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 Gehrig’s disease combined, according to… Read more »
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 room with complaints of moderate-to-severe… Read more »
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 that was cause for the… Read more »
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 correction. The majority of dry… Read more »
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 simply the end result of… Read more »
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 genetic predisposition are thought to… Read more »
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 grief and loss, my hope… Read more »
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. Every 10 seconds an American… Read more »
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 with corrosion control measures. Therefore,… Read more »
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 eye, and inflammatory eye conditions… Read more »
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. The most common treatment for… Read more »
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 decided to order a CAT… Read more »
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 HIV/AIDS than it has been… Read more »
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 animal care facilities. The students… Read more »
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 menopause is fifty-one. During peri-menopause,… Read more »
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 the cause and effect. Yes,… Read more »
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 program in the Coachella Valley… Read more »
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 productivity and sleep, depression and… Read more »
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 health profilers, I thought they… Read more »
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, major depressive disorder impacts roughly 1 in 6 Americans at some point in their lifetime and is now a leading cause of disability as well as one of the factors impacting the growing incidence of suicide. The costs associated with major depression are estimated to be $210… Read more »