The 4 Wise Steps of EOY Deductibles

‘Twas the month before New Year’s when all through your mind, you realized: You’ve reached your deductible! Now is the time! Make your appointments, order your pills. And know that your health plan may pick up the bill. Your deductible is how much of your medical costs you pay (excluding premiums and copays or coinsurance) … Read More

Fun with Friends is Good for You: How Social Connections Keep the Brain Young

Can socializing with friends be as healthy as going to the gym? As far as brain health is concerned, the research says “yes.” Moreover, maintaining social connections can help a person reduce their risk of cognitive decline and dementia. Conversely, research has shown that social isolation and loneliness are as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes … Read More

What We Have to Gain from Weight Loss Drugs

By David Ahn, M.D. Twenty years ago, the headlines were grim. It was common for studies to warn: “Rising Childhood Obesity Will Decrease Life Expectancy.” In large part, those predictions came true. The rise in obesity – both in children and adults – has correlated to a catastrophic rise in chronic disease that continues to … Read More

Hoag, Providence Tout Leadless Pacemaker Implants

Two of Orange County’s biggest hospitals, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian and Providence St. Joseph in Orange, today touted successful implants of the world’s first dual chamber leadless pacemaker in a patient. The FDA recently approved the Aveir DR, the world’s first dual chamber leadless pacemaker system made by medtech giant Abbott Laboratories. Newport Beach’s Hoag … Read More

$50 Million Gift Will Help Hoag Hospital Transform its Care of Memory and Cognitive Disorders

Hoag Hospital officials are announcing plans for a center at the Newport Beach campus that will “pioneer new, whole family-centered approaches to brain health and healthy aging.” A “transformational” $50 million gift from Newport Beach philanthropist Richard Pickup is helping establish the center, which will not only work on research and to improve gaps in care for … Read More

Spring Forward, Fall Back: How Daylight Savings Affects Your Health

As the seasons change, we often hear the familiar phrase “spring forward, fall back” to serve as a reminder to make better use of daylight by turning the clock ahead with warmer weather and back again with colder weather. The twice-a-year desynchronization of our body’s internal clocks means we get an “extra hour” to sleep. … Read More

Hoag Helps Pregnant Women with Diabetes Find ‘Sweet Success’

Diabetes creates challenges for women before, during and after pregnancy. But the Ueberroth Family Program for Women with Diabetes at Hoag, also known as Sweet Success, provides access to expert diabetes care relating to pregnancy. While diabetes during pregnancy increases a baby’s risk of birth defects and a mother’s risk of complications, certified diabetes educators … Read More

Is it Pregnancy or PMS?

Cramping. Fatigue. Breast tenderness. The symptoms of premenstrual syndrome mimic those of pregnancy so well, it can be difficult to tell the difference. Hoag OB/Gyn, Nura S. Sobhanian, M.D., offers some helpful tips to help you decode what your body is trying to tell you. “PMS symptoms overlap with symptoms of pregnancy, so when it … Read More

3 Steps to Take Charge of Your Brain Health

The secrets of the human brain are being unlocked at an exciting pace. We now have the first FDA-approved medication to fundamentally alter the biology of Alzheimer’s disease. In the next decade, it’s possible we will have vaccines to delay the onset of Alzheimer’s by decades. While pharmaceutical research opens an incredible new future for … Read More

Chronic Back Pain: Prevention and Treatment