Blog Archive
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered dramatic changes throughout everyday life — and in the medical community as well. Not only are providers across the country postponing elective procedures, but many are also encouraging people to avoid in-office appointments to reduce their risk of exposure to this highly contagious coronavirus.But what...
As reported in previous alerts, all health care workers who are at risk of exposure to COVID-19 – including both clinical and nonclinical outpatient medical office staff with patient-facing responsibilities – are included in the CDC’s prioritization group 1A. Vaccinations are currently ongoing for group 1A. Within group 1A, there...
Dr. DeLaney is now treating venous insufficiency pain with a non-invasive, non-surgical technique that can be done in the office. Vein disease is often misconceived as merely a cosmetic condition. Varicose veins, spider veins, lower leg skin discoloration and ulcers are signs of venous insufficiency and should be treated before...
My hope for a great America can truly be realized during our current presidency. America is now in many ways a much better nation of individuals acting as a whole than it was in 1776. When the Declaration of Independence was signed, the actions of Americans did not follow the...
CHALLENGE YOURSELF FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE Challenges in general keep us alive. Without them, there is little to look forward to. This, I believe, is the same for everyone, regardless of age. When we are younger, we eagerly anticipate challenges and accept them as part of life because...
I worry about the future of medicine, of doctors in particular, as the healthcare laws, mandates and reforms continue to change and evolve. It seems to me that outside of clinical and bench research and resultant treatment advances, few of the healthcare changes are occurring for patient benefit and certainly...
One of the most common sentiments that my patients share with me is “don’t get old.” They tell me that “it’s no fun,” “it’s not for the faint of heart” and such. I completely understand this lament although I don’t know it firsthand. As a child, I daydreamed about the...
The risk of bone fractures from even small types of trauma increases dramatically as we age. A major contributing factor is osteoporosis or thinning of the bones. The most common bones that are broken are the hip and spine. Unfortunately, older adults’ overall health tends to decline exponentially when they...
My sister in Pittsburgh, PA cut her left hand two weeks ago. She severed three tendons and the median nerve. She underwent a surgical repair without complications and after one week was prescribed physical therapy. She sent me a text message that said, “My copay for PT is $25.00 each...
Anesthesiologists have been performing nerve blocks for surgical anesthesia for centuries to allow a patient to undergo an operative procedure more comfortably with less general anesthetic and therefore fewer side effects. Modern anesthesiologists prefer to administer more regional anesthetics (i.e., anesthetizing only a specific region of the body) over a...
This procedure provides immediate pain relief for back pain due to a fractured spine. People who have osteoporosis, osteopenia, or cancer such as Multiple Myeloma are at risk of fractures of the spine which are called Vertebral Compression Fractures. Oftentimes no major injury is involved other than a slip and fall, but...
The formal definition of pain as coined by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) is “A noxious sensory and emotional experience.” This means that something not only hurts because your body feels it, but also hurts because it is a negative experience as perceived by your brain....
The fact that the country is currently in the midst of an opioid abuse crisis doesn’t negate the reality that people are still living with chronic pain that deserves to be treated. When used appropriately and conservatively in the correct population of patients, opioids remain a valuable tool to alleviate...
I read a quote once that spoke to me profoundly. I don’t know who said it, but it was that “People hope for a better life until the day they die.” For me, the quote was both enlightening and saddening. Hope is universal. Hope is what keeps us alive. Hope...
Ask any healthy octogenarian, and they will tell you that the secret to living a long, healthy, happy life is having “good friends.” They don’t have 100 best friends or 500+ Facebook friends, but they do have a few people who truly care about them. Friendship is about love which...
The aging process causes bone density to decrease due to reduced bone formation and collagen production, hormonal changes, and lack of weight-bearing activities. The loss of bone density or hardness is called osteopenia or osteoporosis depending on the severity. Certain people are even more prone to this condition depending on...
I definitely believe that it’s time to go back to basics at this point. There is so much national unrest and social angst that many of us just don’t know what to do or how to feel anymore. To use an Oprah catch phrase, “one thing that I know for...
Recently, a patient and friend of mine shared with me the dilemma of his hearing loss and the effect it is having on his quality of life. He confided that feeling left out of conversations due to his inability to hear every word caused him to feel disconnected from his...
The best advice is usually information that has been touted for centuries. It seems as if every month new medical recommendations are broadcasted regarding what supplements to take, which antioxidant foods to eat, and which vaccinations to have or not have. Throughout history, health issues have been of foremost concern...
The current opioid epidemic ensued because opioids have been widely prescribed by physicians who were told that “pain” was the 5th vital sign, in addition to temperature, pulse, blood pressure and respiratory rate, and was being undertreated. Chronic pain had been undertreated; however, physicians were lead to believe that opioids were...
One of my vivid childhood memories involves a time when I “rescued” a baby bird. I was about six years old and I was always curious about animals and nature. I lived in a small rural town so there was no shortage of outdoor exploration opportunities. One day I found...
With the holidays a matter of days away, most of us wait until January to make our resolutions for the coming year. But the truth is, every day–today–is a perfect time and opportunity for a fresh start at just about anything to improve our lives. As I get older I...
As we live our lives we are apt to experience a multitude of “coming of age” moments. One of those moments is when we realize that an elder in our family circle, who was previously known as the “care giver,” now needs us to care for them in a way...
I had an interesting discussion with a friend recently about the responsibility of doing good work. He made the comment that some people are more culpable for the quality of work they do. He said that physicians and police officers, for example, are responsible for people’s lives and therefore are...
I’ve been reading news articles lately about increased occurrences of patients who have to pay for costly anesthesiology services that are considered “out of network” with their insurance plans. Understandably, people are angry at these unexpected costs above what they’ve already agreed to pay or have paid for their surgical...
“What Happened?” This was what my new IT consultant asked me regarding the prescription narcotic addiction epidemic that this country is currently being plagued by. He said he wanted to get the information directly from an expert. So here is a more historical, although still oversimplified, version of this complex...
As we live our lives we are apt to experience a multitude of “coming of age” moments. One of those moments is when we realize that an elder in our family circle, who was previously known as the “care giver”, now needs us to care for them in a way...
I’ve been getting great results on this treatment that has now been used for more than 8 years on patients who suffer with low back pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis. If you have severe back pain when walking or standing that makes you sit down or bend forward to...
I’m a firm believer that patients get the best care when they and their doctors have a mutually respectful relationship with genuine affinity for each other. When you like someone you naturally want the best for them regardless of the social or professional dynamics. As physicians we chose the medical...
I’ve spoken to many people who have either never heard of these terms as they pertain to the medical field or they scoff at them. I’ve heard the joke too many times, “How much more practice do you need?” We are living in a time of great technological advances and...
Regenerative medicine is a new medical buzz term and is a very useful and exciting option in pain management therapy. Two of the most common regenerative treatments are Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) injections and Stem Cell (SC) injections. Essentially, these injections harness the body’s ability to heal itself, in a...
There is now an anti-smoking ad that is trying to appeal to smokers’ love for their cats. Cats that live in the homes of smokers are more likely to die of cancer and other diseases. If it’s not a powerful enough reason to quit for your own health or for...
Lose Weight and Live Healthier for The Rest of Your Life! Obesity has become an insidious national health concern over the past 20 years for multiple reasons. Fast food restaurants have made it easier and cheaper to eat an unhealthy diet than a healthy one. Our entire culture in fact has...
Be positive and never give up hope: Go Warriors! One of the most common sentiments that my patients share with me is “don’t get old”. They tell me that “it’s no fun”, “it’s not for the faint of heart” and such. I completely understand this lament although I don’t know...
Check out my new article about Osteoporosis and Chronic Pain here: Alive #2
I’m happy to announce that I am a monthly columnist for ALIVE health and wellness magazine starting November 2015. ALIVE magazine is an East Bay healthy lifestyle publication celebrating 10 years this year. It focuses on being a leading source of information for natural health and wellness and has topics and engaging articles related...
The importance of the appropriate management of chronic pain is finally getting some attention. Unfortunately, it’s also seems to be the next “new” illness for money mongers and pharmaceutical companies to make billions more in revenue. This article from the New England Journal of Medicine gives insight to and hints at...
My first experience taking a pain medication was when I was 26. I asked a friend if he had any Tylenol for my headache. I was working in my first year of the residency program in Anesthesiology at Johns Hopkins Hospital and enjoying a night off watching television with a couple...
Offering hope and encouragement to the many adults who have somehow neglected to exercise for the past few decades, a new study suggests that becoming physically active in middle age, even if someone has been sedentary for years, substantially reduces the likelihood that he or she will become seriously ill...
Everyone should be aware of the unequivocal facts that smoking tobacco cigarettes is a leading cause of several serious medical diseases; that nicotine is a powerfully addictive substance; and despite the availability of several therapies that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the vast majority of...
Online chat rooms provide a welcome venue for chronic pain sufferers to talk about their pain and receive encouragement from others who understand what they’re going through, according to a new study published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Click here to read the full article»
“When I meet with physicians and families about someone with chronic pain, the question I often hear is, ‘Does he or she really have pain?’ The answer I always give is ‘yes—all pain is real.'” Click here to read an article on Chronic Pain
Two new studies show a possible connection between smoking and the advancement of psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis (SpA). Click here to read the full article»
Click here to read a great article from the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Click here to read a great article from the New York Times on Chronic Pain.