Author: St. Elizabeth Healthcare

If you are trying to lose weight, you may feel a calorie is a calorie. The ultimate goal for weight loss is to burn more calories each day than you take in. But the truth is, not all calories are created equal. Dr. Lori Catanzaro, Certified Bariatrician at the St. Elizabeth Physicians Weight Management Center feels, “By eating less processed foods and more higher quality foods, you will consume more fiber and lower calorie dense foods. This will keep you feeling fuller throughout the day and likely control the amount of calories you eat.” A recent study published in the Journal…

Knowledge is empowering, sometimes even lifesaving. Amanda Laws, a St. Elizabeth Physicians Practice Manager, will tell you it likely was for her. In 2010, doctors diagnosed Laws’ mother with stage 4 ovarian cancer. Conversations about the family’s health history raised concern. Laws’ grandmother died of breast cancer in her 40s, and her great-grandmother died of ovarian cancer at roughly the same age. All signs pointed to a hereditary cancer risk and a need for genetic testing. For help, Laws turned to the genetic counselors at St. Elizabeth. “I was watching my mom basically fight for her life,” she says. “Having…

If you have atrial fibrillation (AFib) or experience heart palpitations, you have probably heard that you should stop your consumption of caffeine. Dr. Jon Hays, Electrophysiologist for the Florence Wormwald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. ELizabeth, says that is not necessarily true. “The practice of eliminating caffeine from your diet if you have heart rhythm issues is an old standard of care,” he says. “There have been numerous clinical studies about the effects of caffeine on AFib and they lack evidence showing caffeine has a negative impact on AFib.” AFib is the most common form of heart arrhythmia or irregular…

Does mowing the lawn, pulling weeds in the garden and watering the flowers feel like a drain on your time and your energy? While these summertime chores can be time-consuming, they also could be lifesaving. Physical Activity: Is Mowing the Lawn a Workout? The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) offers Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans ages six and older. These guidelines recommend that adults receive at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. While that might seem like more time than your schedule permits, try reframing your weekly outdoor chores into a mini-workout.…

Your body tends to break down as you age. In your 40s, it is likely you will start to feel the first aches and pains that come with the wear and tear you put on your joints and muscles. Did you know there are treatment options to help slow or possibly stop that degeneration? Dr. Michael Bertram, a board-certified Physician of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (also called Physiatry) says, “In physiatry, I am helping my patients maximize the function of their muscle and skeletal systems to improve their quality of life. Regenerative medicine is very useful when trying to reduce…

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease We all have moments of forgetting things, but when is it time to be concerned that a loved one’s forgetfulness is turning into something more? “The number one sign for Alzheimer’s/dementia is the gradual, insidious progression of cognitive loss,” says Dr. John Webb, lead physician in Neurology at St. Elizabeth Healthcare. “Initially, this is characterized by short-term memory loss, such as difficulty naming things and people or forgetting words.” Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease that worsens over time, whereas dementia can slowly show more symptoms or increasingly severe symptoms over a period of years. According…

Giving birth is a deeply personal and life-changing event. The team at the St. Elizabeth Healthcare Family Birth Place is committed to empowering you to make your birth experience as personalized and natural as you desire. “Natural childbirth is a wonderfully empowering option for women, but it’s important to be prepared and to select a healthcare provider who is experienced with natural childbirth,” says Sister Mary Kay Kramer, Certified Nurse-Midwife at St. Elizabeth. Sister Kay has been a Certified Nurse-Midwife for 17 years. A few of her suggestions to prepare for natural childbirth include: Enroll in a childbirth class specifically…

For many musicians, keeping their body in excellent shape is part of their job. But what can be done when an injury happens? Conditions affecting musicians can range from soreness and pain to an injury that impacts their ability to play and perform as scheduled. Just as learning an instrument requires special training and expertise, so does treating a musician who is struggling with pain or an injury. Luckily, musicians in the TriState area have an excellent local resource for specialized care: the St. Elizabeth Hand Therapy Center. As the largest and most experienced Certified Hand Center in the area, our…

A new life thanks to LINX For Northern Kentucky resident Patricia Pillion, severe acid reflux was affecting every aspect of her life – work, eating, even sleep. “I’d wake up in the middle of the night and food would be coming up. I’d sleep propped up by three pillows just to try to keep everything down,” says Patricia. “If my husband and I wanted to go out to dinner, I’d have to double up on my medication to try to enjoy my meal – and sometimes that wouldn’t even work.” Patricia was on acid suppression medication for gastroesophageal reflux disease…

Tammy Godman was only 36 when she felt a lump in her breast. Although she was too young for a recommended mammogram, she regularly did self-checks. Tammy said, “I have always worked in the medical field. In fact, I even worked in a mammography office once so I would regularly check for anything different.” It may have been that self-check and early detection that saved Tammy’s life. After finding a lump, Tammy quickly went to her doctor who sent her to St. Elizabeth Ft. Thomas. Tammy remembers, “They thought it was a thickening of tissue but had me do a…