Gazette Health

By LINDSEY WHISSEL FENTON, MEd, CT Special to The Gazette CENTRE COUNTY — In Pennsylvania, one in 11 children will lose a parent or sibling before they turn 18. That’s roughly 246,000 children — each carrying the weight of grief into their homes, classrooms and communities. Yet most of us never learn how to navigate…

CENTRE COUNTY — Did you know that trauma is a major cause of disability in the U.S. and the leading cause of death up to age 45? The most common type is traumatic brain injuries resulting from blunt force trauma. “Practicing preventive measures is one of the best ways to protect yourself from traumatic injuries,”…

CENTRE COUNTY — May is an important month for hospitals and nurses. While national and international organizations designate special health-related observances every month, May is the time that health systems across the U.S. celebrate National Nurses Month, National Nurses Week and National Hospital Week.  NATIONAL NURSES MONTH/NATIONAL NURSES WEEK Nursing dates back to the mid-1800s…

UNIVERSITY PARK — The juice glass clattered to the ground, but Carolina Rosario, from Harrisburg, didn’t know how. One moment, she was holding the cup in her hand and the next, the spill spread across the floor. She said she felt disoriented, like her voice wasn’t her own, but the feeling subsided and she went…

STATE COLLEGE — Santino DePalma, 17, of State College, has his eyes on the skies. During the COVID pandemic, he began 3D printing little planes and painting them as a hobby. For his 15th birthday, his parents gave him a present that changed his life, a discovery flight. “That got me hooked,” DePalma said. “I’ve loved…

CENTRE COUNTY — We use our hands for practically everything we do throughout the day — from turning off the alarm before we are even out of bed to turning off the lights at night before our head hits the pillow. But imagine living with chronic pain in your hands or wrists. Millions of people…

BOALSBURG — What started out as a lump on the right side of his neck in 2017 turned into so much more for 64-year-old Ken Hull from Boalsburg. “I had a similar lump on my chest that a previous doctor said was a cyst. I thought this was the same thing,” Hull said. But Hull…

CENTRE COUNTY — In the United States, approximately one in 36 children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ASD occurs in all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. In addition, boys are four times more likely than girls to be on the spectrum. WHAT IS ASD?…

By CHRSTINE YU UNIVERSITY PARK — The list of treatments for low back pain is endless, but few offer relief for the one in four Americans who suffer from this persistent pain and leading cause of disability globally. More than 80% of those with chronic low back pain wished there were better treatment options. Yet, without sufficient pain relief, many people…

UNIVERSITY PARK — An estimated 9 million older adults around the world experience sexual violence or abuse, including rape or other unwanted sexual contact, each year, according to the journal Trauma, Violence & Abuse. The actual number is likely higher. Many older survivors of sexual violence, especially men, don’t report it. They might fear no…