Vitamin D is a nutrient every human needs on a daily basis to maintain healthy bones. Although we have plenty of sources of vitamin D, it cannot equalize the benefits we get from the rising sun every day. However, the winters are the hardest. It becomes difficult to see the shade of sunlight during winter as we learn that winter sunlight does not have enough UVB components for sourcing vitamin D. Can that be an excuse for having insufficient vitamin D? No. We got you covered.

1. Do You Need Vitamin D?

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to bone density loss, leading to severe bone fractures (broken bones), and osteoporosis. It can also lead to other serious diseases in severe vitamin D deficiency, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, and autoimmune conditions. With infants and children, there are higher chances of getting rickets. In elderly adults, a lack of

Trying to avoid getting cancer can seem like running between raindrops during a storm. Cancer seems to be everywhere. Few people haven’t been touched by it in some way.

The National Cancer Institute expects approximately 39.5% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetimes.

What causes cancer? Are there preventable causes of cancer?

Those are two of the biggest questions we face. Cancer diagnoses have been on the rise. We know there are more chemicals, modified foods, viruses and pollutants. Technology has ushered in a sedentary lifestyle, and the pressure to provide for our families has increased stress.

At times, it can seem hopeless, but there are steps we can take to protect ourselves from cancer. Jomel Labayog, MD, hematologist and medical oncologist with OSF HealthCare, provides some advice to avoid cancer.

“There are ways to reduce your risks for cancer. However,

With the holiday season nearing, do you feel a bit awry or disturbed? Are you loaded with turmoil and despair, and is ‘suicide’ or ‘self-harm’ one of your far-stretched solutions for all the grief? If you have been having occasional, frequent, or random thoughts about suicide or self-harm, then this is a safe space, and it is for you. You need to hold your horses and stop feeding such thoughts because nothing has the ability to wipe the smile off your face quite like the mention of suicide. Instead of farming yourself, you could do the following things:

1. Small Wins Are Big Wins

The road will be full of ups and downs, but accepting that you need help and understanding that suicide is not a solution to your problems is a massive step in the right direction. It might seem like a small win, but you must give much

Building a culture of innovation in health care is tough, especially when you have nearly 23,000 Mission Partners across multiple cities and states. But OSF Innovation is making it happen by developing hospital-based Innovation Hubs where anyone across the Ministry can learn to engage in improvement, creative thinking and executing solutions.

The first hub was launched this year at OSF HealthCare Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota, Illinois, to cover the I-80 Region. This also included the kickoff of an OSF Trailblazer Challenge, where Mission Partners could win the chance to test, develop and pilot solutions to improve the hospital discharge process.

This led to 39 ideas, with four being selected for either further development or implementation. As part of a four-part blog series, we will highlight each of the finalists.

Getting patients engaged in the discharge process

Katy McDonald, a Performance Improvement Specialist for OSF HealthCare Saint Elizabeth Medical

The benefits of exercise are well documented: good mental health, weight management, strong bones and muscles, and improving our ability to do everyday activities.

Here is another important reason to stay active – reducing your risk for cancer.

Why is physical activity important?

Getting and keeping a strong, healthy body improves its ability to deliver oxygen to cells. According to Jomel Labayog, MD, hematologist and medical oncologist with OSF HealthCare, healthy cells grow and replicate properly, helping us to avoid cancer.

“Our cells are constantly replicating themselves. A vast majority of our cells are replaced every seven to 10 years,” Dr. Labayog said. “Cancers and other ailments often result from unhealthy cells replicating. A tumor can result, and the new growth starts its lifecycle.

“Healthy cells will most likely reproduce healthy cells and vice versa. Physical activity and good nutrition help to flush out toxins, deliver oxygen to cells and

Recently there have been a lot of talks – big and small, on how women can ditch pills, IUDs (intrauterine devices), and latex to prevent pregnancy by natural methods. But what are natural methods anyway, and do they even work? If you are equally curious, then hold on; just read a little further. We will give you a little wiki to understand the what, how, ifs, and buts of natural birth control methods!

1. First Things First, What Are Natural Birth Control Methods?

Natural birth control methods, otherwise known as FAMs (fertility awareness methods), and the rhythm method, involve preventing pregnancy by measuring basal body temperature, the thickness of the cervical mucus, tracking dates for ovulation and menses, and the classic pull-out method.

2. The Sanitized Sales Pitch

If you have been wondering how these methods work, here are some basics. The rhythm method requires women to calculate the ovulation

The flu is nothing to mess with. It’s important for everyone to do what they can to stay healthy, but it’s especially important for seniors.

People age 65 or older should be aware of new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that recommends getting an enhanced adjuvanted vaccine or high-dose flu vaccine for greater protection.

Due to immune system changes that happen as we age, people age 65 and older do not have as strong of a response to vaccination. This diminished immune response makes older adults more vulnerable to develop complications from the flu. Older adults account for 70-85% of seasonal flu-related deaths and 50-70% of flu-related hospitalizations, according to the CDC.

Flu symptoms in seniors

Flu symptoms for seniors are the same as they are for other populations: fever, cough, runny nose, headache, fatigue, aches, sore throat and a stuffy nose.

While these symptoms