going to say.
In this case, “The 12 Most Useless College Majors, According to Career Experts.”
Oh, I know them, all right.
Theater. English. Marketing. History.
These are some of the majors that “limit your career options and salary potential.” They are “unlikely to get you a good return on your investment.”
And yippee-kai-yay, among the members of my immediate family, we check eve...

The holiday season can be joyful and busy, but it can also be stressful. You may be under extra financial pressure, family tensions might come to a head, or you may feel less than adequate when looking at other people’s seemingly “perfect” Instagram photos. Not surprisingly, many people suffer from a case of the blues in December.
If you already have any mental health issues, the holidays can be especially challenging. Stress can ramp up symptoms of depression and anxiety. In fact, the Nation...

Deployment is part of military life. But getting assigned to serve overseas or elsewhere can majorly affect your family.
If you have children, you may be in for some challenging times as you adapt to life during deployment.
Here are some tips to make the transition easier for children of any age.
Develop a Support System Ahead of Time
Before deployment, familiarize yourself with support programs and resources available through your military branch and the larger community. Talking to other fa...

Baby teeth may not seem important, but, in fact, the opposite is true. Your baby’s first teeth help them learn to chew, talk, and smile properly. They also leave room for their permanent teeth to come in.
That’s why it’s important to take care of your baby’s primary teeth — and to avoid early childhood caries.
What Are Early Childhood Caries?
The medical term “early childhood caries” refers to tooth decay in children 5 and under. Early childhood caries are sometimes called nursing caries or b...

You reached adulthood without suffering from allergies. And then suddenly one spring — or fall — you start sneezing every time you go outside. Strange as it may seem, you could be developing adult-onset allergies.
More than 19 million Americans 18 and over suffer from hay fever, the most common seasonal allergy. Not all of them developed allergies during childhood. For some people, it takes years of exposure to trigger an allergic reaction, so they don’t experience the sneezing, watery eyes, ...

“Can you do lunch next Wednesday? Around 12:30?”
My mind froze at this simple question from a friend. (I’m not a fan of quick decisions, even the most innocuous ones.)
“Um, maybe? Possibly. Honestly, I need to check my calendar. At home.”
Some years ago, I could get away with this and not get weird looks. In simpler times, people kept calendars on their desks. On their kitchen counters. Pinned to a bulletin board.
Now, the response is likely to be “Can’t you just check your phone?” To which I...

Chances are, you know you have two kidneys. But do you have any idea what they do?
Take our True or False quiz and find out what you know about these powerhouse organs.
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Established in 1981, UPMC Transplant Services is one of the foremost organ transplant centers in the world. Our clinicians have performed more than 20,000 organ transplant procedures, including liver, kidney, pancreas, single and double lung, heart, and more. We are home to some of the world’s foremost tra...