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As rewarding as the farming profession is, it comes with plenty of challenges for farmers and their families. The fall harvest season can be especially demanding on a farmer's physical and mental well being, when factors like fatigue, financial pressures, weather, time constraints and an intensely heightened workload become even more pronounced. It's no surprise that during the hustle and bustle of a busy harvest season, many farmers struggle to find time for themselves and stay on top of their mental wellness. Being so focused on work, some farmers may even fail to notice just how stressed

In conjunction with Dr. Lausen’s colleague recognition program and as part of our continuing mission to provide exceptional patient experience here at SIU we are proud to roll out the Patient Experience Nomination Form . Use this form to recognize colleagues, teams, departments, or processes that go above and beyond in order to ensure our patients’ needs are met and that they remain central to our focus. Exceeding every patient’s expectations of their care at SIU is our #1 goal! Our August celebrated patient experience highlight comes from the Department of Pediatrics. Recently, Pediatrics had

In the heart of rural communities, where the fields stretch far and wide under the open sky, there exists a resilience ingrained in the very fabric of farming life. People often equate this resilience with toughness – a quality deeply revered within the agricultural community, both in physical endurance and mental fortitude. However, as discussions illuminate, this same toughness can sometimes be a double-edged sword, especially when it comes to mental health. The paradox of toughness in farming is evident. Being a good farmer requires resilience to weather challenges, yet this same toughness

SIU class series to teach techniques to pair with treatments for pain, chronic conditions Is stress affecting your health? Is pain causing you stress? A new class at Southern Illinois University Neuroscience Institute aims to use mindfulness-based meditation techniques to complement traditional medical and psychological treatments. SIU Psychiatry is offering an 8-week class on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, starting at 6 pm on Monday, January 22, at Simmons Cancer Institute at SIU, 315 W. Carpenter St. in Springfield. The public is invited to attend a free orientation to learn more about

In today's world, more and more people are surviving cancer than ever before thanks to important advances in cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment and prevention. Even so, cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States—and compared to people in other occupations, farmers and agricultural workers tend to have a higher cancer risk. Many things may explain the link between farming and cancer risk, including increased exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and exposure to certain chemicals that may be carcinogenic (cancer-causing). But just because you're

Senior Associate Dean for Education Dr. Debra Klamen chronicles the challenges and improvisation involved in keeping courses and curriculum going through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I can’t have cancer. That’s somebody else,” thought Richard Dennis when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Dennis, a retired Petersburg resident, had been active his entire life, walking two to three miles a day and working in his yard. “I’d never had a symptom, I hadn’t had health issues, and I didn’t take medication,” said Dennis. But a slowly elevating prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood level suggested otherwise. PSA is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland. A PSA test uses a blood sample to measure the level of PSA in a man’s blood. The PSA blood level is often elevated

by Anneke Metz, PhD, Interim Director of MEDPREP All of us at MEDPREP (Medical/Dental Education Preparatory Program) were heartbroken to learn of the death of one of our own, Dr. Tamara O’Neal, who was a MEDPREP student from 2007-09. After MEDPREP, Tamara went on to complete her MD at the University of Illinois at Chicago, followed by a residency in emergency medicine. She was working as an emergency department physician at Mercy Hospital in Chicago at the time of her death. Dr. O’Neal, who was affectionately known at “TO” by her colleagues and friends, was beloved for her smile, her kindness