Author: St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Early this coming Sunday morning, our clocks and cell phones will play a dirty little trick on all of us by “springing forward” an hour at 2 a.m., leaving a lot Greater Cincinnatians with an hour less of our Sunday to enjoy. Granted, it happens every year to almost everyone in the U.S. on the second Sunday in March, so we should be prepared. But, if you’re like most of us, you never are. The result, lots of grouchy people for at least the first half of next week. In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation, most of us…

Pasta  is a great comfort food  on these cold winter nights  with all of its warm, gooey goodness. And you’re always so full after you’ve eaten a big bowl of it. But what if you’re gluten-free or trying to avoid so many carbohydrates? Well, the answer is simple: use thinly sliced zucchini instead of lasagna noodles in your next batch of homemade lasagna. We found  this  great recipe for those of us who still want to enjoy an age-old comfort food, but don’t want to ruin our diet. Are there other ways you “improved” a classic comfort food to make…

If your kid has Type 1 diabetes, you already know it’s a life-changer. Managing the disease means negotiating a complex and ever-changing balance between diet, physical activity and medications including insulin to keep your child’s blood sugar at healthy levels and prevent potentially fatal complications. Much of the burden of managing the disease initially falls on parents. The Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston offers these 10 tips to help parents and caregivers manage kids’ diabetes: Take an active role in managing the disease, regardless of how old your child is. Even independent and responsible teens need oversight from time to…

For an easy carbohydrate-filled comfort dish, many families boil pasta and serve it either by itself or as a side to the main course. But how many extra grams of sodium does the pasta sauce add to your meal? Karah Stanley, a registered dietitian at St. Elizabeth Physicians Weight Management Center, explains what to watch out for on pasta sauce labels and how you can still enjoy it – without adding too much unwanted sodium. If you missed her video about which type of pasta is healthiest, check it out here.

Running on a treadmill gets a bad rap. But at some point, it’s a necessary evil of winter, especially when the snow, ice and dangerously cold temperatures pick up (we’re hoping that’s still months away). To  combat  the repetitive nature, physical therapist Stacey McConnell from St. Elizabeth Sports Medicine  suggests varying the incline, speed and type of exercise you do during each treadmill workout. If you’re trying to improve your running form, treadmills are also a great tool for over-striders. They allow you to focus less on the cracks in the sidewalk and more on your head, arms and legs.…

Our office came to a screeching halt this morning and chaos ensued, all over one photo. In case you missed it, families, friends and coworkers are being torn apart over the blue/black, white/gold dress debacle. So, do you see the dress as white or blue? While we all enjoy a good debate, our friends at Wired tried to explain why we’re all seeing things a little differently. It boils down to the way our eyes interpret light and pigments. Our brain tries to “throw away” information it doesn’t need and interpret information it does need. Usually everything works just fine,…

In case you missed it, a new study was released this week about a discovery that may lead to a way to prevent peanut allergies. Allergy specialists and pediatricians are saying that while more research is required, the research is transformational because it has never been done. For anyone who lives with peanut allergy or has a family member with peanut allergy, they know how difficult it can be to simply “avoid” nuts. In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics advised children to avoid peanuts altogether. Instead of monitoring and avoiding peanuts, the researchers introduce a new method for preventing…

Grandparents have it made. They get all the best parts of watching their grandchildren grow and learn without all of the temper tantrums or dirty diapers. The time Grandma spends with her grandkids not only creates a special bond between them and lasting memories, but as we read on  CBS News, it also benefits Grandma’s brain, keeping her mentally sharp and lowering her risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive disorders. The only caveat  is that if Grandma spends too much time with her grandkids ““ five or more days a week ““ it can overwhelm her and have…

Strengthening your leg muscles is crucial to any pre-race training. Running up and downhill is extremely taxing and strength training beforehand is the best way to reduce your injury risk. While not all courses have a lot of hills, this kind of cross-training will also help you fly across the flat portions of any  course. Physical therapist Stacey McConnell from St. Elizabeth Sports Medicine  will guide you through simple ways to strength train before your big race. If you’re training for the Honor Run Half,  send us  your questions. And if you haven’t already registered for the half,…

Kids have a mind of their own when it comes to eating. It feels like you try and keep trying to get them to eat fruits and vegetables, but they tend to just want crackers and sweets – the usual suspects. You’ll find  lots of articles online with  tips to get kids to eat healthy. Our best recommendation is to make it fun by letting them take part in meal and snack preparation. It doesn’t have to be time consuming, just take something your kids  like and make it fun. If your little one  prefers  peanut butter, make her snack…