Author: St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Working nights significantly increases African-American women’s risk of developing diabetes, new research shows. The findings carry “important public health implications” given the high number of women affected, concluded the study’s authors, researchers from Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center. Researchers stressed that the study wasn’t designed to prove that working nights causes diabetes ““ only that there’s an association between the two. For the study, researchers reviewed data from more than 28,000 African-American women in the U.S. who were diabetes-free in 2005; 37 percent of the women worked nights, and 5 percent said they had worked nights for at least 10…

If you’re considering a diet change, pesceterianism may be a good place to start. Pescetarians don’t eat red meat or fowl – basically, they are vegetarians who also eat seafood. In January, I started eating like this because I wanted to make a healthy change. As a runner, I was looking for  the best way to streamline my diet and consume the right kind of foods to help me train at my highest potential. Following a great deal of research, I decided to forgo pure vegetarianism, because I was worried I’d struggle to find a filling, healthy protein alternative that…

When you feel anxious, pay attention to what you do next. Are you reaching for a sweet or salty treat? If so, you aren’t alone. Eating is the primary method Americans use to decrease anxiety. When we’re anxious, reaching for food is as natural ““ and often unconscious ““ as breathing. But, that soothing feeling doesn’t last long. Typically, noshing ends up increasing our frustration because our choices wreak havoc with our blood sugar, which negatively affects our mood and energy level, and still leaves us feeling anxious. Rather than reaching for what will only make you feel worse, try…

Fuel is one of the most important pieces of your race training. If you’re participating in an intense training program, it’s easy to eat too much or even too little of the foods you need to achieve that personal best on race day. We want to help you find the right balance to keep you healthy and prepare for that big race. St. Elizabeth Healthcare physical therapist Stacey McConnell sits down with certified dietitian Lindsey House to talk about which foods to eat and which to avoid. Do you have questions as you prepare for a race? Share them with…

We usually think of yoga as a solo activity. You might  imagine a serene yogi quietly clearing his mind on a yoga mat, with calming music playing softly in the background. It seems that’s not the only option available to people who want to stretch out and get centered. A recent CNN Health article shared the benefits of partner yoga, especially for couples. Not only does it help you feel more connected to your spouse, it may even relieve stress. Don’t worry, no crazy poses here! If you and your loved one aren’t too flexible, scroll down to the last…

As with anything in life, there are elements you can control and elements you can’t control. This is even true when considering your risk factors for having a stroke. In a recent post for NKY Tribune, St. Elizabeth Healthcare family physician Dr. Rajeev Kurapati shares how both these factors impact your ability to potentially avoid this life-threatening neurological problem. Risk indicators  like age, gender, ethnicity and family history are beyond your control, but you can still take measurable steps to reduce the likelihood you’ll experience a stroke. Dr. Kurapati’s advice boils down to simply taking better care of yourself. Stop…

If you run with a friend  or family member of the opposite gender, it may seem like the two of you tend to have different kinds of injuries. Until recently, female runners blamed their increased hip pain and tendency toward fractures to wide-set hips and a low bone density. Meanwhile, men thought they  experienced more tendon and knee injuries because of the way they’re built. This may not be the case. A grad student at UBC Environmental Physiology Lab decided to put this theory to the test and found no real difference between men’s and women’s injury types. More research…

In case you missed it, Angelina Jolie is back in the news talking about steps she’s taking to reduce her cancer risk. In May 2013, the actress shared that she had a double mastectomy after learning she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation, a potential early indicator for cancer. Jolie’s mother died of ovarian cancer in 2007. In March 2015, Jolie announced recent tests led her – and her team of physicians – to decide to remove her fallopian tubes and ovaries. In an op-ed for the  New York Times, Jolie explains the reasons she and her doctors chose this  course…

Is it just me or have vegetables gotten better with age? I don’t mean how wine gets better with age – no one wants to eat month-old broccoli. I mean as we get older our taste buds mature, and we find new,  delicious  ways to eat  our recommended daily vegetable servings. A  BuzzFeed  article  had our team  laughing this week because it compares eating vegetables as a kid to  an adult. It’ll bring you back to the days when you saw vegetables as weird creatures you wanted nothing to do with, a feeling some of you may still have today.…

Following a healthy overall diet can reduce a woman’s risk of Type 2 diabetes ““ especially in minorities, new research finds. Researchers from Stanford University’s School of Medicine studied thousands of women across racial and ethnic lines for up to 28 years as the women provided information about their daily eating habits. Results showed that women who followed “healthy” diets ““ low in saturated and trans fats, sugar-sweetened drinks, and red and processed meats and high in cereal fiber, polyunsaturated fats, coffee and nuts were less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. Minority women ““ especially African-Americans, Hispanics and Native…