Saturday, July 13
Tuesday, July 16
Wednesday, July 17
Saturday, July 27
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Tips to Stay Healthy During the Summer
What is a TIA?
Know Your Triglyceride Level
Patient Story – Robotic Hysterectomy
Featured Video - Managing Pain with Dry Needling
Milford Regional Receives an ‘A’ for Patient Safety
Milford Regional Receives Quality Achievement Award
International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant Care Award
Need a New Primary Care Physician?
Get to Know Our Cardiologists
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Tips to Stay Healthy During the Summer
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Photosensitivity
When out in the sun, you may experience photosensitivity if you are taking certain medications. It is an allergic reaction to the sun caused by your immune system. It most often appears as a red itchy rash. A few of the most well-known medications that can cause photosensitivity are antibiotics, especially tetracyclines, quinolones and sulfonamides; diuretics taken for high blood pressure; and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) remedies such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin and others) and naproxen (Aleve and others); and certain topical medications can also cause a reaction. Prevention of photosensitivity is the same as preventing sunburn: limit sun exposure especially between 10AM – 4PM, wear protective clothing and apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more. Don’t forget to re-apply often, especially after swimming and sweating.
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Heat Exhaustion
Heat exhaustion and heatstroke can affect anyone but the biggest risk is for those under 4 and over 65 and those with chronic medical conditions. Our body usually can control its temperature but if you stay outside in the extreme heat for too long and don’t drink fluids, you can experience heat exhaustion. Symptoms often include headache, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, confusion and fatigue. If steps are not taken to reduce your temperature, your temperature could escalate and you could have heatstroke. Don’t let this happen! It is a very serious medical emergency.
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Drinking water is essential. Do not rely on caffeinated drinks or alcohol since they contribute to dehydration. Stay inside on very hot days if you have air conditioning. If you don’t have air conditioning at home, go to a mall or a movie theatre during the hottest daytime hours. A cool shower or bath can also help to reduce your temperature and applying cool, wet cloths to your skin can help too.
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Dehydration
Many people want to enjoy outside summer activities such as bicycling, walking and kayaking to name a few. While physical activities are great for your health, it is important to drink plenty of fluids throughout the course of the day to replenish fluid you lose from being in the heat especially if you are physically active. If it is going to be a hot day, physical activity should take place first thing in the morning.
People over 65 are particularly at risk for dehydration. Did you know that as you age the sense of thirst diminishes? It’s not known exactly what causes this reduction in thirst, but the consequences of it are well known. Dehydration is a common cause of hospitalization among elderly people.
Seniors are also at greater risk for dehydration because of how body composition changes with age. Older adults have less water in their bodies to start with than younger adults or children. Also, some medications can contribute to dehydration such as diuretics, antihistamines and laxatives.
The symptoms of dehydration often go unrecognized such as dry mouth, fatigue and dizziness. If you develop these symptoms, get into a cool, dry place and drink plenty of water. Eat lightly and include fruit – a good source of fluids.
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Drowning
Swimming is probably the most common summer activity for children and adults. What is more inviting on a hot summer day than a sparkling pool, lake or the ocean! Most children will spend hours playing in the water when given the opportunity, but adult supervision is crucial. Even when children can swim, they should be constantly supervised.
Muscle cramps can occur quickly and when someone is in trouble, you probably won’t see them struggle. People naturally use their arms to try and keep themselves above water so they can’t wave for help and someone who is drowning usually can’t make a sound so you won’t hear a scream.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), on average, more than 10 people die from drowning each day, mostly children. The most important thing you can do is prevent drowning by making sure pools have fencing over 4 feet high with secure gates; limit use of alcohol and watch children at all times. For adults, practice the buddy system when swimming in a lake or the ocean.
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What is a TIA?
A Transient Ischemic Attack [TIA] is often called a mini-stroke, but it’s really a major warning sign that should not be ignored. TIA is a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain. TIAs usually do not cause lasting damage. Your body fights back quickly and dissolves the clot that caused the TIA so symptoms usually last 5 minutes or less.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that approximately one third of the people who experience a TIA go on to have a more severe stroke within a year.
Symptoms of a TIA are the same as a more severe stroke:
- Weakness, numbness or paralysis on one side of your body
- Slurred speech or difficulty understanding others
- Blindness in one or both eyes
- Dizziness
- Severe headache with no apparent cause
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Know Your Triglyceride Level
Triglycerides are fats carried in your blood stream and stored in fat cells in your body. Like cholesterol, triglycerides are essential to human life but can increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke if the blood level rises too high.
High triglycerides may contribute to hardening of the arteries or thickening of the artery walls (arteriosclerosis) — which increases the risk of heart disease. Extremely high triglycerides can also cause acute inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
Unless you’ve been told that it’s too high, you may not even know your triglyceride level. It is measured through the same test that measures cholesterol–a lipid panel. Fasting for 12 hours is necessary prior to having your blood drawn since a fatty meal you had the night before will raise your triglycerides temporarily.
According to National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines:
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Normal under 150
Borderline high 150 – 199 mg/dL
High 200 – 499 mg/dL
Very High 500 or higher mg/dL
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High triglyceride levels are strongly associated with low levels of HDL (the good cholesterol). The combination of HDL under 40 and triglycerides over 200 is a potent risk factor for heart disease, so it is important to know both your cholesterol numbers and triglycerides.
Lifestyle measures–diet and exercise–are considered the best ways of dealing with triglycerides. The butter, margarine and cheese you eat are turned quickly into triglycerides in your blood stream. Any you don’t use for energy get stored as fat on your body. But the same happens with any sugar you consume, so it is important to limit sugars, refined carbohydrates and saturated fats.
Read more about triglycerides at Mayoclinic.org.
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Robotic Hysterectomy
Holly coped with severe menstrual pain that affected her at work, made vacations difficult to schedule and eventually bothered her on a daily basis. She said that she passed out at least six times and sometimes would shake uncontrollably.
Since her robotic hysterectomy, everything has changed. Holly has her life back and it didn’t take long. According to Dr. Clark, 80 percent of patients go home on the same day of surgery. Robotic surgery is less risk, less pain and much faster recovery.
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Managing Pain with Dry Needling
Do you suffer from unrelenting pain? Have you tried many treatments without success? Watch this video to learn about how dry needling could offer the relief you have been looking for – whether you have back, neck or shoulder pain; headaches, tendonitis, osteoarthritis, or plantar fasciitis. Our specially trained physical therapists discuss this treatment and how it has been helping many people manage their pain.
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Milford Regional Medical Center Receives an ‘A’ for Patient Safety
Milford Regional was awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes Milford Regional’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers.
Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year.
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Quality Achievement Award
Once again, Milford Regional Received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence.
Milford Regional has also met specific scientific guidelines as a Primary Stroke Center featuring a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department.
Read more about this award
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International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant Care Award
Milford Regional has been awarded global recognition for our commitment to providing professional lactation support as an integral part of our maternal-child services. We promote, protect, and support breastfeeding by helping new moms attain their breastfeeding goals. Our experienced consultants are available in the hospital and when you go home through our warm-line. We offer a breastfeeding class, skin-to-skin care and Breastfeeding is Beautiful support group.
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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 Cardiologists
Milford Regional's cardiologists offer an interdisciplinary approach to heart health including specialists in both cardiovascular and cardiac rehabilitation. From diagnosis of a patient's condition to the development of an individualized treatment plan, the focus of our dedicated cardiologists and staff is strongly preventive - managing heart health before a condition becomes serious.
View our website to read more about our cardiologists. Just click on their names to see their bio.
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508-473-1190
TTY/TDD: 508-473-5103
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