By: Dr. James White
 
The habit of bruxism can be as devious as a thief in the night. You may not even be aware you're doing it, but if you suffer from this condition, the resulting damage to your teeth, gums and jawbone will soon let you know.
 
The practice of unconscious tooth-grinding usually begins in early childhood. In most cases, the habit will begin to wane as the person ages, but while it continues, it can extract a serious price on dental health.
Its rhythmic jaw contractions and sustained periods of grinding can subject the teeth to as much as 250 pounds of pressure for up to 40 minutes out of every hour all night long. Since you're asleep, it will happen without your knowledge, but you can be sure that your partner will hear it.

Linda Gomez/Timeless Beauty
 
Most of you know from my previous columns and recommendations, I am pretty much a drugstore type of beauty shopper. I generally don’t find most cosmetics or other beauty products to be worth the extra dough, but once in a while, you discover a product so good it turns out to be worth the money!
 
Even with our beautiful desert winter, between running the heater at home and the cold air outside, your skin can still quickly dry out. And when it gets dry, it can also become itchy and flaky and suddenly you’re willing to spend a little more.

Several months ago, my daughter gave me a jar of body cream called Ultra Rich Body by L'Occitane.

By: Linda Gomez
 
Our beautiful hands. They spend countless hours working, holding children, gardening, cleaning, making family dinners and much, much more. They are a representation of everything that we handle in a day. And they also show it over the years!
 
While much of the aging process is out of our control, we can be proactive with certain measures. First things first - sunscreen.
 
Your hands are just as prone to skin cancer as anywhere else. They are also often forgotten when it comes to UV protection. It’s never too late to start this as part of your daily routine!

Publisher Dan Roberts gets his flu shot at the Vegas Voice Health Fair held at Solera at Anthem on November 11th. Thanks to the wonderful people of Albertson’s for participating. Picture with Dan are Eric Van Meter, Kevin Chang and Christine Glover.

By: Dr. James White/ Your Dentist
 
Recently I did a consultation with a patient who was referred to my office from an orthodontist. The young lady was 29 years old with chief complaints of neck pain and pain located in front of her ears.  
 
Upon my examination, I found many muscles that were sore with palpation. Frequent headaches were a major complaint, many of which occurred in the morning and then late afternoon. She attributed the headaches to stress.
 
I discovered that many muscles of her jaw, head and neck were in spasm. Judging by the wear of her teeth, clenching or grinding was probably causing the pain and not stress.

Tempromandibular joint disorder (also known as TMD and more familiarly as TMJ) affect as many as 10 million people. TMJ issues are a result of a chronically degenerative disease that may take years to develop.

By: Kyo Mitchell / A Healthier You
 
Imagine you have been out of shape for a period of months or years. Now you decide you want to get back in shape and begin to exercise.
 
Will you be in shape in a week? No. How about a month? Probably not. Most people realize that if you have been out of shape for a while, it also takes months to get back into shape.
 
The reason for this analogy is a problem that is growing in medicine and health care. We have become a society where most forms of gratification are now immediate. Patients now also expect this of medicine.

​By: Regale Harris/Kindred Hospice
 
When any family first hears about hospice and terminal illness, it’s always a difficult time. In these challenging moments, it’s important to know that hospice is a supportive and helpful option that places the focus on the quality of the life remaining rather than on dying.
 
The goal of hospice care is to maximize your loved one’s quality of life so he or she may live to the fullest while dealing with a serious and life-threatening condition. To receive hospice care, your loved one must have a life-limiting disease, such as cancer, heart disease, stroke or end-stage Alzheimer’s, with a life expectancy of six months or less.
 
With an early referral to hospice care, you and your loved one will gain a team of experts to help you understand what’s happening and how to prepare mentally, physically and spiritually for what’s ahead. 

By: Mary Richard/Health Fitness
 
So how do we keep ourselves “fit” throughout the summer? There are all those wonderful barbeques that entice us to munch and drink to our heart’s desire! 
 
And of course – EVERYTHING looks and tastes so good that you have to try a little of each! Right? Yes, those wonderful fat-filled goodies, yummy desserts and drinks (with hidden calories) to cool us down while trying to fight this intense desert heat. 
 
Whenever I’m invited to a “pot luck” or party at someone’s house, I try to munch on a little something before I leave the house - a slice of cheese, a few crackers or piece of fruit.

The Animal Foundation, is in dire need of volunteers to foster baby animals, needing a few weeks of private accommodations. These are mostly kittens, just several weeks old and a couple of dogs.  They are either too young or have medical issues which will improve with care from the shelter clinic.  Fosters do not pay for the medical care.  They only must provide a safe, quiet environment and love for a few weeks until the animals are adoptable.  This is a win-win all around. 

Currently, there are about 200 kittens who need fosters.  If you are interested in helping please click the following link and take a look around at the “fur babied” needing help. link:  https://foster.animalfoundation.com/index.htm  then contact the organization to express interest in fostering, here:  foster@animalfoundation.com