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Breath of Life: Local Nurses Provide Community with Valuable CPR Training

by TERESA SCHIFFER It is estimated that more than 359,000 cardiac arrests take place outside of a hospital setting in the U.S. each year, and only 32 percent of victims receive CPR from a bystander. Unfortunately, 70 percent of Americans either don’t know CPR or their certification has significantly lapsed. Thankfully, Citizen CPR is working…
Staying Active During the Golden Years

How Exercise Can Help Senior Citizens Both Physically and Mentally by DAPHNE RENELUS There are numerous activities a person can do to improve their physical health. Exercising, especially when older, can improve a person’s physical health by keeping the heart healthy, causing the removal of toxins from the body through sweating, and increasing a person’s…
Pop Quiz: Pain in the Back – Causes and Relief Methods of Back Pain

by ERIKA ALDRICH Anyone suffering from back pain knows that it can be one of the most persistent and debilitating pains. Chronic back pain can be life-altering, with many sufferers desperate for a solution to their daily pain. Occasional back pain is very common, and a cause and treatment should be found to lessen reoccurrence…

Brain Attack (Stroke or Mini-stroke): Are You at Risk?

Approximately 700,000 strokes occur in the United States annually. Stroke or brain attack is a disease that involves the blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that brings oxygen to the brain gets blocked by a blood clot most commonly. With the oxygen supply to the brain…
Punctal Plugs

Many patients suffer from dry eye, and eye care professionals have many tools at their disposal to help with symptoms. For many patients, over-the-counter lubricating drops such as Blink or Systane can be helpful. It is important to avoid redness relieving drops, as these tend to cause more problems over time. When over-the-counter drops are…
Understanding Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Last year, I wrote about heart failure. At that time, I had said that about half the patients admitted with congestive heart failure have normal systolic function. This is true. The most common way to express heart function is by measuring ejection fraction (EF). This is the proportion of the amount of blood in the…