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In This Issue
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February 2017
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News Brief 
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Keeping Your Heart Healthy and Happy
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February is American Heart Month, so it is a good time to reflect on your lifestyle to see if you are doing everything you can to keep your heart healthy and happy. That means maintaining a heart healthy diet low in fat, sodium and calories and high in fiber. It also includes regular exercise. Just a 30 minute brisk walk on most days can make a big difference in staying healthy.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in both men and women. In the United States, someone dies of a heart disease related event every minute. Some risk factors for heart disease cannot be changed such as your age or your family history, but others can be changed or controlled.
First, if you smoke, do everything you can to stop - it just might save your life. If you have tried to quit and have been unsuccessful, there is help. Hypnosis, acupuncture or speak to your doctor about using the patch. It is well worth the effort to quit.
Second, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are key risk factors for heart disease that can be controlled and improved. Since there are no symptoms with either of these conditions, they are often referred to as "silent killers". That is why it is so important to have a primary care physician who you see on an annual basis. Your doctor will check your blood pressure and cholesterol and monitor those readings over time.
Living a healthy lifestyle is very important, but if that is not enough, your doctor may prescribe medication to help lower your blood pressure or cholesterol. It is great to know that there are medications available that do a good job of controlling these conditions. To learn more about these risk factors and find out what "the numbers" (readings) mean, go to our
cardiovascular disease prevention page.
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Spring Wellness Classes:
Registration opens March 6
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Thursday, March 9, 5:30 - 10 p.m.
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Monday, March 20, 6 - 9 p.m.
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Wednesday, March 22 6 - 9 p.m.
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Monday, April 3, 6 - 10 p.m.
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Thursday, March 30, 6 p.m.
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Tuesday, March 21, 5:30 - 7 p.m.
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Question & Answer
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Test Your Knowledge of Heart Disease
Heart disease is a serious medical condition but knowledge of the disease and how best to manage it can save your life or a family member's life. Answer the questions in some of these short quizzes to determine your knowledge of the disease.
Take the Quiz
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Healthy Living Tip
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Controlling Added Sugars
Sugar occurs naturally in some food such as fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose), but it is the sugar we add to our diet that we can control. The major sources of added sugars are regular soft drinks, sugars, candy, cakes, cookies, pies and fruit drinks (fruitades and fruit punch); dairy desserts and milk products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt and sweetened milk); and other grains (cinnamon toast and honey-nut waffles).
To tell if a processed food has added sugar, you need to look at the list of ingredients. Sugar has many other names. Besides those ending in "ose," such as maltose or sucrose, other names for sugar include high fructose corn syrup, molasses, cane sugar, corn sweetener, raw sugar, syrup, honey or fruit juice concentrates.
Read more from the American Heart Association about
tips to control added sugars in our diet.
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Featured Video
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Living with Heart and Lung Disease, presented by Ali Porter, MS,RD,LDN. When you receive a heart or lung disease diagnosis, it often requires some lifestyle changes. In this video, Dietitian Alison Porter, offers tips and tricks on how to manage your health through nutrition. Learn how the DASH diet can help cardiac patients and how a Mediterranean diet may be beneficial to pulmonary health; learn the truth about alcohol, and separate fact from fiction when it comes to diet and nutrition.
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Patient Story: Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Works!
Between emergency room visits and her 12 years in the pulmonary rehabilitation program, retired school librarian Maryclare Burke, of Bellingham, estimates that Milford Regional has saved her life three times!
Maryclare says that over the past 12 years, the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation department has made a huge impact on her life. "I noticed a difference the weeks I didn't go," she says. "It got me exercising and it kept me mobile. It's allowed me to lead a normal life. Without rehab, I'd probably be sitting in a chair not moving..."
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Good Things You Should Know
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Second Urgent Care Site Opens
Milford Regional and Tri-County Medical Associates have partnered to bring high quality urgent care to the communities we serve. Our first urgent care site opened in Hopkinton in October. Since then, another site has opened in Northbridge and a third site will open in Milford in March.
We are excited to provide this added layer of medical care with convenient walk-in service and extended hours. It is staffed with a team of highly qualified physicians and advanced practitioners. The Hopkinton and Northbridge sites are open Monday - Friday 8AM - 8PM and Saturday and Sundays 9AM - 5PM. Milford Regional laboratory and radiology services are located on-site, making it convenient to obtain necessary lab tests or X-rays.
Read more about our urgent care sites.
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Imaging Center Entrance
Milford Regional's Diagnostic Imaging registration and waiting area has moved to a much larger space and can be accessed from the parking area in the back of the hospital. The entrance is our old emergency department entrance.
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Road to Recovery Support Group
This is a weekly support group for family and friends of those addicted to drugs and alcohol. The support group follows a 12-step program to help understand the issues that surround addiction. The 12 steps outline and define the problems encountered, offer a solution and a plan of action for a better way of thinking and living. The support group meets on Wednesday evenings, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Read more
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About Our Doctors
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Milford Regional's active medical staff, consisting of over 250 doctors, is highly qualified to treat you and your family through sickness and in health. Whether you need a primary care physician or a specialist, you can be assured of the best possible care.
If you need a physician, please call our Physician Referral Line at 1-888-DRS-HERE (1-888-377-4373). Our Referral Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For a quick look, see our list of primary care physicians who are accepting new patients. It is important to note that not all physicians accept all insurances. Please call the physician's office directly to find out if they accept your insurance plan. |
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Get to Know our Cardiologists
Milford Regional's cardiologists offer an interdisciplinary approach to heart health. From diagnosis of a patient's condition to the development of an individualized treatment plan, the focus of our dedicated cardiologists and staff is strongly preventive - managing heart health before a condition becomes serious.
Read more about our cardiologists. Just click on their names to read their bios.
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