Most women are natural caregivers—quick to nurture children, make medical appointments for their spouses, and pitch in when a friend needs help. The last person many women care for are themselves. However, this self-neglect can be harmful to your heart. Here are 8 ways you may be harming your [...]
Linda Chiarella, a mother of three from Jackson, is living proof of how far science and medicine have come in fighting cancer. Diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer four years ago, her scans are now essentially normal. Interestingly, Linda’s story began when her dog Holly, a Brittany, kept pawing [...]
You could say that MaryAnn Horowitz used to be a different person. At age 64, she was struggling with high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, was pre-diabetic, had little energy, felt trapped in a relationship that wasn’t working, and was more than 100 pounds overweight. “I was scared,” says [...]
Self-care is any activity that cares for our mental, emotional, or physical health. In the hustle and bustle of family and work life, it’s important to give yourself a time out, too. Here are five suggestions. 1. Learn a new skill—Take a cooking class, learn yoga, or check out [...]
Listen to Kelly talk about her amazing transformation after robotic gastric sleeve surgery. To learn more about weight loss surgery options at CentraState, visit our weight loss surgery page.
Feeling in the peak of health, 65-year-old Louise Cassar of Jackson visited her primary care physician in early February 2013 for her annual physical exam. To her surprise, the electrocardiogram (EKG), a routine part of the exam, revealed a slight abnormality. Despite Louise having had no symptoms that would [...]
Vicky Vydra, a 37-year-old mother of two from Marlboro, was an avid runner, skier, and scuba diver. When she developed a persistent headache, she was shocked that tests revealed she had a hole in her heart. After four weeks of debilitating headaches, Vicky visited her primary care physician, who [...]
Melissa Vella says her symptoms caused by uterine fibroids became so bad last fall that she constantly felt as if she were several months pregnant. “I was always tired, I had to urinate frequently, and even my abdomen was sticking out like I was pregnant,” says Melissa, a 46-year-old [...]
After 52-year-old Melissa Rizzitello of Lakewood spoke with a colleague who’d undergone bariatric surgery, she decided it was time to set up an appointment. After a careful evaluation, Ragui Sadek, MD, FACS, recommended gastric sleeve surgery. Melissa had considered bariatric surgery for several years. Having worked as a counselor [...]
That optimism came from a 24-year-old woman who just the year previously had her life turned upside down by a stroke. Now, more than two years later, Alex's positivity has only grown as she continues to make remarkable progress in her recovery. In December 2012, Alex was just getting [...]
