Many people have fully embraced robotically-assisted surgery, but some fear the use of artificial intelligence in medicine. Maybe that’s due to sci-fi movies depicting computers capable of overtaking humans, or perhaps they simply don’t understand how it can help. Off the big screen, artificial intelligence (AI) is simply programming machines to perform specific tasks as… Read more »
The easiest way to think about a hernia is as a hole in your abdominal wall. Whether at your groin, belly button or an old incision, a hernia is a hole. This allows intra-abdominal contents to protrude through the hole creating a bulge which may be accompanied by pain or discomfort. Hernias tend to be… Read more »
We men seldom talk about our health and are even more reluctant to seek medical assistance. In fact, studies show that 61 percent of men do not engage in regular health checkups, representing a missed opportunity for preventive health care discussions.1 Growing up on a dairy farm in Southeast Minnesota, for me, medical doctors were… Read more »
Cold sores and canker sores, although they may look similar and cause comparable discomfort, are actually completely different conditions. Each has different origins and therefore particular ways they can be treated or prevented. One of the best ways to determine if a lesion is a canker or a cold sore is to see where it… Read more »
Music has the power to move us. It conjures up memories of days and moments gone by and can emit emotions that we may not even know we’re feeling until one particular song moves us to our core. Music can also mend minds. Based out of Los Angeles, Music Mends Minds: Restoring the Rhythm of… Read more »
Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke and every 3.5 minutes, someone dies from it. Stroke now accounts for one of every 19 deaths in our country. And when someone has a stroke, seconds matter. That is why, over the past five years, JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio has been dedicated to… Read more »
This editorial is offered in response to a November 2019 Desert Sun article regarding Phillip Bretz, MD, of La Quinta. In the article, we learned that the California Medical Board placed Dr. Bretz on probation due to factors related to offering cryoablation or “tumor freezing” to women seeking an alternative to surgery for early stage… Read more »
If you have white spots on your teeth and ever wondered why they are there or what can be done about them, you are not alone. These white spots, called demineralization, can cause some to be self-conscious about their smile. Luckily, advancements in technology have made this condition much easier to treat noninvasively and without… Read more »
Direct primary care (DPC) is a new way of receiving personalized health care from a primary care physician for a small monthly membership fee. In exchange for this fee, patients get unlimited access to their doctor. Depending on your day-to-day needs this can be accomplished by same day or next day in-office visits or, if… Read more »
The gallbladder is a small pouch that sits just under the liver. Its function is to store bile produced by the liver. After eating a fat-rich meal, the gallbladder contracts, emptying its contents into the small intestine to help digest the fat. Gallstones are hardened deposits of digestive fluid that can form in the gallbladder.… Read more »
The rates of chronic diseases occurring worldwide have risen annually for decades and while our conventional medical system is populated by amazing practitioners with the best of intentions, most lack the education and training on lifestyle and diet to provide the best care possible for those suffering from chronic diseases. Indio High School Health and… Read more »
Because our eyes serve many purposes beyond providing visual input, they can be important indicators of other health-related issues. A variety of systemic conditions have ocular manifestations. One overlooked organ that may cause significant changes to the eyes is the thyroid gland which functions as our inner “thermostat,” setting the rate at which our body… Read more »
You may have heard of birth doulas who work with pregnant mothers and have been in our health care system a very long time. Recently, we have begun to look at the other end of the life cycle, one that is hard to think about and even harder to talk about: death. End of life… Read more »
A new report in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology now ranks Alzheimer’s as the third leading cause of death in our country behind cancer and heart disease.1 It is estimated that 5.5 million Americans are living with the disease and that number is expected to triple by 2050 if no successful… Read more »
Most of us are keenly aware that dieting can be a constant yo-yo. In our quest to maintain a healthy weight we’re often motivated to try just about any diet that’s been shown to have at least a modicum of success. Now take it a step further, when weight becomes such an issue that our… Read more »
The common problem of watery eyes has many causes which are most easily understood if we approach it like a plumbing issue. Tears are produced in glands (lacrimal glands) located in the outer corners of the upper eyelids, just underneath the bone above our eyes. The tears flow out of the gland through ducts in… Read more »
More than 268,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. During that period, an additional 42,000 women will die of this disease. These numbers represent more than 15 percent of all new cancer cases and nearly 7 percent of all cancer deaths. Currently, 12.8 percent of American women are diagnosed with breast cancer… Read more »
Have you observed vague symptoms of fatigue, weakness, weight loss, bone pain and broken bones recently? Are you above 40 years of age and/or have a history of HIV? If so, you should see your primary care physician and ask for a referral to a hematologist as you are at risk of having a form… Read more »
It was early November and there was an itch near the top of my breast that would not go away. I vividly remember how annoying the itch was and thinking I felt a lump. During a boot camp workout, I asked my friend what she thought it might be, and of course she said what… Read more »
The HEAL academy (Health and Environmental Academy of Learning) is not the average high school academy. By giving students opportunities and experiences to work in their community, the academy helps students like me prepare for a career either in health care or in the environmental health field. I have been in the HEAL academy for… Read more »