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How Serious is Cirrhosis?

BCBSIL Connect Team January 27, 2023

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL) works closely with Loyola University School of Medicine to support research about cirrhosis of the liver. By doing so, we help doctors anticipate and treat the growing number of cases they now see....
- 8831 Views
Pregnancy with Gestational Diabetes

BCBSIL Connect Team January 25, 2023

Angela R. had her first child when she was 21. Fifteen years later, she learned she was expecting her second at the age of 36. While her first pregnancy went smoothly, a complication rose its head 25 weeks into her second. Gestational diabetes. &ldqu...
- 7420 Views
What Does Your Thyroid Do?

BCBSIL Connect Team January 20, 2023

Everyone is born with a thyroid. It’s the “butterfly-shaped” gland in the lower front part of your neck. It sits right below the Adam’s Apple. The thyroid gland makes two hormones – T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxin...
- 4558 Views
Health Insurance and Pregnancy: The Basics

BCBSIL Connect Team January 19, 2023

Having a baby is life changing. While babies are a blessing, they also cost money – even before they're born. That’s why it’s important to have health insurance before and after you become pregnant. With health insurance maternity b...
- 37887 Views
Are You Prepared for Earthquakes?

BCBSIL Connect Team January 18, 2023

How do you prepare for the unexpected? What do you do when something you hoped you’d never experience suddenly happens? While an earthquake can happen anywhere, there some parts of the United States that have a higher risk. People in Alaska, Ca....
- 3004 Views
Fall and Wintertime Skin Care: How to Prevent and Treat Dry Skin

BCBSIL Connect Team January 17, 2023

The leaves are falling, the holidays are just around the corner. So is something else. Itchy skin. Yep, as the seasons change, so does your skin. The skin routine you use in the summer may not work so well in the fall and winter when humidity dr...
- 6626 Views
A Parent’s Nightmare: When Kids Can’t Sleep

BCBSIL Connect Team January 7, 2023

At the end of a long, hard day, nothing looks more inviting than a soft bed and fluffy pillow. Snuggling under a fluffy duvet or layers of soft blankets may seem like a little bit of heaven. Until your kid wanders in and tells you he can’t slee....
- 6093 Views
8 Surprising Facts about Arthritis

BCBSIL Connect Team January 3, 2023

Humans have walked the Earth for nearly six million years, so you can be sure arthritis isn’t anything new. Even our earliest ancestors suffered through their fair share of stiff, aching joints. The struggle to remain flexible and mobile can be....
- 12192 Views
Work Stress Overwhelming? Take These 3 Steps

BCBSIL Connect Team December 27, 2022

Can you successfully manage stress to have a better life? Or is it like retirement on the Riviera — nice to dream about but almost impossible to achieve? Like much of life, it depends. Americans are stressed. Over 75 percent of respondents in a....
- 24137 Views
Get the Scoop on Those Sneaky Added Sugars

BCBSIL Connect Team November 18, 2022

There’s a sneaky marauder making its way through your body, and it’s out to do you harm. Its name is sugar. You may not always know how it got there, but it can hurt you. Sugar is in fruits and vegetables and other foods that are part of ...
- 16015 Views
Lower Stress with Organization

BCBSIL Connect Team November 14, 2022

Are you stressed because your house is a mess, you’re always late, you don’t eat right, and you never get enough sleep? If this sounds familiar, you could probably stand to be more organized. You may think organization sounds great; but i...
- 34548 Views
Living and Laughing with Diabetes

BCBSIL Connect Team November 11, 2022

Diabetes was a part of Loretta N.’s life long before she was diagnosed with the disease. She clearly remembers caring for her diabetic father. As she cooked meals for him and helped him monitor his blood sugar levels, she saw the effects of the....
- 4744 Views
Ups and Downs of Living With Diabetes

BCBSIL Connect Team November 10, 2022

As someone who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes nearly three decades ago, Kimberly H. offers a perspective that is colored by the ups and downs of an autoimmune disease she must confront each day. “Life is not easy,” she asserts. &ldquo...
- 5969 Views
Keep Your Children’s Eyes Healthy

BCBSIL Connect Team September 28, 2022

Taking care of your eyes is important at every age. Start your children off right by protecting their eyes and eyesight. Vision Screening for Children Children's eyes are growing and changing quickly. Vision screening is an important part of trackin...
- 6752 Views
Domestic Violence: Would You Know What to Do?

BCBSIL Connect Team September 15, 2022

You may recall your doctor asking during a regular checkup if you are experiencing any form of domestic violence. Screening for domestic violence is standard practice in preventive health exams. This question may be startling or foreign for some...
- 4925 Views

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