Medical News
Meeting Community Health Needs through Transformation
I am writing in my role as the new CEO of the Desert Healthcare District/Foundation. I am not brand new to the Desert (my husband I have had a weekend home here for two years), but I share an experience with the many residents with whom I have been fortunate Read more…
Your Immune System Can Help Treat Cancer
When it comes to cancer treatment, most people are familiar with the treatment options of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. But today, there is a fourth leg of cancer care which involves a new class of drugs that stimulate a patient’s own immune system to fight the cancer. Known as immuno-oncology Read more…
Hearing Loss and Disease Risk Factors
Being able to communicate with ease has been determined to be a critical topic and aspect of healthy aging. Since 2014, a greater emphasis has been placed on hearing health and associated disease risk factors including the following life threatening co-morbidities: Dementia. Dr. Frank R. Lin, M.D., Ph.D., otolaryngologist and Read more…
A Snapshot of Health in Our Community
In January, Health Assessment and Research for Communities (HARC) released its latest data on the health of the Coachella Valley. HARC has been tracking community health for the past ten years. This latest data marked their fourth survey and revealed an interesting picture of health in our region. Mental/Behavioral Health Read more…
Overuse Knee Injuries
As an orthopedic surgeon, I recognize that the knees often take a beating. Golf, tennis, exercise such as running, and even squats can cause problems. One of the more common conditions I see is overuse injuries. Weekend warriors and professional athletes alike should know about overuse injuries and how to Read more…
Simple Steps to Desensitize Sensitive Teeth
Many people experience sensitive teeth every time they eat or drink something hot or cold. When they feel sensitivity, most fear it may be the result of a problem, like a cavity or a cracked tooth, but often times it can be natural and more innocuous. It helps to know Read more…
Has Multitasking Become a Bad Word?
Do you recall early television shows called The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man? The characters transformed into super-powered heroes who were able to perform feats of intuition, strength, and stamina not possible for mortal man or woman. The television audience was transfixed into flights of super-hero fantasy. Read more…
Shay’s Story
Shay Moraga was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the beginning of 2016 and shares her journey with Desert Health® readers in an ongoing column… 2016 was a hard year. We lost some really great actors and artists. Just when the world started to get over Prince being gone, Read more…
Seeking to Prevent and Treat Substance Abuse Locally
There is little doubt that abuse of opioids – often beginning with a necessary prescription – has reached crisis proportions in the U.S. and beyond. That includes right here in our backyards, in the Coachella Valley and the greater Inland Empire. Based on the most recent data available, as of Read more…
Enlarged Prostate: A Wife’s Perspective on Early Treatment
Oftentimes, my male patients need encouragement and support from a spouse to seek medical treatment for urological issues; spouses are sometimes key to preventing a mild condition from becoming more serious. I spoke with the wife of one of my patients about her husband’s experience with enlarged prostate and his Read more…
Prepared for the Future
Palm Desert High School has four career pathways now, one of which is the Health Academy. The academy has been at Palm Desert High since 2010 and is coordinated by teacher Mr. Ron Paiz. The Health Academy has given many students an advantage over others considering health careers by teaching Read more…
The Beauty and Benefits of Water Therapy
Aquatic physical therapy can be the solution for you if you have difficulty walking and standing, or are afraid of falls. Reducing the weight on your joints and increasing your activity level through aquatic therapy could be a great opportunity to improve strength and balance without worrying about pain or Read more…
The Sugar Façade Exposed
Have you ever noticed on ingredient labels that while the recommended daily intake of most nutrients is listed, there is not a daily recommendation for sugar? While watching Katie Couric’s documentary Fed Up, part of our Wellness Worth Watching Movie Series, I learned why and looked forward to sharing the Read more…
La Quinta High School Medical Health Academy
LQHS Medical Health Academy (MHA) is a three-year Health Science program for students interested in medical occupations that will take them from their high school experience to college, career or both. MHA students are preparing for careers including, but not limited to nurses, physicians, technicians, physical therapists, and psychologists, as Read more…
Three Tennis Injuries
Tennis is a fantastic sport. As an orthopedic surgeon, I routinely prescribe exercise to my patients to improve their wellbeing, and I often recommend tennis. Once learned, it is a sport that can be played well into our golden years. However, there are sports injuries that can accompany the game. Read more…
Is Bleaching Safe For Your Teeth?
What color are healthy teeth? It’s a question I get often, and there’s not an exact answer. Healthy teeth can come in a wide range of colors from very white to quite dark. Many factors can play into this: genetics, age, antibiotic usage, and fluoride concentration in water. What we Read more…
The Evolution of Cataract Surgery
After almost 40 years of practice, I have seen tremendous changes in the evolution of cataract surgery. Prior to the mid 1970s, cataract surgery involved removing both the lens of the eye and the capsule. Implantable lenses had not been perfected leaving patients with very thick, very heavy glasses and Read more…
Shay’s Story
The year was 1989. I was 13 years old in the 8th grade and into boy bands like New Kids on the Block. While attending my church’s youth group one night, I would meet my best friend Kristina. Even though we have about 3,000 miles between us now, she is Read more…
You Didn’t Fail Your Diet, Your Diet Failed You
Well we’re well past January 1, and most people have given up on their New Year’s resolution. One of the most common resolutions is the goal to “lose weight, and get fit.” The problem isn’t the resolution; the problem is the intended solution: a diet. The problem with diets is Read more…
Avoiding Hip Fractures
Hip fractures send more than 300,000 Americans age 65 and older to the hospital each year. While hip fractures can be treated, the injury can lead to severe health problems and reduced quality of life. Most hip fractures occur because of a fall, especially among adults over the age of Read more…
“No” Is a Complete Sentence
Learning how to say “No” and when to say “No” is essential to living your life with purpose. When you say “YES” to one thing, you’re saying “NO” to something else. Time is a limited commodity and each of us has 24 hours per day. Once you invest that time, Read more…
Don’t Forget Your Shades
While breast, prostate and lung cancers are the most prevalent forms of cancer in the United States,1 skin cancer is the most common type in the Coachella Valley according to the recently released data from HARC.2 This may come as no surprise with our love of the outdoors and our Read more…
Men’s Health Below the Belt
Physician experts from Walsh Urology address common men’s urinary health issues to increase awareness of these important health conditions. If you suffer from aggravating urinary conditions, it is important to consult an urologist, as many of these conditions are easily treated. Prostate Conditions. Most common problems with men can be Read more…
Closing the Door on 2016
As we wake to another bright and sunny desert morning, a sense of calm has settled over the valley as it is finally 2017, a new year that brings the promise and hope of things to come. As 2016 came to a close, the online world had much say in Read more…
Shay’s Story
I woke up that morning like I did every day. However, this time, I knew my life depended all on this particular day. They had to get all the cancer out of my body. I had barely slept all night, and as I turned on the shower, emotions started to Read more…
Be Sure Your Dentist Knows
Bisphosphonates are a class of medication commonly used to treat osteoporosis or other conditions where bone may be weakened, including some forms of cancer. Many people are familiar with the brand names in this class; the most common medications are Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel, Aredia, Zometa, Reclast and Bonefos. Some of Read more…
Helping You Put your Best Foot Forward
Peek a boo shoes a taboo for you? What about around the pool? Are you someone who’s hiding their feet? If your reason for hiding your feet includes contracted toes, or hammertoes, this article is just for you. In some families, it seems that the contracted toes are hereditary. Actually, Read more…
You Are Not Your Anger
Are we born angry? All too often, it can feel that way. A recap of a family get together might start off with the best of intentions and sometimes end with voices raised to a high-pitched frenzy over who was right regarding the topic at hand. Well, you know what Read more…
“I Gotta Go” Sounding Familiar These Days?
You’ve seen the commercials and have possibly even joked with friends about a “Flomax moment.” We see men playing golf or enjoying other activities who are constantly interrupted by their urgent need to find a restroom. If you find yourself in this scenario more often nowadays, you are not alone. Read more…
Brain Metastasis Options
Brain metastasis, when cancer cells spread to the brain from primary tumors in other organs in the body, is often regarded with hopelessness. However, new advances in diagnosis and treatment are changing that opinion. Brain metastasis occurs in up to 50% of patients with cancer. As new systemic treatments prolong Read more…
A Look at Your Eyes
As one who has always enjoyed 20/20 vision, I never thought of going to the eye doctor for a regular checkup. It was only recently that I succumbed to cheaters, and if something more significant had changed with my vision, I would certainly know it. Then Dr. Evans sent us Read more…
Electronic Health Care Records (EHRs)
The concept of the medical record has been around since the 1960s following the advent of the first electronic programmable computers in the 1940s and 50s: the Colossus, ENIAC, and UNIVAC. Larry Weed, MD, wrote a seminal paper on the topic of problem-oriented medical records in 1964, entitled Medical Records, Read more…
Every Shoe Tells a Story
A shoe is like a book. If you know how to read one, you can learn a great deal. Worn out shoes and shoes that do not fit properly can interfere with the feet, pelvis and spine. A survey by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society showed that 88% Read more…
Your Workplace Wellness Program is Here
A recent study by the National Small Business Association determined that 93 percent of small business owners recognized that the health of their workers impacts their business’s bottom line.1 However, when it comes to implementing an employee wellness program, most of them don’t know where to start. Fortunately for employers Read more…
November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
November is Alzheimer’s disease awareness month, proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. Alzheimer’s disease currently afflicts more than 5 million persons in the United States, and 1 in 3 seniors will die with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. There were over 15 million caregivers treating dementia patients in 2015, Read more…
Disaster Prepared
Cathedral City High School held its annual disaster drill on Thursday, October 20. The disaster drill is a simulated emergency response drill that instructs students and faculty alike in California on how to properly respond to an enormous earthquake if and when it happens. The San Andreas Fault, located in Read more…
The Battle Against Myself
2016 was shaping up to be a very important year. I had just gotten an associate degree in journalism and was all set to transfer to a four-year university in the fall to pursue my B.A. On top of that, I turned 21 in February and was looking forward to Read more…
Hikers Beware…It’s Rattlesnake Season
This time of year we welcome cooler weather, outdoor activities and many native inhabitants of the desert landscape, including rattlesnakes. If left alone, rattlesnakes will usually move on; however, about 1,000 venomous snake bites do occur in the U.S. each year. They are seldom fatal but can be extremely painful Read more…
The Cancer Roller Coaster
Throughout this cancer, I visualized running a marathon. I sat in my chemo chair listening to music and when I closed my eyes I ran up a mountain and down a hill. After the chemo was over, I began visualizing being on a roller coaster (by the way, I hate Read more…
Losing That Loving Feeling
Most men want to have an active sexual life. Unfortunately, as men age, erectile dysfunction (ED) can become a common occurrence. When men have difficulty achieving an erection, they can become anxious about their sexual performance and may avoid sexual activity. Often times, they just aren’t aware of treatment options Read more…
Xylitol: The Healthy Sugar for Your Teeth
Today we see many different types of alternative sugar sweeteners. Most of these sweeteners have been around a long time, yet still have unclear effects on the body. One of them, Xylitol, stands above the rest in its benefits. Unlike many sweeteners, Xylitol is a natural product, extracted from birch Read more…
The Future Concern of Nearsightedness
The incidence of myopia, the ability to only see short distances (nearsightedness), is increasing worldwide. In the United States, the incidence in ages 12-54 has doubled in the last 30 years to almost 40%.1 In some Asian countries the incidence is 80-90% by adulthood. By 2050, it is predicted that Read more…
Stem Cells: The Vision for a New Age of Personalized Medicine
In the last decade there’s been a great push toward the advancement of personalized medicine. Most of the focus has been on genetic studies to assist with selecting medications, personalized screening, and honing detection of disease. But this is only half the story. There must be more we can do Read more…
Life is a Journey
Did you get away this summer? Travel to new places and meet new people? Maybe you are one who packs up each May and leaves the desert for cooler climates. If so, I admire you. Packing up your life and setting up camp in a different location takes a lot Read more…
Failure of Surgical Gowns
Just as every patient trusts his or her surgeon, surgeons must be able to trust their equipment. What happens, though, when the surgeon’s equipment fails? We are not discussing robotic devices or mechanical issues, but rather something significantly more dangerous: the timeless routine of gowning and gloving surgeons before surgery. Read more…
Summer Internships Focus on Mental Health Careers
Twenty-five Coachella Valley undergraduate health science students helped advance critical need projects for local health care businesses this summer through the Health Career Connection (HCC) internship program. Hosted for the seventh year in collaboration with the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership (CVEP), the HCC program offers ten-week, paid summer internships for Read more…
The Known and the Unknowns of the Journey
This column is a continuation of last issue’s feature story on Shay Moraga who at 39 years old was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. We are honored to have Shay sharing her journey with Desert Health® readers in an ongoing column. When we left Shay, she was close to Read more…
Emotional Aspects of Chronic Pain
Individuals suffering from chronic pain assume that the pain symptoms are purely physical. There are many times though that clinicians scratch their heads to identify painful symptoms when nothing structural presents itself in an effort to prove a mechanical problem as the pain culprit. Dr. John Sarno, author of Mind Read more…
Has Lower Back Pain Got You Off Course?
Most amateur players spend a lifetime trying to attain the perfect golf swing. Today, professional golf has evolved into a game that demands a team approach bringing together the most elite specialists including coaches, nutritionists, and medical professionals to provide tour players with every possible advantage over the competition. Without Read more…
Lasers: Not just Science Fiction
James Bond, Star Trek, Star Wars. We’ve grown up seeing lasers as technology of the future or science fiction, but they are real and their use is changing many areas of our lives as we know it. One of these areas is the health field, specifically dentistry, where their use Read more…
The Advancement of MRI for Detection, Localization and Treatment
This literature review is an important update on the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment. Over the past ten years, physicians and researchers all over the world – and right here in the desert – have been exploring new ways to detect, diagnose and Read more…
Movement Disorders and the Role of Imaging
The passing of one of the greatest athletes in history, Muhammad Ali, has brought attention to the debilitating condition he suffered: Parkinson’s disease. This neurodegenerative disease affects as many as one million Americans which is more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Read more…
Neck Pain: Common Causes and Treatments
Neck pain is a frequently encountered problem in society. It is associated with a significant decrease in quality of life and a significant increase in time off work, which is associated with a decrease in national economic productivity. Patients typically present to either their primary care doctor or the emergency Read more…
Chromium-6 in the Coachella Valley Water Supply
The Flint water crisis has been one of the most publicized water contamination disasters in several decades. Concerns have surfaced, however, regarding water purity and safety in other parts of the country. In the Coachella Valley, there is apprehension over hazardous chemicals that include chromium-6. Chromium-6 is the carcinogenic agent Read more…
Relief Today Can Cause Future Problems
My experience as a practitioner providing care to dry eye patients has led me to be significantly more cautious about the risk of potential damage to the ocular surface. Nowadays, I am much more judicious when recommending any type of eyelid surgery, especially with patients that have had laser vision Read more…
Using Technology to Plan Your Year
Why aren’t more people as productive as they should be? Procrastination seems obvious, but is there more to it? People of all ages simply don’t do the things they could potentially do to deliver their highest quality product or service. Why is this? Often, the best product or service is Read more…
Could Poliovirus Treat Brain Tumors?
Since 2012, medical researchers at Duke University’s Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center have been studying the utility of what was formerly a major threat to the public as the new treatment modality for one of today’s scariest killers. Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common primary brain tumor. Radiation and Read more…
Living Through the Lens Of Loss
Usually, my goal in writing on various subjects in Desert Health® is to mentor, teach, and provide support. This article on loss is coming from a unique perspective, more of a personal view, since my mother passed away April 15 of this year. As I walk through the steps of Read more…
Scar-less Skin Cancer Removal
Skin cancers, including basal cell cancers and squamous cell cancers, are the most common cancers in the United States, affecting more than 4 million Americans every year. Skin cancers are over two times more common than all other cancers combined. They are also increasing faster than all other cancers combined. Read more…
Why is The Flint Water Crisis So Important?
In April 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan changed its water source from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to the Flint River. The decision was politically controversial and debated from the onset. Problems with the change stemmed from the fact that the Flint River water was not chemically treated Read more…
Are Whitening Drops Bad for Your Eyes?
The short answer is “maybe.” To understand why, we need first to understand why one would use an eye whitener; other conditions it could mask or complicate; and how long it has been used. Eye drops are often prescribed to treat multiple eye conditions such as glaucoma, allergies, infections, dry Read more…
An Option to Medications for BPH
Having to go all the time? You are not alone. Over 70% of men in their 60s have symptoms of BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia),1 a condition in which the prostate enlarges as men get older. While BPH is a benign (non-cancerous) condition, it can certainly decrease one’s quality of life. Read more…
I Have Cancer, but My X-ray Is Normal
It was August 2014 when Bob, age 49, developed a cough that did not resolve with the usual over-the-counter medications. He visited his family physician who ordered a chest x-ray. The chest x-ray report was normal. However, the cough persisted over the next 2 to 3 months so his physician Read more…
D.A.P. Deemed FQHC
Despite the name it’s had since being incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1984, Desert AIDS Project in Palm Springs expanded its service purview beyond HIV care when it became a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) “Look-Alike” in April 2012. But that doesn’t mean D.A.P. is any less concerned with Read more…
Opportunity of a Lifetime
The Palm Desert High School Health Careers Academy junior class participated in a job shadow day on March 16. Three vans transported 43 students to 20 medical-related locations including JFK Memorial Hospital, Eisenhower Medical Center, medical clinics, dental offices, senior centers, JW Marriot Desert Springs Resort & Spa, and even Read more…
“I Need a Drink!”
So many things change as women age. Our bodies, our minds, our purpose, all appear to go through a major transition between the ages of forty-five and sixty. Perhaps the biggest of the female changes is that of menopause, the end of a woman’s reproductive ability. Currently, the average age for Read more…
Parents Listen to Your Adult Children
Before you go saying, “Why would I ever listen to my good-for-nothing son?” let me start by clarifying that this title and the article to follow only apply to food and health. News and discoveries on the food/health connection are progressing so profoundly that even medicine is starting to consider Read more…
Street Medicine Comes to the Valley
When caring physicians, nurses and health care professionals place medical supplies in a back pack and hit the streets to serve the homeless population, it is referred to as “street medicine,” and communities throughout the world are experiencing the benefits. There has been much talk about starting a street medicine Read more…
Treatment Options for BPH
Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH, is a very common condition in which the prostate enlarges as men get older. Over 70% of men in their 60s have symptoms of BPH which affect more than 500 million men worldwide!1 While BPH is a benign (non-cancerous) condition, it can cause loss of Read more…
JFK Introduces Self-Assessment Health Profilers
Ever wonder if that achy knee is something to worry about? Or how your numbers add up for heart health? Now you can get free advice without a trip to the doctors through science-backed questionnaires available on the JFK Memorial Hospital website. When I first heard about these new self-service Read more…
Drug-Free Therapy for Depression
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, major depressive disorder remains one of the most common mental disorders in the United States affecting 25 million Americans. The average age of onset is 32 and women are 70 percent more likely than men to experience this troubling condition during their Read more…
Allograft: Safe and Remarkable Applications for the Eye
An allograft is a bone or tissue surgically transplanted from one human donor to another, which may sound frightening, but is actually safe and has been in use for quite some time. The most common tissues are amniotic tissues which are attained only during childbirth. The tissues are processed and Read more…
“Doc, I Need a Cortisone Shot”
Dr. Jones, a busy local surgeon, presented with a six-week history of knee pain, which was not improved with aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. A knee MRI showed moderate to severe osteoarthritis without a definitive surgical indication. Dr. Jones was offered an image-guided cortisone injection directly into the knee joint, Read more…
Well Woman Visits in the U.S.
Health care in United States is very costly. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the U.S. spent 17.1% of its Gross Domestic Products (GDP) on health care in 2013. A report published by Common Wealth Fund last year states that the U.S. spends most of its Read more…
Give a Fresh Start to Your Personal Life
“Life is 5 % what happens to you and 95% what you do with that.” Although life doesn’t come with a re-set button, you can give your personal life a fresh start anytime you choose. Why not declare that “2016 is going to be a fresh start”? I believe that Read more…
Getting Ready for Joint Surgery
There are many things you need to do before going on a trip. You need to know what you will be doing, how long you’re going to be there, how you will get there, where you will be staying, and when you will be coming home. Getting ready for joint Read more…
Low Back Pain? The Spine is a Complex System
Low back pain is a significant health issue and one of the most common reasons for a doctor’s visit. Over 80% of the population has experienced at least one memorable episode of significant back pain in their lifetime, and it is the leading cause of disability and days lost from Read more…
Alzheimer’s, Dementia or Just Aging?
It’s very common to fear what we don’t understand and then hide behind blinders, living in denial or buried in fear. This pattern usually causes more problems than are necessary. This is certainly true around the subject of memory loss. We see some changes in ourselves or a loved one Read more…
Medicine vs. Health
How many doctors do you know who are truly healthy and fit? Why is that? Aren’t they in the health industry? The answer to that is no. Most doctors learned their trade in traditional medical schools which taught little about health and wellness, and a lot about medicine. We can Read more…
Early Recovery: Giving Yourself Time and Gaining a Voice
Do you know the most important part of an inpatient treatment program for addiction? The first hour after discharge. Learning much about the “addict self” which looms large, while supporting and building a sometimes underdeveloped and undernourished “sober self” is quickly put to the test when on one’s own, often Read more…
What is TMJ?
“TMJ” is a term many people have heard but few know what it really means. The TMJ refers to the Temporomandibular joint, the connection between the jawbone and the skull. As many people who experience problems associated to it know, it can be very fickle. The official term for any Read more…
Are You at Risk for a Heart Attack?
Dr. Joe Crowe, a famous breast cancer surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, had operated tirelessly all day on that Friday in November 1996. After he said goodbye to his last patient, he got a very bad headache, which hit him in a flash, and he had to sit down. A Read more…
Women’s Eye Health
The majority of people believe that men and women have about an equal incidence of eye disease causing vision impairment. The reality is that women are more affected than men, with the difference starting to accelerate at about age 50. Women have a higher incidence of cataract, macular degeneration, diabetic Read more…
SMART Fitness
Humans are funny. More often than not, it takes a dive in the wrong direction to make us consider doing something to prevent that fall in the first place. Science seems to follow the same bell curve. As problems or statistics start to rise, researchers (who are human by the Read more…
Concussion: It’s More than a Movie!
Recent media attention has been paid to the serious risk of traumatic brain injury in National Football League players. An upcoming film featuring Will Smith portrays the dramatic revelations of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who researched brain injuries in professional football players and documented evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE Read more…
Advances in Pain Management
Pain is a universal experience of the human condition. It has a protective function to notify us of damage occurring to the body so we may make changes and avoid further injury. In many cases, pain may continue beyond the usual tissue healing time and become a prolonged excruciating life-altering Read more…
Let Them Eat Cake!
Most of us were probably told from a young age that sugar is bad for your teeth, and it was pretty much left at that. Many have never received a full explanation of what really happens to our teeth when we consume sugar or carbohydrates. The good news is that Read more…
Eye Infections Building Resistance to Meds
Microbial keratitis, corneal ulcers, conjunctivitis and uveitis are all part of the day-to-day clinical presentations for eye doctors. Medications are often prescribed to combat these conditions; however, we are seeing more and more resistance to commonly used drugs. There is an ongoing study called the ARMOR (Antibiotic Resistance Monitoring in Read more…
Chest Pain? Don’t Drive Yourself to the Hospital
Too many people put their lives at risk driving themselves to the hospital when they’re experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. Indeed, only 30 percent of patients who come to JFK Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Room complaining of chest pain come by ambulance. But reducing the time it Read more…
Safety First!
Concussion and traumatic brain injury (TBI) prevention is an increasingly prevalent topic, especially with the current rise in incidence. Thankfully, new research is constantly being done to improve safety in the leading causes of TBI including falls, motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) and contact sports. Primary prevention strategies include proper safety Read more…
Students Gain Valuable Experience in Disaster Drill
Cathedral City High School held its annual disaster drill on Thursday, October 15th. The event goes hand in hand with the Great California Shakeout, which helps prepare all students in California for a massive 7.0 earthquake that could occur at any time. The drill offers a vital tool to inform Read more…
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Most women associate hormones with menopause. However, most women are unaware that premenopausal women might need hormones too. Over 20% of all premenopausal women have a hormonal disorder termed polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The name is misleading because the defect does not lie in the ovaries. In spite of the Read more…
It’s That Time of Year!
The eyelids are among the most delicate skin on the body. They are often symptomatic before other areas of skin. Rashes may appear rather suddenly accompanied by redness, itching, scaling and peeling, and causing much concern. A myriad of creams and lotions may be applied without relief. In fact, they Read more…
Top Honors Bestowed on JFK
Each year 360 million visitors access Healthgrades, the leading online resource helping consumers make informed decisions when seeking quality doctors, hospitals, and care. Their data is compiled through annual evaluations of clinical outcomes for over 4,500 hospitals across the country. Awards of excellence are given to those hospitals receiving 5-star Read more…
Happy Bugs, Healthy Body
“What are you writing about next?” This frequently asked question is inspiring and always met with great enthusiasm. But leading up to this issue when I proudly proclaimed “body bugs,” the most frequent response was “eww!” So in the name of science (and in hopes of getting you through this Read more…
Prostate Cancer Screening: A Very Individual Choice
September is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. The campaign was established in 1999 by the American Foundation for Urological Disease to educate about risk factors and symptoms of prostate related diseases, to provide easily accessible prostate health, and to advocate for further research on prostate health issues. Over the past Read more…
Technology in Dentistry: The Future is Now
More and more often we are hearing of 3D printing, lasers, and computer-driven procedures. Usually it is in relation to industry and production, however, they are also the future of medicine and dentistry, and their use is being integrated today. Clinicians are always trying to provide the best and safest Read more…
Genetic Markers in Prostate Cancer Management
When a prostate biopsy is performed, tiny thread-like “cores” are obtained through the tip of a needle attached to a biopsy gun. These tiny specimens are sent to a highly trained pathologist to examine the tissue under a high-powered microscope. The appearance of prostate cells and their architecture help determine Read more…
Why the Increase in Traumatic Brain Injuries?
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) cause over 1 million emergency room visits per year in the United States and over 50,000 deaths annually. The number of TBI incidents is increasing and affects all ages. According to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), falls cause 55% of TBI for children under the Read more…
New Lens Options for Aging Patient Needs
During the past 20 years, numerous studies have shown a contact lens drop-out rate around 20 percent, most often due to discomfort from dryness. The incidence of dry eye increases with age and to help keep patients comfortable in lenses doctors must first address the underlying dry eye. Fortunately, there Read more…