Genesis HealthCare System surgeons recently performed the 2,000th robotic-assisted surgery at Genesis. Robotic-assisted surgery is an advanced form of minimally invasive surgery. It is a solution for various health needs, including certain heart issues, hernias, GYN procedures and more. 

“One of the reasons I cherish working at Genesis is that we are constantly analyzing the best methods for treating patients, which routinely leads us to be an early adopter of technology. Genesis began performing robotic-assisted surgeries in 2010. Due to our commitment to the best care, we can now celebrate that 2,000 patients have benefited from our robotic-assisted technology, skills and experience. It feels good to have helped so many of our community members,” said Stuart Chow, D.O., Fellowship-trained and Board-certified Surgeon with Genesis Emergency & Trauma Services.

During robotic-assisted surgery, the robotic arms enable a surgeon to move instruments in ways that human hands cannot and reach into smaller places. These advantages result in smaller incisions, pinpoint precision, faster recoveries, lower infection rates, less blood loss and scarring and shorter hospital stays. 

For more information on robotic-assisted surgeries, visit genesishcs.org/roboticsurgery.

Genesis HealthCare System surgeons recently performed the 2,000th robotic-assisted surgery.

Learn how to make our lemon blueberry oatmeal.

Separate Fact from Fiction  

There are a lot of health claims out there today. Here are some common ones. Find out which claim might work for you.  

 “Although weight is an important measure of health and can help you prevent and control many diseases, it’s not the only thing to consider.”

Myth: You can’t be healthy if you are overweight. 

Fact: “Although weight is an important measure of health and can help you prevent and control many diseases, it’s not the only thing to consider,” said Sarah Brauning, R.D., L.D., C.D.C.E.S., Genesis Diabetes & Nutrition Education. Instead, we should focus on positive health behaviors. In fact, the stigma of being overweight may cause more mental health concerns than being overweight. 

Myth: Get 10,000 steps daily to be healthy. 

Fact: The “10,000” as the magic number for daily tracking steps is arbitrary. In a recent study, it was found that you may able to reap health benefits by taking half that number of steps each day. For older women, researchers found taking as few as 4,400 steps per day was associated with a 41% lower risk of dying. Also, it doesn’t seem to matter if you take those steps power walking, cleaning your house or running errands to get the benefits. 

Myth: Drink eight glasses of water a day or you will get dehydrated. 

Fact: Drinking eight glasses of water a day is not necessarily true. If your urine is dark yellow, make sure you are getting enough fluid. Eight is not the miracle number. Even if you’re not thirsty, drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. Plus, beverages other than water and the foods you eat also help you get the fluids you need. 

Myth: If you want to lose weight, be sure to eat breakfast. 

Fact: Eating breakfast is a successful strategy for some, because it can help prevent you from eating more later in the day. However, a Cornell University study found that the non-breakfast eaters didn’t overeat at lunch and dinner, and instead they ended up eating about 400 fewer calories a day.  

There are a lot of health claims out there today. Here are some common ones. Find out which claim might work for you.

Do you dread winter because you get the blues? If you had the blues or felt depressed the past two winters but feel better in the spring and summer, you may have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD.

The holidays can be a time of happiness and joy, but despite your best intentions, they can encompass all sorts of stressors. The stressors can tempt us to overindulge or stop taking care of ourselves as the season keeps us busy. Pressures related to finances, extended family, loss of loved ones, work-life or weather can be challenging during this time. While many anticipate happy holidays, others dread the season. If you feel stressed, the obligations at holiday time can take their toll on even the most cheerful of people. 

First ask yourself what exactly about the season makes you feel stressed.

Your feelings may be triggered by the following: 

• Unhappy memories 

• Relatives who are particularly difficult 

• Personal loss 

• Cooler temperatures, eating more and sleeping less 

• Financial stress  

Here are some tips to help you minimize holiday stress: 

• Don’t feel you must meet all obligations or invitations. Make a list of the reasons why you participate in some holiday traditions to help you decide what events you should avoid and what to join.  

• Don’t simply do something or go somewhere because of tradition, especially if it makes you unhappy. 

• Ask others for assistance. For example, ask a relative to host the family get-together, or make it a potluck and have everyone contribute to the meal.  

• Make a to-do list in chronological order to minimize stress. 

• Enjoy the present day and try not to worry about what may not be perfect. 

• Limit your alcohol intake.  

• Stay active and continue to eat a balanced diet. 

• Create a new tradition such as volunteering, especially if you feel lonely.  

• Make time for yourself and your needs, even when hosting guests in your house. 

• Don’t overspend; make yourself a budget and stick to it with no exceptions.  

• Learn to say no. It’s OK not to do everything. 

Also, your mood may take a turn for the worse in the winter season. When there is less sunlight and shorter days, some suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Make a point to be in the sun when you can. If you feel down and stressed, consider talking to your doctor. 

The holidays can be a time of happiness and joy, but despite your best intentions, they can encompass all sorts of stressors.

One of our sweetest addictions is killing us. Sugar has been linked to weight gain and cavities for decades, as dentists worldwide often remind us. Beyond ruining your beach body or perfect smile, sugar is also linked to cardiovascular disease.  

According to a 2014 study in The Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, participants who consumed 17% to 21% of daily calories from added sugar not found naturally in foods had a 38% higher risk of dying from heart-related problems than those who consumed 8% of their calories from added sugar. The takeaway is frequently indulging in cake and sugary sodas increase your odds of dying from heart disease.  

The whole reason we are in this mess is that sugar typically makes things taste better and last longer. So how do you continue to enjoy food and take steps to extend your life? Try these tips. 

1. Replace sugary sodas with water. The American Heart Association recommends men consume no more than 35 grams of sugar a day and 25 grams a day for women. Most cans of soda have around 40 grams. Yep, one can and you are likely to be over the limit for the day. 

2. Replace cookies and cakes with fruit. 

3. Check ingredients while shopping and know sugar has several aliases, and an alias is never a good thing. Sugar also goes by brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, invert sugar, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, trehalose and turbinado sugar. 

4. Avoid canned fruit in heavy syrup. 

5. Add fresh fruit to unsweetened cereal. 

6. Reduce sugar in recipes by one-third to one-half. 

7. Try subsisting sugar with almond, vanilla, orange or lemon extracts. 

8. Replace sugar with spices like ginger, allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg. 

9. Use unsweetened applesauce instead of sugar in recipes. 

Beyond ruining your beach body or perfect smile, sugar is also linked to cardiovascular disease.

Did you know one out of three adults in the U.S. doesn’t get enough sleep? When it comes to kids and teens, the problem is even worse: A recent study found that more than 70% of high school students and nearly 58% of middle school students don’t sleep enough on school nights. 

Why does this matter? It’s not just because you’ll feel tired the next day. 

“A lack of sleep is linked with many chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity and mental health issues,” explains Thomas E. Rojewski, M.D., a board-certified sleep medicine physician who heads the Genesis Sleep Disorders Center at Genesis HealthCare System. “There are also related problems such as auto accidents caused by a drowsy driver and errors made on the job, which can cause serious injuries, disability or death.” 

How much is enough sleep? Here’s what experts say: 

• Ages 6-12: Should regularly sleep nine 9 to 12 hours every 24 hours 

• Ages 13-18: Should sleep eight to 10 hours every 24 hours 

• Adults: seven or more hours a night 

What’s happening? 

For some, a lack of sleep might be caused by something they can control – such as keeping their smartphone out of the bedroom at night to avoid temptation. 

But for other people, lack of sleep can be caused by a medical issue such as obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes the windpipe to collapse or restless legs syndrome, which is an uncontrollable urge to move the legs or limbs. Narcolepsy, a neurological sleep disorder that affects the sleep-wake cycle, is another medical issue and reason people seek help to get a better night’s sleep.  

Diagnosing a sleep disorder  

A patient who has sleep issues or believes he or she may have a sleep disorder like sleep apnea should first consult a sleep expert. During this time, the patient and sleep expert will discuss the patient’s health history and suspected sleep problems.  

“A sleep study is very similar to getting a stress test for chest pain,” explains Dr. Rojewski. “For example, we monitor 19 body functions during a night-time study. This data helps us determine the best treatment for each patient.” 

Treatment solutions range from the latest in continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) breathing technology to lifestyle changes, medications and for some, surgery. 

“Many people have heard of CPAP machines for sleep apnea,” explains Dr. Rojewski. “But what they may not know is how they’ve advanced in recent years. They are smaller and quieter than in the past, and now they are Wi-Fi enabled, so sleep centers can receive patient data every day through a secure server. That allows physicians to monitor patients and adjust the CPAP machine if needed to provide a better night’s sleep.” 

Tips for a better night’s sleep 

For people who aren’t suffering from serious sleep issues but would like to get better sleep, here are some suggestions: 

1. Remove electronic devices from your bedroom so you aren’t tempted to use them when you should be striving for better sleep. 

2. Keep your bedroom dark and at a comfortable temperature. 

3. Keep a consistent sleep schedule. 

4. Only use your bed for sleep. 

5. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon or evening. 

Did you know one out of three adults in the U.S. doesn’t get enough sleep? When it comes to kids and teens, the problem is even worse.

Lifeline of Ohio (LOOP) recently recognized Genesis HealthCare System’s 100th placenta donation that was made in September. Genesis began participating in the LOOP placenta donation program in 2019. This program is a collaborative effort of Genesis Women’s Services and OB/GYN physicians at Genesis. 

“The opportunity to donate can be offered to every mom who is having a planned C-section,” said Kristy Ritchie, M.D., OB/GYN with the Genesis OB/GYN Group. “The donation process is easy and doesn’t disrupt the birthing plan for the mom or the protocols the physicians and hospital staff use for Cesarean births. Collaborating with Lifeline of Ohio to offer our patients an opportunity to donate has been easy. It’s a great way for expectant moms to do a simple act that will help others.”

Placentas are used to create healing grafts. On average, one donated placenta can create around 25 grafts. Multiple components in placental tissue are used for a wide range of procedures involving eye, oral and spine surgery and to treat difficult-to-heal wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers and burns. An estimated 3,250 healing grafts have been created from these gifts. For more information, contact the Genesis OB/GYN Group at 740-454-8800.

Lifeline of Ohio (LOOP) recently recognized Genesis HealthCare System’s 100th placenta donation that was made in September. Genesis began participating in the LOOP placenta donation program in 2019. This program is a collaborative effort of Genesis Women’s Services and OB/GYN physicians at Genesis.

You usually don’t have symptoms from high blood pressure until it has caused serious health problems. That’s why it’s important to have it checked regularly. Early diagnosis and simple, healthy changes can keep high blood pressure from seriously damaging your health.