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You don’t realize how important your big toe is until you are suffering from the pain of toe arthritis. Toe arthritis is caused by inflammation in your toe joint and is most often found in the big toe. Toe arthritis can be caused by a loss of joint cartilage (osteoarthritis) or from a past trauma such as a broken or sprained toe. Symptoms of toe arthritis include: Pain Stiffness Swelling Clicking and grinding noises in your toe joint Locked joint Sense of warmth in toe Difficulty walking If you are suffering from toe arthritis, there are several treatment options available…

Don’t Let the Busy Holiday Season Impact your Heart Heart health should always be a priority, but it’s especially important during the busy holiday season. It’s no secret that during the holidays, some of us tend to eat too much, eat unhealthily, and drink more alcohol than we normally would. At the same time, with all the hustle and bustle, we’re getting less sleep, we’re not sticking to our exercise routines and we have increased stress levels. This combination is not healthy for our hearts. “I love the holiday season and I find myself overindulging at times. It’s easy to…

What is infused water? You may have noticed a growing trend in restaurants, stores and maybe even in your friend’s kitchen: serving infused water. Inspired by the tried-and-true original lemon water, infused water takes it a step further by adding fruits and vegetables to water and extracting those flavors. With warm weather right around the corner, adding infused water into your daily routine is a great and tasty way to stay hydrated. “Infused water tastes great because of the added ingredients – without the added calories and sugar of soda and juice,” says Rebecca Jilek, a Registered Dietitian and Certified…

You may be thinking, that you can’t even get off the couch, let alone run a marathon— there is a program just for you. The couch to 5K is a running program designed with you in mind. It can transform anyone from a couch potato to a runner. Stacey McConnell, a certified Physical Therapist for St. Elizabeth Healthcare believes the couch to 5K program is the perfect program to get anyone started. He says, “This program could lead to a total lifestyle change. It isn’t expensive, it gets you moving and you can become part of a community of runners.”…

In the state of Kentucky, an infant passes away from a sleep-related risk factor every five days.* As a healthcare partner in the Northern Kentucky community, St. Elizabeth Healthcare is dedicated to helping our patients create safe sleep environments for their babies starting on their first day home from the hospital. Our goal is to educate and encourage safe sleep in our community. (*source: Safe Sleep KY) The ABCD’s of safe sleep First, the basics. The ABCD’s of safe sleep should always be followed: A – Alone: Babies should sleep alone – no crib bumpers, toys, pillows or blankets. It’s…

Arthroscopic surgery is a term used to describe a surgery which uses small incisions to insert tools and a camera (scope) to look inside a joint to diagnose or treat a problem. The scope is like a miniature television camera. The images are sent to a large screen in front of the doctor so they can see the inside of the joint without making a large incision. The doctor can see the cartilage, ligaments and bones of the joint to determine the extent of the injury. They then repair or correct the problem through additional small incisions using pencil-sized instruments…

St. Elizabeth Healthcare: your partner in colorectal health Physicians at St. Elizabeth are committed to raising awareness about colorectal cancer in the Tri-state area. Every March, St. Elizabeth participates in Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, a national effort to educate the public on screening, prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Our motive is to spread awareness on the warning signs, symptoms and risk factors of this common cancer. Signs to watch for: colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer may present with abdominal pain, change in bowel habits, anemia, blood in stools or rectal bleeding. In case of any such warning symptoms…

If you are like most people, your motivation for New Year’s resolutions falters on January 12. It seems we set ourselves up for failure by creating resolutions at the worst time of year—the long holiday season is over, the weather is cold, the nights are long, and our moods are affected by the lack of sunlight. When our clocks “spring forward” is a much more apt time to make positive health changes and start fresh. Dr. Troy Schumann, Medical Director of the St. Elizabeth Physicians Weight Management Center feels, “One of the biggest factors in the success of resolutions is…

Could weight loss surgery help to control your type 2 diabetes – or even take it into remission? A recent study* published by the American Diabetes Association provided much-needed guidance for physicians about using weight loss surgery to treat obese patients with type 2 diabetes. The new guidelines introduce the use of diabetes-related parameters to help identify patients whose diabetic medical history qualify them for weight-loss surgery. Previously the body mass index (BMI) metric was the main guideline for determining if weight-loss surgery is an appropriate treatment path. For type 2 diabetes patients, these new guidelines could even help make…

Increasing birth defect awareness on a global level According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), birth defects affect 1 in 33 babies born in the United States each year. A birth defect is a structural change present at birth that affects any part of the baby’s body, such as the brain, foot, heart or palate. Birth defects vary in severity from mild to critical and can impact how the child is able to function or survive. [source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; “Facts about Birth Defects” article] Action steps to help prevent birth defects It’s important…