Megan Munkacsy (Page 32)

There’s a lot of debate about the benefits of nutritional supplements and whether some do more harm than good. But researchers found one supplement that may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease. Chiro-inositol, a compound that occurs naturally in foods, protects the brain from the toxins that cause Alzheimer’s, UVA and Northwestern…

A cancer diagnosis means worry and fear for the future. But patients who live many miles away from advanced care face the additional stress of long drives and being away from home. A new partnership will address this challenge. The Cancer Center Without Walls will use telemedicine, a system where…

But now there’s a newer product that is serious: the colorful laundry pods or dishwashing detergent pods that look like toys or candy. The pods are about one square inch in size and feel squishy. They can have powder or concentrated liquid inside them, but it’s the concentrated liquid ones that cause severe illness in kids.

It’s 3:30 p.m., and already UVA’s medical helicopter, Pegasus, has been to a car accident scene, a hospital in Danville, back to UVA and finally to their headquarters at the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport. Sounds like a typical day for a medical flight crew, except there’s no typical day. One day,…

HIV/AIDS doesn’t get as many headlines as it did in the early ‘80s, yet 33.4 million people around the world are living with it.  With World AIDS Day on December 1 approaching, we asked Kathryn Dort, a nurse practitioner with the Ryan White Program, to answer some common questions about…

It’s been 13 years, but the words “gym class” still strike fear in my heart. I hated gym class. I couldn’t do a pull-up or throw a Frisbee. I stood way, way back in the outfield and prayed nobody could hit the ball that far. I faked being sick to…

Cooking, eating, tying shoes and writing are all skills most adults take for granted. But for someone with Parkinson’s disease, they may be impossible. The involuntary shaking and other movement problems can force Parkinson’s patients to rely on caregivers for even the simplest tasks. Researchers at UVA will try to…

Fifteen percent of Charlottesville residents speak a language other than English at home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. For them, understanding diagnoses and following care instructions would be nearly impossible without the help of interpreters. [caption id="attachment_4922" align="alignright" width="300"] Liz Cook (left) interprets American Sign Language for patient Wanda…

I have a confession: I am one of those annoying people at the grocery store. [caption id="attachment_4605" align="alignright" width="300"] Only poultry can be labeled free range, but you might see the words "grass fed," "pasture raised," "organic" or "natural" on this steak's packaging.[/caption] While everyone else is trying to grab…

UVA’s Blue Ridge Poison Center gets 30,000 phone calls a year. When you hear that number, you might think of snakebites or toddlers finding cleaning products under the bathroom sink. [caption id="attachment_4482" align="alignright" width="300"] Medication mistakes are common before school when parents are busy and preoccupied.[/caption] But many of those…