The FDA has approved a device that could help many paralyzed people breathe on their own for several hours

Back in 2003, the electronic device was tested on Christopher Reeve. A horseback riding accident had left him paralyzed and unable to breathe without the aid of a ventilator.

Reeve was just the third patient to receive "diaphragm-pacing". The procedure involves attaching electrodes to the diaphragm through small incisions. A control box outside the body sends signals causing the diaphragm to contract, sucking air into the lungs.

The experiment let Reeve breathe on his own for 15 minutes. Today, patients are able to breathe for at least 4 hours a day.

And in other medical news…
Vitamin D may help extend the lives of patients battling colon cancer.

New research from the Dana-Farber cancer institute finds patients who had higher levels of vitamin d in their blood were less likely to die than patients who were deficient.

The study included data from more than 300 colon cancer patients whose blood levels of vitamin D were measured two years before their diagnosis.

While this study is promising researchers say it's far too early to recommend vitamin D supplements for colon cancer patients.