Author: St. Elizabeth Healthcare

As we approach the giving season, it’s interesting to think about what drives people’s decisions to give. What resonates? What makes them feel good? A study from NPR describes how our feelings battle one another when making the decision to give. When the volunteers in the study were presented with a story of a little girl suffering from starvation they gave twice as much as the volunteers who were presented with the same story, but were also told about millions of other people who were starving. The psychologist who led the study found the volunteers lost their emotional connection to…

Maybe. The biggest risk factor for Alzheimer’s is aging. As Americans live longer, that means more people are likely to develop the disease. Less than one percent of people with Alzheimer’s have a genetic mutation that leads to the development of the disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the best prevention for Alzheimer’s and some other forms of dementia is likely healthy aging ““ staying physically, emotionally and mentally healthy as the years go by. Their strategies for reducing your risk of Alzheimer’s disease: Keep your heart healthy. Some studies show that as many as 80 percent of people who…

It seems more people than ever before are going without gluten. Sometimes without mentioning it to a host! I have a friend who came to my home for dinner, and I didn’t have a gluten-free option on the table. She ate very little and only later did I recall she is gluten free. Rather than struggling with building an entire meal without gluten, I’ve developed some standard practices that accommodate my gluten-free guests. Offer at least one appetizer that does not include bread or crackers.   Consider using rice “crackers” and corn chips as companions for cheese and dips. Have…

Finding motivation to work out is difficult. I have struggled countless times to go for a run in the dark early hours of the morning or after dinner has already settled in my belly. Next time working out seems too difficult, find inspiration from a few amazing athletes, like local hero Lauren Hill. 1. Ben Comen In 2003, Ben Comen captured cross country fans’ hearts, even though he never won a race. Actually he never even beat other runners. Comen was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, which does not affect his mental abilities, only his muscles and coordination. Every…

Thanksgiving at my home looks like this ““ wake up early and put the turkey in the oven. Enclose the cats behind doors that curious nieces and nephews can’t open, then set the table. Begin preparing army-size portions of the family’s favorite high-carbohydrate side dishes and store them next to the high-calorie desserts prepared the night before. Greet the arriving family and friends who generously bring appetizers and adult beverages, then sit down together at the table to consume mass quantities of everything. Within 60 minutes of eating, a cacophony of snoring by both men and women is heard in…

What you sleep on can make or break the quality of sleep you get. If you’re sleeping on an old, small mattress, chances are you’re not getting the rest you need. Sleep is critically important to your overall health. It affects your productivity at work and your mood; and poor sleep can lead to weight gain, depression or other health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. I was recently shopping for a mattress and didn’t know where to look or how much to budget because I had no idea what a quality mattress costs. It can…

Performer Robin Williams had a common, but tricky to diagnose form of dementia when he died in August. Autopsy results showed Williams had Lewy bodies dementia (sometimes called dementia with Lewy bodies or LBD), as well as Parkinson’s disease. LBD occurs when tiny clumps of proteins build up on brain cells. Like Alzheimer’s disease, a better-known form of dementia, it is progressive and fatal. LBD affects an estimated 1.3 million Americans, but it’s not well-known and can be difficult to diagnose, according to the Lewy Bodies Dementia Association. It can be confused with Parkinson’s disease, another degenerative brain disease with…

We brought you a story in December on the rising cases of whooping cough in Northern Kentucky. According to  WCPO.com, whooping cough cases have continued to reach “record levels” in Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties, mostly among school-age children from 7 to 17 years old. Public health officials are urging parents and children to get  vaccinated. Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can cause serious illness in infants, children and adults. “Whooping cough starts just like an upper respiratory infection,” said Dr. John LaCount, a pediatrician with St. Elizabeth Physicians’ Florence office.…

You probably know osteoporosis is a disease that affects our bones, and you likely know calcium is a good way to fight it. But when you think of people diagnosed with osteoporosis, you probably aren’t thinking about men. Osteoporosis is a bone disease that causes weak or brittle bones because of bone loss ““ but it isn’t confined to women. While women are at greater risk for developing osteoporosis, men are not immune to it. So could you be at risk? Visit NPR to learn about your risk factors and the steps you can take to protect you bones from…

Only seven minutes for an intense workout sounds too good to be true, right? This article from the New York Times shows how different muscle groups can get more out of short interval-style exercises than an hour of low-impact workouts, such as walking or jogging. The specific workout outlined requires dumbbells and includes lunges, push-ups, burpees and curls. I know it sounds demanding, but a workout is meant to get your heart racing and burn calories. Recent articles have shown that interval-style exercise provides several benefits including increased endurance, decreased appetite and improved metabolic and cardiovascular health. If you’re a…