Six Pillars of Brain Health

Pillar One: Social Interactions Have you watched, or are you caring for, someone you love suffering from declining brain function, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease? Watching my grandmother, better known to all as “Nan,” decline to the point where she didn’t recognize me was heartbreaking and motivating. Loss of our brain health and function is a… Read more »

Do What You Can

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Whether it is because of the number of tasks on my to-do list, or the complexity of a situation, I sometimes find myself feeling frozen because of the multitude of things to do. Because of my work in health education, I am frequently explaining how systems of the body work… Read more »

Caring for the Caregiver

Today, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. A new case of Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed every 66 seconds. By mid-century, the number of people living with Alzheimer’s disease in the United States is projected to grow to 13.8 million. Between 2000 and 2013, deaths resulting from stroke, heart disease, and prostate… Read more »

Drinking Water is Healthy….Right?

The human body is approximately 70-80% water. Water is the basis of who you are and how healthy you are. Your cells are composed of water, and that water is what the body uses to wash itself internally. We all know that drinking water is healthy, but this statement can be misleading. Drinking pure, clean… Read more »

Maximizing Muscle Movement

When we strive for peak performance or simply want to help combat the aging effects, muscle maintenance is one area of fitness that needs attention. However, there is more to it than just strengthening sessions and increasing weights at the gym. Communication between your brain and your muscles is an important factor to consider, and… Read more »

Giving Cancer Patients a Voice

What if you could share your experience of being diagnosed with and treated for cancer–including the emotions you felt and how you coped–and that sharing could contribute to research that will improve the lives of others? Well, you can, through a valuable online resource called the Cancer Experience Registry. As a cancer survivor who just… Read more »

Life: Adaptation vs. Balance

Often we use the word “balance” to describe the illusive horizon of a happy, healthy life. When our priorities are out of order, or we are feeling drained of energy, we think, “I need more balance,” or “My life is out of balance.” I propose that balance may not be what we are truly seeking.… Read more »

Yoga For the Rest of Us

In an ocean of choices, yoga is no exception, and for so many it can also be an ocean of confusion. The media has done a fantastic job of portraying yoga as a practice for a certain person: typically a young, white female, who is lithe, wearing a fabulous two-piece outfit and exhibiting extreme ranges… Read more »

Better Together for Community

Five highly respected local cancer support nonprofits —American Cancer Society (ACS), Desert Cancer Foundation, Gilda’s Desert Cities, Pendleton Foundation, and Susan G. Komen Inland Empire —are dedicated to serving all those in the Coachella Valley whose lives have been impacted by cancer. They understand that patients as well as their families will need a great… Read more »

Hormones and Alzheimer’s

Do we age because we lose our hormones or do we lose our hormones because we age? This is an interesting question because as a population we are living longer than ever before, but the question really needs to be about our quality of life as we age. Today, everyone seems to know someone that… Read more »

Why Absolutely No Situation Is Hopeless

There will be times when life’s challenges will cause extreme misery and sorrow. No matter what you do or how hard you try, you may feel that your situation is hopeless. You feel stuck in the tunnel of despair. Everything around you looks dark and uncertain. It seems as if things are falling apart, and… Read more »

Medicine: In Need of Change

Have any of you wondered about this column’s title, The Paradigm Shift in Medicine Today? What is the paradigm shift it references? Why does this matter? And, why would this be important to me? A paradigm shift is an expansion of perspective to include more information. The revelation that the world was round and not… Read more »

Health Care Professionals Learning to Manage Stress

Health care stress is rampant― affecting its providers (employees and the organizations) and customers (patients and their families) alike. “Most stress in life is unnecessary, though some of it is inevitable,” says Kiran Dintyala, MD, MPH, a board certified internal medicine physician with Eisenhower Medical Center. “There are simple things that one can learn to… Read more »

Support Groups and Therapy Groups: What Is the Difference?

As a licensed marriage and family therapist, I have worked with many people on a one-on-one basis. I have also led many group therapy sessions and facilitated numerous support groups. Quite often I am asked: What is the difference between group therapy and support groups? Aren’t they pretty much the same? But if not, which… Read more »

SVF for Neurological Conditions

This is the latest story in our series about the uses of fat-derived stem cells for the treatment of degenerative diseases. Stem cells can be derived from your own fat as part of a minor outpatient procedure performed as a type of “mini liposuction” under local anesthesia. The product obtained known as Stromal Vascular Fraction… Read more »