Sarasota Edition

By Dr. Sam Ho, chief medical officer, UnitedHealthcare If your doctor or dentist prescribes a pain reliever, take charge of your health and find out exactly what you are getting. UnitedHealth Group medical experts recommend you ask your doctor these questions about any opioid prescription. Common opioid brand names include Vicodin and Percocet. Why do I need this medicine? Ask …

It came on slowly, over time. Now in her early 60s, she’s really worried about the numbness in her hands. Like many women, though, she’s too busy taking care of others to pay attention to the warning signs of a condition that could lead to permanent nerve damage. Although fictitious, this example is typical of many patients seeking help for chronic …

Although many people refer to the “flu” as other ailments, Influenza is a highly contagious upper respiratory illness. The  Florida Department of Health reports as follows: “Overall, deaths due to pneumonia and influenza were higher than expected. Increases in deaths due to pneumonia and influenza are also expected over the coming weeks given the amount of widespread illness in the …

By Richard A. Stanley, DMD, President It has taken tsunamis of epic proportions for people to realize what scientists have known for years: The destructive forces of nature can be unpredictable and catastrophic. Dentistry has its own tsunami, and it is called Occlusion. Better known as the “bite,” occlusion is the way the teeth come together like gears and the way the …

Learn what you can do to prevent and treat this disorder By Federico M. Richter, MD Pregnancy is a miraculous time to celebrate and enjoy your body’s changes, as your little baby grows inside your womb. However, carrying this unborn child causes a lot of things to happen to your body. One of the issues many women face is painful …

Most people live their whole lives without thinking twice about their gallbladder. Anyone who has had a gallbladder attack, on the other hand, will never forget theirs. What is the gallbladder? How do you know if it’s acting up? What can you do about it? This article summarizes everything you ever needed to know about the gallbladder. Let’s start with …

By Matthew Solomon Imagine for a moment, you are sitting in a café in a small coastal town off the coast of Greece. Everything seems perfect, the breeze of the Mediterranean, the sounds of music in the background and the smells of an impeccably prepared lunch waft around you. In that moment everything just seems, beautiful. But have you ever …

By Alex Anderson, Senior Associate Pastor at Bayside Community Church Every so often I’ll do a bit of executive coaching. I’ll spend a day with a medical, business or non-profit executive. We will end the day with very clear “take-aways” (actionable steps for an area of their life–business, family, or personal). It’s a lot of fun for me, but can …

Do You Suffer with Pain, Burning, Numbness and Tingling in Your Feet? Finally, after all these years of research there is a Medical Breakthrough Treatment for Neuropathy. 10-20 Million Americans suffer from Neuropathy. Many suffering do not even realize that the symptoms listed below could be due to Peripheral Neuropathy. If you suffer from one or more of these problems, …

Many different forms arthritis affects over 50 million adults and 300,000 children in the U.S., and there are over 100 different types of joint disorders categorized under the term of arthritis.  Two of the main types of arthritis are Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).  With Osteoarthritis, wear and tear damages the cartilage in the joints and causes friction between the …