HEALTHY DIRECTIONS
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timely health information from our physicians and clinicians.
When Melody Blasenheim woke early in the morning and felt nauseous, she assumed she had food poisoning. She sat on the bathroom floor, waiting to vomit. But when she felt a sharp pain in her chest, she knew she had to seek emergency care. At the Emergency Department (ED) [...]
Palliative medicine is a medical specialty designed to help patients manage symptoms and side effects of serious illness and also attend to patients' emotional, social and spiritual needs, as well. But many patients and their families are hesitant to seek palliative care services because it is often confused with [...]
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 [...]
You don’t need to be a professional athlete to suffer an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. Luckily, you also don’t need to be a professional athlete to access a state-of-the-art surgical approach to repair the injury. The ACL is a ligament in your knee that attaches the tibia (shinbone) to [...]
When kids and teens play sports, they can improve their mental and physical health, learn to work with others and build coordination and confidence. But safety is often a consideration. According to Safe Kids, more than 3.5 million children under age 15 receive medical treatment each year due to [...]
One of pregnancy’s joyous milestones is feeling your baby move for the first time. These movements – called fetal movements – can help determine if your baby is developing appropriately. CentraState OB-GYN Benoit Mapa, DO, explains fetal movements and what you should watch for. Q: When do women typically [...]
CentraState is one of just a few healthcare systems in the state to remove liver cancer through minimally invasive surgery – and this specialized approach benefits patients of all ages. Just ask Ernest Tripetsky.Last year, the 86-year-old Manalapan resident – who had prior surgeries at CentraState for bladder cancer and [...]
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 [...]
For eight years, Manalapan resident Lacey Reyes suffered from painful, heavy menstrual periods. She bled so much that she needed iron IV infusions to treat severe anemia, a condition in which the body lacks enough iron to make healthy red blood cells. During her period, the 39-year-old stayed home [...]
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, [...]
