Brush Your Teeth And Look After Your Heart

Research from Ireland and the UK suggests that people who have bleeding gums from poor dental hygiene and not brushing their teeth regularly could be increasing their risk of heart disease because bacteria in the mouth enter the bloodstream and stick to platelets, leading to blood clots that interrupt the supply of blood to the heart and causing a heart attack. Read more ...

Good Samaritan Hospital was among the first in the nation to implant a TELIGENTM implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). This advanced device is used to treat sudden cardiac death, which is the abrupt loss of heart function, usually due to an electrical rhythm dysfunction in the lower chambers of the heart that causes the heart to pump blood ineffectively. Read more ...

Diverticulitis and Diet - The Left Hand Needs to Know What the Right Hand is Doing

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could find the easiest diet in the world to keep your body healthy and pain free? Yet, since Utopia exists only in the mind of Thomas More, you may have to do some leg work and figure out what best works for you. As with most ailments of the body, diet plays a big part in keeping diverticulitis in check. Taking liberties with an old saying, but, what goes in must come out, but not cause undo harm to your body.

Nebraska Reports Ten New Cases Of West Nile

Nebraska Reports Ten New Cases Of West Nile

Ten more cases of West Nile virus have been reported to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) this week, bringing the total cases reported this year to 23.

The new cases are residents of Cedar, Dawes, Holt, Keya Paha, Kimball, Nemaha, Polk, Saline, Sarpy and Scotts Bluff counties. Previously reported cases have been residents of Adams (2), Butler, Cass, Douglas (2), Dodge, Keith, Merrick, Morrill, Platte, Saunders, and York counties.

read more

Michigan Observes National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

As Michigan observes September as National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, it is an opportunity to raise awareness of the risk factors and signs and symptoms of this deadly disease.

Ovarian cancer accounts for about 3% of all cancers among women and ranks 2nd among gynecological cancers. It causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system.

read more

Mississippi Reports Five New West Nile Virus Cases

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) reports five new human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) for 2008, bringing the state’s total number of WNV cases to 78 with two deaths. The new cases are in Harrison, Hinds (3) and Rankin counties. The MSDH reports both confirmed and probable cases to the public. The Mississippi Board of Animal Health also reports one case of WNV in a horse in Calhoun County.

read more

MRIs Complicate Routine Breast Cancer Screening

More women are now undergoing MRI scans in addition to annual mammogram screenings, but a new study suggests that it doesn't improve breast cancer treatment outcomes. Moreover, it delays treatment and causes unnecessary anxiety.

Women are recommended to undergo breast screening tests every year after their 40s. Mammogram is a widely available breast cancer screening method which should be done once a year. There is also magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which is much more sensitive that mammography and is recommended in cases when mammography results need to be clarified.

read more

Montana Sets Record For Number Of Breast Screenings

The Montana Breast and Cervical Health Program (MBCHP) enrolled nearly 5,000 Montana women into the program this past year – the most ever for a one year period in the program’s 12-year history.

A total of 4,823 Montana women from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008 received a mammogram and/or a Pap test utilizing the program’s services.

By comparison, 4,537 women were enrolled into the program in 2006-07 and 3,755 participated in 2005-06.

read more