Medical

Christmas time is just around the corner and everyone is searching for the best gift.  What is the best gift a person can give?  The answer is definitely a subjective one.  If you ask me, I say it is the gift of sight.  It is a wonderful feeling to have crisp clear vision.  Your eyes are always giving and providing for you everyday, from the time you open your eyes until you shut your eyes to go to sleep.  What a spectacular thing your sight is!

Our immune system is basic to our health and well being.  When it is deficient, it makes us especially vulnerable to illnesses such as bacterial infections, viruses (the common cold and flu), asthma, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis and even cancer.  When our immune system is not functioning well, either because of low reactivity or hyper-activity, it can affect every organ in our body, including our inflammation response.

Holidays are a wonderful time of the year, and frequently they are the one or two times a year we are able to spend time with parents or other aging loved ones.  If we do see them daily, sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees, and may not recognize a cognitive and/or physical decline.  Regardless of whether you see someone daily or occasionally, here are some recommended “Quick Check” activities.

“I hate the Dentist!”
I must hear this at least once a day, but you know, we have the technology to treat most patients with Sedation Denistry.  In my experience, this technique allows the dental team to correct years of problems in one appointment.  The patient is safely sedated with intravenous medications allowing the patient to “sleep” through the treatment.

I am a patient of Dr. Jun’s and I feel stronger than I ever have in my entire life.  I can actually fight off a cold within a week, which is a miracle for me.  Before I started going to Dr. Jun, I would dread every flu season because I just knew I would be so sick for at least a month during this time. 

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body, and encounters large forces during certain activities, often up to several times our body weight.  Achilles tendonitis is typically an overuse type of problem, exacerbated by running or walking on hills, incline on the treadmill, or activities like step aerobics.  One of the worst things you can do with Achilles tendonitis is to ignore the pain and run or exercise through it. 

Everyone wants a brighter, whiter, younger-looking smile.  There are many options available today for patients to whiten their teeth.  Most people can achieve a whiter smile through bleaching or veneers.
Over the counter bleaching products may work, but because the concentration of the bleach is less than what is offered through a professional dental office, the results may take longer to achieve or be less than what the patient desires.

For a few months now we have been dealing with not one, but two different strains of flu!  Needless to say it has increased the stress levels on the community locally and nationally.  Oriental medical philosophy asserts that when a person’s qi (chee) or life force energy is constricted in any way, the body’s ability to maintain a balanced flow of energy is decreased and the potential for illness is increased.  What constricts the qi? 

With over 22 years of experience I have been treating gastro intestinal (GI) disorders with the use of thin needles inserted in very precise areas along the different rivers of energy, which are called meridians.  The body is made up energy which is called Chi. 

An 18 year-old patient was seeing me for chest pains.  He hesitantly admitted he was using GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid), liquid ecstasy.  “I’ve missed out on so much!  I want to live, but I’m careful!  This drug makes me feel like I can’t breathe!” “Breathing is a good thing, don’t you think?”  “Yeah, I guess, the other day, I took GHB, mom’s Vicodin, dad’s liquor, and just went wild; I don’t know how I made it, but now I’m better Dr. K!”

Many patients tell me they would love to have whiter teeth, however in the past, after a whitening procedure they experienced quite a bit of tooth sensitivity, which is the main reason why whitening is no longer an option for them.  The question then: “Is there a way to get whiter teeth without the sensitivity?” 

Orthodontics is the first and oldest specialty in dentistry and is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions, or improper bites.  Creating beautiful smiles and establishing a proper bite is what orthodontists do.  Picking the right orthodontist can be a difficult task because patients don’t always know what to look for.  The first factor to consider when choosing an orthodontist is whether the doctor is a true orthodontist or just a dentist doing orthodontics. 

The concept of removing fat from one part of the body and injecting it into another part is one of the most exciting concepts to be added to the field of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.  While fat transplantation has been done in various ways for some time (first recorded in the late 1800’s), the concept of fat transplantation by microinjection is relatively new.

When we think of the holidays most people think of family, fun, and food!  But what most people don’t realize is that even during the holidays it is important to take care of your health.  After all, we all want to start the New Year off right.  But often times our choices at the holidays make this difficult.  Here are some tips to stay healthy during the holidays.
Decrease the extra calories in your cooking!

In a recent study published by Harvard Medical School, 80 percent of Americans at some point in their lives experience lower back pain.  It’s the fifth most common reason for visiting a doctor, one of the top reasons people miss work, and the most common cause of work-related disability in people under age 45.  Outside of trauma, research suggests that more than half of those suffering are caused by improper biomechanics of the feet.  This is also true with knee and hip pain.

Currently strength and conditioning is an integral part of professional golf.  In the past the amateur golfer was unaware of the physical conditioning requirements needed to support the golf swing.  The Titleist Performance Institute Golf Fitness Program is now providing the amateur golfer with the same opportunity as the professional golfer.

Headaches occur in nearly all ages and walks of life.  There are many types of headaches from sinus to migraines to toxic to the most common type, the tension or “stress” headache, which accounts for about 90 percent of all headaches.  Headaches are one of the most common complaints people have—some estimates suggest 25 percent of the population have one right now!

The Cause of Back Pain—The discs in your spine provide space between each vertebrae and act as shock absorbers to give you the ability to bend and twist.  These shock absorbers undergo a significant amount of stress.  When the stress in the disc gets to high it begins to fail.  These failures are often called herniated discs and degenerative disc disease.  These changes often pinch or irritate the nerves ultimately causing pain.