Working with the community... for a healthier community.

Preventing Pneumonia

By Stacey Boyd, MSN, RN Director of Nursing, Welbrook at Bloomington According to the American Lung Association, each year there are over a million hospitalizations and more than 50,000 deaths that occur from pneumonia. Education of prevention and early detection of pneumonia are important to reduce these statistics. What is pneumonia? Pneumonia is an infection […]

Manage Your Risk of Heart Disease at Any Age

By Sarah Sommer, Worksite Wellness Coordinator at Advocate BroMenn Health & Fitness Center It’s never too early to start thinking about preventing heart disease. Making healthier choices early can continue to benefit you for the rest of your life. There are steps you can take at any age to improve your heart health. 20s Get […]

Participating in Activities You Enjoy – More Than Just Fun and Games

Submitted by Meadows at Mercy Creek Assisted Living June feels great. She enjoys gardening, playing cards with friends on Tuesdays and Fridays at the senior center, and taking a water aerobics class at an indoor pool. She turns 78 this year, but she feels like she’s still in her forties. Does June’s active lifestyle have […]

6 Essential Things to Know When Buying Hearing Aids

Submitted by Central Illinois Hearing and Balance Center Being an informed healthcare consumer is hard work. There is information everywhere, but how do you sift through it and make sense of it all? How do you know what is reliable and what isn’t? Sorting through the noise when buying hearing aids is no exception. In […]

Spice Up your Pet’s Health with Variety, Variety, Variety!

By Sally Krostal, Nilla’s Tub DIY Dog Wash and Health Food Store When it comes to your pet’s diet, variety could be the single most important factor to consider. Pet food companies have perpetuated the myth that you should choose a food and never change! Every time you do change, you need to do it […]

Venous Disease 101

Submitted by Drs. Bohn, Nielsen, Castillo, and Wright, The Vein Specialists, LLC Venous disease can range from cosmetic issues to potentially life-threatening conditions. Varicose and spider veins are some of the most common symptoms of venous disease. At one time, these and other vein conditions were treated mainly using surgery. However, there are now many […]

Fragility Fractures: Not Just Clumsiness

Submitted by Elizabeth Madlem, APN, The Bone Health Clinic at Millennium Pain Center One in two women over the age of 50 will suffer a fracture caused by osteoporosis in her remaining lifetime. Despite its prevalence, there are many myths and misconceptions about this “silent” disease. These myths may be a reason why osteoporosis is […]

New Prevention Program Could Reduce People’s Risk of Developing Diabetes

Submitted by OSF HealthCare Saint James — John W. Albrecht Medical Center One in three adult Americans — that’s 86 million people — have prediabetes and most of them don’t know it. Having prediabetes means your blood glucose level is higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. This raises your […]

Colorectal Cancer 80 Percent by 2018 and Beyond

By Becky Powell MS, RN, AOCN, Health Educator at the Community Cancer Center Last year, the Community Cancer Center reported on the 80 percent by 2018 Colon Cancer initiative. Since March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, we thought it would be a good time to provide an update on the success of this project. The […]

Fibroids and Polyps: What Women Should Know

Submitted by Advanced Women’s Healthcare Women might be surprised to know that most of them will develop fibroids or polyps as a health issue sometime in their lives. In fact, studies show that 70 percent of white women and 80 percent of African-American women will develop fibroids by the time they are 50. Although these […]