Medical

The digestive tract is the “internal plumbing” to a healthy life, but for many it can cause frequent discomfort. The gastrointestinal (GI) system is vital for overall health and minor discomforts such as bloating, gas, occasional heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, and upset stomach may be a sign of poor GI health. When the GI tract isn’t functioning properly important nutrients can’t be absorbed and unused factors can’t be eliminated. This can affect every system in the body such as energy level, moods, skin, joints, mental acuity, and respiratory function.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a painful affliction of the hand and wrist.  Any repetitive hand and/or wrist motion can lead to CTS.  Before preventing CTS, we need to understand its actual cause.  How do we bend our wrist and move our hand?  A nerve impulse travels from our brain, down our spinal cord, through our arm to the median nerve.  

Between 20 to 25 percent of Americans suffer from eye or ocular allergy.  When it involves the mucosal membrane of the eye, this is called Allergic Conjunctivitis.  Symptoms of Allergic Conjunctivitis include redness and itching of the eyes, as well as the feeling that sand or something foreign was in the eyes.  Sometimes the itching is so intense that ordinary treatment is not effective and steroid therapy is required. 

pH is the measure of how alkaline or acidic your body is. Body’s pH level is an essential part of the body.  What we do and put in our body also affects the levels.  Acidosis is the condition where your body’s pH falls below 7.35.  People who suffer from this condition experience muscle aches, headaches, sleeplessness and other serious health problems.  Osteoporosis, for example, is the result of a pH balance problem.  As the body becomes more acidic, it takes calcium from the bones, teeth and tissue as it tries to remain healthy.  The bone mass becomes depleted, causing osteoporosis.  If you get too acidic, and this gets very severe, it can also lead you to coma or even death.

Dr. Ric S. Garrison is the founder of Garrison Family Medical Group.  Dr. Garrison opened his own Family Practice in 1985 and has been serving the residents in the Antelope Valley and surrounding areas for the past 24 years.
The Family Practice began in 1985 in Lancaster, California, and moved to Palmdale, California in 1991.  In 1992 Garrison Family Medical Group expanded to include A.V. Urgent Care, which not only offers immediate care, but also workers’ compensation medical services and extended hours for commuters.

Though I started seeing Dr. Koh for arthritis pain, once I felt results, I took an interest in his weight loss program.  I know for me, the lack of exercise and eating too many calories results in fat, so I’ve changed my eating habits and began losing weight. Still, there are areas that stubbornly remain fatter than the rest, like my tummy, hips and thighs.

It’s that time of year again to start your back to school shopping. Your kids will need a back to school wardrobe, and a new backpack. But, you want to make sure you buy your child the right pack. Since using the wrong backpack can lead to back pain for your child. It has been shown that on average children’s backpacks cause at least 7,000 doctors’ visits annually due to complaints of muscle spasms, neck and shoulder pain in the United States.

How to control your blood sugar levels is one of the most important things a diabetic can do.  To ensure a long and healthy life free of complications a diabetic must learn to control their levels.  Learning what foods lower blood sugar can be one of the most important things you learn in the treatment of your diabetes.

We are living in a difficult and uncertain economy. The rise in unemployment along with the housing market crash has forced many to cut back on spending and make necessary sacrifices. Unfortunately, countless people are delaying medical or dental care as part of their cutbacks and there is an increasing trend, nationwide, in patients postponing or declining care because of finances. 

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is an emotional, needle-free version of acupuncture that is based on new discoveries regarding the connection between your body’s subtle energies, your emotions, and your health. EFT was developed by Gary Craig, an engineer who began researching how different acupressure points can connect the mind with the body.

Dental veneers are custom-designed porcelain shells of tooth-like material that, when applied over the surface of a tooth, can cover worn tooth enamel, uneven tooth alignment or spacing and chips or cracks.  Dental veneers fall into the category of cosmetic dentistry because they create a bright, white smile with beautifully aligned, shapely teeth. Even better, the translucent ceramic quality of today’s veneers provides a more natural look than what’s been available in the past. Regardless of what causes unattractive teeth, dental veneers may solve most or even all of your cosmetic dental issues, including: worn enamel, tetracycline stain, open spaces, uneven teeth, discolored teeth, minor crowding and more.

Heel and or arch pain is one of the most common foot ailments affecting millions of people on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this affliction is left untreated by a majority of the population, figuring that it will go away, or accepting that the pain is typical with excessive standing or walking. Eventually, this ailment becomes chronic in nature, and eventually causes other problems such as ankle, shin, knee, hip, and lower back pain due to changes in walking patterns.

Many injuries with the muscles and joints can begin with athletics.  High school, college, and professional athletes are sidelined with injuries that could be avoided.  Some athletes sit on the bench because their injury does not respond to ordinary treatment.  Still others are playing, but with limitations, simply because their muscles and joints are not working properly.  Progressive coaches, athletes, and doctors are realizing that pain-killing drugs are not the answer.  They merely cover up the symptoms, making the athlete at risk for further injury. 

Santa Clarita – Did you know that the average person shrinks up to three inches over the course of their life?  It’s true.  You can begin losing height slowly some time in your late 20s, then, the process accelerates as you age.  So, if you are in your 30s, you are shrinking right now!  First let’s talk about why you shrink: Although there are several factors that lead to shrinking, the one that has by far the biggest impact is your spine.  As you many of you know, the spine is made up of 24 moveable vertebrae that stack on top of each other like blocks.  In between each vertebrae is a disc.  The disc has several functions:

One in six men — more than 192,000 — patients will be diagnosed in the United States this year with prostate cancer. Most will survive thanks to early detection and continuing advancement in both surgical and radiological treatment.

The Anterior approach hip replacement surgery allows the surgeon to access the hip joint from the front of the hip, which is a more direct approach and less muscle and tendon to dissect through.  By performing the surgery from the front of the body, the hip can be replaced without the detachment of the muscle during surgery.  The surgeon simply spreads the muscle, not cutting it. 

First, age has nothing to do with hearing loss. Plenty of folks suffer from noise-induced hearing loss in their 20s — even their teens!   Sure, hearing aids are typically associated with the elderly, but they’ve never been associated with sex appeal and a satisfying personal relationship with that true love you’ve shared a life with.  Seriously, how can hearing aids be sexy? 

The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your pelvis, through your hip area and buttocks and down each leg. The sciatic nerve branches into smaller nerves as it travels down the legs providing feeling to your thighs, legs, and feet as well as controlling many of the muscles in your lower legs. The term sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of this nerve.