Author: St. Elizabeth Healthcare
Joyce Jacobs has always loved helping others and taking care of people. A career in nursing was a natural fit for her. Her journey through nursing taught her the importance of self-care, which led her to adopt a healthy lifestyle. She exercised several times a week, ate healthy foods and always stayed on top of preventive care. When a routine carotid artery screening revealed that Joyce had mild plaque in her left carotid artery and moderate plaque in her right carotid artery, she was shocked. “I thought I was in great shape,” said Joyce. “I had no family history of…
For 41-year-old Maysville resident Larry Myrick, the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth has dramatically improved – and likely saved – his life. In 2017, Larry was having difficulty breathing. His primary care physician diagnosed him with pneumonia, but Larry wasn’t convinced that was the source of his symptoms. The next day he saw a cardiologist in Maysville who told Larry life-changing news: he was in advanced heart failure. “Everything happened pretty quickly,” says Larry. “I had a heart catheterization to see how my heart was working and was in the hospital for three days.” According to…
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects more than 20% of Americans. GERD causes heartburn, chest pain, inability to eat certain foods and even food regurgitation – symptoms that were a big part of 27-year-old Chelsie Begley’s daily life. As a mom of young kids balancing a 40-hour-a-week job and homeschooling, Chelsie had no energy for anything, thanks to her severe GERD symptoms. “I’m a hands-on mom – we’re always doing crafts and activities,” says Chelsie. “I felt so terrible that we couldn’t do any of that. It made all of us sad.” Chelsie would get through each day barely consuming 500-600…
St. Elizabeth Healthcare is one of the first in the region to offer a new relief option for patients struggling with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). The most common GERD symptom is acid reflux – that uncomfortable heartburn sensation that many of us have occasionally felt after eating. However, when your acid reflux becomes chronic and severe, it is known as GERD. For Northern Kentucky resident Pat Huffman, GERD significantly impacted what she could eat daily. Even on three daily medications, her GERD was still taking over her life. “I had terrible heartburn after eating any food,” says Pat Huffman. “Anything…
If you’re a mom, you know that your heart doubles in size with love after your baby is born. But did you know that breastfeeding your baby can have a positive impact on your cardiovascular health? A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) shows that women who breastfeed can reduce their cardiovascular disease and stroke risk. The study reviewed more than one million women worldwide who have breastfed at one point in their lives. Significant findings for breastfeeding women versus women who have never breastfed include: · 11% reduction in cardiovascular events. · 12% reduction…
Tips for Maintaining a Diet with Healthy Sodium Limit Do you know if you’re getting too much daily salt in the foods and beverages you enjoy? The truth is, you probably are. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the average American consumes more than 3,400 mg of sodium each day. That’s nearly 50% more than the recommended daily limit of 2,300 mg as outlined by the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans – and more than twice the AHA’s ideal limit of 1,500 mg of sodium per day for most adults. But you don’t have to be a statistic. With…
You May Not Need Regular Aspirin Unless You’ve Had a Previous Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Disease The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent, volunteer panel of medical experts focused on improving the health of people, shared new guidelines in April 2022 suggesting people without a previous heart attack or stroke or diagnosis of cardiovascular disease should not take low-dose aspirin daily. These guidelines align with the American Heart Association’s 2019 primary prevention guidelines. For adults without a prior diagnosis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, taking a daily low-dose aspirin can lead to an increased risk of internal bleeding, which outweighs…