Many people have heard rumors about diet’s effect on skin – “eating chocolate or greasy food will give me acne!” – and some say there may be a grain of truth to some of these so-called secrets.  According to dermatologist Dr. Jessica Wu, author of Feed Your Face, things we don’t normally think about related to our dietary choices can affect our skin.

For example, Dr. Wu claims that a high-protein diet can fight sagging because collagen and elastin, the substances that comprise skin, are made of protein.  Dairy products are high in hormones (even organic dairy, which contains cow hormones), which apparently increase the number of oil glands in the skin and cause breakouts.  Zinc helps fight acne, and vegetables will give you smoother skin.

Any physician can tell you that eating high amounts of protein won’t help you build up more muscle (also made of protein), so how could it help build up skin?  Protein consumed is simply broken down and either used for fuel or converted into fat and stored, just like any other caloric substance.  It’s important for dermatology patients to think carefully and critically about what they hear from their doctors.

As a dermatologist Westchester’s Dr. Michelle Abadir advises all her patients to take care of their skin by drinking plenty of water, avoiding tanning and always wearing sunscreen when they go outside.  Any bizarre or unfounded claims should be taken with a grain of salt.

As we begin to age, it’s important to have more and more tests performed to ensure that our bodily systems are performing well and disease-free.  In terms of colon cancer Chicago figures are as frightening as in any city, and with regular procedures like a colonoscopy or an endoscopy Chicago-area residents can be ensured of better health.

While many gastroenterology are specialized, one in particular is absolutely necessaryy fo rall older Americans.  Northbrook gastroenterology practice Gastroenterology Consultants of the North Shore offers a range of procedures for early detection and better health.

1. Colonoscopy. A colonoscopy is unique in that it is the only cancer screening test which actually prevents cancer.  If your gastroenterologist discovers pre-cancerous colon polyps in your colon during the procedure, he or she can remove them before they become a serious problem.  Adults at average risk should begin screening around age 50 and have a colonoscopy about every ten years, and higher-risk adults may need to consult with their doctor about screening more often.
2. Endoscopy. An endoscopy is a procedure in which a flexible tube with a camera at the ned is inserted int o the esophagus, allowing the doctor to see inside the patient’s esophagus, stomach, and upper small intestine.  This test is often performed when the patient has abdominal pain, malabsorption, gastritis, ulcers, and may detect other serious conditions.
3. Hydrogen Breath Testing. This is a simple, painless breath test that helps diagnose dietary intolerances like lactose and fructose.  As the symptoms of these conditions can often mirror more serious gastric problems, its absolutely essential to test for all possibilities.
4. Basic Bloodwork. Having basic blood tests can indicate conditions like liver disease, and more in-depth testing can be used to detect diseases like Hepatitis.
5. Physical Examination. A simple physical exam by your physician or gastroenterology specialist is the key to finding many health problems.  A physical exam, for example, is the method most commonly used to diagnose gallstones – which are often asymptomatic for years but can be easily noted with “Murphy’s sign,” which is a simple test involving feeling the patient’s stomach while he or she breaths to detect stones.

June 10, 2011 (Miami, Florida) – A leading provider of executive health and corporate health programs, concierge medical service EliteHealth has been selected by the southern division of Holman Automotive Group – one of the nation’s top auto dealership and leasing companies – to provide a Wellness Program for their managerial staff.  The move follows a successful implementation of EliteHealth’s Executive Wellness Program in 2010, which has provided concierge medical services to 15 of Holman’s southern executive management group.

More and more companies are recognizing that corporate success is dependent upon the strength of the corporation’s staff – and keeping employees healthy is the best way to improve productivity, reduce sick leave, and prevent sub-par performance while at work.  Offering employees a higher-level healthcare plan also increases employee satisfaction in the workplace and reflects upon the corporation’s positive attitude toward its staff.  By selecting programs from EliteHealth, Holman Automotive Group is demonstrating its dedication to caring for its valuable employees.

The wellness program selected by Holman Automotive Group for their managerial staff serves around 70 managers and features a range of exclusive concierge healthcare services.  Managers will enjoy an annual executive physical exam, which features CIMT cardiac testing, a heart scan, advanced lipid profiling, and chest x-ray; a thorough medical history evaluation; and nutrition counseling.  This intense focus on preventive cardiology and healthcare acts to “ensure they’re not missing any diseases,” says Dr. Perry Krichmar, M.D. and Chief Operations Officer at EliteHealth.  “Holman recognizes this because we had done this last year and it rolled so well with their executives.”  Holman’s managers will also receive priority medical appointments with their physicians as well as a personal Health Care Advocate to help them make appointments, find physicians, manage their medical records, and navigate the healthcare system.

In addition to healthcare and wellness programs for executives and managers, EliteHealth also specializes in Corporate Wellness Programs which offer comprehensive lab testing, 24/7 online access to an ER physician plus their personal medical records through EliteHealth’s patient portal myEliteHealth.com, in-home or in-room doctor visits while traveling, and personal health consultations.  Starting at under $6 per month per employee, these programs offer corporations an extremely affordable way to ensure that the entire staff is well-cared for.  Holman Automotive Group’s southern division has taken a smart step toward total employee health by offering their executives and managers care plans from EliteHealth.

About EliteHealth
A leading provider of concierge medical services, EliteHealth offers comprehensive and affordable healthcare plans for individuals, executives, and corporations as well as executive physicals geared towards improving the health of busy executives.  For more information on care plans, visit http://www.elitehealth.com/executive_healthcare.php or http://www.elitehealth.com/executive_corporate_programs.php.

Though chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and classic surgical procedures have long been the most solid cancer treatment system available, new technologies and equipment are appearing and changing oncology methods.  Tools like CyberKnife surgery challenge traditional methods by offering a non-invasive procedure that’s as effective as invasive surgical methods.

The CyberKnife surgery system is a form of radiosurgery, which is a targeted radiotherapy procedure that delivers radiation exactly where it is needed without blsting the entire body with harmful rays.  Radiosurgery has been found effective in treating both benign and malignant tumors, as well as some non-cancerous conditions like arteriovenous malformation.

CyberKnife is unique in that it utilizes a small particle accelerator to produce radiation and a robotic arm that precisely directs the radiation toward any body part.  The frameless aspects allows for a wide range of movement, and patients can stay comfortable as the machine works.  A feature known as RoboCouch allows for better positioning of the patient during treatment.  It also features x-ray imaging cameras, which allow medical staff to see instantaneous x-ray images of the patient.  This system is known to target tumors with greater accuracy and precision that other radiotherapy systems.

CyberKnife therapy California specialists Western Radiation Oncology offer a wide range of treatment options for cancer that go beyond classical treatments.  Also a brachytherapy California practice, WRO has a high success rate and offers patients more options with more precision, fewer side effects, and a better way to fight cancer.

As a cancer treatment center San Jose clinic Western Radiation Oncology and Dr. Rakesh Patel MD are making new waves in cancer treatment.  Going beyond modern cancer technology, WRO is becoming famous for its effective use of brachytherapy as a whole new way to treat cancer.

While traditional treatments center around chemotherapy and radiation treatment, WRO is effectively using less invasive and less painful methods.  Chemotherapy involves regular exposure to chemicals that kill cancer cells.  While is has proven effective, the treatment is often debilitating – the patient is bedridden with a loss of energy and appetite, nausea, immunosuppression (an inability to fight other infections, inflammation of the lining of the digestive tracts, and hair loss.  Radiation therapy utilizes controlled exposure to radiation to minimize the ability of cancerous cells to reproduce and spread throughout the body and can cause similar side effects.

Though both of these treatments have proven successful, chemicals and radiation must pass through healthy tissue in order to reach malignant tissue – meaning that healthy tissue must be compromised as well.  With brachytherapy, however, the source of radiation is placed inside the body next to the cancer cells.  This allows for maximum control of malignant cells with little damage ot healthy surrounding tissue.  Recipients of brachytherapy are at a considerably lower risk of side effects, and the treatment is often performed in fewer visits and as an outpatient procedure.

Currently, brachytherapy California is primarily used to treat breast cancer, prostate cancer, and skin cancer, but it is also an excellent option for cervical and other cancers as well.  For more information on brachytherapy and treatment options, visit www.wradonc.com.

May 13, 2011 (Philadelphia, PA) – Now a leading provider of concierge doctor Philadelphia medical services, EliteHealth is proudly announcing their newest provider location.  By welcoming internal medicine specialist Dr. Adam Sobel and his practice Sobel Medical Associates to their team, EliteHealth is now prepared to offer premier concierge medical services to residents of the Philadelphia area.

An established practice since 1997, Philadelphia’s Sobel Medical Associates specializes in internal medicine services for a diverse group of patients.  Having been selected by EliteHealth as a prime location for concierge healthcare in Philadelphia, Sobel Medical Associates can now offer both classic internal medical care programs and premier concierge health services through EliteHealth.

Sobel Medical Associates’ new concierge medical services specialize in providing extremely high-quality medical care to patients looking for a more complete, preventive, and comprehensive medical program without interference from red tape and waiting rooms.  Patients have access to priority appointment times and scheduling, 24/7 phone and email access to their physician, and access to their VIP lounge as well as a nationwide network of trusted physicians and hospitals.  EliteHealth members also have access to the patient portal myEliteHealth.com, which allows patients to log in securely and video chat or message their physician, request appointments and prescription refills, track their health, and more.  Members are also provided a personal Health Care Advocate to manage all aspects of their health care experience – such as arranging appointments and finding a specialist, organizing medical care while the patient is traveling, managing medical records, and helping the patient navigate the health care system.

EliteHealth offers a range of other plans, and their Executive and Corporate Wellness memberships provide similar services for companies looking to maximize their employees’ health to improve morale, wellness, and workplace productivity.  Executive Physicals offer another excellent option for employers, employees, and even non-members of EliteHealth; patients will receive a thorough physical exam, lab workup, EKG screening and chest x-rays, nutritional counseling, and more.  Patients can also have a wide range of lab tests performed at Sobel Medical Associates.

“I am very excited to join EliteHealth,” says Dr. Sobel.  “I know my patients will enjoy the personalized care and attention.  The alliance will provide access to care nationally.”  This new location also anticipates a new in-house pharmacy for added patient convenience, plus echo and ultrasound services as well as in-house nutritional consulting.  For more information on EliteHealth’s newest location, visit http://www.elitehealth.com/location/philadelphia_pa_medical_office.

About EliteHealth
EliteHealth is a premier, international concierge medical provider aiming to offer high-quality healthcare with VIP service to patients looking to get the most out of their healthcare.  The Philadelphia office is the newest in a series of offices serving patients around the world.  For more information, visit www.elitehealth.com.

California cancer patients and their families seeking a less invasive, less painful, and equally effective treatment alternative to surgery or traditional radiation therapy have a new hope.  Cyber Knife brachytherapy, available with the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System, offers a non-surgical way to treat both malignant and benign tumors located any place on the body accurately and effectively.

Cancer has traditionally been treated using one or a combination of three treatment methods: surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy.  Surgery involves the surgical removal of the tumor and often the surrounding organ or tissue.  This allows doctors to target the exact location of the cancer and often remove it completely, but surgery can be painful, has a long recovery time, and must often be supplemented with chemotherapy or radiation therapy.  Chemotherapy controls the division of cancerous cells with courses of chemical treatments delivered to the whole body, and traditional radiation therapy uses an external source of radiation to shrink a tumor and kill cancerous cells.  While effective, these two types of treatment are known to damage healthy tissue and organs as well – causing many unpleasant side effects including pain, nausea, sleep disturbance, hair loss, and an overall weakened physical state.

As traditional radiation therapy damages enters the body by passing through non-cancerous tissue, the treatment damages healthy organs and body parts while treating the malignant tissue.  With the CyberKnife system, doctors can use a non-invasive machine to deliver high-dose beams of radiation to the actual tumor.  The treatment involves no cutting and does not require that the patient be surgically opened.  The laser itself is also extremely accurate and causes no pain.  The CyberKnife system offers not only a non-surgical treatment alternative; it is also an option for patients with inoperable tumors.

CyberKnife Radiosurgery California treatment clinic Western Radiation Oncology, a pioneer in the use of innovative non-surgical treatment alternatives and brachytherapy treatments, has been using the CyberKnife system as a way to effectively and accurately target tumors in the brain, prostate, lungs, spine, liver, kidneys, and pancreas.  The machine is able to track and correct for patient movement, making the procedure even more accurate without the use of head or body frames to keep the patient still.  Patients are also not required to wear hospital gowns; the procedure is performed in the patient’s own clothes, making the environment and atmosphere of the treatment room much more relaxing.

Patients who have undergone CyberKnife treatments report a significantly lower rate of side effects than patients who have traditional radiation or chemotherapy treatments.  Many report no urinary problems or impotency classic of radiation therapy, and patients are thrilled to undergo only a few treatments of only 30 to 90 minutes.  The availability of CyberKnife technology marks new progress in cancer treatment and gives new hope to patients seeking a less painful option.

About Western Radiation Oncology
California cancer treatment center Western Radiation Oncology (or WRO) is nationally renowned for innovative and minimally invasive cancer treatment options like CyberKnife therapy and brachytherapy in the treatment of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other common cancers.  Their five locations serve the San Francisco bay area.  For more information, visit WRO online at www.wradonc.com.

While traditional radiation and chemotherapy remain the most common treatments for cancer, in California brachytherapy is quickly gaining a reputation as an effective and smart cancer treatment alternative – especially for breast, prostate, and skin cancer.

While traditional radiation therapy provides radiation from an external source to control the growth and spread of malignant cancer cells, brachytherapy utilizes an internal radiation source placed within the body and positioned to fight cancer cells more efficiently.  This internal radiation source is provided by radioactive “seeds,” which are about the size of a grain of rice and exude radiation that travels only a few millimeters into the surrounding tissue.  This allows the treatment to penetrate only the tumor and leave healthy tissue as is.  For this reason, brachytherapy is also called “seed therapy” or “internal radiotherapy.”

Far from a “new and unproven” treatment method, this therapy has been used in the treatment of cancer for over 100 years.  The radiation provided by brachytherapy works the same way as traditional radiation therapy – it is simply provided by a different method.  The more targeted delivery offered by brachytherapy means that radiation does not travel through healthy organs or tissue.  This means a lower risk of side effects, less damage to the body and more treatment concentrated where it is needed.  Breast brachytherapy, prostate brachytherapy, and skin cancer brachytherapy are the most common applications of the treatment, but brachytherapy can be used to treat a variety of other cancers (including cervical and endometrial cancer).

There are two main types of brachytherapy, reports California brachytherapy treatment pioneer Western Radiation Oncology, and the type selected to treat a patient will depend on the size and location of the tumor or cancerous cells in the body as well as whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.  Temporary brachytherapy utilizes a radiation source placed inside the body for a few minutes to deliver a more intense dose of radiation, and is typically performed as an outpatient procedure over the course of a few weeks.  This type is most often used to treat breast, lung, prostate, and cervical cancers.  Permanent brachytherapy employs radiation sources (the tiny “seeds”) placed inside the body permanently to deliver low-dose radiation over a period of several months.  The seeds lose efficacy within nine months and are most often used to treat prostate cancer.

Aside from providing beneficial radiation therapy directly to cancer cells and leaving healthy tissue untouched, brachytherapy offers a lower risk of side effects than other cancer treatments.  The treatment is minimally invasive and does not require serious surgery, and even high-dose temporary brachytherapy can be performed on an outpatient basis.  The treatment can also be performed as an outpatient procedure and requires both fewer hospital visits and shorter stays in the hospital.  In addition, brachytherapy is comparably as effective as external beam radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer.  This means that brachytherapy has the potential to not only save patients’ lives, but to bring them back to their normal lives and full function faster than ever before.

About Western Radiation Oncology
Western Radiation Oncology, or WRO, is a California cancer treatment center nationally renowned for their multi-physician approach and innovative use of brachytherapy in the treatment of breast and prostate cancer.  With locations in San Jose, Mountain View, San Mateo, and Pleasanton, WRO provides personalized attention and effective, specialized care.  Visit www.wradonc.com for more information.