MWHC Blog

What Is Skin Cancer? Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. It occurs when there are mutations in the DNA of your skin cells, and it begins in your skin's top layer, the epidermis. The epidermis has three ...

Are You Seeing Spots? The average person has between 10 and 40 moles, though the number can vary drastically. The number of moles that you have can change throughout your life, as new moles can develop and some may disappear as you age. You ...

In May alone, some 65,000 Americans will experience a stroke with many unaware that they were even at risk. Less than a third will arrive in the emergency room within three hours, the optimal time period for better outcomes. May marks ...

Mary Washington Hospital was named one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the nation by IBM Watson Health. Mike Brown, Program Manager for Cardiac Surgery for Mary Washington Hospital, and Eileen Dohmann, Senior Vice President and ...

If you’re one of the millions of adults who lives with chronic pain (pain that lasts more than 12 weeks), you know some days can be a challenge. And, the older you are, the more likely you are to develop conditions that cause pain, ...

Life is full of bumps and bruises, and even the healthiest among us suffer the occasional headache, sore throat or skin rash. Usually, your immune system resolves these problems with a little time and TLC—perhaps with the help of an ...

What Is Mobility? Mobility is the ability to move purposefully throughout your environment. It’s essential to maintaining independence and well-being. Our mobility is known to decline with age or diseases, such as osteoarthritis. Loss ...

Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Eileen Dohmann visited the Sunday Morning with Dee Daniels radio show to talk about recent awards that MWHC has won, as well as how we are continuing to press forward in advancing the medical ...

Are you too stressed? Everyone manages stress differently, and what causes stress for one person doesn’t necessarily trigger stress in another person. Causes of Acute Stress Acute stress is a sudden event that immediately elicits a ...

Looking for ways for you and your family to be healthier? One of the best things you can do is spend more time in the kitchen. When you cook your own meals, you have complete control over what—and how much—you eat. Cooking at ...

Caring for your kids AND your parents You've probably heard the phrase "The Sandwich Generation". If you are caring for children at home, and are also caring for, or helping to care for, an older adult, YOU are the sandwich ...

2018 was another year of growth and innovation for Mary Washington Healthcare. We are always proud to partner with both national and local agencies to improve the health of the people in our community. Here are 10 of the ways we impacted ...

Mediterranean. Paleo. Keto. DASH. South Beach. Atkins. Zone. Vegan. Raw Foods. So many diets! All promise to help you lose weight, lower your blood pressure, protect against disease or reduce your environmental footprint. Not sure which ...

Have you ever gone on a diet? If you have, you're not alone! You and 45 million of your closest friends go on a diet each year. Americans spend about $33 billion on weight loss products, yet two-thirds of adults are still overweight or ...

Carving out time for yourself is an integral part of living a healthy, whole and balanced life. Why it matters Making time for yourself allows you to: Recharge your batteries and counteract the stress and intensity of life Reflect and ...

Wondering which health screening tests and exams are right for you? Good for you! You’re taking a big-picture, proactive approach to your health. Screening tests are medical tests that look for signs of health problems before symptoms ...

When someone you love has Alzheimer’s disease, it can be confusing, frustrating, and overwhelming, not only for the patient, but also for the entire family. The more information you have about the signs and symptoms of ...

People often seek help for the immense sorrow that starts surfacing right around the holiday season. Music, parties, and festive decorations that are meant to bring joy, serve as painful reminders of loss or stress. If you're wondering ...

What is a Cancer Nurse Navigator? The MWHC Cancer Nurse Navigator team understands the many aspects of your life that can be affected by a cancer diagnosis, and are here to help you and your family get connected with appropriate services ...

Diabetes is a national health crisis that affects over 30 million people in the United States. But over 7 million people are unaware that they have diabetes. That’s why knowing how to prevent and manage this chronic disease is so ...

Lung Cancer Research at MWH Listen as Christine Spero, Research Nurse Coordinator, and Jane McGrath, Clinical Research Nurse, talk with Dee Daniels of B101.5 about lung cancer awareness. Mary Washington Hospital Research and Clinical Trials ...

Mary Washington Hospital Observation Unit improves patient experience Dr. Eric Tosh, medical director of the Fredericksburg Emergency Medical Alliance, and Eliese Bernard, Vice President and Administrator, Mary Washington Hospital, sat down ...

What do you do if someone is having a seizure? Dr. Soni from MWMG Neurology took some time recently to sit down with us and talk about seizures - what can cause them, what to do if someone is having one, and what to expect after it happens. ...

Did You Know? Nearly half a million Americans die every year from smoking-related disease. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Cigarette and Tobacco Facts Cigarettes contain more than 7,000 chemicals; at least 69 ...

Early Detection Saves Lives Lung cancer used to be an almost automatic death sentence because it was often caught too late. Today, that’s beginning to change thanks to advances in screening and detection that can find lung cancer ...

Medical Weight Loss Surgery When all else fails in the battle to drop those extra pounds that push your weight into the obese range, it may be time to consider medical weight loss, also known as “bariatric surgery”. What is ...

The American Cancer Society’s Breast Cancer Facts and Figures 2017 to 2018: 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among women and 470 cases will be diagnosed in men. In addition, 63,410 cases of in situ breast ...

Arthritis is actually an umbrella term for about 100 different diseases that affect the joints and surrounding tissues. The Arthritis Foundation estimates more than 54 million adults and 300,000 children in the United States have some form ...

Do you know the warning signs of stroke? Learn to recognize the signs of a stroke and call 911 immediately if you—or someone with you—exhibits any of these signs. Remember: minutes count when you are having a stroke. When you ...

Oatmeal is high in fiber and can be beneficial in helping with digestion and reducing risk for colorectal cancer. Ingredients: 1 cup dry oatmeal ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut plus 1/3 cup for topping 2 tablespoons natural almond ...

Jessica Cash, morning DJ on 93.3 WFLS Today’s New Country, talked to Sandi Wright, Lead Radiation Therapist at MWHC Regional Cancer Center at Montross, about the Montross Health & Wellness Festival happening Saturday, Sept. 22 ...

During an emergency, a good family communication plan can help ease the stress and worry that often accompany natural disasters. The following resources may be helpful as you build your own family communication plan. Even young children can ...

What You Eat Matters! The old adage, “You are what you eat” is true. What you eat can really make a difference in your health, and making even small changes in our diets can have a big impact. In fact, the foods we eat can ...

We all know that taking action to stay healthy doesn’t start or stop at a certain age. Everyone can benefit from making good choices when it comes to health, and what better way to stay well than to involve the whole family? Here are ...

The experts will tell you, there’s no better way to hone your cooking skills than to practice. Whether it’s making an entire meal together, or using Grandma’s secret recipe to whip up a batch of her “famous” ...

Gynecological Symptoms You Can't Ignore Women experience changes in their bodies throughout their entire lives. Some of these changes are due to aging. Others are the result of hormonal changes during pregnancy, menopause, or menstrual ...

Did you know there are about 20,500 human genes? In recent years, we’ve learned so much about how genes work and why some diseases run in families. While we can’t change our genes, knowing we have a higher-than-average chance of ...

When we hear the word “cancer”, it strikes fear in most of us. We have all known someone, a friend, relative or even ourselves, who has been diagnosed. But does the fear of a cancer diagnosis keep you from seeing the doctor, ...

August means one thing for many parents: back-to-school prep. What better time is there to ensure your son or daughter’s long-term health than by scheduling them for their yearly immunizations? Immunizations are a way for you to say ...

Every time your heart beats, it creates pressure on the walls of your blood vessels. If the force of this pumping is too high, over time it wears out the arteries. Persistent high blood pressure is a risk factor for heart disease. Blood ...

Top 10 Questions About Surgical Weight Loss We sat down with Dr. Denis Halmi to talk about surgical weight loss at Mary Washington Hospital. Dr. Halmi is the medical director of the surgical weight loss program here at MWH. Scroll down for ...

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Which of these controllable risk factors do you have? I have diabetes I use tobacco products, or I am around people who smoke I am not physically activen I don’t eat ...

Sleep is a complex biological process that supports brain function and helps keep you healthy. Most experts recommend adults get about 8 hours of sleep each day. 8 Facts about sleep You cycle through five distinct stages during the night, ...

More Than Moodiness? Everyone feels moody or occasionally has “a case of the Mondays,” but when disruptions in thought or behavior cause someone to lose his or her ability to cope with normal functions and routines, they may be ...

While you probably don’t characterize your Primary Care Physician (PCP) as your best friend, there is probably no one who knows you as well. What does a PCP do? PCPs keep track of your full health history, chart when you’ve been ...

Fatigue and You Do you feel fatigued during times of the day when you used to have energy? Do you feel like you need that midday coffee in order to make it through the entire workday? Many people get tired around 3pm every day and jokingly ...

If you are a millennial, science has made it possible for you to live a full and productive life by eradicating many diseases and significantly advancing treatment options. However, you may be more sedentary and eat a less healthy diet than ...

Finding the Right Fit Your life is not one-size-fits-all, so why should your workout be? It is practically impossible to escape advertising for a seemingly endless number of fitness trends, but just because a workout is popular or works for ...

Have you thought about the type of care and medical treatment you might want should you ever become unable to make decisions or speak for yourself? It’s hard for most of us to imagine this scenario, especially when we are young and ...

We’ve all been on the fence wondering if we should call the doctor or not. Many common accidents and illnesses may not require a visit to the doctor or hospital. However, if you experience unusual symptoms that come on suddenly, last ...

It may come as no surprise that men are 24 percent less likely than women to have visited a doctor in the past year. Some men feel that they are not “real men” if they complain or can’t deal with pain and will wait until ...

Families share risks for certain diseases, for example Alzheimer's, depression, diabetes, and heart disease. Family history does not mean that you will automatically develop them, only that you are at somewhat greater risk. Most ...

Due to the nature of the work of forensic nurses, some of the content in this podcast may be difficult to hear and it may not be appropriate for all ages. Mary Washington Hospital has the Fredericksburg area's only forensic nursing ...

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States, and includes different types. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays causes most cases of melanoma, the deadliest kind of skin cancer. To lower your skin cancer risk, protect your skin ...

Check your skin...If you can spot it, you can stop it. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. The three main types, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma, are mainly caused by UV ...

What is The Conversation Project? The Conversation Project is a movement to help remind people, regardless of age or current health, of the importance of having end of life conversations with friends and loved ones before end of life. It is ...

Snap, Crack, Pop Does your body sound like a bowl of breakfast cereal—you know, snap, crackle, pop? Many of the sounds you hear from your joints are normal, but joint pain is not a normal sign of aging. We’ve all experienced ...

Fredericksburg, VA - (April 26, 2018) - Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC) announced it has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval ® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check ...

Mary Washington Healthcare Introduces Accurate, Non-Invasive, Painless Option to Aid in Liver Management Fredericksburg, VA - (April 27, 2018) - Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC) is pleased to announce it now offers patients non-invasive, ...

April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness month. Know the facts about the causes and risk factors so that you can reduce your risk or identify symptoms early and get treated. Esophageal cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form ...

Testicular Cancer: Speak up and Speak out Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men ages 15 to 34 with over 8,700 men expected to be diagnosed in 2017. Risk factors for testicular cancer include having had an undescended testicle ...

What are Head and Neck Cancers? Head and neck cancer is a general term used to describe a number of different malignant tumors that develop in or around the lips, mouth, salivary glands, throat, larynx, nose, and sinuses. What causes Head ...

Award Recognizes Work Supporting Colorectal Cancer Screening Fredericksburg, Va. – April 4, 2018 – The Mary Washington Healthcare (MWHC) Regional Cancer Center has been chosen by the American Cancer Society (ACS) to receive a ...

On March 28, 2018, Ted Schubel of TownTalk on News Talk 1230AM sat down with patient Elaine Morgan and Dr. Kay Blanchard, Medical Director, Breast Surgery, MWHC Regional Cancer Center, to talk about the new Breast Microseed Treatment® ...

Stafford Hospital held a Women’s Wellness event where attendees got tips on eating healthy on a budget from dietitian Alice Bones, MSM, BS, RDN, and were treated to an intro-to-yoga class led by Michelle Malocu from the Massad YMCA. ...

Miniaturized Wireless Heart Device Provides Patients with the Most Advanced Pacing Technology Available Fredericksburg, VA, March 15, 2018 - Mary Washington Hospital announced today that it is one of the first hospitals in the Commonwealth ...

We sat down with Jamia Crockett, MWHC Manager of Community Benefits and Community Services, and Mary Ann Batsche, Community Outreach Coordinator, to talk about some upcoming events in Fredericksburg, and to find out about the partnerships ...

How well do you know your family history? When it comes to your heart health, your family may be more important than you think. Both your risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity or high blood pressure, and your risk for ...

On February 20, 2018, Ted Schubel of TownTalk on News Talk 1230AM sat down with Dr. Christine Laky from Mary Washington Medical Group Maternal Fetal Medicine to talk about high risk pregnancy. Listen now, especially if you or someone you ...

Arrhythmia Heart rhythm problems, or arrhythmias, occur when the electrical impulses that coordinate your heartbeat don't work properly, causing your heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly. A heartbeat that is too fast is ...

In the United States, someone has a heart attack every 34 seconds. Heart disease is the #1 cause of death for both men and women. More people die from heart disease than ALL forms of cancer... combined! 3 signs of heart disease that you ...