Heart

Louisville man turns heart failure survival into lifesaving advocacy

After surviving heart failure, a Louisville man is championing cardiovascular health and educating others about the importance of lifesaving care. In May 2024, Audwin Helton was enjoying the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. But on his third day attending the professional golf tournament, he wasn’t quite himself. “As I walked out of Valhalla, something…

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Norton Community Medical Associates, Primary Care, Young Men's Health

Why weight management really matters

There is no single way to achieve weight loss for men. “If there were, we would all be doing that,” said Joshua H. Brandon, M.D., “but it’s more complicated than that. Around 30% of American men are overweight, and 43% have severe obesity.” For men ages 20 to 39, nearly 40% are considered obese, according…

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Norton Community Medical Associates, Primary Care, Young Men's Health

Hair loss in your 20s and 30s can be caused by many issues, and here’s what you can do about it

Male-pattern baldness is a type of androgenic alopecia — which is a long way of saying hair loss that affects men. This is the most common type of hair loss in men. The early stages of hair loss often begin in your 30s, but some men are affected in their teens and 20s. While this…

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Norton Community Medical Associates, Primary Care, Young Men's Health

Dude, get a doctor: Erectile dysfunction is common in young men – get the right treatment

For young men, sexual response is often a reflex. Erectile dysfunction affects older guys, right? Wrong. Younger men, including guys in their 20s, can experience erection issues.  Erectile dysfunction is the inability to get an erection, an erection that doesn’t last long enough for sex or getting an erection sometimes but not every time you’re…

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Norton Community Medical Associates, Primary Care, Young Men's Health

Dude, get a doctor: Men’s mental health matters, too

Struggling with stress or burnout? As a man, talking about your feelings isn’t weak; it’s part of addressing your overall health. Between the ages of 22 and 35, life involves a lot of changes and pressures: building your career, navigating relationships, finances and an overall sense of trying to figure out what’s next. If you’re…

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Research and Clinical Trials

Oldham County man credits Norton Healthcare with saving his life — 3 times, now participating in clinical trial

According to Mitchell Brooks, Norton Healthcare has saved his life not once, not twice, but three times. The 66-year-old man has faced cancer, cardiac emergencies and open heart surgery at Norton Healthcare in the past 10 years. Now, Mitchell is a participant in the LeAAPS clinical trial, which is helping to advance research that could…

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Breast Cancer, Cancer

A nurse’s journey through advanced breast cancer: Michele’s invasive ductal carcinoma Stage 4 diagnosis

When Paducah, Kentucky, native Michele Burgess received her Stage 4 invasive ductal carcinoma diagnosis Feb. 6, 2020, she faced the advanced breast cancer the same way she approaches everything in life — head on. As a nurse manager for an inpatient hospice unit, Michele had spent years caring for others in their most vulnerable moments….

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Patient stories - Norton Healthcare, Spine

63-year-old Kentucky woman back to working, gardening, cooking, lifting weights after scoliosis surgery

For some, age really is just a number. Rona Garriott is proof of that. The 63-year-old Pleasureville, Kentucky, woman works full time at a chiropractor’s office. After work, she’s in her garden and kitchen, feeding both her passion and her palate. Somehow, she still finds time for exercise, doing her best to stay in shape…

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Heart, Stroke

Norton Healthcare nationally recognized for commitment to providing high-quality cardiovascular and stroke care

Norton Healthcare has received American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines achievement awards for demonstrating commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital. Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of…

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Heart, Heart Failure

Congestive heart failure can feel upsetting. Here’s what you need to know.

Heart failure: Symptoms, causes and treatment options Heart failure can sound scary, but what does it really mean? If you’ve heard this term and felt a wave of concern, you’re not alone. Many people assume “congestive heart failure” means the heart has stopped working entirely, but that’s not the case. Here are some common questions…

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Bike to Beat Cancer, Cancer

For Tom, Christmas comes in September

To Tom Conquest, Bike to Beat Cancer isn’t just an event on the calendar, it’s his “Christmas,” a holiday he holds near and dear. Every September, he rides with purpose, passion and pride, honoring the people he has lost as well as the strength he has found as a cancer survivor. Tom first joined Bike…

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Patient stories - Norton Healthcare, Spine

Months after artificial disc surgery, Kentucky man completes ultramarathon

Austin Zulka spends an hour a day exercising. He alternates between running and cycling. Saturdays are his “long days,” a chance to test his body and his cardiovascular fitness with longer-than-normal runs or bike rides. And it shows. At age 30, Austin looks like he’s in the physical prime of his life. He feels that…

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