September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month – a time to educate men about their risk of this disease. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, and this year, more than 240,000 men will be diagnosed with the disease and nearly will 30,000 will die.

“One in every six men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point in their life. The month of September is an excellent time for men and their families to get the right facts about risk factors, early detection and treatment of prostate cancer,” said Dr. Chad Jackson, a urologist at Middle Tennessee Medical Center (MTMC).

Most cases of prostate cancer are treatable, if detected early. MTMC and the hospitals of Saint Thomas Health have joined thousands of hospitals and physicians across the country and the National Football League in supporting the American Urological Association Foundation’s “Know Your Stats” campaign, aimed at increasing awareness of prostate cancer screening guidelines and treatment options.

The American Urological Association recommends men ask their doctors about two tests to screen for prostate cancer, including a Protein Specific Antigen Test (PSA), which tests for certain protein levels in the blood associated with prostate cancer, and a digital rectal exam (DRE). You should get an annual PSA and DRE if:

• You are age 50 or over
• You are age 40 or over and have risks for prostate cancer such as being African American or having a family history of the disease.

Dr. Jackson and other physicians at MTMC offer a variety of the most advanced treatment options for men who are diagnosed with forms of prostate cancer requiring treatment. One such option is robotically assisted prostate removal.

Using the daVinci Surgical System, the physician removes the prostate through a small incision in the abdomen. Patients who choose this procedure experience less discomfort and shorter recovery times.

“Due to the many advances in early detection and treatment of prostate cancer, the number of deaths from the disease has decreased over the past decade,” said Dr. Jackson. “We are even able to provide effective treatment for patients with advanced prostate cancer using a variety of therapies. However, the best defense against prostate cancer is still awareness of risk factors and early detection.”

If you or a loved one wants to learn more about risk factors, early detection and treatment options for prostate cancer, speak with your physician.

For more information about prostate cancer, treatment options or how to find a physician, visit www.mtmc.org/cancer or www.mycancersource.com.

We’ve all been to one of those oil changing chains before. You drive fifteen minutes to take the car in. You wait in line for an hour, and then it takes them another thirty minutes to change the oil. After that you have to drive all the way back home and attempt to salvage the rest of your day. If you’re taking care of your car, you have to do that tedious routine three times a year.

But now there’s another option: a better option. Local Middle Tennessee business, Grease Monkeys, offers a high quality oil change that won’t cost you a second of your time, and it won’t cost you a cent more than those conventional chains. The idea is simple. You call Grease Monkeys and tell them when you want to get your oil changed. Then they send out a trained mechanic to your home or business and change your oil while you get on with your life.

No more suffering in the car with the kids waiting for a job done to get finished that should have only taken 15 minutes. The guys at Grease Monkeys will service any car in the Middle Tennessee area including Nashville, Murfreesboro, Smyrna, La Vergne, Brentwood and Franklin. If you should need a battery replacement, tire rotation, Air filter replacement, or light bulb replacement, while your oil is changed that can all be taken care of with your consent.

Grease Monkeys take care of the individual, as well as the company. If you own a company that requires a fleet of vehicles, Techs will travel to your place of business and perform oil changes on your entire line of cars. Not only does his save your employee’s time, but it also cuts down on you losing any bill able hours while a car is out of the fleet being serviced.

Grease Monkeys is a local business owned by real Middle Tennessean’s with a genuine passion for their community. So stop wasting precious time sitting in your car. Get out and enjoy the spring time with the rest of your family. Let the folks at Grease Monkeys clear up your take care of your oil maintenance while you take care of yourself.

To setup an appointment for an oil change today call: (615) 796-6451

For more information on the qualifications and the services that Grease Monkeys provide visit: http://www.greasemonkeysoil.com

As a patient, the quality of medical care received is directly related to the person who is providing your care. This is why HobNob Murfreesboro thinks it is so important for everyone to get to know the doctors and nurses they are treated by. In an effort to promote more responsible medical choices, HobNob is highlighting some of the best medical providers in Middle Tennessee. This week we will be focusing on the terrific NICU clinic at Middle Tennessee Medical Center.

No one plans on needing the support of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit staff, but these men and women are there for newborns when they need it the most. I was given the chance to talk to Natalie, Lesley, and Kim, three NICU nurses, to learn more about their roles in newborn care. Together these women have 21 years of experience providing care in the NICU clinic. The only thing more valuable than the experience these women have, is the attitude they approach the job with.

Before talking with the nurses, I really had no idea what kind of services the NICU provided. These women were more than willing to help educate me. The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit provides support for infants born before 34 weeks or any newborn with medical complications. MTMC has a state of the art NICU center, which can hold up to twenty infants at a time. The infants are under 24/7 supervision. The staff makes sure that the infants are eating well, staying warm, and gaining weight.

One of the first things I noticed about the NICU staff was that they were always smiling. From feeding infants, checking vitals, giving medications, and providing emotional support this group of women really loves what they do. All of the women enjoy working with newborns, but they wanted me to know that their job was as much about the family as it was about the child. The staff at MTMC knows that having a sick child can be a traumatizing experience for parents. If your child is in the care of MTMC, a nurse like Natalie, Lesley, or Kim will be there to help you from day 1. The most important thing to these women is that your baby gets to go home and live a long healthy life.

When you are deciding where to have your new baby, make sure that they will provide the best possible care for your family. There is nothing more important than making sure your newborn is cared for by an experienced and compassionate staff.

For more information on the services provided at Middle Tennessee Medical please visit: http://www.mtmc.org/