Starting in November and continuing through June, Indio High School nutrition students receive over 1,200 pounds of organic produce from FIND Food Bank. Every other week, each of the 38 students enrolled in Physiology of Digestion with instructor Jason Tate take home over 20 pounds of produce to share with their families. This is a… Read more »
Many people have heard of PET scans to detect the presence and location of cancer. This test typically uses a type of radioactive sugar injected into a vein, which can then be detected by a machine that creates images of the person’s body while he or she lies still on a table. A new type… Read more »
Joint injuries are especially common among pro athletes who engage in contact sports. From skateboarding enthusiasts to pro football players, the risk of injury waits at every turn, twist, or bounce. Although you don’t have to be an athlete or engage in contact sports to receive a joint injury, people in these categories are always… Read more »
Low Testosterone (T) is common in men over 50. Patients ask us about T replacement after they have seen advertisements on television or direct to consumer advertising for T supplements. Which men are candidates for T replacement? The answer might surprise you! Having a low T on a lab test alone is not adequate criteria… Read more »
Many people at some point in their life experience pain on the ball of the foot, commonly known as the forefoot. Some patients describe the pain as feeling like they are walking on a pebble or sometimes like they are walking on a hot coal. At times the pain can prevent people from doing the… Read more »
Xofigo (Radium-223 dichloride) is a novel radiopharmaceutical treatment, the first of its kind that has been shown to improve cancer survival in certain men with metastatic prostate cancer. It is a promising treatment which may be effective when other treatments have failed. Prostate cancer can often be detected at a very early stage with routine… Read more »
Dry eye is a common condition that is often under-treated or under-addressed, especially here in the desert. Our local climate has many unique factors that contribute to “corneal surface disease” which is the new descriptive name for dry eye. Factors include low humidity, wind, particulate matter in the air, dust, pollens, lots of places with… Read more »
While we all know we need to get a good night’s sleep, many of us don’t realize what good sleep is, or how well we are actually sleeping, says Harvard Medical School Professor of Sleep Medicine Charles Czeisler, PhD, MD, FRCP. “Eighty-five percent of people with sleep disorders are undiagnosed and untreated which can be… Read more »
While communication technology is allowing health care professionals to be accessible to patients for specialty care when it may not otherwise be immediately available, we understand that some patients and potential users remain skeptical about the growth of telehealth. We have heard these comments when demonstrating our physical therapy teleMOVEMENT platform. Responses like this provide… Read more »
For many people, going to the dentist is one of their greatest fears. This fear can lead to anxiety so pronounced that they may go years without a dental check-up. This, of course, creates the possibility of larger problems developing, which can lead to more involved and expensive dental work in the future. Often, people… Read more »
One of the scariest times in a person’s life is when a baby is born with the immediate need for medical care. Fortunately for families the Coachella Valley, comprehensive care for preemies and high-risk infants is available at Desert Regional Medical Center’s Women and Infants Center. But what if your baby is born in Blythe… Read more »
The most common disease of the lumbar spine in older people is spinal stenosis, arthritis in the joints of the spine that occurs with aging. The disease has a classic presentation with back pain and aching in the back of the thighs and legs with walking or even standing in the line at the grocery… Read more »
In the March/April 2017 issue of Desert Health®, Dr. Lu introduced a pilot program being conducted by a team of doctors at Eisenhower Medical Center. The results of that intervention program follow. It is estimated that 5.5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2017. Most people with Alzheimer’s dementia have a long duration… Read more »
Did you know you can change your eye color to match your outfit, or don scary snake eyes to match that perfect Halloween costume? Such fashion statements are possible, as a number of companies sell decorative, non-corrective contact lenses online. There are also online companies selling corrective lenses to consumers without a prescription which are… Read more »
Artificial intelligence conjures mixed emotions including those emanating from the 1984 movie The Terminator wherein the fictional Artificial Intelligence (AI) named “Skynet” views humans as a threat and endeavors to eradicate us from planet Earth. Some modern-day renditions are more benevolent, including IBM Watson as popularized on the TV game show Jeopardy, and the more… Read more »
The rotator cuff, despite the name, is not a single structure but a group of muscles and tendons. Certain jobs and sports increase the risk of rotator cuff injuries, as does increasing age. When I see a rotator cuff injury, I’m glad that I can offer a variety of treatment options to help patients get… Read more »
Shay Moraga was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer at the beginning of 2016 and shares her journey with Desert Health® readers in this ongoing column. We have a lot of concessions, but some of the biggest ones we have are keeping the fear and anxiety away when the world seems to be turning upside… Read more »
Fifty percent of Americans will have dementia by age 85. This is a growing epidemic. Cognitive decline starts much earlier. We now know the causes: too much sugar and other carbs in our diet and an unhealthy lifestyle with too much stress, not enough exercise, not enough sleep and a lack of the right brain… Read more »
About 50,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral cancer this year. It is one of the most dangerous cancers, and its prevalence is increasing while awareness is low. Current five-year survival rates are only slightly better than 50%. This rate is mainly due to the fact that oral cancers are often discovered at a late… Read more »
OneFuture Coachella Valley (OFCV) officially launched on March 1, 2017 as a non-profit in the Valley focused on a regional collaboration to assure all students – especially those in most need – attain higher education aligned with promising local industries such as health care, renewable energies and creative arts. While OneFuture may be new, their… Read more »