Annual screening mammograms are the most effective way to diagnose breast cancer. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said only 65 percent of women age 40 and older had a mammogram in the last two years. Screening mammograms…
Sean Lynch didn’t think anything was seriously wrong the afternoon of his massive heart attack. The 50-year-old local radio personality was setting up a pre-party at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the band Foghat. He started to feel overheated, which…
Jennifer Anderson had a strong support network as she battled breast cancer—friends, family and an unexpected new companion that she calls her “cancer kitty.” In October 2016, she heard faint noises coming from outside her house. Kneeling in her yard…
Late last year, the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology unveiled new guidelines that lowered the definition of high blood pressure. Now, patients with blood pressure readings of 130/80 mm Hg are considered to have hypertension, down from…
It’s hard to believe Linda Klauber suffered a stroke only a few months ago—or that the stroke came right on the heels of a cancer diagnosis. Today, the 73-year-old is in good health and good spirits. “Two of the worst…
The decision to drink and drive was not a smart way to start 2017 for Taylorville teenager Carter Sinkhorn. Early New Year’s morning, Carter, then 17, crashed his truck into a tree, less than a mile from home. Thanks to…
In many ways, Memorial Medical Center was a fitting venue for Emily Kren’s wedding. It was there, 38 years ago, that her parents Jerry and Cindy Biggart first met, while both were employed in the hospital kitchen. Cindy, who still…
If you suspect you have a hernia, there’s no need to panic, said John Mellinger, MD, and Jim Fullerton, MD, co-medical directors of the Memorial Advanced Hernia Center. Although they won’t go away on their own, most hernias are easily…
Successful hernia treatment often involves more than just surgery. Patients can benefit from lifestyle changes both before and after a procedure to repair a hernia—changes that may also help prevent the hernia from recurring. “We now understand, better than we…
Most of us wouldn’t consider bullying someone based on race, religion or gender. But Lindsay Roush, LCPC, a behavioral health consultant at Memorial Weight Loss & Wellness Center, said while other forms of discrimination have become taboo, it’s still common…