8 | www. Char l es tonPhys i c i ans . com | www.Hea l thL i nksChar l es ton . com 14 | DOGS OPEN DOORS TO HEALING Paws4TheKids has sparked breakthroughs in children’s healing for the last two years at the Medical University of South Carolina Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital. 19 | BIRTHMATTERS BirthMatters reduces teen pregnancy through reproductive health education and empowers expectant young adults to raise healthy families through doulas utilizing the community health worker model. 20 | HELPING MOTHER’S MILK FLOW Research shows that 60% of mothers have to stop nursing before they feel like they are ready. Today, nonprofits and hospitals have lactation coaches, resources, life coaches and mentors who are helping women nurse longer. 23 | A WILD RIDE AND A WORLD-RENOWNED RACE It has been “a wild ride” since Irv Batten became director of The Cooper River Bridge Run three years ago. He joked that he can’t wait until “a normal year,” knowing that pulling together an event that is among the best organized and best conducted 10K races in the world can’t possibly include the normalcy that most people know. 25 | MORE OB-GYN’S ARE FEMALE Over the past few decades, an increasing number of OB-GYN physicians are female, and this ratio is growing. Nationally, approximately 60% of practicing OB-GYNs are women, according to a 2020 report by the Association of American Medical Colleges. 28 | EXERCISES FOR PREGNANT MOMS Pregnant women once were discouraged from exercise as gentle as taking a walk because gravity might pull the baby out prematurely. Modern science has debunked those myths, and today’s women are encouraged to maintain active lifestyles right up until the baby arrives 33 | WOMEN IN HEALTH We are lucky to live in a community where women not only are succeeding but leading and thriving in a field that touches everyone. 57 | DNA PATH TO HEALTH The Medical University of South Carolina, in conjunction with Helix, has launched a community research project titled “In Our DNA SC.” The goal of this program is to investigate how genetics impact health and to develop ways of offering personalized health care to patients. 62 | ILLNESSES THAT MOVE FROM MOTHER TO BABY Women have a weakened immune system during pregnancy that can leave them more vulnerable to contracting infectious diseases and transferring them to their baby. Knowledge of how to best prevent and treat these maladies can help decrease potential risks to newborns. Issue 12.1 JAN/FEB 2023 CHARLESTON FEATURES
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