Health & Beauty Spring Cleaning

Spring has sprung, and it’s time for an all-over tuneup! Our bodies and minds—even those of our kids and pets—are all due for evaluation and improvement. Read on for tips and suggestions for starting the summer in better shape and health than ever.

HEALTH

Long-Term Weight Loss

We all know how hard it is to lose weight and then keep it off. It’s one of life’s challenges that is better met with constant support. Luckily, organizations such as Kaiser Permanente are pioneering new approaches to the weight-loss dilemma. Kaiser’s Positive Choice Wellness Center—a comprehensive center encompassing the nutritional, fitness and psychological aspects of physical wellness—is producing testimonials that inspire. Debbie Briggs, a mother of six, is a Positive Choice success story, having lost 125 pounds in nine months. “The ongoing support really helps keep me on track,” she says. While most clients have 70 or more pounds to lose, the center can also help you lose those last 10 pounds through fitness programs such as personal training, group support and exercise classes.

Spinal Tap

Every now and then, even athletes with active lifestyles need the help of a medical professional. Spines, for instance, can take quite a beating! Luckily, with the Laser Spine Institute’s five-day process, you can take care of common spine problems without the downtime of traditional spinal surgery. At LSI, patients receive all their spinal healthcare needs in one location. From preoperative imaging and diagnostic testing, to endoscopic laser surgery and postoperative physical therapy, patients have the highest quality care combined with the most advanced treatments. Common spine ailments, such as sciatica, herniated disc and pinched nerves, can all be addressed at LSI.

No More Dry Eyes

Dry eye is a common complaint among people of all ages. Dr. Stuart Brown of UCSD’s Shiley Eye Center says eyes aren’t normally dry, but they become so due to irritation, inflammation and sometimes even LASIK surgery. To counteract dry eyes, he suggests some relatively new treatments and products, such as Restatis, a prescription eye drop that actually increases your own natural tears rather than merely lubricating your eyes the way over-the-counter drops do.

Weighty Issues

“Anorexia has the highest death rate of any psychiatric disorder,” says eating-disorders expert Walter Kaye, M.D., director of the Eating Disorders Program at UCSD. At the forefront of anorexia research, UCSD’s treatment involves learning to eat normal meals, reducing anxiety through cognitive behavioral therapy and medication, developing new coping strategies and challenging distorted beliefs about food, body weight and self-worth.

BEAUTY

Don’t Be Vein

Veins seem to be the bane of many a woman’s existence. From ropy, bulgy veins to tiny, purple spider veins, all can be treated at Del Mar Vein. FAST/E stands for Fluoroscopic Assisted Sotradecol Embolization, a revolutionary treatment that treats varicose veins with fewer needle sticks than both laser and radiofrequency treatments. Dr. Zachary Rattner of Del Mar Vein says, “It’s especially effective for patients whose veins keep coming back.”

Reducing the downtime involved in vein treatments is just one of the goals at the San Diego Vein Institute. For Dr. Cheng, making her patients feel like family is equally important. She uses laser and foam sclerotherapy to ensure that pesky veins stay away from her patients’ gorgeous gams. And she’s had nearly a 100 percent success rate in treating all kinds of veins, including annoying spider veins. Broken capillaries on the sides of your nose? The San Diego Vein Institute treats those too, with a one-time laser treatment.

Try the Superstar of Skin Products

If most antiaging products on the market contain less than 1 percent of active ingredients, imagine the remarkable results a product with a 94 percent active ingredient level can have on your skin. SkinMedica’s highly touted TNS Essential Serum—a combination of growth factors, antioxidants, peptides and other innovative antiaging ingredients—simultaneously blocks the action of free-radical formation while stimulating new collagen. According to Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick, director of dermatology at the La Jolla Cosmetic Surgery Centre and developer of the SkinMedica line, TNS Essential Serum “smoothes texture and pigmentation and enhances elasticity, resulting in a 30 percent decrease in fine lines.”

Lash Out

Tired of experimenting with mascara? For women frustrated with short, sparse and pale lashes, there’s finally a prescription: From the makers of Botox, Latisse by Allergan promises to fill, strengthen, lengthen and thicken lashes. Accidentally discovered and derived from a glaucoma medication, Latisse will give you full results after approximately two to four weeks of nightly use. San Diego cosmetic surgeon Dr. Thomas Vecchione of Vecchione Plastic Surgery says, “You only need a minimal amount of mascara, if that, after you reach your full results.”

Fill ’Er Up

Representing a new generation of facial fillers, Evolence counteracts the signs of aging by replacing lost collagen with long-lasting collagen that immediately improves wrinkles and folds, particularly pronounced nasolabial folds (the two skin folds that run from each side of the nose to the corners of the mouth and separate the cheeks from the upper lip). Using an advanced collagen compound, Evolence mimics the structure of the skin’s own collagen, lasts longer than comparable dermal fillers and does not require a skin pretest. Evolence is quickly gaining popularity among veterans of dermal fillers, particularly at La Jolla Spa MD.

Tighten It

The demand for nonsurgical skin tightening continues to grow. One of the latest developments, Thermage, utilizes radiofrequency technology to heat the underlying skin tissue and visibly firm and tighten facial contours. Results continue to improve for six months and can last for years. The treatment is now done with a bigger tip, which allows more efficient application on loose areas of the body, including stomachs, legs and arms. For a beautiful result without surgery, Dr. Nowak of Nowak Aesthetics recommends combining Thermage to tighten and Fraxel CO2 laser to resurface.

ALVARADO HOSPITAL

Popular Doc

While observing his first open-spine surgery patient—who had a 2-foot-long splayed wound with damaged surrounding muscles—Alvarado Hospital’s Dr. Choll W. Kim, orthopedic spine specialist, knew there had to be a less invasive method than surgery. Today he is one of a handful of minimally invasive spine surgeons in the country and the executive director of the Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery. Dr. Kim’s expertise has gained quite a following, including many patients who fly in from all over the world.

Spinal GPS

According to Dr. Kim, minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) uses computer technology “similar to a car’s GPS navigation system, using imaging capabilities that offer pinpoint accuracy.” Cameras and pointers may seem space-age, but he uses them to perform revolutionary MISS at Alvarado Hospital’s brand-new Advanced Spine Institute and Minimally Invasive Spine Center. Conditions treated include spinal stenosis (rapid deterioration of the bone), scoliosis and degenerative disk disease.

Occupational Hazards

Its patient population is usually older, but the Advanced Spine Institute sees a lot of occupation-related cases—firefighters, nurses, athletes and anyone whose occupation can induce trauma on spinal disks. Dr. Kim likens the disks to the tread on a tire, which can wear out over time. With MISS, operating is safer due to less injury to muscle and less inflammation, which results in minimal downtime.

DON’T FORGET FIDO

Admit it. You treat your dog as if he were a child. And you wouldn’t feed a family member food full of by-products or preservatives, would you? To increase the quality and length of your pet’s life, Sissy Harrington-McGill of Solid Gold Health Products recommends foods made of all-natural ingredients, with no by-products or chemical preservatives. In addition to providing top-quality, healthy food, let your baby play and be pampered at Fido & Co. with doggy spa services (try the “Let’s Get Dirty” mud bath!) and multilevel, rubber-floor play areas.

FOR THE KIDS

After-hours and rehab may sound like they’re for adults, but not in this case. Instead of relying on the emergency room or Urgent Care after regular business hours, parents with sick kids can take them to Sharp Rees-Stealy’s after-hours pediatrics clinic, 5-9 p.m. Monday through Friday and, on weekends, varied hours at the three locations. For children needing rehabilitation, Sharp has a pediatric rehab program with a wide range of services, including physical, speech and occupational therapy, in addition to nutritional counseling.

Tips Are for Kids

When it comes to children, Sharp pediatrician Dr. Jeanne Montal says the most common advice is also the soundest advice. Make sure they sleep well, get good rest and eat a well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. According to Dr. Montal, childhood obesity remains a huge problem. To counteract this, dieticians counsel children and their parents on nutrition and exercise to develop strategies for improved long-term health. Even though their metabolisms may be fast, children should exercise every day and limit TV and video games. For parents: Don’t overschedule kids, but do take time to play with them—and eat dinner together. Sounds like advice we can all take.

STRESS RELIEF

Cleaning Up

Alternative forms of healthcare have been rising in popularity due to their, well, alternative ways to improve health and well-being. A Better Balanced Body in Encinitas offers technologically advanced treatments such as the foot peditox machine, removing toxins through the feet by creating reverse ions. To cleanse from the inside out, check out colon hydrotherapy at the Awareness Center in Pacific Beach. Based on the premise that buildup in the colon can lead to disease, fatigue and weight gain, colon hydrotherapy promises to give you more energy and prevent disease.

Stretch It Out

Developed from the rehabilitation techniques of Joseph Pilates, Pilates exercises incorporate stretching and movement to relieve stress while lengthening and strengthening muscles. For exercise that will increase strength, make you leaner and relieve stress, take floor or reformer equipment classes at Kore Pilates in La Jolla, overlooking the Pacific.

TAKING SENIORITY

Dealing with an elderly parent is hard enough, but dealing with an elderly parent with a serious illness can be especially difficult. That’s where San Diego Hospice comes in. “The earlier in the course of illness that palliative care is introduced, the more benefit it provides,” says Dr. Charles F. von Gunten of the Institute for Palliative Medicine. Palliative medicine—the specialty for relieving suffering and improving quality of life associated with serious advanced illness—is a big part of the hospice, which provides care to approximately 1,000 patients daily, either in their homes or at other facilities. “Our ability to relieve suffering and improve quality of life has never been more powerful in the history of medicine than it is right now,” von Gunten says.

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