As we get older, health conditions, mobility limitations or a lack of energy can keep us from being as socially active as we once were. A diminishing social life might happen gradually as close friends experience the same conditions and family members grow busy. We may not even notice how long it has been since we last spent time with a friend! Isolation has many physical and emotional health risks. Especially if you live by yourself, staying socially active is critical to enjoying a healthy lifestyle. Volunteer at a local organization, join a senior living community or find a group that focuses on similar interests (e.g., knitting, water aerobics, cooking). Get back to living your best life!

Symptoms like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, cramping, and abdominal pain are an indication that things are not moving through the digestive tract efficiently. The root cause of many digestive issues is often chronic stress, improper diet, poor sleep habits, and other lifestyle issues. Multiple scientific studies show that acupuncture may benefit the digestive tract by regulating gastric motility, reducing inflammation of the mucosal lining, regulating GI sensitivity (abdominal pain, bloating, irregular bowel movements), and balances the brain-gut axis, which is essentially how the brain communicates with the digestive tract and vice versa.

It’s important to enlist the help of others and assemble the right people on your estate planning team. Your team should include: 1) Family – Be proactive and clear about your wishes so that no one is in the dark about how you want to share your assets, and who to contact. 2) The Executor – person with the legal authority to represent your estate. Can be a capable friend or family member, or an appointed trust company (fees charged for services). 3) Your Financial Advisor – can help prepare an estate plan, knows your net worth and where to locate your assets.

Do you suffer from a nagging injury like tennis elbow, achilles tendonitis, frozen shoulder, rotator cuff injuries or plantar fasciitis? Shockwave therapy is one of the best research-backed treatments for chronic musculoskeletal conditions that have not healed properly. It involves the application of acoustic sound waves to kick-start healing, control pain, and restore mobility. Often patients will feel relief after their first treatment and can expect more significant and lasting changes within 3-5 applications. Shockwave Therapy coupled with Class IV Laser Therapy is evidence based and the gold standard in tendon healing.

Q: My dad says he has double vision in one eye, what should we do?
A: He should be triaged as soon as possible and assessed. Describing double vision can be hard for the person experiencing it. He might simply mean he’s seeing shadowy vision in one eye, or maybe his eyes have suddenly become misaligned because of a serious problem with the nerves or blood supply (in the brain) that control the eye muscles.

Gum disease is an infection of the tissues that surround and support your teeth. It is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Because gum disease is usually painless, you may not know you have it. Gum disease is caused by plaque, the sticky film of bacteria that is constantly forming on our teeth. Some warning signs that can signal a problem include gums that bleed easily; red, swollen, and tender gums; receding gumline; and persistent bad breath. See your dentist if you suspect you have gum disease because the sooner you treat it the better.