Woodland Heights Medical Center is pleased to announce the recent installation of a Philips Ingenuity CT system.  Woodland Heights is excited to offer the latest in CT imaging technology to better serve the needs of the community.   The Ingenuity CT features advanced capabilities that provide the highest level of patient care and comfort. With…

Many people find it difficult to discuss gastrointestinal problems with their doctors, yet such issues are far more common than you might realize. For example, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is characterized by recurring abdominal pain with either constipation or diarrhea, impacts nearly 35 million Americans — and its effects go beyond physical discomfort, according…

Every 43 seconds, someone in the U.S. suffers a heart attack. Each year, more than 600,000 of those afflicted will not survive the attack, with nearly half of the victims being women. While we’ve all become familiar with the “Hollywood heart attack” (man suddenly clutches chest and immediately falls unconscious), only a portion of victims…

Four years ago, Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, Chair of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and colleagues made a landmark discovery linking intestinal bacteria to heart disease. His team found that when our digestive systems digest the nutrients carnitine and choline (abundant in red meat and eggs, respectively), a bacterial waste product called TMAO is formed. They…

Vascular surgery appears to be safer than stenting for patients over 70 years of age with carotid stenosis, or a blockage of the carotid arteries in the neck, according to new findings published today in the Lancet. The international study, led by investigators at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, looked at the two standard…

March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and the perfect time to think about colon health. Unfortunately, less than half of people aged 50 and older get tested for colon cancer. But early detection can save lives. Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the…

Poor physical fitness in middle age may be linked to a smaller brain size 20 years later, according to a study published in the February 10, 2016, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “We found a direct correlation in our study between poor fitness and brain volume decades…

Nothing lasts forever, including artificial joints. Failing prosthetic joint replacements are a potential serious health problem for the more than 7 million Americans living with an artificial knee or hip. That number is increasing rapidly every year, too. “Adults are living longer, and many are maintaining a very active lifestyle, creating the need for long-lasting…

Recent years have seen an increase in those suffering from allergies, including baby boomers. And because older people tend to have additional chronic diseases, diagnosis and management of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) can be a challenge. A new study shows immunotherapy (allergy shots) reduced symptoms by 55 percent after three years of therapy, and decreased…

Have your healthy New Year’s habits already begun to fade? Recharge your resolutions in March during National Nutrition Month and remember the importance of developing and following sound eating habits. The 2016 National Nutrition Month theme, “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right,” encourages you to take time to enjoy food traditions and appreciate the pleasures,…