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Beyond Handwashing: How to Stay Healthy During a Pandemic
General Health
Beyond Handwashing: How to Stay Healthy During a Pandemic
Jesus M Valadez, MD

An integral part of my practice is working with my patients to optimize their health, helping them to eat better,… Read Full Article

Hoag Medical Group is Here for You
General Health
Hoag Medical Group is Here for You
Julie R Matsuura, MD

During this challenging and unprecedented time, there is one thing to know – Hoag Medical Group (HMG) is here for… Read Full Article

How to Choose a Primary Care Physician
General Health
How to Choose a Primary Care Physician
Julie R Matsuura, MD

Choosing your primary care physician has the potential to be one of the most important decisions you will make. Typically,… Read Full Article

Acute Lower Back Pain
General Health
Acute Lower Back Pain
Wei Wang, MD

Are you regretting that decision to help a friend throw away that Plasma TV? Chances are you and 84% of… Read Full Article

E-Cigarettes – Looking Beyond the Smoke
General Health
E-Cigarettes – Looking Beyond the Smoke
Aarathi Rangachar, MD, FAAP

Last month I got a frantic phone call from a parent who had just found out that her daughter, who… Read Full Article

Blood Pressure 101
General Health
Blood Pressure 101
Thao Minh Phan, MD

At nearly every visit to your physician, one of the initial things you’ll experience is a blood pressure screening. This… Read Full Article

Food Is Medicine: Take the Right “Dose” at the Right Time
General Health
Food Is Medicine: Take the Right “Dose” at the Right Time
Sevitlana Safaei, MD

For thousands of years, we have understood that “food is medicine;” what goes into our bodies has a significant effect… Read Full Article

Diet and Exercise for Better Bone Health
General Health
Diet and Exercise for Better Bone Health
Eric W Stevens, MD

Osteoporosis affects more than 50 million Americans and found in all races and gender. Osteoporosis is not part of the… Read Full Article

On the Road to Health, Let Mindfulness Be Your Guide
General Health
On the Road to Health, Let Mindfulness Be Your Guide
Sevitlana Safaei, MD

What are you doing at exactly this moment? What is going on with your body? What is happening with your… Read Full Article

How to Decode Your Headache
General Health
How to Decode Your Headache
Yong Sik Kim, MD

Your head is throbbing, the world is thrumming, maybe you feel nauseous or faint. When headaches strike, it can be… Read Full Article

Tips to Maximize your Workout
General Health
Tips to Maximize your Workout
Gabriel Amaury Carpio-Bracho, MD

We can never predict when an injury is likely to occur, but with the right preparation and precautions, we may… Read Full Article

5 Secrets of Holiday Dining
General Health
5 Secrets of Holiday Dining
Asha Mansukhani Robertson, MD

When you are trying to stay on a healthy course with a balanced diet, the holidays can feel daunting. Candy… Read Full Article

6 Tips to Avoid Holiday Stress
General Health
6 Tips to Avoid Holiday Stress
Sevitlana Safaei, MD

For many of us, “the most wonderful time of the year” is anything but. If we let the holiday season… Read Full Article

Don’t Skip Those Routine Screenings!
General Health
Don’t Skip Those Routine Screenings!
Aditi BHARGAVA Springstubb, MD

When that little light goes off in your car, you know it’s time for an oil change. Unfortunately, your body… Read Full Article

My Doctor Says I’m Pre-Diabetic. What Does That Mean?
General Health
My Doctor Says I’m Pre-Diabetic. What Does That Mean?
Eric W Stevens, MD

People generally understand what type 2 diabetes is. But a diagnosis of pre-diabetes tends to elicit one of two reactions:… Read Full Article

Five Tips to Staying Healthy During Thanksgiving
General Health
Five Tips to Staying Healthy During Thanksgiving
Julie R Matsuura, MD

Most people don’t consider Thanksgiving to be the healthiest of holidays. Between the ladles of gravy and the piles of… Read Full Article

Flu Myths Debunked
General Health
Flu Myths Debunked
Thao Minh Phan, MD

The only thing more contagious than the flu is misinformation. Every year, when I remind my patients to get their… Read Full Article

Why Is the Need for Blood Pressure Medicine So Hard to Swallow?
General Health
Why Is the Need for Blood Pressure Medicine So Hard to Swallow?
Vance Hoang Cao, MD

It may be difficult to accept the diagnosis of hypertension or high blood pressure and even harder for some people… Read Full Article

Spotting Skin Cancer is as Easy as ABC (and D and E)
General Health
Spotting Skin Cancer is as Easy as ABC (and D and E)

More people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, than all other types of cancer combined. If that statistic startles… Read Full Article

Five Healthy Food Swaps to Improve Your Health
General Health
Five Healthy Food Swaps to Improve Your Health
Lauren P Sweetser, MD

You have probably heard that to eat healthier, you should cook your meals at home. That’s a fantastic piece of… Read Full Article

Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep
General Health
Tips for a Good Night’s Sleep

Often times my patients come into the office to discuss their challenges with sleep. Here are some of the things… Read Full Article

Preparing for Summer Travel
General Health
Preparing for Summer Travel
Stanley Alan Wasbin, MD

When we get ready to travel, we plan our itinerary and pack all of the necessities, but do we create… Read Full Article

Meditation as Medicine
General Health
Meditation as Medicine
Amit Kumar Hiteshi, MD

You need to chill out. Seriously. Doctor’s orders. Research has long established a link between anxiety and health issues as… Read Full Article

Hepatitis C – am I at risk and how do I know if I should be tested?
General Health
Hepatitis C – am I at risk and how do I know if I should be tested?
Gayle Ann Hopper, MD

Most people who have Hepatitis C don’t even know they have it. Hepatitis C can damage the liver and lead… Read Full Article

Why do I always feel fatigued?
General Health
Why do I always feel fatigued?
Amanda Khosravi, MD

Fatigue is a common issue for many people, and as a physician, I often hear this in my practice. Finding… Read Full Article

Sports Medicine: Giving Team Health Care a Boost
General Health
Sports Medicine: Giving Team Health Care a Boost
Gabriel Amaury Carpio-Bracho, MD

In the past, when I’d tell people that I practice sports medicine, the first thing they’d ask me is, “What’s… Read Full Article

Trouble Getting to the Gym? Get to Your Doctor
General Health
Trouble Getting to the Gym? Get to Your Doctor
Lauren P Sweetser, MD

If you’re waiting until you’re sick to see your doctor, you’re waiting too long. Preventive medicine is important, and annual… Read Full Article

Hungry? Reach for a Healthy Scoop of Reality
General Health
Hungry? Reach for a Healthy Scoop of Reality
Terra Rachele Safer, MD

I have a secret diet that works for all children and families to ensure a healthy balance of fruits, vegetables,… Read Full Article

What is the Best Kind of Diet to Lose Weight?
General Health
What is the Best Kind of Diet to Lose Weight?
Lauren P Sweetser, MD

Q: What is the best kind of diet to lose weight? A: Patients ask me all the time what diet… Read Full Article

How to Avoid Anxiety During the Holidays
General Health
How to Avoid Anxiety During the Holidays
Amit Kumar Hiteshi, MD

Do we experience more mental health disorders during the holidays? Not really. The popular belief that rates of clinical mental… Read Full Article

Understanding Autoimmune Diseases
General Health
Understanding Autoimmune Diseases
Sheetal S Gavankar, MD

As a Rheumatologist, I often have to explain to patients what it means to have an autoimmune disease. To understand… Read Full Article

Medication Side Effects: What You Need to Know Before You Pop That Pill
General Health
Medication Side Effects: What You Need to Know Before You Pop That Pill

Medications allow us to overcome illness, power through pain and transform some fatal diseases into merely chronic ones. But no… Read Full Article

Vitamin D – How Much Should I Be Getting?
General Health
Vitamin D – How Much Should I Be Getting?
Maily Creamer, DO

Vitamin D is constantly making headlines. Are we getting enough? Are we getting too much? Do we need to take… Read Full Article

Reading Labels Gives You Something to Chew On
General Health
Reading Labels Gives You Something to Chew On
Lauren P Sweetser, MD

If you eat fewer calories than you burn off, you will lose weight. It’s that simple. But for many people,… Read Full Article

What’s Going on with Gluten?
General Health
What’s Going on with Gluten?
Gluten Facts
What’s Going on with Gluten?

There is a lot of news these days about gluten. Whether it is a gluten intolerance, gluten allergy, or gluten… Read Full Article

Adult ADD
General Health
Adult ADD
Adult ADD
Adult ADD

While the term Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is commonly associated with children, it is also a condition that affects many… Read Full Article

Practicing Sun Safety for the Whole Family
General Health
Practicing Sun Safety for the Whole Family
Kristy Lynn Tolly, MD, FAAP

Living in Southern California, we are exposed to sunshine nearly year-round. The warm weather makes it ideal for enjoying outdoor… Read Full Article

Do I Need an Annual Exam?
General Health
Do I Need an Annual Exam?
Aditi BHARGAVA Springstubb, MD

The two pillars of good health are taking care of oneself with healthy lifestyle choices and undergoing appropriate screening exams.… Read Full Article

Urinary Tract Infections – When it’s Time to See a Doctor
General Health
Urinary Tract Infections – When it’s Time to See a Doctor
Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary Tract Infections – When it’s Time to See a Doctor

That stinging, burning, often annoying sensation you may get when trying to urinate – what is it? There can be… Read Full Article

Vitamins
General Health
Vitamins
Joseph Michael Weiland, DO

For the majority of people, vitamin supplementation is not necessary. Adequate vitamin intake can usually be attained by a healthy… Read Full Article

Essential Travel Tips
General Health
Essential Travel Tips
Stanley Alan Wasbin, MD

When we get ready to travel, we plan our itinerary and pack all of the necessities, but do we create… Read Full Article

Medical Geneticist – How Does Genetic Testing Play a Role in my Health?
General Health
Medical Geneticist – How Does Genetic Testing Play a Role in my Health?

A Medical Geneticist is a physician that undergoes additional training and education to become board certified in genetics. This physician… Read Full Article

Shop with your Doc
General Health
Shop with your Doc
Daniel A Nadeau, MD

Ever wish you could go grocery shopping with your doctor and seek their advice? St. Joseph Hoag Health recently launched… Read Full Article

New Year! New Resolve!
General Health
New Year! New Resolve!
Gayle Ann Hopper, MD

The holidays can be brutal on anyone’s efforts to maintain and attain ideal weight. Something purposeful YOU can resolve to… Read Full Article

Safe Travels: How to Avoid Germs While On the Go
General Health
Safe Travels: How to Avoid Germs While On the Go
Amit Kumar Hiteshi, MD

We all know that airplanes are filthy. Train stations are thick with coughs and sneezes, and bus terminals are cesspools… Read Full Article

Staying healthy this holiday season: Tips to keep things merry and bright
General Health
Staying healthy this holiday season: Tips to keep things merry and bright
Elizabeth Yanni, MD

The holidays are a time for family, friends and celebration, but they can also be a time of stress, over-indulgence… Read Full Article

Hoag Medical Group is Growing!
General Health
Hoag Medical Group is Growing!
Jennifer Lee Altman Birkhauser, MD, FAAP

Earlier this month, the newly-expanded Hoag Health Center in Huntington Beach opened its doors to the public. Contributing another 50,000… Read Full Article

Smoking Cessation
General Health
Smoking Cessation
Aditi BHARGAVA Springstubb, MD

Tobacco smoke is a mixture of over 7,000 chemicals, hundreds of which are known toxins, 70 of which cause cancer.… Read Full Article

What in the world is OMT?
General Health
What in the world is OMT?
Erin Siobhan O’hara, DO

A D.O. is a doctor of osteopathy, also known as an “osteopath.” You may have seen these letters after a… Read Full Article

What does a positive antinuclear antibody mean?
General Health
What does a positive antinuclear antibody mean?
Sheetal S Gavankar, MD

Very often I have patients who come in to my office concerned that they have an autoimmune condition such as… Read Full Article

Do I Have Insomnia?
General Health
Do I Have Insomnia?

“BRRRRRRIIINGGG!!!!” The alarm clock rings and I gaze drowsily towards the blurry clock. The bright red LED screen flashes “7:00AM”,… Read Full Article

Exercise – What’s Right for You?
General Health
Exercise – What’s Right for You?

Physical activity is important for all people and should be incorporated routinely in everyone’s life. Current recommendations regarding the type… Read Full Article

Talk to your doctor on the go!
General Health
Talk to your doctor on the go!
Erin Siobhan O’hara, DO

You’re a busy mom running your kids all over town, an executive in high demand constantly traveling for work, or… Read Full Article

Fireworks Safety
General Health
Fireworks Safety
Christine Cummins Field, MD, FAAP

Summer is here and with it comes one of the most beloved holidays, the 4th of July. For many of… Read Full Article

Polypharmacy – What to Know!
General Health
Polypharmacy – What to Know!
Mercedes Tomioka, MD, FACP

Every time I see a new patient, I like to get a thorough review of their medication list, especially if… Read Full Article

Vitamin B12 Injections: Should I jump on the bandwagon?
General Health
Vitamin B12 Injections: Should I jump on the bandwagon?
Ani B Baghdassarian, MD

As a primary care physician, I am often approached by patients curious about the therapeutic role that Vitamin B12 can… Read Full Article

Sleep Habits: The Rules of Sleep Hygiene
General Health
Sleep Habits: The Rules of Sleep Hygiene
Aditi BHARGAVA Springstubb, MD

For millions of Americans, sleep can be an unfortunately elusive state. Chronic insomnia has a lifetime incidence of 30-50% in… Read Full Article

What is a primary care sports physician?
General Health
What is a primary care sports physician?
Gabriel Amaury Carpio-Bracho, MD

A primary care sports medicine physician is specially trained in care of nonsurgical orthopedic conditions and other injuries or disorders… Read Full Article

Have you had a SPOT-check?
General Health
Have you had a SPOT-check?

Since May is Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month, I thought I’d give you the SKINny: skin cancer is the… Read Full Article

E-Cigarettes: Genius Invention or Harmful Crutch?
General Health
E-Cigarettes: Genius Invention or Harmful Crutch?
Maily Creamer, DO

When a colleague introduced me to the electronic cigarette, I thought it was an ingenious idea. Also known as an… Read Full Article

Is my thyroid gland the culprit?
General Health
Is my thyroid gland the culprit?
Ani B Baghdassarian, MD

What is the thyroid gland? The thyroid gland is a gland located in the front region of our necks, resembling… Read Full Article

Shoo Away the Ah-Choo: Managing Hay Fever
General Health
Shoo Away the Ah-Choo: Managing Hay Fever
Aditi BHARGAVA Springstubb, MD

The birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and Spring is here! For many, this also heralds a worsening of their… Read Full Article

Fat Intake in the Healthy Diet
General Health
Fat Intake in the Healthy Diet

Due to the ever-growing epidemic of obesity, leading to coronary heart disease in the United States, fat intake has been… Read Full Article

Choosing Contraception: A Beginner’s Guide
General Health
Choosing Contraception: A Beginner’s Guide
Aditi BHARGAVA Springstubb, MD

49% of pregnancies in the US are unintended. This staggering statistic sheds light on the importance of education regarding family… Read Full Article

The Pitfalls of “Super-Marketing”
General Health
The Pitfalls of “Super-Marketing”
Jennifer Lee Altman Birkhauser, MD, FAAP

It seems impossible to leave the grocery store with just one item. You may go for a gallon of milk,… Read Full Article

How Do Vaccines Work?
General Health
How Do Vaccines Work?
Jennifer Lee Altman Birkhauser, MD, FAAP

Understanding the general idea behind how vaccines work is important for everyone to know. Though the process is very complicated,… Read Full Article

Staying Heart Healthy
General Health
Staying Heart Healthy
Ani B Baghdassarian, MD

With February being Heart Health Month, why not start the month off right by taking an active approach to keeping… Read Full Article

Multivitamins: Friend or Foe?
General Health
Multivitamins: Friend or Foe?
Aditi BHARGAVA Springstubb, MD

While some tenets of health are no-brainers, like “exercise more” and “don’t overeat,” others, such as multivitamin use, are more… Read Full Article

Energy Drinks – Hype, Helpful, or Harmful?
General Health
Energy Drinks – Hype, Helpful, or Harmful?
Christine Cummins Field, MD, FAAP

Energy drinks are the latest trend in the beverage industry. First there were sodas, then diet sodas, and now energy… Read Full Article

Health Awareness Months – Building awareness throughout the year
General Health
Health Awareness Months – Building awareness throughout the year
Ani B Baghdassarian, MD

As we ring in a new year and recover from the holiday craze, we reflect back on the year behind… Read Full Article

Kicking Off a Healthy New Year
General Health
Kicking Off a Healthy New Year
Nancy Delamora Love, MD

As we say goodbye to 2013 and begin a new year, we would like to give you some motivation and… Read Full Article

The Importance of Vitamin D
General Health
The Importance of Vitamin D
Daniel A Nadeau, MD

Vitamin D, the “sun” vitamin, is most commonly associated with bone health. It can be made by your body given… Read Full Article

Medical Fun Fact: Tryptophan
General Health
Medical Fun Fact: Tryptophan

Turkey, Thanksgiving’s favorite meat, is thought to contain high levels of tryptophan, causing sleepiness after our large turkey dinners. However,… Read Full Article

The Influenza Vaccine: Debunking the Myth
General Health
The Influenza Vaccine: Debunking the Myth
Jennifer Lee Altman Birkhauser, MD, FAAP

It’s that time of year: cold and influenza (the “flu”) season! As our offices prepare to care for the fall/winter… Read Full Article

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