The LGBTQ+ population faces many social, economic, and emotional barriers that discourage them from seeking healthcare services, putting them at risk for certain health problems. From lack of insurance and access to care to outright discrimination, these disparities make it vital for clinicians to offer a safe, non-judgmental environment [...]
The vice grip. The temple throb. The pounding hammer. Not all headaches and migraines feel the same, but when one hits, it can be debilitating. Most people are familiar with common triggers like stress, but the following not-so-common triggers could also be culprits, according to CentraState family medicine physician [...]
Five-year-old Mikey Mendez loves sea creatures and is obsessed with letters and numbers. His brother, Max, lives up to the term “terrible twos” by being a bit mischievous; he enjoys taking things apart and putting them back together. Their mother, Lauren, says both of her boys are very smart, [...]
Melvin Welch has seen a lot in his 44-year career as a truck driver – and he’s proud to say he has three million miles of American roads under his belt. Recently celebrating his 70th birthday, this proud Marine Corps veteran learned he had diabetes when he was 45 [...]
What do Sofia Vergara, Rod Stewart, Joe Piscopo, Jennifer Grey, Daymond John and approximately 50 percent of American adults have in common? They’ve all had thyroid nodules. “Thanks to increased awareness and improved diagnostic imaging, we’re able to detect thyroid nodules more often,” explains Alexander Shifrin, MD, surgical director of [...]
Research has shown that patients have the best chance of recovery if their arteries are opened within two hours of a heart attack, according to Jatinchandra Patel, DO, medical director of the Cardiovascular Interventional Laboratory at CentraState. Emergency angioplasty, also known as emergency PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention), is a [...]
For more than 30 years, CentraState’s patient liaisons have served as a bridge between patients and their clinical teams. Also called patient representatives, these skilled problem-solvers answer patient call bells, convey test times, and let patients know what to expect. They also investigate issues and connect patients with resources, [...]
Imagine always feeling the pain and urgency of a full bladder, even when you just went. That was Frankie Perna’s life for three decades until she learned the cause of the condition – and how to overcome it. Since her late 20s, Frankie, now 61, has had trouble fully [...]
High blood pressure (hypertension) is when the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels is consistently too high. Often symptomless, it silently damages blood vessels and can lead to heart attack or stroke. “Because some patients with hypertension will not have symptoms, they are at greater risks for developing [...]
Relationships, friends, career, passions, purpose, the ability to adapt to change—every aspect of your life influences your well-being. But nothing has a bigger effect on your life than your health. When you’re feeling good, you have the energy and endurance to play hard, work hard, and enjoy life to [...]
