Category Archives: Fitness / Nutrition

By Jill Nagy
The Alliance for Positive Health, an agency assisting people with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions, opened a new office at 13 Chester St. in Glens Falls. The new office replaces a facility in Hudson Falls, one of five regional offices of the organization.
“Things are still a bit unsettled,” said Executive Director William Faragon. He said he hopes to have everything in place for the community open house on Sept. 17. There will be a ribbon cutting and tours of the new offices. He characterized the event as an opportunity for members of the community to meet their new neighbors.

By Maureen Werther

In 2006, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that many diseases that were a direct result of nutritional deficiencies in populations had increasingly given way to chronic diseases related to dietary imbalances and poor nutritional habits.

At the time, the journal pointed to the need to focus on preventive approaches to healthcare that include assessments of nutritional intake on both the individual and the community levels.

Twelve years later, the need for proper nutritional balance and better dietary choices is more urgent than ever. A 2018 article in U.S. News & World Report stated that 39.6 percent of Americans over age 20 are considered to be obese. The figure is up nearly six percent from 2008.

Imaging System Provides More Comfort, Less Confinement For Glens Falls Hospital Patients

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is said to be one of the most valuable tools available to doctors for the diagnosis of neurological, orthopedic, and cancer conditions.

Glens Falls Hospital officials said they have taken that value to the next level with the addition of a new, enhanced MRI system that offers higher-quality images, faster exam times and greater patient comfort and convenience, particularly for people bothered by feelings of claustrophobia.

The hospital recently invested more than $1.5 million to purchase and install the Siemens MAGNETOM Aera 1.5 T MRI System in its newly renovated MRI Suite located in the Medical Imaging Department on the first floor of the West Wing. The new system replaces an older MRI unit that was housed in the basement of the Pruyn Pavilion. MRI is a non-invasive imaging technology that uses powerful magnets and radiofrequency currents to produce three-dimensional, detailed anatomical images without the use of radiation.

By Susan E. Campbell

If area fitness and nutrition professionals could offer one word of advice for optimal health, it’s “balance.”

“Have a balanced diet,” said Katie Leahy, MS, RDN, LD, the outpatient dietitian at Glens Falls Hospital Regional Diabetes and Nutrition Center. “And keep it simple.”

“Some think less is more,” said Leahy. “I recommend three smaller, nutrition-rich meals a day.”

She said in an effort to lose weight, people often deprive themselves of carbohydrates, fruit or dairy as they follow some of today’s popular diet programs. When going it alone, they typically lack the right proportions of food for the intake they need.

“Fat intake need not mean weight gain. We need healthy fats from fish, nuts, seeds and eggs, and all the nutritional benefits of each group,” said Leahy. “People today lack a healthy diet. Proper nutrition promotes healthy benefits overall, not just weight loss.”

The center serves outpatients of all ages who may have diabetes or a variety of disease-related and other conditions, such as kidney disease, celiac disease, bariatric surgery and pregnancy.

Leahy said the term “pre-diabetes” has been phased out among dieticians “because you either have diabetes or you don’t.”

Glens Falls Hospital has recruited what it says is the region’s first electrophysiologist to the hospital’s cardiology practice, bringing new diagnostic and treatment options to people with heart rhythm abnormalities across the hospital’s five-county service area.

Dr. Henry Tan, a cardiologist and electrophysiologist, has joined Adirondack Cardiology from Albany Medical Center. Electrophysiology is a cardiology sub-specialty focused on diagnosing and treating heart rhythm conditions known as arrhythmias. Dr. Tan is the only electrophysiologist between Albany and Plattsburgh, according to the hospital.

“There was a real need for an electrophysiologist in our service area and we are thrilled to have recruited Dr. Tan to our practice,” said Patti Hammond, vice president, physician practice management. “Now people with a wide variety of heart rhythm problems can be diagnosed and treated at Glens Falls Hospital rather than having to travel to Albany.”

Arrhythmias are changes in the normal sequence of electrical impulses in the heart, caused by the presence of abnormal cells. This results in the heart beating too fast, too slowly or erratically. There are many types of arrhythmia, and three primary treatment options depending on the nature of the condition: medication; implantation of a pacemaker or defibrillator; or catheter ablation, a minimally invasive procedure in which an electrode catheter is guided to the heart, and heat is precisely applied to destroy the tiny cluster of abnormal cells.