There are many ways to manage or treat dry eye, a common condition – especially here in the desert. Studies show that about 25% of patients over 50 have clinically significant dry eye. There is now a new FDA-approved treatment which utilizes nasal neurostimulation to increase tear production. This is a non-pharmaceutical way to manage… Read more »
Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.” While the renowned architect’s statement is one many seniors may agree with, and younger generations may find encouraging, few would deny that the golden years are also challenging. In recognition of National Healthy Aging Month (September), we asked a few of… Read more »
Twenty-two undergraduate college students from the Coachella Valley participated in the Health Career Connection Internship program this summer though OneFuture Coachella Valley. They spent ten weeks as full-time, paid interns at eighteen healthcare related sites across the valley, working on high-impact projects for valley residents. A special focus for this year’s program was exploring the… Read more »
In a nutshell, disordered eating is when an individual’s relationship with food causes problems in their life or that of their loved ones. People are often surprised to find out that what they consider to be a lack of self-control or poor discipline is really “disordered eating,” driven by a part of our brain over… Read more »
Shay Moraga is a triple negative breast cancer survivor and shares her journey with Desert Health® readers in an ongoing column… I HAVE CANCER… Those are the dreaded words you never want to hear from a family member or friend. The person telling you those words is more than likely completely overwhelmed and in shock.… Read more »
Urinary incontinence (UI) is a bothersome problem that many women experience. It can be occasional and resolve with little or no treatment, or it may be a chronic problem that worsens over time. Either way, leaking urine can be a major social embarrassment and cause women to avoid the activities they enjoy most. The fear… Read more »
There are many options today for helping people in recovery. For those who want to integrate their faith into their recovery, there is a program called Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered twelve-step program that started 27 years ago at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. While working on his own sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous, founder John… Read more »
The three local hospitals managed by Tenet Healthcare – Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio, and Hi-Desert Medical Center/Hi-Desert Continuing Care Center in Joshua Tree – along with their region-wide outpatient health care centers have come together under one umbrella as Desert Care Network. The goals of the union… Read more »
The Coachella Valley now has a website for health and wellness resources offering everything from hiking trails to adaptive sports; education to legal services; and weight management to food assistance. Created by the Desert Healthcare District & Foundation (DHCD) in partnership with the City of Palm Springs, CV HIP (Coachella Valley Health Information Place) brings… Read more »
Many people tend to smoke marijuana because they think that it’s safer than smoking cigarettes. It’s an herb and it’s natural, but how safe is it? On April 20 of this year (the unofficial day celebrating all things cannabis), local doctor Eric Presser, MD, was invited to KATU-TV in Portland, Oregon, to discuss marijuana and… Read more »
Is there a mental health crisis developing in America, or just a popular topic in the media? National Institute on Mental Health (NIMH) 2017 statistics document a nearly 13% rate of depression affliction in teenagers, and nearly 7% in adults; hardly an epidemic, but concerning, nonetheless. Every day, we all are faced with issues that… Read more »
Every year more than 750,000 people suffer a stroke, the most common disability for Americans. A stroke occurs when the blood flow to the brain is interrupted. There are two basic types: an ischemic stroke, most often due to a blood clot blocking a blood vessel, and a hemorrhagic stroke, occurring when a blood vessel… Read more »
You may find it surprising to learn that the number of children 17 and under in the Coachella Valley exceeds the number of adults 65 and over.1 While schools and services are being built to support this growing demographic, our greatest need may be in medical care–especially in the east valley where the ratio of… Read more »
Traditionally, when someone lost all of their teeth, removable dentures were the only option to restore a smile. With dentures come some compromises; they can be ill-fitting and uncomfortable, making chewing difficult. Today, technology has advanced and better options are available ranging from better fitting and more esthetic dentures to implant-supported porcelain bridges that look… Read more »
While there are over 5.7 million people living with Alzheimer’s today, there are 16 million more caring for loved ones affected. Added to that number are the many paid health professionals who provide care and support for the 24/7 management often required. In the Coachella Valley, it is estimated that over 50,000 are affected by… Read more »
Have you ever been told by your eye doctor that you have keratoconous [ker-uh-toh-koh-nuhs], a type of astigmatism that cannot be fully corrected with glasses or soft contact lenses? To understand keratoconus, you must first understand that the eye has many components that all work together to help you see including the cornea, lens, and… Read more »
Choosing a career is one of the most difficult choices a student has to make. The Palm Desert Health Academy provides real world experience for students to help them make decisions for their future. As students, we have learned that it is important to have a firm idea of what it takes to enter the… Read more »
Like many personal improvement expressions “Live Your Passion,” the title of this issue’s front page feature, is alluring in its simplicity, powerful in its promise, but difficult to achieve. Difficult, but not impossible. Identifying where we are and the personal energy we have left to contribute to achieving new goals in our life is a… Read more »
Strokes present in two manners. The first is ischemic stroke caused by a blockage of a large or small blood vessel to the brain. The second form, hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by bleeding of a blood vessel into the brain or on the surface of the brain as in subarachnoid spaces. Hypertension is the most… Read more »
Sixteen years after the approval and use of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for generalized population screening by the FDA, an opinion editorial in The New York Times by the discoverer of PSA (and co-author of this article), Richard J. Ablin, directed attention to the shortcomings of the PSA test contributing to overdiagnosis and overtreatment… Read more »