Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Strength within: Man beats odds after double lung transplant
Don Appiarius, of Stephens City, wins battle after battle, and his latest triumph was no small feat.
Nearly five years after undergoing a double lung transplant that saved his life from the end stages of cystic fibrosis, Appiarius remains healthy and robust, playing tennis in the U.S. Transplant Games held in Pittsburgh last week.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Hitching a ride
A new Internet-based service aims to help area senior citizens get around — without having to shell out money for gas.
The Virginia Department for the Aging recently announced the establishment of Virginia GrandTrans, a resource created by seniors as part of the GrandDriver public health initiative. Seniors who seldom or no longer drive, or those people who care for them, can use a specially designed Web search application to help find nearby transportation options.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Beat the heat
When working or playing in the hot sun, there are ways to tell if you need a cool drink of water — or a ride to the hospital.
Learning the symptoms of heat-related illnesses is an important part of treatment and prevention during the hot summer season.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Room with a view: Children's therapy space gets a makeover thanks to local artists
WOODSTOCK — A room at Shenandoah Memorial Hospital is under water.
The ocean and all of its creatures have poured into the room, leaving lobsters leaping from electrical outlets and schools of smiling fish swimming to meet a little boy riding a sea horse. A bright blue sky with white clouds stretches out across the ceiling.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Upfront prices: 'Retail' health clinics are taking the mystery out of medical costs
STEPHENS CITY — From the outside, Valley Health's Quick Care clinic near Stephens City could be any other strip mall health clinic.
But the facility, which opened late last year, is the first wave of a sea of change to hit the Northern Shenandoah Valley in how health care is delivered.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Arthritis walk planned: Local event set as chairwoman will be recipient of national award
WINCHESTER — On May 17, when the fourth annual Northern Shenandoah Valley Arthritis Walk is taking place at Sherando High School in Stephens City, Julie Rhyne will not be there.
The Winchester resident, and chairwoman of the walk, who has been part of the planning committee since it began four years ago, will instead be in Orange County, Calif., to receive an award and attend an arthritis walk on the West Coast as one of the two 2009 National Honorees of the National Arthritis Foundation.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Second best to breast: Mothers can try pumps before formula
Many new mothers are pumped up about breast-feeding their babies. As they know, "breast is best."
But, in the cases where breast-feeding doesn't work out, many — if not most — women think their only option is switching to formula.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Fuel for the body: Speedway to host blood drive as track volunteer battles cancer
WINCHESTER — Gasoline is to stock car racing what blood is to the human body — the propelling fuel.
Frederick County resident Jason Cunningham knows just how vital each is — even more so since being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia on Nov. 2 by Winchester oncologist Dr. William A. Houck III.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Outpatient center opens
FRONT ROYAL — Warren Memorial Hospital has a new feather in its cap with the opening of a new outpatient center on Commerce Avenue.
The 37,000-square-foot, two-story building opened its doors March 31 to a swarm of eager patients. The $11 million project is intended to "decompress" some of the departments at the hospital and allow room for the programs relocated to this new site to grow, said Warren Memorial Hospital's president, Patrick Nolan.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Life with Crohn's: Despite advances, the disease is incurable
For some, a diagnosis of Crohn's disease can be overwhelming.
When Sam Lindamood, of Strasburg, was diagnosed with the disease, at the age of 26, he was unsure of what to do.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
No-scope colonoscopies: A 'virtual' version of the important screening is less invasive
WINCHESTER — Certainly no one relishes the idea of getting a colonoscopy or similar colon test, but everyone of average risk by the time they reach their 50th birthday should be screened for precancerous polyps and colorectal cancer, according to recommendations set out by the American Cancer Society.
Unfortunately, though, studies indicate most Americans continue to ignore this life-saving recommendation.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
A holistic approach
FRONT ROYAL — Dr. Craig A. Zunka agrees the kind of dentistry he practices is not your grandmother's dentistry, or, for that matter, your mother's dentistry either.
The 57-year-old native of Front Royal taught dentistry for two years at the University of Florida after graduating from dental school at the Medical College of Virginia in 1975.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Problem periods: Menorrhagia no longer requires hysterectomy
WOODSTOCK — For many women, menstruation is a simple, if somewhat inconvenient, fact of life.
But, for the roughly 10 million women who experience heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding each month, it's more than a period — it's a problem.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Experts stress the importance of knowing family health history
Family stories affectionately told and passed down from generation to generation are familiar events at reunions and gatherings across the communities of the Northern Shenandoah Valley.
But how frequently do these family discussions reveal to us important information about our family's health history?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Coping with mental illness: NAMI offers local support groups for caregivers
WINCHESTER — Helping relatives and friends who have a mental illness cope with their disability has its share of hardship, something Connie Nutter knows all too well.
When Nutter was in the third grade, her mother was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Her brother also has been diagnosed with the same illness. While helping them cope with their illnesses, Nutter eventually learned about the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation's largest grass-roots mental health organization dedicated to helping those with mental illnesses and their families.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Proper nutrition, exercise, among ways people can stave off osteoporosis
Eating the right foods, getting enough exercise and not staying out in the sun too long are some health concerns that many people have, especially when considering their long-term health.
Though the health of their bones might not be at the top of many people's list of health concerns, it is something that they should be thinking about, and as soon as possible.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Not your average spa
WOODSTOCK -- A local obstetrician-gynecologist and two Shenandoah Memorial Hospital administrators hope to inject some spiritual renewal, some glamour and even some pizzazz into area residents' lives when they open the county's first medical spa this spring.
Called ShenSpa, the medispa, was approved by SMH's board of directors a couple weeks ago, according to Virginia Kilmer, the hospital's vice president of finance.
Crossword Puzzle
