Author: St. Elizabeth Healthcare

Getting enough quality sleep each night is good for your whole body – including making sure your heart stays healthy. Experts recommend that adults of all ages get an average of seven to nine hours of restful sleep each night to help keep their bodies (and heart) in tip-top condition. Anusha Shanbhag, MD, a Cardiologist at the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Center at St. Elizabeth, shares information about the importance of sleep and how it can affect your heart. Health Risks Due to Lack of Sleep Dr. Shanbhag says that poor sleep negatively impacts your health in many ways.…

If you’ve been looking for ways to improve your heart health — and especially if you have blood pressure problems — you may have heard of the DASH diet. Dr. Sudha Jaganathan, a Cardiologist at the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth, explains the health benefits behind this diet. What is the DASH Diet? DASH stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension,” otherwise known as high blood pressure. “This diet was developed to help lower blood pressure without using medications,” explains Dr. Jaganathan. People on the DASH diet work to reduce their sodium (salt) consumption, among other healthy dietary changes. Daily Food…

Reflections from Michael R. Gieske, MD, Director of Lung Cancer Screening at St. Elizabeth Healthcare This Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we celebrate the courage of those facing lung cancer and the advancements in early detection and screening. Lung cancer has long been known as one of the deadliest cancers. But thanks to the dedicated teams at St. Elizabeth Healthcare and evolving technology, lung cancer is increasingly treatable. More people are surviving — even thriving — after a lung cancer diagnosis. Our commitment to complete, compassionate care is helping thousands across Kentucky and beyond. Kentucky Leads the Nation in Lung Cancer…

Sodium is a naturally occurring mineral found in salt. And while sodium is essential for several functions in our body, most of us eat too much of it on a regular basis. Dr. Sudha Jaganathan, a Cardiologist specializing in heart failure at the Florence Wormald Heart and Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth, explains how excess sodium affects our bodies and how to decrease it from your diet. What Sodium Does in the Body Sodium is necessary for our bodies to function. “It helps our bodies hold onto water,” explains Dr. Jaganathan. “This creates volume, and our blood vessels need volume.”…

When Don Sosnoski first arrived in September for physical therapy at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, he was recovering from multiple rounds of pneumonia. He had severe swelling in his lower legs and trouble breathing. He needed two people to help him stand, move between chairs and get out of bed. Therapy exhausted him. “I couldn’t walk anymore,” he says. “I’d have to recover from something as simple as trying to stand up from my chair.” For Sosnoski, 69, regaining his strength and ability to move around was his top priority. He wanted to get back to his retirement job at Costco…

Experiencing cancer can be difficult for you and your loved ones, physically, mentally and emotionally. Whether you live in Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky or Southeastern Indiana, the newly named cancer center at St. Elizabeth, the Yung Family Cancer Center, is a place of healing and hope. We offer world-class cancer care minutes from your home. You’ll find comprehensive services to meet your needs, all in one convenient location. Care for the Whole Person — Not Just the Cancer The cancer center occupies a six-story facility in Edgewood, Ky., with nearly 250,000 square feet of cutting-edge design and advanced technology. The facility…

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. But you can take control of your heart health by following simple lifestyle changes to reduce your risks. An online program developed by St. Elizabeth Healthcare offers tips, tools and strategies for living a life free from heart disease. Jeanie Foley is a registered nurse and the prevention and wellness program manager for the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth. She oversees mobile screenings in the community and brings heart health education to schools and other organizations. Foley led the development of Take Time for Your…

It’s no secret that smoking harms your health. But you might not realize just how bad it is. Joyce Jacobs, a Nurse Navigator at the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth, explains how smoking severely damages the heart, blood vessels and arteries and leads to life-threatening conditions. How Smoking Damages Your Heart and Vascular System “Nicotine in any form can greatly harm the heart, lung and blood vessels,” says Jacobs. When you smoke, toxic chemicals enter your bloodstream and cause inflammation. Over time, this damage can cause the arteries to narrow, a process known as atherosclerosis. The…

The advice is straightforward: Stop smoking and work with your healthcare provider to protect your heart. Kentucky has the second-highest smoking rate in the nation, explains Joyce Jacobs, a Nurse Navigator at the Florence Wormald Heart & Vascular Institute at St. Elizabeth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 17% of Kentucky adults smoke, and approximately 16% of adults in Indiana smoke. Both rates are significantly higher than the national average of 11%. In Indiana, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. Jacobs is determined to help shrink those statistics. She explains that quitting…

Navigating Medicare plans can be tricky. Your health plan is highly personal, and it must meet your unique needs while providing access to the caregivers you trust. When selecting a plan during the annual open enrollment period this fall, it is crucial to remember that not all Medicare plans are created equal. Medicare Advantage differs from traditional Medicare in that it may impose different restrictions on care and limit the providers you can access in network. That’s why research is so important to ensure that the Medicare plan you select works best for you. At St. Elizabeth, we want our…