Apr 28, 2014
In observation of Oral Cancer Awareness Month, we wanted to provide you with some information about the human papillomavirus (HPV) and oral cancer and the links between the two.
There are more than 40 types of HPV that can affect the mouth and throat areas, most of which congregate near the base of the tongue and tonsil area, known as the “oropharynx.” HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States, but only HPV type 16 has been found in oropharyngeal cancer.
The human body typically fights off the HPV infection naturally, but the infection has the potential to turn regular cells in infected skin into irregular cells—sometimes irreversibly so. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, “about 7% of people have oral HPV,” and of that number, “only 1% of people have the type of oral HPV that is found in oropharyngeal cancers.”
Mar 27, 2014
The fellas at No Umbrella Media in Portland did an amazing job with all the photography and video shoots for the Dancing with the Dentists event back in November. They recently finished the videos containing footage of the actual event and we would like to share them with you. They certainly did not disappoint!
One more big thanks to the two Nicks at No Umbrella for their tireless work!
Dr. Brunacini and his wife Dr. Jenny Fultz — Our Dancing with the Dentists, Season 1: Bonding Together Champions!
Dr. Killian MacCarthy and his wife Dr. Tarryn Strating MacCarthy — Runners-up
Dr. Douglas Delli Colli and his wife Dr. Nichol Penna — Second Runners-up
Dr. Joe Penna and his wife Dr. Demi Kouzounas — Third Runners-up
Feb 27, 2014
On February 7th our office wore red in honor of National Women’s Heart Health Day. Heart problems – like heart attack and stroke – are the number one cause of death of women around the globe. We have participated in the movement for 2 consecutive years now and we plan to continue doing so to continue to spread awareness in hopes to save just one life. This blog post is dedicated to educate you on ways that you can “Know Your Risk” to keep yourself and other women in your life safe, as well ways in which you can join the movement. Please enjoy and know that together we can make a difference.
First order of business is for you to “Know Your Risk.” You may not even know that you are at risk for heart attack, stroke, or other heart conditions. That is a large part of what makes this so scary. Family history, eating habits, and sleep patterns are a few of the key factors that could raise a woman’s risk of heart disease. Knowing what puts you at risk and being proactive by fighting those risks could save your life!
So you may be asking… “What are the risks?”
As we mentioned before, family history, eating habits, and sleep patterns are a few, but it doesn’t end there. Weight, body mass index, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high glucose levels in your blood are all things that put you at risk for heart disease.
Now that you know what the risks are, you may be asking, “How and when should I test for those things?”
Here are some guidelines from the American Heart Association that will help you answer those questions.
- Blood pressure – every regular health care visit starting at age 20
- Cholesterol – every five years starting at age 20. More often if: total cholesterol is above 200; if you are a man older than 45 or a woman older than 50; if you’re a woman whose HDL is less than 50 or a man whose HDL is less than 40; if you have other cardiovascular risk factors
- Weight/body mass index – every health care visit starting at age 20
- Waist circumference – as needed starting at age 20
- Blood glucose – every three years starting at age 45
You can start right now by assessing yourself by clicking this link to start your health checkup: https://www.goredforwomen.org/know-your-risk/find-out-your-risk/heart-checkup/
Feb 27, 2014
Oftentimes, people don’t participate in these sorts of things because they do not know how to start to get involved. Not knowing where to begin can be scary and add stress to your already stressful life. But just think of the potential implications if you don’t join…
Joining this movement is easy. It starts with taking care of yourself. Then you can take care of your loved ones. Then, before you know it, you are an advocate for Heart Health everywhere you go.
Here are 10 ways that you can “Go Red” provided by the American Heart Association:
- Know Your Heart Score
- Live Healthy
- Know the Signs of a Heart Attack
- Start Walking
- Wear Red
- Host a ‘Wear Red Day’ Event
- Help your Community Go Red
- Go Red Online
- Shop for the Cause
- Support Go Red
It doesn’t always have to be extravagant or a monumental event to be helpful and beneficial. Every little bit helps, and it especially helps you! Get the list in more detail by clicking this link to it’s page on the American Heart Association website!
Also, check out this video! http://vimeo.com/85786476
Feb 27, 2014
Valentine’s Day is a holiday that is widely celebrated, but celebrated in many different ways. One tradition that is of the more common is giving your valentine candy on February 14th. But why?
Chocolate candies as we know them today were created sometime in the late 1800’s. It was not long after their creation that they began to be marketed and created in heart shapes. What a thoughtful gift, right? Of course. Chocolate – especially shaped like a heart – is considered a valuable, divine, delicious, decadent, sophisticated gift. It’s the perfect gift.
Or at least it was in the 1800’s. Maybe it is now time that we start thinking outside the box (of chocolates) a little bit again to find some “sweet” ways to show our valentines just how much we care.
If you haven’t noticed…this is our helpless way of trying to keep our beloved patients away from the candy 😉
We know that this tradition is so deeply engrained within the holiday that it would take much more than a mere blog post to change that. And who are we kidding, it is sweet – literally and figuratively.
But don’t get carried away. Lay off the half priced candy on February 15th! This we are serious about 😉
We hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day filled with all of your favorite treats and most importantly, your favorite people.
