Cardiovascular disease has long been the No. 1 killer of both men and women older than 20, claiming more lives per year than all forms of cancer combined, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Yet decades of gender disparity in research, prevention and health care have left women at a disadvantage. Compared to men, women are less likely to recognize cardiovascular disease as their leading cause of death, know the symptoms of a heart attack or receive aggressive diagnosis and treatment, according to the American Heart Association. Heart disease and stroke took the lives of nearly 400,000 U.S. women in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control…
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Architects, design students team up to showcase leading home trends
A campfire crackles underneath a glowing crescent moon — or right in the middle of your living room. While more and more homeowners have been extending their living space by covering and/or furnishing their porches, patios, decks and backyards, there is a new trend to look ‘out’ for in 2017, said Earl Lee, director of environmental design at Columbus-based architecture firm Moody Nolan. That trend is to mix outdoor elements directly into the home— a concept that lies at the heart of an exhibit created by designers from Moody Nolan, as well as students from The Ohio State University and Columbus College of Art and Design. “So you may find…
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Ohio’s growing web of entrepreneurs
Small businesses supporting hundreds of local artisans Some small businesses have taken entrepreneurship a step further by sourcing all of their products from local artisans, creating a robust network that celebrates local commerce. With their diverse array of handmade and novelty items, these stores are essentially a one-stop shop for holiday gift buying and for supporting dozens of local merchants on Small Business Saturday, which is on Nov. 26. One such retailer is Glean, a tiny, basement-level shop that’s flourishing with one-of-a-kind trinkets made from recycled and repurposed materials, all fashioned by local handcrafters, including jewelry, decor, trinkets and small furniture. Dawn McCombs opened Glean on the corner of West…
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Hundreds of experts team up to improve early detection of breast cancer
As part of Vice President Joe Biden’s $1 billion Cancer Moonshot initiative, hundreds of scientists and coders are attempting to improve the ability of mammograms to detect breast cancer. About 100 out of every 1,000 women to get a mammogram will be recalled for further testing, but only five will be diagnosed with breast cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. This is largely due to issues in technology and image readability, especially as breast density increases. “The breast is a three-dimensional structure, and standard mammograms take a two-dimensional picture of it,” said Dr. Jeff Hawley, breast radiologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital…
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Husband finds solace in remembering through journaling
Amid a month of pink ribbons, feel-good stories and advertisements with smiling cancer patients, it’s easy to forget the millions of lives that are claimed by cancer each year. And among death’s sickening array of characters, cancer is one of the cruelest. Doug Alsdorf, professor at The Ohio State University, knows this reality all too well after losing his wife, Laura Behrendt-Alsdorf, to metastatic breast cancer in 2011. It’s hard to talk about death. Most people avoid talking about death in the public sphere because death can’t be dressed up — not even in pink ribbons. But Alsdorf will never forget or avoid discussing the bravery with which Laura —…
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Pelotonia funds in action
It’s no secret that research is what’s going to help save more lives from cancer. Since 2008, Pelotonia, Columbus’ annual cycling event and fundraiser for cancer research, has contributed more than $122 million to The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC–James). One hundred percent of the proceeds are used to advance research through a variety of initiatives, including Pelotonia Idea Grants and the Pelotonia Fellowship Program, both of which fund selected cancer studies. Two separate ongoing studies funded by Pelotonia at the OSUCCC – James are looking into the link between breastfeeding and breast cancer and figuring out how to alleviate…
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At four months pregnant, breast cancer was not on her radar
Breast cancer is diagnosed in roughly one pregnant woman in 3,000, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2009, Pauline Russ was one of them. Russ was 34 years old and four months pregnant when an ultrasound and biopsy confirmed that she had stage 2, triple-positive breast cancer. Before her diagnosis, Russ informed her doctor of a pain in her right breast at a routine pregnancy checkup. “Once my first trimester was over, she sent me to have an ultrasound just in case, although we both thought, ‘oh I’m sure it’s milk ducts getting ready,’” she said. After the ultrasound, Russ was told nothing other than she needed to get…
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Harp carving out path in carpentry and on DIY Network
About six years ago, Clint Harp was watching YouTube videos to learn how to operate a wood lathe. Now, Harp is widely known across the U.S. and beyond for his woodworking and furniture artistry on HGTV’s “Fixer Upper.” Harp always knew he wanted to work with his hands, and after four unfulfilling years of working in the medical sales industry, he decided it was time to follow his dream. He quit his six-figure-salary career and began down the path that would lead him to found his own carpentry business with his wife, Kelly Harp. The two moved to Waco, Texas, in 2011 and founded Harp Design Co., which has grown…