1. science
2. medicine
3. surgery

Health
Connection
brought to you by galesburg cot tage hospital
New clinic
opens in
Monmouth!
see page 12
CottageHospital.com
•
Winter 2013
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Advanced
ACL repair
Meet Cottage
Hospital’s oncologist
We’re a Top
Performer
Another surgical
weight-loss option
Are you
at risk?
Have you been
checked for high
cholesterol? Make an
appointment with your
doctor to discuss
your risk factors and
ways you can lower
your risk.
Butter and margarine go
head to head
Long commutes take
toll on the heart
You see them next to each other in
the grocery store, but which
one do you choose? And,
more importantly,
which type of fat
is better for your
heart? The decision
is in: Most margarine
choices are a healthier
option than butter, according
to the Mayo Clinic.
Because margarine is made from
vegetable oils, it doesn’t contain
dietary cholesterol and it’s higher in
polyunsaturated and monounsaturated,
or “good,” fats, which, when substituted
for saturated fats, help reduce low-density
lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol. On
the other hand, butter contains high levels
of saturated fat and cholesterol because
it’s made from animal fat.
Buyers beware, though: Choose your
margarine carefully. Solid margarine—
which comes in stick form—isn’t a good
choice because it contains trans fat.
Instead, choose soft or liquid margarine
and check labels for the spread with
the lowest calories, the least amount of
saturated fat and no trans fat.
Do you have a long ride to and from
work? Well, here’s another drawback
to the aggravation you may feel being
trapped in your car: According to a study
in the American Journal of Preventive
Medicine, which looked at almost 4,300
Texas city workers, the longer you’re
behind the wheel during your commute,
the worse your heart health. Waistlines
expanded, exercise routines
disappeared, and with
these bad habits came
higher blood pressure
and excess pounds.
Even for those
who did exercise,
these heart disease
risk factors didn’t
disappear, which means
there’s probably something to the
commute itself that’s harming hearts.
Researchers hypothesize it could be that
long-distance drivers are burning fewer
calories overall and stress could be
taking a toll. Researchers suggest finding
other ways to add activity to your day, so
don’t hesitate to bring a pair of walking
shoes to work and hit the sidewalks
during your lunch break.
Could it be a pinched nerve?
Pinched nerves, which occur when too much pressure is applied to a nerve by
surrounding tissues, such as bones, cartilage or muscles, can be painful and irritating.
Understanding if you’re at an increased risk of one day experiencing a pinched nerve is the
best way to help prevent it. Here are five risk factors:
1 Posture. Proper posture decreases the pressure to your spine and nerves.
2 Bone spurs. Conditions like osteoarthritis can cause you to develop bone spurs. They can
stiffen the spine and narrow the space where your nerves travel.
3 Overuse. Activities that involve extensive use of your hands,
wrists and shoulders can increase your risk of a pinched nerve.
4 Obesity. Having excess weight adds more pressure from
muscles and body tissue onto your nerves.
5 Pregnancy. Weight gain from pregnancy can swell your nerve
passages and pinch your nerves.
2
Winter 2013
images on any of these pages may be from one or more of these sources: © 2013 thinkstock and © 2013 istockphoto.com.
Healthbriefs
Caring for our
Baby Boomers
As Baby Boomers grow older, it’s important that Galesburg Cottage Hospital continues to evolve to meet their needs. Carl
Strauch, M.D., is proud
to offer patients ages 65
and older viable treatment options during their
golden years.
“We have more technology now to perform
tests and can offer more
treatments than we’ve
Carl strauch, M.D.
Geriatric Medicine
ever had before,” says
Dr. Strauch. “Our geriatric services are geared
to our senior patients and designed to provide
them with appropriate care for their age.”
Dr. Strauch cares for a variety of medical
conditions, including memory loss, diabetes,
arthritis, osteoporosis and fraility. He has been
board certified in geriatric medicine since 1994
and has been working with
geriatric patients his
entire career. “As our
population gets
older, it’s important that we
have the necessary resources
they need to
live healthy
lives,” says
Dr. Strauch.
A message
from our ceo
Dear friends,
I would like to introduce you to new
physicians who have recently joined
our medical staff or who will be doing
Earl Tamar
Chief Executive
Officer
so shortly.
Sandra Ettema, M.D., board certified in ear,
nose and throat (ENT) and head and neck
surgery, joined the medical staff at Galesburg
Cottage Hospital last August. She offers a
broad range of ENT services and has excellent communication skills and a great bedside manner. She has been a
wonderful addition to our medical staff and is a real asset
to our community.
Lorraine Garland, M.D., is an Ob/Gyn
doctor who also started here in August 2012.
Dr. Garland was an OB nurse here several
years ago when she decided to go to medical
school to earn her medical degree. She’s excited to be
in practice here and is off to a great start. She helps with
individual plans of care to meet the health care needs of
her patients.
Marketa Leisure, M.D., a board-certified
pediatrician, will be joining Cottage Pediatric
and Adolescent Care Clinic in August.
Dr. Leisure received her undergraduate
degree in human biology from Stanford University in Palo
Alto, Calif. She attended medical school at the University
of Chicago and completed her pediatrics residency at the
University of Virginia in Charlottesville. She has been in
solo practice for the last six years and wants to return to
Illinois to be closer to her family.
Our seniors are special
Cottage Hospital provides the comprehensive
care you or your loved ones need as you
grow older. To make an appointment with
Dr. Strauch, call (309) 342-9189. For senior
activities and travel, join Cottage Hospital’s
Senior Circle. To learn more, call the Senior
Circle advisor at (309) 343-6565.
I wish all of you a wonderful 2013 with good health.
Sincerely,
Earl Tamar
Chief Executive Officer
Galesburg Cottage Hospital
Dr. Strauch is a member of the medical staff at Cottage Hospital.
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Winter 2013
•
CottageHospital.com
3
Sleep and
your brain
For optimal health, get your shut-eye
Sandra Ettema, M.D., Ph.d.,
ccc-slp
ENT
Trouble
sleeping?
To make an appointment with Dr. Ettema,
call Cottage Ear,
Nose and Throat at
(309) 343-1632.
Sleep is a time for you to rest and,
hopefully, get refreshed and ready
to face the new day. For your brain,
sleep is a time for work.
“Sleep affects all parts of your life,”
says Sandra Ettema, M.D., Ph.D., CCC-SLP,
a board-certified otolaryngologist and a
member of the medical staff at Galesburg
Cottage Hospital. “If your mind and body
have enough energy and stamina, then all
other aspects of your life benefit as well.”
During sleep, your brain is playing an
integral part in the maintenance of your
nervous system, laying pathways to help
you learn and create new memories. Some
experts also think that sleep affords our
brains the opportunity to rest hardworking neurons before they have a chance
to malfunction. In addition, connections
between neurons that aren’t frequently
used may finally get a chance to exercise
during sleep as a way of preventing their
deterioration.
Visit our
sleep lab
If you’re concerned
you may have a sleep
disorder, Galesburg
Cottage Hospital Sleep
Diagnostic Lab can
help. A doctor’s
referral is required. For
more information or to
make an appointment,
call (309) 345-4224.
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Winter 2013
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CottageHospital.com
If you get less than the recommended
seven to eight hours of sleep each
night, you’re interrupting these vital
processes and making it more difficult
to remember things or concentrate.
You may find it more difficult to
work, drive or function in general.
Hallucinations and mood swings may
also develop in more severe cases of
sleep deprivation.
Some very preliminary research
also seems to suggest that poor
sleep habits may age your brain and
contribute to cognitive health problems
such as dementia, but more research
is needed. On other, more definitive
health fronts, lack of sleep has been
linked to heart disease, obesity and
diabetes.
“If you’re trying to lose weight,
give yourself a jump start by getting
the recommended amount of sleep
consistently,” says Dr. Ettema.
Here’s to good sleep
Struggling to get that elusive sleep can
be frustrating, but a good night’s sleep
isn’t just a dream. To keep your brain in
tip-top shape:
Schedule bedtime. Going to sleep
at the same time every night can help
program your body into a healthy cycle.
Exercise regularly. A good workout—
about five to six hours before you
go to bed—can help you achieve a
deeper sleep.
Skip the cigarettes, nicotine and
alcohol, all of which can negatively
affect your quality of sleep.
Relax. Read a book or soak in a nice,
warm bath before going to sleep. “Avoid
watching TV in bed before sleeping,”
says Dr. Ettema. “TV keeps your brain
active and may affect your sleep.”
Avoid staying in bed if you can’t sleep.
Find another low-key activity to do until
you feel sleepy.
Keep your room cool, but not too cool.
Temperatures that make you uncomfortable will keep you from getting sleep.
Wake with the sun. It helps reset your
body’s internal clock.
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HealthWise QUIZ
How much do you know about
medication management?
Take this Quiz to find out.
1
You didn’t see it coming, but
few people who have a stroke
do. And as you may know by
now, surviving a stroke is only half
the battle. How do you cope with a
life that’s forever changed?
First off, know that there are
many people facing the same situation as you. Almost 800,000 people
have strokes every year. Some may
recover with only minor residual
effects, while others are left with
permanent disabilities. Learning
to cope with your individual situation is critical to recovery. Here are
some strategies that may help:
Recognize the emotions. You’ll
likely go through a range of
emotions, from sadness about
things you may no longer be able
to do, to anger about why this happened to you, to frustration with
the difficulty of communicating
with loved ones. All of these
are normal feelings. If you’re
experiencing extended periods
of sadness, have lost interest in
life or have thoughts of suicide,
seek help immediately because
these are symptoms of depression.
If you’re a caregiver of someone
with stroke, learn to recognize
the signs.
Work with the new you.
Recuperating will take time and
a lot of hard work, and you may
not totally get back to where you
were before. Set small goals for
yourself and celebrate as you
reach them. And don’t be afraid
to rest. Remain active. You may
not be moving the way you used
to, but don’t feel embarrassed by
having to use a cane or wheelchair.
You need to get out, even if only
for a short time. If your loved one
has had a stroke, encourage him
or her to meet up with friends or
engage in enjoyable activities, if he
or she is up to it.
Ask for help. Don’t be afraid
to reach out to friends and family
to assist with errands or just stop
by for a visit.
hich tip is not recommended
W
for storing medication?
a. Store it in a cool, dry place.
b. Keep it in the original container.
c. Keep the cotton plug in the bottle.
d. none of the above
3
When talking with your doctor,
you should let him or her know
you take:
a. vitamins
b. over-the-counter medicines
c. herbal supplements
d. all of the above
4
Which of the following drugs can
interact with St. John’s wort?
a. blood thinners
b. antidepressants
c. pain medications (narcotics)
d. all of the above
5
When ordering medication online,
you should only purchase from a
website that:
a. has an FDA seal of approval
b. is accredited by the Verified
Internet Pharmacy Practice
Sites (VIPPS) program
c. is based in Canada
d. has testimonials
Answers: 1. (d) 2. (c) 3. (d) 4. (d) 5. (b)
Coping with stroke
2
ccording to the FDA (U.S. Food
A
and Drug Administration),
splitting pills:
a. is safe for all medications
b. can affect the way a medication is
absorbed
c. should never be done unless the
pills are approved for splitting and
you have your doctor’s OK
d. both b and c
Winter 2013
5
time following the surgery dramatically.
“Early on, surgeons had to open the
knee to perform the surgery, but now
we have scopes that allow us to
perform the surgery with just a few
small incisions around the knee,” says
Dr. Stachniw.
To repair the ACL, a surgeon must
make a donor graft by using a piece of
tendon from somewhere else, such as a
portion of the patellar tendon or hamstring tendon.
Get back on your feet
Repairing an ACL
knee injury with
arthroscopic surgery
Recovery
Following surgery, Dr. Stachniw recommends using crutches for two weeks to
let the knee settle. The patient begins
physical therapy to strengthen the knee.
He or she will be able to engage in competitive activity about four months after
surgery, or when the therapists and
doctors give their approval.
Who qualifies?
myron Stachniw, M.D.
Orthopedic Surgeon
Make an
appointment
Tearing an ACL can be
a painful and lifechanging experience,
so getting the proper
care is crucial to
regaining an active
lifestyle. To learn more
about arthroscopic
surgery or to make
an appointment with
Dr. Stachniw, call
(309) 341-1300.
Anyone, from athletes to office
workers, can experience an injury
to their anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), one of the most commonly
injured knee ligaments. As people have
become more aware of ACL injuries, new
and innovative methods of repairing the
injury have developed, most particularly
arthroscopic surgery.
Myron Stachniw, M.D., a boardcertified orthopedic surgeon and a member of the medical staff at Galesburg
Cottage Hospital, performs arthroscopic
surgery for ACL repair regularly and
understands why repairing the ACL is so
important. “Even though the ACL is one
of the shortest knee ligaments, it’s a
crucial piece,” says Dr. Stachniw. “There
are approximately 100 ligaments around
the knee. If you compare the ligaments
to an orchestra, the ACL would be the
conductor.”
Surgery
Arthroscopic surgery is minimally
invasive and has decreased the recovery
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Winter 2013
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CottageHospital.com
Although many people may tear or injure
their ACL, arthroscopic surgery isn’t
for everyone. “The surgery is usually
for a young person who is active or
for someone who doesn’t have arthritis
in the knee,” says Dr. Stachniw. If you
have arthritis, other physical therapy
options may be more appropriate, or
knee replacement may be a better
option.
Arthroscopic
knee surgery
In addition to ACL repair, arthroscopic
surgery can be used for other knee
procedures, including:
reconstructing a torn ACL
removing inflamed synovial tissue
removing loose fragments of bone or
cartilage
removing or repairing torn meniscal
cartilage
trimming torn pieces of articular
cartilage
70gch
Meet John McClean, M.D.
Galesburg Cottage Hospital’s medical oncologist
In the Galesburg community, anyone diagnosed with cancer knows
John McClean, M.D., the medical
oncologist and a member of the medical staff at Galesburg Cottage Hospital.
Board certified in internal medicine
and medical oncology, Dr. McClean is
the only oncologist in the hospital’s
combined service area of 70,000 people.
He and his staff have seen countless
patients over three decades, often building lasting relationships with them.
“We get to know about our patients’
families—their kids and grandkids—
because they’re here so much,”
Dr. McClean says.
Cancer is on the rise
Cancer diagnosis has risen in the area,
which Dr. McClean attributes to several
factors. “People are living longer, and it’s
become a more chronic disease,” he says.
“Our abilities to diagnose are also better, so the numbers keep increasing every
year. Unfortunately, we’re seeing many
people who got through their first malignancies and then come back years later
with second malignancies.”
New medicines and leading-edge
technology have helped boost survival
rates. Clinical trials also help, and many
of Dr. McClean’s patients participate.
“We have a research arm anticipating new
medication trials,” he says.
Dr. McClean encounters a variety
of malignancies. “The ones we see most
often are lung, breast, colon and prostate,” he says. “But we’ve seen a large
increase in skin cancer, particularly
melanomas, which isn’t good. Blood disorders, such as chronic leukemias, are
also on the rise.”
With the help of nurse practitioner
Gina Riner, A.P.N., Dr. McClean is able to
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see patients in a timely manner. “One of
the things I’m most proud of is that we
don’t delay people’s care,” Dr. McClean
says. “If you’re diagnosed with cancer,
you need answers and direction as quickly
as possible.”
John McClean, M.D.
Hematologist/Oncologist
What you can do
To reduce your risk of cancer or increase
your odds of survival after diagnosis,
Dr. McClean recommends that you do the
following:
Quit smoking. “We push people
to stop the habit as much as
we can,” he says. “We have
better medicines now,
making it easier to
quit.”
Get screening
tests. Be diligent
when it’s time for
your mammogram, Pap test,
colonoscopy or
other exams; they
can detect cancer
early.
Make healthy
lifestyle choices.
Eating healthfully
and exercising regularly can help reduce
your risk of certain
cancers. Dr. McClean
refers patients to the Cottage
Hospital’s Whole Exercise Program
for Cancer Survivors, which offers
patients exercise and dietary advice. “The
goal is to try to keep people in the best
shape possible to minimize recurrence and
the development of new malignancies,”
he says. A physician referral is required,
so talk to your doctor to find out if you
would benefit from this program.
Dr. McClean
headshot (p/u
To make an
Fall 2012)
appointment with
Dr. McClean, call
(309) 343-2262.
Winter 2013
Need help?
•
CottageHospital.com
7
Just desserts
Satisfying a sweet tooth—without the guilt
You make it through dinner,
keeping your promise to limit
the calories and fat. But then
comes the course that almost always
gets you to cave: dessert.
Though it can be a calorie and
fat trap, you don’t have to skimp on
the meal’s finale. Instead, you need
to find a way to satisfy that sweet
tooth without guilt. And that’s where
nature’s sweetest low-fat, low-calorie
offering—fruit!—comes in:
Apple of your eye: Slice up some
apples and sprinkle with a little bit
of cinnamon, then bake.
Layer: Alternate layers of nonfat
yogurt with fresh fruit in a parfait
glass.
Get your calcium, too: Keep low-fat
or nonfat fruit yogurt on hand for an
afternoon pick-me-up.
The grill isn’t only for meat: Slice up
peaches, bananas and pineapples and
give them a little heat, which will
bring out their natural sweetness.
Try an even quicker sweet fix:
Pop open some canned fruit
(canned in its own juice or
water—no heavy syrup!)
and enjoy.
Think heavenly: Not all
cakes are created equal.
Angel food cake is a
healthy option that’s
made even better with
the addition of some
fresh fruit or fruit
puree on top.
Top Performer award
Galesburg Cottage
is honored for the
second year in a row
Dan Piper, M.D., chief of
staff (left), and Earl Tamar,
chief executive officer, accept
Cottage Hospital’s Top
Performer award.
Learn more!
For more information
about Cottage Hospital’s
Top Performer award, visit
CottageHospital.com.
8
Winter 2013
•
Patients may rave. Doctors may
boast. But how can anyone really
know that Galesburg Cottage
Hospital offers quality health care?
The Joint Commission, the leading
accreditor of health care organizations
in the country, has weighed in, handing
out Top Performer awards for the second
year. Cottage Hospital was among
620 hospitals nationwide to be recognized and 1 of only 244 hospitals to be
honored both years that the awards have
been offered.
“It’s a very small percentage of
hospitals—less than 5 percent—that
received the award two years in a row,”
CottageHospital.com
Make your own icy treat: Freeze
grapes and bananas for an ice cream
alternative. Choose wisely: If your
dessert options are limited to a restaurant menu, look for a fruit salad
or sorbet, sherbet or meringues and
skip the chocolate lava cake.
Get creative: OK, so you really want
to make that brownie recipe. You can
still cut down on the sugar intake
by substituting equal amounts of
unsweetened applesauce, or cutting
the amount of sugar in half.
says Earl Tamar, chief executive officer at Cottage Hospital. “We’re the
only Illinois hospital south of Chicago
and west of Champaign and Springfield
to receive it.”
What are the requirements?
To qualify, hospitals must meet 95 percent performance thresholds for accountability measures when treating certain
types of patients, like those with pneumonia or receiving surgical care.
“It means we’re following evidencebased guideline practices to give the best
care,” Tamar says. “There’s evidence that
if we do these specific things for patients,
they should have good outcomes.”
He credits the medical staff at Cottage
Hospital for this achievement. “This
is one of the more meaningful awards,
based on objective measures,” he says.
“It differentiates among hospitals, and
it tells patients that our hospital offers
quality health care.”
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Be kind to
your kidneys
Help prevent kidney disease
You may not think about them often,
but tucked away underneath your
rib cage, on each side of your spine,
your kidneys labor away, filtering about
200 quarts of blood daily to rid it of waste
and excess water to make urine.
“The kidneys play a major role in regulating levels of various minerals such as
calcium, sodium and potassium in the
blood,” says Partha Srinivasan, M.D., a
nephrologist and an independent member
of the medical staff at Galesburg Cottage
Hospital. “They also produce certain hormones that have important functions such
as stimulating bone marrow to produce
red blood cells and regulating blood volume and blood pressure.”
Damage to the kidneys can impair their
filtering ability and may lead to what’s
called kidney disease or chronic kidney
disease and, ultimately, kidney failure. The
most common culprits in kidney damage
are high blood pressure and diabetes.
“People with kidney disease are more
apt to develop heart disease,” says Dr.
Srinivasan. “It also can cause anemia, high
blood pressure, acidosis, cholesterol and
fatty acids disorders and bone disease.”
Symptoms of kidney disease
Unfortunately, early kidney disease doesn’t
have any symptoms. When it’s advanced,
a person may have to urinate more or less
often, feel tired, lose his or her appetite or
vomit, experience swollen hands or feet,
feel itchy or numb, have difficulty concentrating or feel sleepy, have darkened skin
or have muscle cramps.
The lack of early warning signs is
exactly why prevention is so important.
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Keeping
kidney
disease at bay
To help prevent
kidney disease,
keep these suggestions in mind:
• If you have diabetes,
monitor your blood glucose level closely and work
to keep it within your doctor’s
recommended range.
• If you have high blood pressure, ask your
doctor about home monitoring and go for
regular checkups. You may need to take
blood pressure medication to keep it below
130/80 mm Hg.
• If signs of kidney damage are already
present, ask your doctor about taking
medication to prevent further damage.
Regular testing for the presence of protein
in your urine and creatinine in your blood
can tell your doctor how well your kidneys
are functioning.
• Follow a healthy eating plan—a lowfat diet full of fruits and vegetables
and whole grains. If you already have
kidney disease, you may need to limit
your protein intake.
• Quit smoking.
• Use care when taking painkillers such
as ibuprofen, naproxen and high-dose
aspirin. Long-term use can cause kidney
damage.
• Seek medical attention right away if you
have symptoms of a bladder infection (for
example, cloudy urine, burning when urinating, a constant urge to go to the bathroom or a fever). Left untreated, infections
can result in kidney damage.
Partha Srinivasan, M.D.
Nephrologist
For more
information
If you’re experiencing
symptoms of
kidney disease, a
nephrologist can help.
Partha Srinivasan, M.D.
Renal Care Associates
(309) 343-4114
Winter 2013
•
CottageHospital.com
9
Lose weight for life
A new procedure is here
Mark davis, M.D., FACS
General Surgeon
Sherwin Parungao, M.D.
General Surgeon
Did you
know?
Gastric sleeve surgery,
a laparoscopic weight-loss
procedure, is now
being performed at
Galesburg Cottage
Hospital.
Patients considering bariatric
surgery have a new option at
Galesburg Cottage Hospital:
gastric sleeve surgery. Surgeons began
performing gastric sleeve surgery earlier
this year.
“We like it because it’s a more
aggressive procedure than Lap-Band®
surgery, but with a lower risk for metabolic abnormalities,” says Mark Davis,
M.D., FACS, a board-certified general
surgeon and a member of the medical staff at Cottage Hospital. “Except
for removing a portion of the stomach,
you’re leaving the rest of the body’s
absorptive tissues intact, so the digestion process is the same.”
The procedure
Gastric sleeve surgery is a laparoscopic
procedure, which means that doctors
make several small incisions in the stomach for tools and a camera, rather than
one large incision. During the two-hour
procedure, surgeons alter the size and
shape of the stomach, removing up to 80
percent of the stomach.
“We change the stomach from the
shape of a pouch to the shape of a tube,”
says Sherwin Parungao, M.D., a boardcertified general surgeon and member of
the medical staff at Cottage Hospital.
A patient typically goes home after
an overnight stay in the hospital and is
restricted from heavy lifting. He or she
remains on a liquid diet until seeing the
doctor at a two-week checkup, when the
doctor will make sure everything has
healed properly.
Who is a candidate?
People with a body mass index (BMI) of
more than 30 are classified as obese and
are candidates for gastric sleeve surgery.
(BMI compares a person’s height and
weight.) Prospective patients also must
pass a careful screening, which includes
a psychiatric evaluation to be sure that
they will be committed to making the
lifestyle changes necessary to attain significant weight loss. Because the stomach
becomes much smaller, people who have
had this surgery must be committed to
eating considerably less than usual, typically 1 cup of food at a time.
“People can never look to bariatric surgery alone to change their lives,” Dr. Davis
says. “Proper eating, proper exercise and
understanding any eating disorders or tendencies toward overeating are important.”
Before and after gastric sleeve surgery, patients meet with a bariatric
coordinator, a psychiatrist or psychologist, a registered dietitian and a physical therapist to help put plans in place
for successful weight loss. Results vary
among patients, but many patients lose a
considerable amount of weight within the
first year.
Considering bariatric surgery?
For more information about gastric sleeve surgery, contact Bariatric
Coordinator Kevin Morrison, R.N., at (309) 345-4504.
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Winter 2013
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CottageHospital.com
70gch
Get moving, mama!
You're tired and easily winded these
days, and probably the last thing on
your mind is exercising. Sure, there
are more hurdles to conquer now as your
body adapts to pregnancy, but there are
many benefits of being a mother-to-be who
works out.
For starters, it can keep your weight
gain in check. It can also help alleviate
those aches and pains related to pregnancy
and temper constipation and swelling.
Exercising also reduces your risk of gestational diabetes, improves your mood and
sleep, may shorten labor, increases your
energy level and helps you recover more
quickly from pregnancy.
So what are you waiting for? It’s time
to get started!
Exercise safely
When choosing to exercise while pregnant,
it’s important to get the OK from your
doctor. Some conditions, such as preterm
labor, may make it more difficult for you
to exercise safely. Pregnant women should
also avoid working out in hot conditions,
certain yoga poses (such as those that
have you lie flat on the back later in pregnancy), contact sports, high-impact sports
and activities that increase your risk of a
fall (such as skiing or horseback riding).
Your best bets
So what can a pregnant woman do?
Plenty! Why not try these?
Swimming provides a great cardiovascular workout without beating up your
joints. It also has the bonus of keeping
you cool while you exercise.
Walking is a simple—and free—way to
keep moving.
Cycling can give you a great workout
while taking the stress off of your joints,
but it can present a fall risk. Consider
exercising on a stationary bike instead.
Stair-climbing machines can really help
you raise your heart rate; just make sure
to hold onto side rails!
Warning signs
Aerobics provides a great workout for
the heart. If you’ve never taken an aerobics class or you’re feeling a little more
unsteady on your feet these days, take
a class specifically geared for pregnant
women.
Running or jogging can keep you in good
form, especially if you’ve previously incorporated this exercise into your routine.
If you’re just starting to run or jog, make
sure to talk with your doctor.
Remember, unlike when you may
exercise to lose weight, your workout
goal when you’re pregnant is not to shed
pounds, but rather to stay active and
maintain optimal weight gain during this
special time in your life.
Make sure you drink
plenty of water when
you exercise and
discontinue your activity
if you feel unwell.
Call your doctor if you
experience:
breathing problems
chest pain
contractions
dizziness
headache
loss of amniotic fluid
loss of fetal
movement
pain or swelling in
the legs
vaginal bleeding
weak muscles
Winter 2013
11
Galesburg Cottage Hospital
695 N. Kellogg Street
Galesburg, IL 61401
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Health Connection is published as a community service of
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The information contained in this publication is not intended
as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have
medical concerns, please consult your health care provider.
Copyright © 2013 Galesburg Cottage Hospital
winter 2013
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CottageHospital.com
Monmouth’s
new clinic
Help close to home
when you need it
Galesburg Cottage Hospital has
opened a new clinic at 1 Amercinn
Way, Suite B, in Monmouth. The
clinic makes it easier for people in the
community to receive care for a variety
of health conditions and is staffed by
Jeremy Carrier, M.D., a family practice
doctor; Debra Katchen, M.D., board
certified in family practice and homeopathic medicine, whose practice was previously located in the former Monmouth
Clinic on Broaday Street; and Marilou
Johnson, A.P.N., M.S.N., a nurse practitioner. Whether you have a sudden
illness and can’t get a same-day appointment with your doctor, or you need help
with a wound, the clinic’s practitioners
can help.
The clinic is also available to people
who want to have their overall health
checked. The practitioners hope to see
some patients on a regular basis. “We can
offer Pap tests, immunizations and tests
for high blood pressure and cholesterol,”
Dr. Carrier says. “Primary prevention is
sometimes the best guard we have against
disease.”
70gch
Extended hours, no appointment
necessary
Since many patients visit clinics because
of the convenience, Monmouth’s new clinic
has extended hours, including evenings
and weekends. “The idea is to give people
better access to medical care so they won’t
have to miss work, which can be an inconvenience,” Dr. Carrier says.
The clinic’s wide range of services
and its walk-in format offer Monmouth
residents more options to see health care
providers. “It gives the Monmouth community another choice,” Johnson says. “There
hasn’t been an integrative clinic like this
available.”
Dr. Carrier and Johnson both grew up
in Monmouth and were eager to return
to their hometown for this venture. “I’ve
always had a special place in my heart
for this community,” Dr. Carrier says. “If
you’re born and raised in a small community, to come back to it is exciting.”
jeremy carrier, M.D.
Family Practice
Debra katchen, M.D.
Family Practice/Homeopathic Medicine
Drs. Carrier and Katchen are members of the medical
staff at Cottage Hospital.
Come visit us!
Monmouth clinic hours:
Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
Saturday, 8 a.m.–noon
For more information, call
(309) 734-0109.
Marilou johnson, a.p.n., m.s.n.
Nurse Practitioner