Health & Wellness

Submitted by Penn Highlands Healthcare An annual exam is the cornerstone of a healthier, happier life. Even if you feel healthy, seeing your primary care provider annually can help you stay healthy and even catch potential issues before they happen. What is an annual exam? An annual exam, also known as a preventive check-up, is…

UNIVERSITY PARK — The ideal diet for weight loss would allow people to eat foods they enjoy, feel full on fewer calories and have satisfying, nutritionally balanced meals. To meet these goals, Dr. Barbara Rolls and her team at Penn State’s Department of Nutritional Sciences developed the Volumetrics Diet, which is based on scientific studies…

HERSHEY — The calendar just flipped to 2024, so cue the ads: “Now’s your chance to drop weight, get ripped and let your fitness flag fly!” Gyms fill. Shoppers empty the diet food sections at your grocery store. Good luck finding a rice cake or a free treadmill at the gym before spring. Among the…

Submitted by Geisinger DANVILLE — When emergency rooms are equipped to care for children, outcomes are significantly better for young patients — which is why Geisinger is preparing every ER in the system to specifically treat children. The effort is led by Sarah Alander, MD, Geisinger director of pediatric emergency medicine, who has made readying Geisinger…

Submitted by Penn Highlands Healthcare DUBOIS — Mark Norman, Chief Operating Officer of Penn Highlands Healthcare, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Hospital and Healthsystem of Pennsylvania (HAP). During his three-year board term, Mark will collaborate with healthcare leaders from across the commonwealth to further the HAP mission and advance initiatives…

How do you know you have cervical cancer before it’s even cancer?  January is cervical cancer awareness month and, rather than looking for symptoms, the best thing you can do is have a good relationship with your women’s health care provider and stay on top of regular screenings. It also helps to protect yourself in…

In a world captivated by detox programs and cleanses, health experts are urging a paradigm shift towards understanding and supporting the innate processes of the liver for overall well-being. Recent studies underscore the importance of liver metabolism, dispelling prevalent misconceptions surrounding detox programs that promise miraculous body cleanses. The liver, the body’s largest internal organ,…

While many people picture retirement as an opportunity to relax, retirees can face many challenges, including the potential need for long-term care. A 2022 report from the Department of Health and Human Services projects that over half (56%) of Americans turning 65 today will develop a disability serious enough to require long-term care and, for…

Each year, it’s estimated that more than 160,000 U.S. adults are hospitalized and 10,000 of them die due to respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, a common respiratory virus. While most people only develop mild symptoms similar to that of a common cold, RSV can be dangerous for certain people at high risk, including some adults.…