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 »
Stem cells hold enormous promise as a medical therapy with multiple benefits. In an FDA consumer press release entitled Adult Stem Cell Research Shows Promise, the FDA author wrote that stem cell research could ultimately be key to the advancement of personalized medicine, the practice in which medical treatment is tailored to the needs of… Read more »
Spring is a season of new beginnings. With winter months behind us, flowers blooming, and longer daylight hours, we tend to spend more time outdoors. For people with allergies, spring means one more thing: suffering. Spring may be in the air, but for allergy sufferers, so is pollen, pet dander, mold, and dust. These airborne… Read more »
Among our five most vital organs, the liver is the only organ that is regenerative. That’s the good news if you have liver disease and it is caught early. Most people know excessive drinking can lead to liver disease, but it also occurs in people who don’t drink or drink in moderation. In America, estimates… Read more »
Desert Health is pleased to feature this follow-up to Crystal’s 2016 story on her struggle with Pemphigus Vulgaris as requested by a reader. Original editorial is available at DesertHealthNews.com. It’s been three years since the day I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called Pemphigus Vulgaris. Being on the cusp of young adulthood while… Read more »
Our diets play a vital role in our overall health, but also affect our oral health. These days, many are turning to a variety of specialty diets to ensure that they are eating foods which supply the vitamins and minerals specific to their individual health. Some of these diets may be very familiar like keto,… Read more »
For fifteen years, CancerPartners (formerly Gilda’s Club Desert Cities) provided support and free services for those affected by cancer, their families and friends. The non-profit played an important role as hospitals and facilities delivered top medical care, but often left clients to figure out the rest on their own. CancerPartners filled that void as a… Read more »
On February 11, 2016, I heard the words no one wants to hear: “You have breast cancer.” I can still feel the slew of emotions if I close my eyes and take myself back to that time and place sitting in the doctor’s office, but I don’t close them any longer. I keep my eyes… Read more »