Health Today

JoAnn spends every weekend possible hiking. She’s trekked the Grand Canyon five times and has explored hiking trails throughout Arizona. That’s why she was surprised when a bone density scan revealed she had osteoporosis, a condition that causes bone loss and can lead to fractures.

“I was running, hiking, walking, and eating high-calcium foods and I still had bone loss,” she said.

JoAnn is among 54 million Americans who have osteoporosis or low bone mass, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF). To help Yavapai County residents, Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC) offers dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). This simple, painless exam measures bone density and is available in two locations:

Healthy blood sugar levels are so essential to weight loss. Inside RESTORE, we use CGMs (continuous glucose monitors) to provide women real-time feedback on what’s happening with their blood sugar, so they can identify and repair the causes for high blood sugar. Healthy blood sugar levels are necessary for weight loss, because lowering a high blood sugar level unlocks your fat-burning potential.  

Like every part of your body, your brain responds to healthy behaviors, according to Christina Gettens, DNP, AGNP-C, Dementia Care Specialist at Dignity Health Yavapai Regional Medical Group (YRMG), Alzheimer’s and Dementia Care program.

Now is a good time to talk about brain-healthy behaviors since June – Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month – will be here soon. Let’s get ready by taking a look at seven ways Gettens says you can love your brain.

Dr. Moualla joined YRMC’s James Family Heart Center in 2017 to oversee the Structural Heart Program, which had started the previous year. Among her first major initiatives: the expansion of the Heart Center’s successful Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) Program. Dr. Moualla also helped implement processes to identify patients with valvular heart disease early and expedite the delivery of state-of-the-art treatment by the heart team. All of this, she said, was accomplished with the collaboration of the cardiothoracic surgical team, other cardiologists, primary care physicians, and inpatient hospitalists.

It’s a common question doctors hear from patients: “I’m taking thyroid medication, but I’m still not losing weight. What’s going on?”

Weight loss isn’t just about your thyroid. The thyroid is actually the tip of the hormonal iceberg; many different hormones regulate our weight. When hormones are imbalanced, you won’t lose weight — even with thyroid medication.  That’s because the real cause of your weight gain is completely missed. 

There’s more to spider veins and varicose veins than meets the eye, especially if your lower legs swell after a long day on your feet. And while elevating your legs or getting a good night’s sleep may reduce the swelling, it doesn’t address the cause.

Science shows that prenatal care improves outcomes for babies and mothers. It lowers the risk of premature birth and low birth weight and can give doctors an opportunity to offer early treatment to cure and prevent problems.

Veins, vessels, and valves are all part of the body’s vascular system, which is why cardiothoracic surgeon Saina Attaran, MD, is at home in her new role at the Vein Center at Dignity Health, Yavapai Regional Medical Center (YRMC).

“The venous system is critical to our overall health,” explained Dr. Attaran, Vein Specialist, the Vein Center at YRMC. “We depend on our network of veins to deliver deoxygenated blood back to our hearts. It’s familiar territory for me.”