Medical

Reflecting back on past years and looking ahead to what 2009 will bring, I am excited about the ever-growing revolution towards genuine health and am grateful to be a part of something so important.  However, there remain many areas in the health arena that desperately need our attention; so, let’s continue on, working together for change in our lives and our community.  What will you take a stand for this year?
Below is my wish list for 2009:

Preventing diseases is always much better and less expensive than treating them.  Even though we are fortunate to have millions of medical professionals and the most sophisticated medical equipment and excellent modern hospitals, people still experience more disease than any animal in existence.  Additionally, despite all medical breakthroughs, the rate of cancer, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and many other diseases are steadily on the rise apart from strokes and heart attacks, which have been declining since 1985 thanks to the advances in preventative medicine.

There are many different causes of pain in the bottom of the heel.  In the pediatric population, between the ages of nine to 12, the most common cause is calcaneal apophysitis.  This condition is an acute inflammation of the growth plate at the back of the heel bone, also known as the calcaneus.  This is usually not caused by a sudden injury; rather, it is a gradually developing condition often associated with sports programs.  Sports requiring running, sprinting, sudden stopping and starting and changes of direction can contribute to the development of calcaneal apophysitis. 

I visited a patient in the hospital today.  Not as a cardiologist, but as a friend.  On the average, he had 30 years left of living, but pancreatic cancer is nasty to the bone and is a notorious thief, robbing one’s strength, hording one’s breath, and usurping one’s life. My friend appeared cachectic, with atrophied muscles and glazed eyes.  The merciless chemotherapy slowly swerved its way down into his frail veins where it would reside as an agent of healing, and yet of harm.

Today’s silicone gel filled breast implant has come a long way from the device that was used by Dr. Cronin in Houston, Texas in 1962.  Problems associated with this and other earlier breast implants have led to the advances that have taken today’s silicone gel filled breast implant to the level of safety comparable to the saline implant, while also raising the standard on quality and durability.

Chances are you’ve experienced a stiff or sore neck at one time or another.  Given the complex mechanics and function of the neck, it’s no wonder that neck pain is so common. 

More than 25,000 people sprain their ankles every day, according to the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society. 

Why Prompt Medical Attention is Needed. There are four key reasons why an ankle sprain should be promptly evaluated and treated:

What is purification?  Purification, also known as detoxification, is merely the internal cleansing and detoxification of your body.  Think of it as spring cleaning for your insides.  This program requires making new, healthier choices for yourself.  You will learn to refrain from eating fast foods, processed convenience foods, and sugar-laden snacks, which place an unnecessary load on your body.  Instead you will learn to turn to whole, unprocessed preservative-free foods, increased pure water, tasty shakes and whole food supplements.  In the process, you will learn about your body and what it needs to stay healthy.  You are also likely to shed some extra weight.

Whiplash is a non-medical term used to describe injury caused by a rapid jerking of the neck either forward and backward or side to side.  It is most often associated with motor vehicle accidents, but can also occur from falls, blows to the head, or sports accidents to name a few. 

In the past, a patient suffering from disc problems usually was given pain medications, instructed to refrain from physical activities, referred for physical therapy, and, when they weren’t progressing, they were sent for spinal surgery.  Conservative chiropractic care proved very helpful in many cases, yet there have been some cases when surgery seemed to be the only other option, until now.

National health studies estimate that up to 57 percent of people in the U.S. don’t see a dentist regularly.  What is the cost of untreated dental disease. How can it be fixed?  At Promenade Dentistry we are now offering a solution, oral sedation dentistry.

The bad news is that, treated or untreated, people will pay for their hearing loss.  The good news is that those who take positive action and seek treatment via amplification will ultimately save themselves, on average, thousands of dollars in lost wages and future income.

The issues that affect today’s woman are complex.  One very personal issue is that of urinary incontinence.  Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine.  This problem is often thought to be a usual and expected occurrence especially as age progresses, therefore, it is often not discussed.

Dry eye syndrome is very common in Santa Clarita.  After all, this is a desert climate that we live in.  Dry eye syndrome occurs whenever a person has a deficiency in a layer of the tear film.  Tears are actually composed of three layers.  The inner layer is composed of a substance called “mucin.” 

The season for colds is upon us.  Many parents, unaware of alternate remedies, will reach for over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medications for symptomatic relief for their children.  However, reports of deaths associated with decongestants and antihistamines in children, most younger than age two, prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue a public health advisory earlier this year recommending against the administration of OTC cough and cold medications to children ages two and younger. 

Many people have tried to quit smoking and find that it really is a very difficult addiction to beat.  Some people even say that it is harder to quit than harder drugs such as heroin or cocaine.  It is important to note that acupuncture does not offer a magic cure for addiction, but it does make it far easier to quit and remain smoke free.

To understand spinal decompression, you must first understand the importance of your discs.  Located between each vertebra is a cartilage disc.  This disc is to act as a spacer to keep the vertebrae apart.  It also acts as a rubber bushing, providing a spinal shock absorber.  They also provide a specialized surface for each vertebra to mechanically move on.  This movement is necessary to nourish the discs.

And why shouldn’t our feet hurt?  We cram them into ill-fitted shoes with inadequate support we gain weight and expect them to carry it and we run them into the ground.  Foot pain means something is wrong and feet are more complex than you may realize.  Did you know that 25 percent of the bones in the body are in your feet? Our feet are a complex system of 52 bones, 66 joints, 214 ligaments and 38 muscles and tendons. It is no wonder that 75 percent of North Americans will experience foot health problems of varying degrees, at some point in their lives.