March 13, April 10
March 9
Monday, April 8
Tuesday, April 16
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Lecture Series
Tuesday, April 23
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Spotlight
Wednesday, April 24
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High Cholesterol – A Silent Culprit
What is an Anti-inflammatory Diet and Why Should You Consider It?
Stretching is Not Just for Athletes
Patient Story – Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery
Featured Video-Prostate Cancer: Know Your Options
New Medical Director of The Breast Center
Milford Regional’s 2018 Annual Report
Milford Regional Recognized by
American Red Cross for Milestone in Blood Donations
Do You Need a Primary Care Physician?
Get to Know our Thoracic Surgeons
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High Cholesterol – A Silent Culprit
Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced by your liver and found in your blood. We need cholesterol to build healthy cells but high levels of cholesterol can increase your risk of heart disease. In addition to our body producing cholesterol, we take in cholesterol from some of the foods we eat.
With high cholesterol, you can develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels. Eventually, these deposits grow, making it difficult for enough blood to flow through your arteries. Sometimes, those deposits can break suddenly and form a clot that causes a heart attack or stroke.
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Cholesterol is carried through the bloodstream by lipoproteins. The high-density lipoproteins (HDL), known as “good cholesterol,” transports the( LDL) “bad cholesterol” away from arteries and back to the liver, where the LDL is broken down and passed from the body. But HDL cholesterol does not completely eliminate LDL cholesterol. Only one-third to one-fourth of blood cholesterol is carried by HDL.
High cholesterol can be inherited, but often it is lifestyle choices that contribute to high cholesterol. High cholesterol has no symptoms. The only way to find out if you have it is to have a blood test. The American Heart Association recommends that all adults 20 years and older have their cholesterol checked with a simple blood test called a lipid panel which measures your HDL, LDL, triglycerides and your total cholesterol.
For many years, doctors used specific ranges to evaluate cholesterol levels. Today, doctors think about risk in broader terms, generally speaking, it is best to have a total cholesterol number below 200 and HDL above 60.
Your total cholesterol and HDL (good) cholesterol are among other factors your doctor can use to predict your lifetime or 10-year risk for a heart attack or stroke. Your doctor will also take into account your age, family history, if you smoke and if you have high blood pressure.
You can’t change your age or family history, but there are changes you can make to improve your cholesterol levels.
- Stop smoking – Freedom from Smoking Program at Milford Regional starts on April 4. Check it out!
- Increase your physical activity – walking is an easy way to get more exercise or join an exercise class. The hospital offers several classes held at the Milford Senior Center. The next session begins April 8. (Registration opens March 18.)
- Begin eating a healthier diet – reduce consumption of cholesterol rich food such as meat, eggs, full fat dairy products and sugary baked goods.
- Reduce excess weight – eating healthier and increasing physical activity will help
If these lifestyle changes aren’t enough, there is medication that can help control your cholesterol. The first step is seeing your doctor and getting a blood test.
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What is an Anti-inflammatory Diet and Why Should You Consider It?
Acute inflammation is a natural response triggered by your immune system when you have an injury or infection. It is an important part of the healing process, but when you experience chronic inflammation lasting for months or even years, it can play a central role in heart disease, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, some cancers, inflammatory bowel disease, dementia, even asthma. Many factors can contribute to chronic inflammation including the environment and genetics. But one of the most powerful tools to combat inflammation is the food we eat. That is why you may be reading and hearing more about an “anti-inflammatory diet”.
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Choose the right anti-inflammatory foods, and you may be able to reduce your risk of illness. Consistently pick the wrong ones, and you could accelerate the inflammatory disease process.
An anti-inflammatory diet should include these foods:
- tomatoes
- olive oil
- green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards
- nuts like almonds and walnuts
- fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines
- fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges
Foods that cause inflammation - try to avoid or limit these foods as much as possible:
- refined carbohydrates, such as white bread and pastries
- French fries and other fried foods
- soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages
- red meat (burgers, steaks) and processed meat (hot dogs, sausage)
- margarine, shortening, and lard
While these dietary solutions do not alone hold the key to controlling inflammation, they can help prime the immune system to react in a measured way.
Read more about fighting inflammation at Harvard Health.
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Stretching is Not Just for Athletes
For years, many of us assumed that stretching was only important for runners. Actually, stretching your muscles will improve your range of motion, improve your balance and flexibility, and also reduce pain from muscle or joint stiffness.
Benefits of Stretching:
- Improves Body Posture: Because stretching strengthens your muscles and encourages proper alignment, your body posture will be less slouched and more vertical.
- Injury prevention: When your muscles are warm and stretched, movement becomes easier which helps with injury prevention.
- Stress Reduction: Many individuals carry stress in their muscles. When feeling stressed, muscles tighten acting as a defensive strategy. The more you stretch, the less tense muscles will be. Stretching is a very effective form of stress management.
Stretching increases flexibility, releases tension, can reduce soreness, increases energy…too many benefits to list here!
Stretching does not have to be time consuming. If you are able to stretch 3 times a week for at least 10 minutes, you will feel the benefits. If you are unfamiliar with the proper way to stretch various muscles, join a class – Pilates, Yoga, T’ai Chi are all good choices.
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Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery
Roger's shoulder pain started gradually, but began to intensify to the point where he couldn’t sleep on his right side. It also really bothered him when he went running or played golf. Roger was only 40 years old – too young to suffer with constant pain. He made an appointment to see Dr. Vazquez, an orthopedic surgeon, who takes a conservative approach to treatment.
The doctor recommended a cortisone injection which worked well for about 6 weeks, but the pain returned. Ultimately, Roger underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery which involved just a few tiny incisions about a centimeter long. Arthroscopic surgery provides a quicker recovery period and Roger was able to return home on the same day of the surgery.
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Prostate Cancer: Know Your Options
Prostate Cancer is one of the most common cancers in men, with an estimated one in seven men being diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Prostate cancer is treatable, and patients have access to many treatment options based on their specific diagnosis. Watch this video lecture given by Peter F. Orio III, DO, MS, a nationally renowned expert in prostate cancer treatment utilizing radiation techniques, to hear about treatment options, including his own area of expertise.
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New Medical Director of The Breast Center
Diana Caragacianu, MD, is the new Medical Director of The Breast Center at Milford Regional. She graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine and completed her general surgical residency at Brown University in Providence, RI. Her advanced training consists of a fellowship in surgical oncology at the esteemed National Cancer Institute and a fellowship in breast surgery at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School. Dr. Caragacianu has also studied internationally, receiving specialized training in intraoperative radiation for breast cancer and oncoplastic surgery.
Dr. Caragacianu was Medical Director of the breast program at MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham and directed the high risk screening and genetics program at Melrose Wakefield Hospital in Melrose, MA. Most recently, she served as the Site Director of the breast program at MedStar Lafayette Center in Washington DC. During this time, Dr. Caragacianu was also a breast and endocrine surgeon, and Assistant Professor at the prestigious Medstart Georgetown University Hospital.
To make an appointment with Dr. Caragacianu, call The Breast Center at 508-482-5439.
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Milford Regional’s 2018 Annual Report
Milford Regional Medical Center’s Annual Report to the Community is now available to view online. Read about how Milford Regional continues to invest in the latest technologies in order to deliver the highest quality of care to the community, the strength of our partnerships with world-renowned health institutions – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, UMass Memorial Healthcare and Boston Children’s Hospital, the new members of our medical staff and much more.
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Milford Regional Recognized by American Red Cross for Milestone in Blood Donations
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Milford Regional Medical Center has been recognized by The American Red Cross for collecting more than 1,000 units of blood during 2018 at the hospital’s Blood Donor Center.
The dedicated donor space at Milford Regional, located off the Imaging Center waiting room, opened in February 2017 and has since enabled the Red Cross to run scheduled blood drives three or four times a month, as well as additional drives when a special need for red cells has occurred on short notice.
In the month of March, we will have blood drives on March, 11 and 16 (9AM-2:30PM) and on March 28 (1:30-7:00PM). Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome. To make an appointment call 1-800-REDCROSS, visit
www.redcrossblood.org, or call Camille at 508-422-2958.
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Milford Regional's active medical staff, consisting of over 250 doctors, is highly qualified to treat you and your family through sickness and in health. Whether you need a primary care physician or a specialist, you can be assured of the best possible care.
Need a Primary Care Physician?
If you need a physician, please call our Physician Referral Line at 1-888-DRS-HERE (1-888-377-4373). Our Referral Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For a quick look, see our
list of primary care physicians
who are accepting new patients. It is important to note that not all physicians accept all insurances. Please call the physician's office directly to find out if they accept your insurance plan.
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Get to Know Our Thoracic Surgeons
Thoracic surgery is a specialty that diagnoses and treats diseases of the lungs, esophagus and foregut, and the trachea. Since 2002, Milford Regional has collaborated with Brigham and Women’s Hospital to provide world class thoracic surgery on our campus. The strength of this program is demonstrated by the expertise and skill of this thoracic team. Recently, we have welcomed Matthew Rochefort, MD to the Brigham and Women’s Thoracic Surgery practice located in the Hill Building at Milford Regional. He has joined Brian Whang, MD and Chris LeSiege, PA-C.
The team treats a variety of conditions including lung and esophageal cancer, infectious problems, swallowing problems, stomach and esophagus issues, lung collapses and hiatal hernias. They offer innovative and minimally invasive surgical treatments as well as traditional surgical procedures. Depending on the diagnosis, other treatments might include radiation, chemotherapy, ablation therapy, freezing, immunotherapy, or watchful waiting.
Read more about these providers.
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508-473-1190
TTY/TDD: 508-473-5103
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