Stay Healthy

STUDIES WARN OF DANGERS OF ‘SILENT HEART ATTACKS’

Not all heart attacks are dramatic events; some are so-called “silent heart attacks” that cause serious damage and increase risks of cardiac death but don’t cause typical symptoms. These cardiac events are especially dangerous because without adequate knowledge, patients cannot make the same lifestyle changes as their counterparts who know about their heightened cardiac risks.

Yet a study from Finland and Iceland found that 10-year rates of cardiac death and complications like congestive heart failure were the same for patients who had experienced silent myocardial infarction as for those who had experienced heart attacks. A second study based on autopsy results found that a full quarter of subjects had cardiac scarring associated with silent heart attacks. 

ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE GROWS

Integrative medicine combines standard care with complementary or alternative medicine to treat diseases and ensure wellness of body, mind and spirit. And it’s growing in popularity. 

Complementary medicine is a group of diagnostic and therapeutic disciplines that are used with conventional medicine, like the use of aromatherapy after surgery to help lessen a patient’s discomfort. Traditionally, complementary medicine hasn’t been taught or used in Western medical schools or hospitals, but some of its practices are increasingly being recommended by mainstream doctors. 

The challenge: to expand services, improve outcomes and control costs

While presidential candidates and lawmakers heatedly discuss the future of health care in America, hospital administrators are exploring innovative ways to provide more accessible and affordable medical care to the communities they serve. 

Much of their focus has centered on reducing expenses in an industry where cutting-edge procedures, technology and medicines are being introduced every day, driving up the cost of treatment. 

HERE’S WHEN TO VISIT EACH

Illnesses can strike at any time — in the middle of the night, during the weekend or while at work. How do you know what kind of care you need? Should you call your primary care physician, go to an urgent care facility or head straight to the emergency room? What about receiving care via video or phone? Here’s a primer on the different types of care. 

MEMORY MATTERS SEMINAR TO FOCUS ON BRAIN-HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

Memory Matters has come a long way since it was founded in 1997 to support the Lowcountry caregivers of people diagnosed with dementia. 

WALKING IN DECEMBER WILL PAY OFF NEXT YEAR

The holiday season is in full swing, and with it come the joys and tribulations of extra treats, visits with family and friends, and upsets in daily routines. For many of us, December means our regular exercise schedules are discarded like torn gift wrap. 

The holidays don’t have to create extra pounds, reduced endurance or crankiness. The trick is to figure out an exercise alternative that fits into your day, no matter how out of whack it is. 

Walking is one exercise that works for almost anyone. Here are five unexpected benefits:

CBD PRODUCTS ARE EVERYWHERE, BUT ARE THEY EFFECTIVE?

Over its 32-year history, Burke’s Main Street Pharmacy on Hilton Head Island has earned a reputation for being open to alternative products, from supplements to essential oils.

But David Burke, who co-owns the pharmacy with his brother Tim Burke, admits he was at first skeptical about the potential therapeutic use of CBD, or cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive chemical extracted from cannabis plants such as marijuana and hemp. 

BEAUFORT MEMORIAL’S CEO HAS A PLAN TO INCREASE HEALTH CARE OPTIONS

When Russell Baxley stepped into the role of president and CEO of Beaufort Memorial Hospital (BMH) three years ago, he quickly recognized his greatest challenge would be meeting the health care demands of a fast-growing community already short on providers. 

Having served in a variety of executive positions at small- and medium-sized hospitals in South Carolina, Texas and Pennsylvania, the young hospital administrator knew all too well the problems posed by a nationwide shortage of physicians, particularly primary care doctors.

ADVANCES IN DENTISTRY MEAN BETTER RESULTS

New advances in technology, materials and techniques over the past 10 years have led to much better outcomes — and experiences in the dental chair — for patients. And for dentists and oral surgeons, there has never been a more exciting time to be in practice. Some of these dental advances include: