The Palm Springs High School Academy for Learning Medicine (PALM) offers its students the opportunity to explore medical careers, but the work of the students in the academy is not limited to just the traditional school year. Academy students take Sports Medicine I and II as juniors and seniors, respectively. Throughout this course, the students… Read more »
A beautiful smile and straight teeth are something for which many people aspire. If your teeth aren’t as straight as you would like them to be, orthodontics are a great option to improve your smile. Traditionally, metal braces were the only option to straighten teeth. We now have multiple options available, though each has pros… Read more »
New developments in stem cell clinical science could mean more options for patients seeking cell therapy. Stem cells are involved in the ongoing process of cellular repair for injuries related to toxins, aging, trauma, disease, infection, damage, radiation, and many other conditions associated with our existence on planet earth. Today, the only FDA-approved stem cell… Read more »
On July 15, 2019, I celebrated my third Cancerversary (a special word in the cancer world to celebrate another year of being cancer-free). It reflects the day that I finished chemo, weekly doctor appointments and that safety net of support. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful to be alive, so I… Read more »
Brain adaptation is key to our survival. Our unconscious mind processes millions of data bits per second, and our ability to “think about our thinking” is one of the features that makes humans unique among mammals. Much of the time our brain adaptation is beneficial, but in many cases preserving our physical existence comes at… Read more »
If I were to show you a picture of a telephone, could you tell me if the telephone was ringing just by looking at the picture? No, and you cannot identify the cause of low back pain by solely looking at imaging such as an MRI or X-ray. A recent study had a patient with… Read more »
Benjamin Franklin said that nothing in this world is certain except death and taxes. Since some people do not pay income taxes, death has become the only certainty. No one gets out of this world alive. Given that inevitability, you would think that all of us would prepare for dying. Unfortunately, that is far from… Read more »
Hearing loss is invisible. Unlike noticing you need glasses because your vision is blurry, we can’t see hearing loss, but those around us often notice it. It is hidden in the inappropriate response to a question, in the request for someone to repeat what they said, or in the complaint that people need to stop… Read more »
These past couple of years have been peculiar for me and my friends. Every time we stop to catch our breath, a new crisis occurs. As I write this, I have one friend returning from her third family funeral and another who lost her business partner and father in the same month. One is back… Read more »
I was sitting at a stranger’s kitchen table. In fact, I was surrounded by strangers. Strangers who had, with a single text at one o’clock in the morning, become my sisters. There were people congregated in the living room and sitting at the table with me and on the kitchen floor when I asked the… Read more »
As a society we are uncomfortable talking about dysfunction and pain in the pelvic region including urinary and fecal incontinence, constipation, and problems with sexual performance. Patients are embarrassed to talk about their issues and thus, continue to live with problems which can significantly affect their quality of life. Patients who want to seek help… Read more »
Over the past year, parents of the wealthy and privileged have been exposed for cheating the college admissions system. These individuals have personified the levels of desperation to which some parents descend in order to get their child into their school of choice. Stresses of college admissions and even competition among high school students contribute… Read more »
The hardest part of cancer? That’s a loaded question, but telling my kid about it ranks up there at the top of that list. Lauren had just turned 10 when my husband and I found a lump in my breast. A few days later, an oncologist predicted that I had three months to live. “We… Read more »
Accidents happen. And if the teeth are involved, especially the front teeth, it can be very scary. However, hope is not lost, even if the trauma is as severe as having a tooth completely come out, as most teeth can be saved and repaired as long as a few important steps are followed. There are… Read more »
Without a doubt, one of the saddest things that can happen with an Alzheimer’s or dementia patient is when family, friends and acquaintances desert those diagnosed due to fear, discomfort and misunderstanding of the disease. Being connected and involved with others is crucial for every human being, especially those with dementia, but not knowing or… Read more »
Support comes in many forms, especially when someone is going through cancer. We think about how awful everything that they must endure is – treatments, doctor appointments, fatigue, stress and so much more. Hopefully, the person going through cancer has a good support system and a caregiver that will be by their side through thick… Read more »
Occasional diarrhea from bad food, a medication side effect or illness is one thing, but to battle it on a chronic basis, along with other sometimes painful symptoms, is quite another. If you or a loved one has ulcerative colitis, you know how debilitating this type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be. In addition… Read more »
Your newborn baby’s footprint framed on a certificate or molded in plaster used to be merely a keepsake. Now that same print is being used by hospitals to serve as individual identification in keeping babies safe. A footprint is as unique as a fingerprint and hospitals are now using an electronic stamp to replace paper… Read more »
Many students in the Palm Desert High School Health Academy anticipate this event from the beginning of the school year – the regional SkillsUSA competition. The coordinator of the Health Academy, Mr. Ron Paiz, makes the event available to all motivated, outstanding, and studious members of the academy. Though the competition encompasses various pathways like… Read more »
After you survive cancer you become an expert by experience and are often the first or second call to ask questions or get referrals from a newly diagnosed friend or family member. Over the past two years since I have been NED (no evidence of detection), I have had over 10 loved ones newly diagnosed.… Read more »