Stay Healthy blog
Stroke considerations for flight
Stroke considerations for flight
By: Kyla Ruf, RN, BSN, CCRN, Flight Nurse A cerebral vascular accident (CVA), also called a stroke, occurs when there is a decreased blood supply to part of the brain. CVA’s can be either embolic (due to a clot) or hemorrhagic (due to a bleeding vessel). In either case, parts of the brain not receiv...
Keep kidney disease in check
Keep kidney disease in check
Kidneys may not be the most glamorous organs in your body, but the work they do is essential to your health. They remove waste from the body in the form of urine and filter toxins from the blood. They also help create red blood cells, regulate blood pressure and build strong bones. When kidney probl...
Atrial fibrillation: What you need to know
Atrial fibrillation: What you need to know
Everyone’s heart changes pace throughout the day in response to the body's needs. The heart speeds up during physical exercise to provide more blood to working muscles. It slows down during sleep, when the body is at rest. These normal changes help the heart serve the body more effectively. A heartb...
mG-FAST, A single pre-hospital stroke screen for evaluating large vessel and non-large vessel strokes
mG-FAST, A single pre-hospital stroke screen for evaluating large vessel and non-large vessel strokes
Original research article by: Roy El Koussa, Sarah Linder, Alicia Quayson, Shawn Banash, James J. MacNeal, Parshva Shah, Mariaelana Brenner, Ross Levine, Osama O. Zaidat and Vibhav Bansal There are approximately 800,000 new ischemic strokes in the United States annually. Of these, close to 20% are t...
What is high blood pressure? (hypertension)
What is high blood pressure? (hypertension)
A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers. The top number is the pressure within your arteries when your heart contracts, also known as systolic blood pressure (SBP). The bottom number is the pressure within your arteries when your heart is relaxed, also known as diastolic blood pressure (DBP...
Headaches: What a pain
Headaches: What a pain
How common are headaches? More than 50 percent of adults reported having a headache in the last year, according to the World Health Organization. A 2013 Global Burden of Disease study found that worldwide, headache disorders are the third highest cause of years of life lost due to disability. That m...
What is osteoarthritis?
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as “wear and tear” arthritis, is the most common form of arthritis. It occurs most frequently in the hands, hips and knees. What causes OA? Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage that cushions the ends of bones in your joints gradually deteriorates. Over time, it ca...
GERD (acid reflux) symptoms
GERD (acid reflux) symptoms
What is GERD? Gastroesophageal reflux disease occurs when the contents of your stomach back up into your esophagus (food pipe) and cause bothersome symptoms or, eventually, long-term problems. The esophagus is the tube that carries food from your throat to your stomach. The backward movement of stom...
Water safety
Water safety
With summer in full swing, Mercyhealth emergency services personnel caution that staying safe around water should be top of mind when headed out for warm-weather fun. Every year in the US there are an estimated 3,960 accidental drownings. Amongst children aged 1 to 4 years old, drowning is the leadi...
Taking care of you before baby
Pregnancy is a time filled with many feelings for new and even second or third time moms. The best way to take care of your growing baby is to care for yourself during pregnancy. Your health affects your baby. Healthy diet and prenatal vitamins Prenatal vitamins help with your baby’s brain growth. I...