CARE &
CONDITIONS
Alzheimer’s Disease: Can It Be Prevented?
The progression of Alzheimer's disease can be heartbreaking for sufferers and families. With an aging U.S. population, Alzheimer's disease is currently ranked as the seventh leading cause of death. Can Alzheimer's disease be prevented? …
Sleep Apnea: Is It “Just” Snoring or Something More Serious?
We know sleep is important to our well-being. But getting a good night's sleep can be challenging. Stress, caffeine and poor work/life balance can make getting enough restful sleep more challenging. But sleep apnea — a serious, potentially life-threatening disorder — can also be the …
Debunking Osteoporosis Myths
UMass Memorial Health is debunking myths about osteoporosis. Unlike mammograms and colonoscopies, osteoporosis and bone density tests don’t get as much airtime or visibility. As a result, we’ve heard myths about the disease and screenings, and we want to set the record straight. …
Treatment for Fecal Incontinence Has Come a Long Way
Affecting millions of people, treatment for fecal incontinence (aka bowel incontinence) has come a long way. With the development of sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) surgery, sufferers now have an effective and less invasive option. …
Why Heart Failure Patients Need to Know About CardioMEMS
You’re sitting on the couch with swollen feet. You’ve been coughing more lately, and you seem more tired this week. Your appointment with your heart failure (HF) specialist is still three weeks away; but something just doesn’t feel right. You head to the bedroom to …
Women and Heart Disease: Broken Heart Syndrome
While ‘broken heart syndrome’ may sound like the theme of a romance novel, it’s a very real health condition that mostly affects women. In fact, more than 90 percent of reported cases occur in women ages 58 to 75. Also called takotsubo cardiomyopathy or stress …
Cut 300 Calories a Day for Heart Health
Need another reason to skip dessert? A study found that consuming just 300 fewer calories each day can help protect your heart. And it’s not just about losing weight (although shedding a few pounds could be an added bonus). In fact, people who are already …
Vaping: Risks, Reminders and What You Can Do
Despite the common consumer misconception that vaping is only dangerous when the substance contains vitamin E, medical science says otherwise. Craig Lilly, MD, a pulmonologist and critical care medicine specialist says that the medical community remains deeply concerned about reports of vaping-related respiratory illnesses that …
Can I Golf After Joint Replacement?
The dilemma: Should I continue to play through the pain, or should I go for a joint replacement? It’s frustrating when joint pain keeps you from playing your favorite sport. Avid golfers who need total knee or hip replacement often continue playing through the pain, …
What is Psoriatic Arthritis?
People who have psoriasis may also develop psoriatic arthritis. Sometimes the joint pain can begin before any skin lesions appear, making it more difficult to diagnose. …
CT Scan vs. MRI – What’s Best for a Sports-related Concussion?
A hockey check, a bicycle accident, a fall from a tree. All are potential causes of a concussion or traumatic brain injury. Concussions, and especially sports-related concussions, can vary in the extent of the injury and the severity of the symptoms. Common mental or physical …
8 Foods That Increase Inflammation
When you have arthritis, your body is in an inflammatory state, and what you eat may not only increase inflammation, it can also set you up for other chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Think twice about eating these eight inflammation food …
What Is Well-Controlled Diabetes and How Is it Achieved?
This is a question that is frequently asked and rarely understood; even by those who have had diabetes for a long time. Some believe that having well-controlled diabetes means you don’t feel sick or have symptoms; others feel you are controlled if you take your …
5 of the Most Common and 4 Surprising Causes of Birth Defects
A birth defect, also called a congenital anomaly, is a problem that occurs when a baby is developing in the womb. An estimated one out of every 33 babies in the U.S. is born with a birth defect, of varying severity, according to the Centers …
Snack Ideas for Those with Diabetes
With diabetes, snacks can be vital to maintaining proper blood sugar levels. For anyone who is taking glucose-lowering diabetes medications or insulin, they also may use snacks to keep blood sugar levels close to normal to prevent hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Today we’ve come up …
What Do Blood Sugar and Baseball Have in Common?
The American Diabetes Association uses this analogy – In some ways, the A1C test is like a baseball player’s season batting average, it tells you about a person’s overall success. Neither a single day’s blood test results nor a single game’s batting record gives the …
Is Colonoscopy Prep Keeping You Away?
Guest Blogger: Benjamin Hyatt, MD, UMass Memorial Medical Center, Division of Gastroenterology March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so it’s time to discuss an uncomfortable topic: colon health. Let’s start with the bad news: Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer in …
Move Over, Apple. Aspirin Deserves Credit, Too
While an apple a day may keep the doctor away, it’s aspirin that may really protect your health: New research shows that an aspirin a day may help lower the risk of colon cancer. Aspirin has long been credited with helping reduce the risk of …
Mammogram or Bust
Did you put off your mammogram because of COVID? Are you just too busy? You know you should get it done, but it’s just one more thing to do on your lengthy list. Stop. Don’t delay your care. Early detection is the best protection. …
Breast Health: Is 3D Mammography Right for Everyone?
Finding breast cancer at its earliest stage gives you the best chance for a cure. And mammography has long been the gold standard when it comes to screening and early detection of breast lumps long before they can be felt. Three-dimensional (3D) mammography, or breast …
Colorectal Cancer: Education = Prevention
Did you know that colon and rectal (colorectal) cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in young adults? March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and this cancer doesn’t discriminate. In fact, there has been a 51 percent increase in young-onset colorectal cancer incidence. …
Prediction: Obesity Will Surpass Smoking As Most Preventable Cause of Cancer
It’s no secret that being overweight or obese can affect your overall health. When you’re overweight, you increase your chances of stroke, diabetes, heart disease and depression, but did you know being overweight increases your risk for cancer? In 2014, obesity increased the risk of …
Osteoporosis: Evaluate Your Risk
Are you at risk for osteoporosis, a disease that causes thinning of bones? Over time, this weakens the bones and can make them more likely to break. It can affect any bone, but the hip, spine, and wrist are most often involved. It's often called …
Can Acronyms Save Your Life When It Comes to a Stroke?
When it comes to stroke, the answer is an absolute yes! Learn the ABCS of stroke prevention and how to act FAST if you think someone is having one. But there is so much more that you need to know about, from not-so-common symptoms to …
There Are No “I’s” (Eyes) in Menopause … Or Are There?
Most of us are familiar with the common symptoms of menopause like hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, and even depression, but did you know that eye irritation and dry eye can also be added to that list? …
Mammogram or Bust
Did you put off your mammogram because of COVID? Are you just too busy? You know you should get it done, but it’s just one more thing to do on your lengthy list. Stop. Don’t delay your care. Early detection is the best protection. …
