Charlotte Edition

You probably know about the relationship between smoking and lung cancer, but did you know smoking is also linked to heart disease, stroke and other chronic lung diseases?  Smoking can also increase your risk for cancer of the bladder, throat and mouth, kidneys, cervix and pancreas.  Thinking about quitting? Look at the facts! Why should you quit? • Smoking is …

By Dr. Alexander Gaukhman If you are what you eat, then it’s particularly true for your teeth and gums. When you drink sugary beverages and eat starchy foods, you’re not only feeding yourself—you’re feeding the plaque that can cause problems in your mouth. Plaque is a naturally occurring, thin, invisible film of sticky bacteria and other materials that covers the …

By William Ehrlich, MD, FAACS Oculofacial & Cosmetic Surgeon The Frantz Cosmetic Center at Frantz EyeCare now offers the MiXto SX Micro-Fractional CO2 Laser, the most advanced laser used for skin rejuvenation. This new laser makes it possible for patients to have healthy, younger looking skin with minimal post-treatment down time. The laser delivers a therapeutic matrix of tiny beams …

June is National Aphasia Awareness Month, according to  the National Aphasia Association, aphasia is a language disorder usually initiated by a stroke causing one to begin begin having difficulty remembering words, losing the ability to speak, read and write. Aphasia is most common among elderly individuals but can also affect people of all ages and gender. Aphasia is often mistaken …

Veins be gone with Veingogh! By Joseph Magnant, MD, FACS, RPVI Have you ever wondered what causes those pesky broken capillaries on your facial skin? There are a number of causes that can damage these facial veins such as extreme sun exposure, rubbing or scrubbing your face too forceful or even skin conditions such as rosacea. In extreme cases, a …

Many people with a mental health disorder don’t get treatment. They may think it won’t help. Or, they don’t recognize the symptoms. Others may be able to afford treatment. The social stigma of mental illness also stops people from seeking help. This often means worsening symptoms and, in some cases, suicide. Mental illnesses are as real as diseases like heart …

By Dr. Alexander Gaukhman The fact is that virtually nobody is born with perfect teeth or an ideal bite. However, for most people these are not serious issues (though  for some, they may become serious later in life if left untreated). A fair number of people have teeth that are misaligned. Overbite is common; less common is underbite. In some …

By Dr. Noël Crosby, Au.D. May is Better Hearing and Speech month which presents a great opportunity to talk about recognizing hearing loss and its associated symptoms. Many times hearing loss is a gradual process, the departure of your ability to hear well can go unnoticed.  You may think that people are mumbling more, your spouse needs to speak up, …

Blood pressure measures the force your blood exerts on blood vessel walls as it travels through your body. Your blood pressure reading has two numbers (for instance, 120/80). The first number is the systolic blood pressure, and measures the force your blood exerts on blood vessel walls as your heart pumps. The second number is the diastolic blood pressure, and …

For many reasons, men and women who want to have children should not smoke. Studies suggest that smoking affects hormone production. This could make it more difficult for women smokers to become pregnant. Pregnant women who smoke or who are exposed to secondhand smoke endanger their unborn babies, as well as their own health. Babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy …