Daylight saving time gets blamed for as much as a 24% spike in heart attacks the Monday after we move clocks ahead in the spring. But does moving clocks back in the fall have the same effect? There’s good news. The same study that found the big increase in the spring heart attacks found the…
While it is possible to deliver vaginally after cesarean section — vaginal birth after cesarian, or VBAC — there are VBAC risks and benefits you and your OB/GYN should discuss. “A successful VBAC can help avoid bowel or bladder issues, hysterectomy or even issues with the placenta in other pregnancies,” said Christopher Watkins, M.D., OB/GYN with…
Laura Chamberlin first noticed a lump in her breast when she was a graduate student living in Seattle, Washington. She mentioned it to her primary care doctor, who told her not to worry. “She said, ‘You’re young. You just have dense tissue,’” Laura recalled. After moving to Louisville a year later to work as an…
Each year, Debbie Cobb would see Bike to Beat Cancer setting up from her office on the Norton Brownsboro Hospital campus. She would see the big tents going up and hear everyone on campus getting excited. One year, looking out over the tents, Debbie said, “I am going to do it!” She registered for Bike…
During pregnancy, there are many guidelines for patients to follow, ranging from what to eat and what not to eat to how to exercise and what medications are safe to take. One of the medications that long has been deemed safe to take during pregnancy is acetaminophen. But a recent statement by 13 scientists from…
Be ready to impress with this delicious, easy recipe. Want to make it even easier? Buy pre-seasoned or battered frozen fish and just heat in the oven or air fryer. Enjoy! Easy fish tacos 1 pound tilapia (cut into strips) Olive oil 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black…
In 2017, Kimberley Marek received a call after her mammogram, letting her know that something had come back abnormal. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. Since she has dense breast tissue, she had experienced this call before, but the follow-up had always produced a normal result. Not this time. This time it was…
Can you stave off lethal prostate cancer by changing your diet and lifestyle? Promising research suggests yes: Those changes can go a long way in reducing the risk of developing the worst type of this cancer. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that is part of the male reproductive system. It is located below the…
Hope. It’s just about the only thing some of us still have after the pandemic took everything else. It’s taken me nine months, and many hours of therapy, to understand that I can’t fault other people for not understanding what it’s like to have COVID-19, or to be a COVID-19 long-hauler. I can’t get angry at people…
Fall in the Ohio Valley is tough — ragweed and pigweed are blooming, and combined with hot, humid weather and poor air quality, it can make for a miserable couple of months for people with allergies. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America lists Louisville in the top 20 among its 2021 Allergy Capitals. Seasonal…
Parkinson’s disease medications are designed to increase dopamine levels in the brain or slow the breakdown of the brain’s dopamine, lessening the tremors and other symptoms. Dopamine is a chemical involved in movement, and its decrease in the brain is central to Parkinson’s disease. By the time someone starts experiencing symptoms, dopamine levels in the…
Symptoms of dementia in older adults aren’t reflected in the occasional mental slip, but a more substantial decline — the kind of drop in mental ability that interferes with daily activities and affects independence. Misplacing a pen or forgetting someone’s name is a normal loss of memory for someone who is older. Symptoms of dementia…