News

Understanding congenital heart defects

February is a time to focus on the heart—and not just for Valentine's Day. SIU Medicine joins with the American Heart Association to recognize February as American Heart Month and specifically, to raise awareness of a common health condition: congenital heart defects. 5 things to know about congenital heart defects 1. Congenital heart defects are the world's most common birth defect. Every year, 1.35 million infants are born with a congenital heart defect. A congenital heart defect is any abnormality in an infant's heart that developed while the child was still in the womb. Many types of
News

Understanding congenital heart defects

February is a time to focus on the heart—and not just for Valentine's Day. SIU Medicine joins with the American Heart Association to recognize February as American Heart Month and specifically, to raise awareness of a common health condition: congenital heart defects. 5 things to know about congenital heart defects 1. Congenital heart defects are the world's most common birth defect. Every year, 1.35 million infants are born with a congenital heart defect. A congenital heart defect is any abnormality in an infant's heart that developed while the child was still in the womb. Many types of
News

Raise your multiple sclerosis awareness

Throughout March, SIU Medicine is promoting multiple sclerosis (MS) education and awareness. Here are some facts about this common health condition. 1. MS is a chronic disorder affecting the nervous and immune system. When someone has MS, their immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues within their central nervous system. Specifically, MS causes inflammation and damage to tissues called the myelin sheaths, which surround nerve fibers and acts as insulation to help signals and information move about the brain and spinal cord. 2. MS is one of the most common neurological diseases in young
News

Raise your multiple sclerosis awareness

Throughout March, SIU Medicine is promoting multiple sclerosis (MS) education and awareness. Here are some facts about this common health condition. 1. MS is a chronic disorder affecting the nervous and immune system. When someone has MS, their immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues within their central nervous system. Specifically, MS causes inflammation and damage to tissues called the myelin sheaths, which surround nerve fibers and acts as insulation to help signals and information move about the brain and spinal cord. 2. MS is one of the most common neurological diseases in young
Events

Caregiver class for dementia patients

Course name: What to expect when you're not expecting to be a caregiver
Events

ThinkFirst car seat check

SIU Medicine, ThinkFirst and the Illinois Department of Transportation invite you to have your car seats checked by nationally certified child passenger safety technicians. Please bring the child who will be riding in the car seat, the vehicle's owner's manual and the car seat instruction manual, if possible. Car seat checks take approximately 30 minutes.
News

Crash reenactment to remind HS students of driving dangers

The Winchester and Scott County Police, Fire and EMS will recreate an automobile crash experience for Winchester and Bluffs high school students at 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 5, at Winchester High School, 200 West Cross St. ThinkFirst, SIU School of Medicine’s injury prevention program, will assist in planning and presenting the event. The reenactment will focus on what can happen when young people drive or ride with distracted or impaired drivers. In the event, emergency personnel normally summoned after a car crash will simulate their tasks, followed by guest speakers. Those involved in planning
News

Is COVID-19 antibody testing useful?

COVID-19 vaccinations are underway, a crucial step in the evolving effort to curb the spread and lethality of the global pandemic. SIU Medicine wants our patients and the public to have confidence in the process. We encourage questions about your concerns and how to best protect against the virus. Sharing information will help the community stay safer and better informed. One question frequently heard is: Can I get an antibody test if I have had the vaccine? Understanding antibodies Antibodies are proteins produced by immune cells that circulate in your body. They help fight off infectious
News

5 simple steps to improve your digestive health

Here's a great trivia fact: The total length of the average adult's digestive tract, from mouth to rear-end, is up to 30 feet long. All that tissue—tongue, esophagus, stomach, small intestines and colon, creates an important passageway through which food travels and gets broken down, absorbed, metabolized and excreted. Without an optimally functioning digestive system, you could be at risk for things like malnutrition with muscle, vitamin and mineral loss. You could also increase the risk of obesity with all its complications, including heart and lung disease. Of course we can’t ignore the
News

Relieving stress

"Stressful" might be a perfect adjective to describe our current lives. We’ve been through a lot in the past year. In fact, research from the American Psychological Association indicates that overall levels of stress in this country increased throughout the last year. While everyone handles it differently, stress has common roots. It's the physical and emotional sensation you have in response to challenging situations (say, a global pandemic). Of course, the experience of stress is normal; up to a certain point, stress can actually be helpful for motivating you or ensuring you respond
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