Entries Tagged as Women's Health
A Thing of Beauty
Teresa Whitley, M.D., loves all aspects of her job at NorthBay Center for Women’s Health, but if you nudge her ever so gently, she’ll admit that she’s partial to her role as a rejuvenator.
OK, so that’s not her formal job description. Nor is she a sculptor or artist, yet all those words seem to fit a doctor whose medical spa practices help her patients to feel more attractive and confident.
Armed with syringes of Botox and other fillers, using laser photo treatments, techniques and more, she works her magic on a group of mostly women and yes, a growing number of men.
“It’s great because these patients are not ill, or coming to me in distress,” she says. “They want to look and feel better. And most people are pleased with the treatments.”
Dr. Whitley’s involvement in the medical spa business began in 2006, as a part-time venture. At the time, she was working as a hospitalist at NorthBay Medical Center and raising three children with her husband, Milind Dhond, M.D.
She made the decision to join the NorthBay Center for Women’s Health when it opened in January 2010, specializing in internal medicine for women. In February 2011, NorthBay Healthcare incorporated her growing medical spa business into the Center for Women’s Health, enabling her to offer a wide range of services to patients from her Fairfield office.
“It’s great because these patients are not ill, or coming to me in distress,” she says. “They want to look and feel better. And most people are pleased with the treatments.”
It is rare for insurance to cover any cosmetic procedures, so nearly all of Dr. Whitley’s treatments are offered on a “pay-for-the-day” basis. “You pay by the syringe for Botox or fillers. Frown lines can be removed in a single treatment for about $250, but extensive work is typically about $500 for a treatment,” she explains. Laser hair removal is about $55 a treatment for a small area, and more for larger areas, such as legs and arms.
“Most women come in once a month for laser hair removal. After six months of treatment, they’ve lost 80 to 90 percent of the unwanted hair. For some women, that’s satisfactory. Others continue to come back for touchups.”
Many women—and men—want to get rid of brown spots (sometimes called age spots or liver spots) on their faces or hands. “I had one patient who was a golfer, and she always wore a glove on one hand. Well, of course the exposed hand was much worse. We did one treatment on both hands, and an extra on the more affected hand, and weeks later, she had a matched set,” she says with a smile.
Botox is probably the most well-known treatment, but it’s different from the fillers patients can elect to receive. “Botox relaxes the muscle, but fillers fill—they make the lines disappear,” Dr. Whitley explains. “You notice a difference immediately.’’
Most of the filler treatments last three to four months and most clients are repeat customers. The best compliment of all, she says, is from the patient who reported that their coworkers thought they had just returned from vacation, because they look so rested. “People notice they look better, but they don’t necessarily know that anything has been done,” she says. “Now that’s a compliment.”
Dr. Whitley is a board-certified internal medicine physician and welcomes new patients into her practice at the same location. To schedule a treatment with Dr. Whitley, call (707) 646-4100.
There’s Hope for Troubling Leg Veins
Jane Schilling, 52, thought she’d just have to live with itchy, painful legs. After all, her mother had bad veins. So when her legs started swelling up after she turned 40, she just figured it was her lot in life. “The itching was so bad, I’d scratch my skin raw sometimes,” recalls the Vacaville resident.
She visited a number of doctors, who prescribed various topical lotions or sent her to a dermatologist. She even tried some of her grandmother’s poultices and some crazy remedies she read about, including one that involved kerosene. “Don’t try this at home,” she jokes.
It turned out that the gate valves in her veins no longer worked properly. As a result, blood flow would settle in her lower legs, causing the swelling and itching. Her legs, feet and ankles were all swollen. It felt like she was wearing snow boots all the time. She even had a hard time standing up if she’d been sitting for awhile.
It was certainly a problem, because in her job as director of volunteer services for NorthBay Healthcare, she has to be on her toes, keeping the NorthBay Guild and various volunteer programs moving forward.
“I would tell every woman who suspects that she might have this to ask her doctor. You don’t have to live with this condition.”
Then one day, she volunteered to help with the grand opening of NorthBay’s Center for Women’s Health, and her life changed.
She was assigned to monitor a discussion led by cardiothoracic surgeon Seph Naficy, M.D. His topic was varicose veins and circulation. “I felt like he was speaking directly to me,” Jane recalls. “Every symptom he discussed, I had. I started asking questions and practically took over the session.”
Later, she visited Dr. Naficy’s office, where Karen DeGroot, R.N. and a registered vascular technologist performed some tests that confirmed it. “They told me I hit the jackpot. I was a candidate for venous closure.”
Within weeks, the procedure was scheduled. A small incision was made at the back of Jane’s knee. A catheter emanating painless radiofrequency waves was inserted and used to collapse the malfunctioning vein. The deep vein in her leg “took over,” delivering blood back to the heart. “The body’s pretty smart,” says Jane. Forty minutes later, she walked out of the office. “I could immediately tell that my legs didn’t feel heavy.”
Now she can ride in an airplane without the fear of her ankles swelling. Her legs no longer appear blue, and her varicose veins have disappeared. She has more stamina, can exercise at will, and even punctuates her remarks with a kick, showing off her new-found flexibility.
“I would tell every woman who suspects that she might have this to ask her doctor. You don’t have to live with this condition.”
Dr. Naficy says that both men and women can experience venous reflux disease, although it is more prominent in women.
“For a problem that affects the general population five to 10 times more than arterial disease, it’s surprising how under-reported it is,” said Dr. Naficy. “We have the modern tools to address it aggressively and in a minimally invasive manner.”
To that end, Karen DeGroot attends health fairs and visits senior citizen communities, educating the public about venous problems and treatment options.
For more information, contact DeGroot at (707) 422-2348.
Restoring Continence & Confidence
It’s an amazing statistic—one out of three women share a common healthcare concern: the uncontrolled leakage of urine—a condition called urinary incontinence. This common condition may interfere with every aspect of a woman’s life, from normal activities of daily living and hygiene, to social activities and even intimacy.
“The effect on a woman’s morale and self esteem can be devastating,” says Andrew Lin, M.D., a urogynecologist at the NorthBay Center for Women’s Health. “The good news is that this typically progressive problem is treatable, and successful treatment is life-changing for so many individuals.”
The specialty of urogynecology includes the diagnosis and treatment of urinary incontinence. The type, cause and severity of the incontinence determine the treatment options. Many cases of incontinence may be corrected or improved with changes in diet, exercise, and muscle retraining. Some typical foods and beverages that adversely affect how the bladder functions are milk, soda and citrus fruits. The majority of incontinence problems can be corrected with outpatient surgery.
Signified by leakage brought on by laughing, coughing or sneezing, stress urinary incontinence limits lifestyles and relationships because of the embarrassment that accompanies odor and wetness. Typically the symptoms worsen over time as pregnancy, childbirth, hormonal changes, prior surgery or obesity can cause the weakening of the pelvic muscles and tissues. The bladder and pelvic floor (the support structure for the bladder) are composed of and controlled by various muscles and muscle groups which can be strengthened with physical therapy. Stress incontinence is also very successfully treated surgically using a sling system.
“The sling procedure is a minimally invasive, highly effective procedure for eliminating stress incontinence,” Dr. Lin explains. “It generally takes less than 20 minutes and can be performed on an outpatient basis.”
The second most common form of urinary incontinence is urge incontinence, which includes the leakage of urine for no apparent reason. With this condition, the bladder, a balloon-like organ which holds urine, suddenly contracts, forcing the urine to leak out. “Urge incontinence can often be treated with medication, physical therapy to strengthen the sphincter muscles, and lifestyle changes such as diet and voiding habits,” according to Heather Rose, a physical therapist specializing in pelvic floor disorders and incontinence at the NorthBay Center for Women’s Health.
More than 13 million people in the United States, young and old, experience incontinence at some point in their lives. By the year 2020, the sale of adult diapers nationwide will exceed the sales of baby diapers due to this ever-growing problem. This condition is twice as common in women as in men and people of all ages can be affected.
Urinary incontinence always results from an underlying medical condition. Therefore it is important to diagnose the cause of the problem to assure the correct treatment. In most cases this hidden problem is treatable. In fact, 95 percent of women with stress incontinence treated using a sling device were dry without any further treatment.
The first step in getting treatment for incontinence is talking with your doctor. Urinary incontinence is a very common and treatable condition that shouldn’t interfere with quality of life.
For an appointment with Dr. Lin to discuss incontinence, please call the NorthBay Center for Women’s Health at (707) 646-4100.
Nursing Know-how
For new moms who decide to breastfeed, Cindy Stade is a coach, a cheerleader and an advice nurse, all rolled into one. In the six months since she’s arrived at NorthBay Healthcare, the lactation support specialist and registered nurse has established two thriving support groups for breastfeeding moms, created a call line for patients, staff and providers and happily takes and returns e-mail messages from those who seek her advice.
And that’s just the beginning. When the surgeon general came out in January with a “call to action” to make breastfeeding an easier choice for American mothers, Cindy was quick to point out that NorthBay had already implemented three of five recommendations.
“Sometimes new moms
need instruction; other
times, they just need a little encouragement or someone to listen to them. That’s why I’m here.”Cindy Stade
Lactation Support Specialist
In her report, Surgeon General Dr. Regina M. Benjamin noted that while 75 percent of U.S. babies start out breastfeeding, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says only 13 percent are exclusively breastfed at the end of six months.
A study published in the journal Pediatrics estimated that the nation would save $13 billion a year in health care and other costs if 90 percent of U.S. babies were exclusively breastfed for six months. Cindy wants to give new moms the support and confidence they need to be able to continue if they choose.
Cindy has worked in both inpatient and outpatient maternal child nursing for 26-plus years. In 1990, she began teaching all aspects of prenatal classes, and became a Certified Lactation Educator through UCLA in 1998.
A decade ago, she obtained her status as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, most recently working at a large East Bay hospital. “I’m glad to be here closer to home, where I was born and raised (Napa),” she said. “I really appreciate NorthBay’s family-like structure.”
One of her support groups is for mothers of healthy full-term babies, while the other caters to moms whose children got their start in NorthBay’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “They have special challenges, but the decision to breastfeed is the best thing all these mothers can do for their newborns. It’s a special time of bonding and while there are some hurdles, it’s worth the effort,” says Cindy. “Sometimes new moms need instruction, other times, they just need a little encouragement or someone to listen to them. That’s why I’m here.”
For more information about Cindy’s support groups, call (707) 646-5024 or e-mail cstade@northbay.org.
