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Off Balance? When to See a Specialist
While dizziness, vertigo and other issues affecting balance can be alarming, they're usually benign and due to an underlying issue like an ear infection or low blood pressure. Vertigo is most commonly associated with issues affecting the inner ear, including infections and nerve-related problems. A few people may experience vertigo as a symptom of a condition called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, which causes feelings of spinning when the head is placed in different positions, especially when lying down. Lightheadedness is often linked with a decrease in blood pressure, but it can also be caused by some types of infections or by low blood sugar. People with migraines also frequently have bouts of dizziness, either accompanied by headache or occurring even when head pain is absent. In a few cases, dizziness and balance problems are linked with problems in the brain or nervous system.

Diagnosis of dizziness and balance issues begins with a review of symptoms and a physical exam, accompanied by an in-depth medical history to look for risk factors and "clues." Additional evaluations like blood tests, diagnostic imaging, auditory testing and in-office evaluations of reflexes may also be performed or recommended.

Because most dizziness and vertigo symptoms are related to non-emergency underlying issues, treating those issues typically helps resolve balance-related symptoms. When tests reveal a more serious underlying issue related to nervous system disorders, treatment will focus on addressing those issues to determine if symptoms resolve.
Advanced Center for Neurology & Headache 888-1099

Be your own Health Advocate
Use the Right Words: the Difference Between Dizziness & Vertigo
Dizziness is a feeling of lightheadedness or of becoming faint. Vertigo is the sensation that the room is spinning around you. Both dizziness and vertigo can occur when lying down, sitting down or standing and both can cause problems with balance as well as increasing the risk of falling.

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3 Reasons Why You Need a Senior Care Advisor to Help your Family
1. It's an Emotional Decision
Making decisions, sometimes fast decisions depending on your loved one's situation, can be emotional and stressful. We don't make our best - or most-informed decisions - when we are faced with frustration and sadness.
2. An Advisor is a Local Expert that can Save You Time
Senior care advisors can provide an insider's view on local senior communities and short- and long-term care options. They can narrow down your list of communities to visit and ensure it is the right fit for your loved one. They visit communities regularly and have been working with families in your similar situation. Comprehensively trained, they are true experts and are a great resource for community, care and transition information.
3. You Get Personalized Assistance
Once a senior care advisor assesses your family's needs and provides you the information that's catered toward your family's situation, you can visit communities and make decisions at your own pace. They are also there to help you along the way, answer questions and keep in touch with you throughout the search process - even after the move - to make sure everything is going well.
Assisted Living Locators is a free senior placement and referral service to explore and understand senior living care options, information and resources. They provide short-and long-term care options along with a network of industry specialists and local resources. 544-1004

Unretire Yourself & Make a Difference in Someone's Life
Retirement can be a time of growth and adventure for some. But, for others, it can be a self-imposed exile from life and purpose. What if you could have the best of both worlds, flexing your time between the growth you desire and the purpose and passion you need to fill your heart and mind?
Some 117 million Americans are expected to need caregiving assistance by 2020, according to the Caregiving Innovations Frontiers study, conducted by AARP and Parks Associates. Yet the actual number of caregivers is only expected to reach 50 million - 45 million unpaid, 5 million paid - by that time.
Home Instead Senior Care has developed a program geared to older workers called "Un-retire Yourself," which touts the benefits of working a part-time job in retirement. We provide educational seminars, hands-on training and the encouragement needed to take able-bodied, sharp-minded retirees back into the workforce where they can make an extraordinary difference in peoples' lives.
Home Instead Senior Care for Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys 254-8701

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Laughing Gas & your Child's Dental Appointment
Ever wonder why your child's pediatric dentist recommends laughing gas to get them through the fillings appointment? Is it a good idea, or should you just let them get the treatment without it?

Laughing gas, or the combination of inhaled nitrous oxide and oxygen, is a safe and effective means of managing pain and anxiety in dentistry. There is an inherent safety margin for the proper administration of nitrous oxide-oxygen sedation.

Nitrous oxide oxygen is usually delivered via a nasal hood and helps relax the child, taking the anxiety away without inducing sleep/sedation. It's best used when the child is mildly anxious but can generally cooperate with conventional behavior-management techniques at the pediatric dental office.

The child is allowed to breathe 100-percent oxygen after treatment, which flushes the nitrous oxide from their bodies and makes them feel normal again. They can carry on with their regular activities and go to school, pending their dentist's approval post treatment with nitrous oxide oxygen.
Kidz Dental Care 388-0499

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Local Laser Pros Treat Executives in Japan
Owners and key staff members from MB Laser just returned from a sponsorship event for Health and Wellness Week for over seventy corporate executives in Hakone, Japan. A week of warm massages, laser treatments and herbal remedies to cleanse and detox the body brought raves from this discerning audience.

MB Laser offers treatment for pain management, weight loss, healthy living and, coming soon, an array of detox herbs. The trip to Japan included Doctors Bai Mac and Teresa Quanch, the inventors of low-light laser treatment therapy. Technicians from the Santa Clarita office included Dorina and Bob Grella, Gemma Sivaborvorn and Dr. Denise Greene. Patients were very happy with the results, and company executives look forward to doing it again in the fall of this year.
MB Laser Therapy Pain Health Management 888-1276

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You don't have to Wait to be Immunized
Local healthcare providers have recently been fielding one pressing inquiry: Where can I get my family immunized now? Many have found that they need a long-off appointment to receive a vaccine in the office of their primary physician. What to do if you want to protect yourself or those you love from a record-breaking measles influx or other preventable disease? Consider a local full-service pharmacy like Santa Clarita Pharmacy. They'll first provide a free screening, then make recommendations for all ages. The flu, shingles, pneumonia, measles and more can be prevented with vaccines available in stock. Their pharmacists are specially-trained certified immunizers and will administer the vaccine in a private, professional setting, answering any questions about immunization needs, side effects and recommendations. Traveling abroad? They can make recommendations for special immunizations you may want to protect you from illness overseas.
Santa Clarita Pharmacy 673-5101

Facial or Neck Pain?
It may be Temporomandibular Disorder
Millions of Americans suffer from chronic facial and neck pain as well as severe, recurring headaches. In some cases, this pain is due to temporomandibular disorder, also known as TMD.
Your temporomandibular joints, or TMJs, connect your lower jawbone to your skull. These joints get a lot of use throughout the day as you speak, chew, swallow and yawn. Pain in and around these joints can be unpleasant and may even restrict movement.

Symptoms of TMD include:
Pain in the jaw area
Pain, ringing or stuffiness in the ears
Frequent headaches or neck aches
Clicking or popping sound when the jaw moves
Muscle spasms in the jaw area
A change in the alignment of top and bottom teeth
Locked jaw or limited opening of the mouth

If you feel that you might have TMD, it is always important to see your dentist and receive an exam. However, not all jaw pain is associated with TMD, and if you do not have TMD, there are many different preventive steps you can take to maintain a healthy, strong smile.

Relax your face - "lips together, teeth apart"
Avoid grinding your teeth
Avoid all gum chewing
Don't cradle the phone between your head and shoulder - either use a headset or hold it to your ear
Chew food evenly on both sides of your mouth
Do not sit with your chin rested on your hand
Practice good posture - keep your head up, back straight and shoulders squared
Snow Orthodontics 799-0775