There’s a reason they call it labor – childbirth is painful. But strategies to manage pain can ease discomfort. One question many first-time parents ponder is whether or not to use pain medication or to go through natural labor. Regardless…
You can stop panicking. Contrary to some media reports, a potentially deadly fungus isn’t going to infect you on your next visit to the hospital. More than 150 people in Illinois have been sickened by the fungal disease, known as…
Three out of four car seats are improperly installed, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For first-timers and even veteran parents, car seats can be an intimidating piece of safety equipment. But it doesn’t have to be…
A few short years ago, Shirley Phillips-Black felt her weight was holding her back. “I couldn’t do anything,” Shirley recalled. Injuries to her knees made it difficult to do even simple tasks, like walking through a grocery store, and anxiety…
Charlie Kuntzman was skeptical when he walked into his first Diabetes Self-Management class last November at Taylorville Memorial Hospital (TMH). The 82-year-old diabetic, who had retired as an investigative analyst in 1995 from the FBI after 40 years of service,…
Tanisha Smith traveled to Illinois for a life-changing reason in July 2018. She was donating a kidney. Tanisha is originally from Decatur, Ill., but now lives in Marietta, Ga., with her husband, Jamal, and five children. In 2015, she found…
The last trimester of pregnancy is a busy time to prepare for your new baby. Don’t wait until the last minute to pack a bag for your hospital stay. “Go ahead and pack your bag a couple months ahead of…
If you have circulation problems in your legs, you may benefit from the use of compression stockings. Patients undergoing compression therapy wear special stockings that are designed to increase circulation in the legs and support the veins. Compression therapy can…
Each year, more than five million Americans are diagnosed with heart valve disease, which can disrupt blood flow through the heart. The heart has four valves: aortic, pulmonary, mitral, and tricuspid, but the aorta and mitral valves present the most…
Every woman is unique, and not everyone experiences the same symptoms when pregnant. If you pay attention to your body, there are some common early signs and symptoms of pregnancy you might have. Breast pain. About a week or two…