Launch of HealixTecc(TM): Engineered Orthotics for Professionals

The HealixTecc line consists of a collection of four lightweight, breathable foot beds, shock absorbing heel cups and wedges, adhesive gel sheeting, and all-gel toe and finger caps. These products improve comfort, enhance work performance, and help in decreasing work related injuries.

HealixTecc foot beds feature a combination of supportive shells with a high quality SilverTecc(TM) top cover. The foot beds vary in support from minimal to maximum. As an added benefit, the foot bed's top cover is anti-odor, anti-microbial, and anti-fungal and consists of nano-silver fibers that are extremely durable.

HealixTecc foot beds are manufactured from a patented breathable vented EVA material. The ventilated design of the foot bed wicks moisture away from the foot, keeping the foot cool. Additional benefits of the foot bed design are: the foot bed is lightweight, is exceptional in absorbing shock and shear forces, and is very comfortable. A brief overview of the different products is mentioned below.

ControlTecc(TM) offers the most heel control and arch support with its specialized peg design. Daily Living(TM) provides medium arch and heel support through its ThermoM arch shell. Soft Shell(TM) contains a gel heel plug that provides maximum cushioning and shock absorption from the heel to the arch. LightTecc(TM) is the lightest of all the shells and provides excellent comfort and cushioning.

The Heel Cups and Heel Wedges are manufactured of a very soft, yet durable, shock absorbing medical grade silicone gel. Both the Heel Cups and Heel Wedges absorb shock, pressure and impact. The M-Gel All Gel Toe and Finger Caps protect and cushion either injured or sore toes or fingers. M-Gel All Gel Toe and Finger Caps are manufactured with medical grade mineral oil and vitamin E. The self-adhesive silicone gel sheeting with an anti-microbial top cover is intended to protect areas of the body (feet or hands) susceptible to either constant friction or pressure.

Tom Hauert, managing principal of Salesreach LLC, says "We see that many of the markets that we serve including, law enforcement, fire, military, safety, commercial and industrial are ready and in need of engineered orthotics. These products will greatly improve the comfort and safety of those who wear work boots, work shoes, or are primarily on their feet for extended periods of time. We are proud to offer such an extensive line of quality products for these markets that far exceeds those of the competition."

For more information, including a catalog and a complimentary sample, please contact Hal Mordkoff at 1-866-438-2297 x29 or by email at hal@gelconcepts.com or visit our website at www.healixtecc.com. To become a distributor or retailer of HealixTecc, please contact Tom Hauert at (847) 241-5150 or via e-mail at tom@salesreach.com. Correspondence by mail may be sent to: Poly-Gel, 30 Leslie Court, Whippany, NJ 07981.

Doctors Catch Cancer Earlier with Special MRI

New MRI machine was used by doctors diagnose breast cancer earlier. Patients lie on their stomach and their breasts are placed in two coils, which focus radio waves and allow for more complete images that give a three-dimensional look inside the breast.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.--Two-hundred thousand women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the United States. Mammograms, however, may not be the best way to detect it. Now, there's a new test to help doctors pinpoint and treat breast cancer.

Suzette Lipscomb knows how to get the most out of every moment and she plans to share most of those moments with her little girl, Ava. "I always wanted a little girl, but I was a little afraid that I may pass on some type of tendency toward the disease," Suzette says.

The disease she feared? Breast cancer. Her grandmother beat it and so did she. It wasn't easy though, during her battle she was forced to make a difficult decision. Suzette says, "I was trying to make a decision as to whether or not to remove both my breasts."

Richard Reitherman, a breast radiologist at CAD Imaging Sciences in White Plains, N.Y., used the new cadsciences breast imaging system to help decide which treatment would work best. For the test, patients lie on their stomach with their breasts in two coils, which help focus radio waves for more complete images.

"She and her surgeon know exactly how big the tumor is, so it gives her the best treatment," Dr. Reitherman says. For Suzette it showed her second breast was clear.

A dye injected into the patient helps pinpoint cancer and if chemotherapy treatments are working. In the scan, the red areas are cancer -- cancer that was missed in a mammogram. In fact, 20 percent of women who don't have the cad-sciences MRI will need a second surgery, something Suzette was able to avoid.

"I feel like the luckiest woman alive that not only did I have my cancer caught early enough that I'm alive, but that I was able to have a child," Suzette says.

Not all women are candidates for this cadsciences MRI. It's used for women who have already been diagnosed and need to know a course of action. It's also used for women who are high risk and have a family history of the disease. The procedure takes about 30 minutes; results are available 15 minutes later.

A New Way To Detect Early Progression Of Brain Tumors

A new way of detecting an early progression of brain tumor has been identified. Researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center recently participated in a pilot study with the Montreal Neurological Institute that suggests a certain type of MRI scanning can detect when a patient is failing brain tumor treatment before symptoms appear. The results of the study pave the way for a proactive treatment approach.

The study followed patients with recurring malignant brain tumors who were receiving chemotherapy. Patients received scans through an imaging device called MR spectroscopy to identify metabolic changes.

The scanning technique suggested that the use of metabolic imaging identifies chemical changes earlier than structural imaging such as a conventional MRI and CT scans. This approach allowed researchers to determine if the tumors were responding to treatment early by assessing metabolic changes in a brain tumor, which are easy to detect and appear before structural changes or symptoms. The result may give patients more time to try another treatment.

"The study has shown for the first time that metabolic response to brain tumor treatment can be detected earlier and faster by metabolic imaging instead of through structural imaging or assessment of the neurological status of a patient," says Mark C. Preul, M.D., Newsome Chair of Neurosurgery Research at St. Joseph's.

The imaging can be done often, poses no radiation hazard and is non-invasive.

"Frequent use of this type of imaging may be a useful tool to follow a patient's response to chemotherapy for malignant brain tumors," says Dr. Preul. "It gives us the ability to identify treatment failure early and more time to alter a patient's treatment plan before the disease progresses."

As a result of the pilot study, Barrow researchers are planning to conduct a second study that will use imaging in the same way to monitor the effects of brain tumor treatment. They are also developing imaging modalities that will show how brain tumors change their shape and metabolism with treatment.