Did you know that everyone has the power to say “yes” to saving eight lives through organ donation and healing 125 more through tissue donation?

Patients with certain dermatological conditions that have not responded to conventional treatments may be able to achieve significant improvement in their symptoms through painless, totally noninvasive phototherapy treatments, now offered at Mercy Health Dermatology under the directorship of Erin Heuring, MD.

Every year, about 170 million households file their federal tax returns.¹ For many, the process involves digging through shoeboxes or manila folders full of receipts; gathering mortgage, retirement, and investment account statements; and relying on computer software to take advantage of every tax break the code permits. It seems a shame not to make the most of all that effort.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects about 30 million Americans. When one thinks of diabetes, the impact it has on other organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, and nervous system comes to mind first, and physicians tend to concentrate on these organs when treating diabetes. But recent studies have shown that people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to develop hearing loss.

Depression is a common issue among older adults that can have a dramatic impact on their health, well-being, and quality of life. Unfortunately, depression in this population is all too easily dismissed as “just a normal part of getting older” or mistaken for other age-related problems, such as dementia. What’s more, due to the long-term social isolation imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of depression has been rising overall and taking an especially heavy toll on those ages 65 and older. However, it’s important to be aware that depression is not a normal aspect of the aging process and expert help is available in our community for those who experience it.

THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH to thoracic surgery, which involves making a large incision in the chest and cutting through bone and muscle tissue, has long been used to treat or repair a wide range of conditions. Though effective and still widely practiced today, this “open” surgical approach presents several drawbacks to patients, including significant pain at the incision site and a relatively long healing and recovery period.