You’re on board with the modern movement towards a healthier lifestyle. You pride yourself on eating clean and thrive on fresh vegetables and quality protein. You exercise and limit your intake of sugar, carbs, and grains. You eat plenty of healthy fats like avocados and nuts, and use coconut oil as your go-to for cooking,… Read more »
In the summer of 2015, the newly formed UCR School of Medicine welcomed its first eight family medicine residents. With goals of attracting more doctors to the valley and increasing access to health care, the program is now entering its third year with a total of 24 residents. Has the program helped our community? The… Read more »
Concerned about the recent closure of Roy’s Desert Resource Center, an emergency homeless shelter located in north Palm Springs, and the increasing number of homeless in the Coachella Valley, the Desert Healthcare District (DHCD) Board of Directors voted to establish a collective fund with up to $2 million as a challenge grant for a West… Read more »
At 93.8%, Nebraska boasts the highest graduation rate according to U.S. News & World Report while Florida laments the lowest, at 65.8% (Oct. 2016). California doesn’t make the top ten (at 82%), though so many people want to visit, yet can’t afford to live here. How could California improve its educational rankings, to increase the… Read more »
Neck pain after a motor vehicle accident is extremely common, and often results in chronic pain, disability, missed work, and a decreased quality of life.16 The injury is often diagnosed as a whiplash injury which is defined as “an acceleration-deceleration mechanism of energy transferred to the neck that results in a soft tissue injury that… Read more »
Even though the number of people keeping their teeth longer has increased significantly over the last few decades, it is still common for many people to be missing some or all of their teeth. This can lead to bone loss, esthetic problems, and difficulty chewing. Fortunately, great advances have been made in dentistry to improve… Read more »
This is the second of a six-part series on brain health from Deborah Schrameck, NC, PT, of the Eisenhower Wellness Institute. Additional articles can be found here. Nan, my grandmother, understood what worked to keep her brain young and healthy. She never had a driver’s license and she made sure she walked, gardened and even danced… Read more »
More than a quarter of American men (and their partners!) are dealing with an enlarged prostate. The medical term is BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, a condition that causes a variety of urination issues, from slow/weak stream, to the urgent need to urinate night and day. This can mean restless nights and withdrawal from normal… Read more »
It has only been six months since I went into remission. I can remember very vividly last year at this time I had no hair, no eyelashes or eyebrows. My body was bloated from all the medication and the heat was so bad. I had an abundance of Shay’s Warriors surrounding me weekly and sometimes… Read more »
I am writing in my role as the new CEO of the Desert Healthcare District/Foundation. I am not brand new to the Desert (my husband I have had a weekend home here for two years), but I share an experience with the many residents with whom I have been fortunate to speak in the last… Read more »
When it comes to cancer treatment, most people are familiar with the treatment options of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. But today, there is a fourth leg of cancer care which involves a new class of drugs that stimulate a patient’s own immune system to fight the cancer. Known as immuno-oncology or immunotherapy, these drugs contain… Read more »
Being able to communicate with ease has been determined to be a critical topic and aspect of healthy aging. Since 2014, a greater emphasis has been placed on hearing health and associated disease risk factors including the following life threatening co-morbidities: Dementia. Dr. Frank R. Lin, M.D., Ph.D., otolaryngologist and investigative researcher at Johns Hopkins… Read more »
In January, Health Assessment and Research for Communities (HARC) released its latest data on the health of the Coachella Valley. HARC has been tracking community health for the past ten years. This latest data marked their fourth survey and revealed an interesting picture of health in our region. Mental/Behavioral Health Local concern and attention on… Read more »
As an orthopedic surgeon, I recognize that the knees often take a beating. Golf, tennis, exercise such as running, and even squats can cause problems. One of the more common conditions I see is overuse injuries. Weekend warriors and professional athletes alike should know about overuse injuries and how to prevent them. An overuse injury… Read more »
Many people experience sensitive teeth every time they eat or drink something hot or cold. When they feel sensitivity, most fear it may be the result of a problem, like a cavity or a cracked tooth, but often times it can be natural and more innocuous. It helps to know how tooth sensitivity occurs. The… Read more »
Do you recall early television shows called The Bionic Woman and The Six Million Dollar Man? The characters transformed into super-powered heroes who were able to perform feats of intuition, strength, and stamina not possible for mortal man or woman. The television audience was transfixed into flights of super-hero fantasy. Today we have computers, cell… 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 an ongoing column… 2016 was a hard year. We lost some really great actors and artists. Just when the world started to get over Prince being gone, the end of the year… Read more »
There is little doubt that abuse of opioids – often beginning with a necessary prescription – has reached crisis proportions in the U.S. and beyond. That includes right here in our backyards, in the Coachella Valley and the greater Inland Empire. Based on the most recent data available, as of 2014, there were 6.14 opioid… Read more »
Oftentimes, my male patients need encouragement and support from a spouse to seek medical treatment for urological issues; spouses are sometimes key to preventing a mild condition from becoming more serious. I spoke with the wife of one of my patients about her husband’s experience with enlarged prostate and his early decision to seek treatment.… Read more »
Palm Desert High School has four career pathways now, one of which is the Health Academy. The academy has been at Palm Desert High since 2010 and is coordinated by teacher Mr. Ron Paiz. The Health Academy has given many students an advantage over others considering health careers by teaching medical terminology, basic medical skills,… Read more »