Editor's note: Here's to a happy, healthy 2008

Roger Harms, M.D.

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The celebration of the passage of time is a wise investment of our global goodwill. It's hard to have an argument over whether the earth has indeed circumnavigated the sun in the past 365.256 days. Why not celebrate the inevitable? With time comes change, and change is all about the future. It may be a bit more arguable, but I think the future is about hope.

For me, there have been lots of reminders of the aging process in 2007. There was the "joy" of colon cancer screening in January, the expansion of liver spots in July and the threat of another root canal in December. It's enough to make one wax philosophical.

Despite those personal reminders of age, I find a great deal to be optimistic about. Every year, medical and scientific discoveries put more tools in the hands of doctors and consumers to take steps to increase our chances of longer, happier, healthier lives. Reliable information is the first step that is needed toward using those tools.

That, of course, is what this Web site is all about. The scientific undergirding of the information you find here is rigorously reviewed. But it's perhaps even more extraordinary that the people who distill that information for you are the medical experts of Mayo Clinic. What you get is reliable information from people who care for patients every day. Those patients trust these health care leaders and so can you.

As I look to 2008, I have unbounded hope for the Web site. I know there are many, many more of you visiting this site than just one year ago. That growth is evidence that we are providing value to you. In 2008, we hope to provide you with more information, more tools to bring that information home to you. In other words, in 2008 we hope to serve you better than ever before.

I hope all of you will grasp the hope of a healthier future and make it yours in 2008! We will be here to help.

Happy New Year from all of us.

Roger Harms, M.D.
Medical editor-in-chief
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

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