Expert tips from Dr. John Hinson, local Orthopedic Surgeon at Palm Beach Orthopedic Institute

For many people, especially women, a purse is more than just an accessory; it’s a symbol of
their identity. It’s a daily essential. But according to orthopedic experts, that trusty shoulder bag
might be doing more harm than good.
“Carrying a heavy purse on the same shoulder every day can lead to postural imbalances and
even long-term shoulder issues,” says Dr. John Hinson, M.D., a board-certified orthopedic
surgeon with the Palm Beach Orthopedic Institute.

The Posture Problem You Might Be Ignoring:

The human shoulder is built for mobility, not for bearing weight over long periods. When a
person consistently carries a purse on one side, the body naturally compensates. The shoulder
may elevate, the spine tilts slightly, and certain muscles–particularly around the neck and upper
back–become overworked.

Over time, this may lead to:
● Neck and shoulder tightness
● Muscle Strain and Fatigue
● Irritation of the rotator cuff
● Worsening of underlying issues like arthritis or impingement

“Even if the bag doesn’t feel particularly heavy, it’s the repetitive, one-sided load that can create
an imbalance,” says Dr. Hinson. “This is especially problematic for people who already have
shoulder instability, tendinitis, early arthritis, or other debilitating conditions.”

Tips to Avoid Overuse:
Dr. Hinson recommends a few simple adjustments to help prevent shoulder problems caused by
everyday bag-carrying habits:
● Switch sides regularly. Alternate shoulders throughout the day to avoid overuse on one
side.
● Downsize your bag. Only carry essentials and clean it out regularly to avoid carrying
extra weight.
● Consider a crossbody or backpack. These styles help distribute weight more evenly and
reduce pressure on one shoulder.

● Stay posture-aware. Avoid raising your shoulder to keep the strap in place, and try to
maintain a straight spine and level shoulders.

When to Seek Help:
If you’re experiencing persistent shoulder discomfort, especially pain that interferes with daily
activities or sleep, Dr. Hinson strongly recommends seeing your local specialist. Early
intervention can prevent minor issues from becoming chronic problems.

“The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body,” says Dr. Hinson. “Taking care of it
means being mindful of small, everyday habits–like how you carry your bag.”

To learn more about Dr. John Hinson, M.D., and the Palm Beach Orthopaedic Institute, visit
www.pboi.com.

We don’t need another reason to exercise. We already know it’s necessary for life, with endless mental and physical health benefits. With massive social trends toward healthy living from wellness events and zero alcohol club experiences dominating the now, it’s hard to escape the thought that we are supposed to embrace exercise. But not everyone loves it the way the bouncy content creator that interrupts our feed does. In fact, some of us hate it. And science says there’s a reason for that.

Not Everyone Gets the Same Dose of Dopamine 

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a role as the “reward center” in functions like motivation, mood, attention, memory, movement, and more. Exercise and movement increase dopamine release and the brain’s responsiveness, which signals pleasure and improved mood. This positive feedback loop of exercise to improve mood creates the desire to exercise more. However, genetic variations in the dopamine reward system can influence how much “reward” a person gets from exercise, with some experiencing far more than others.  While some brains don’t deliver as much dopamine from working out, others have another scientific reason, an underlying condition known as exercise intolerance, which needs to be addressed by a healthcare provider.

Exercise Intolerance

Exercise intolerance is characterized by the inability to perform physical activity at the expected level and can lead to severe fatigue, pain, and discomfort after minimal exertion. It’s not a disease but a symptom that can arise from underlying conditions, diagnosed or undiagnosed, that affect the neuromuscular, cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic systems.

“Exercise intolerance is the inability to do things that you could have done prior to having an event,” Dr. Denzil Seedial, a critical care physician and pulmonologist, explains. For example, a major accident, certain illnesses, COVID-19, or a respiratory tract infection would be considered an event. “It’s any change from baseline.”

Diagnosing the root cause of exercise intolerance requires more investigation if no events or obvious life changes can be identified.

“If you continue to be short of breath, it’s usually cardiac or pulmonary related. If after slowly beginning to exercise a patient reports they’re finding themself more short of breath than the average person, and we don’t think it’s from deconditioning, then further diagnostic testing like a chest x-ray, a pulmonary function test, or a cardiopulmonary exercise stress test are used to look for things like asthma, exercise induced asthma, or COPD,” adds Dr. Seedial.

Why Failure Feels So Heavy

Our minds undoubtedly play a major role in everything we do, including finding the motivation to do things we want to do and the relationship between how we accept the success or failure of personal goals. Science proves that mindset is more than just willpower; it’s also rooted in biology. If we set unrealistic exercise goals and subsequently can’t meet those goals, we may feel an unhealthy sense of failure. Failure, embarrassment, and disappointment can feel physically jarring because they impact areas in our brain called the amygdala and insula.  The feeling of failure also cuts dopamine off, which can lower motivation and reinforce negative associations. Employing the correct support to set safe, realistic exercise goals is important so we don’t create a negative experience and impact the likelihood of continuing.

Fitness trends may come and go, but exercise’s medical benefits are permanent. If you’ve ever felt like you hated exercise, there may be a scientific reason, and you’re certainly not alone. Enlist the help of your medical provider if you suspect exercise intolerance. Starting small, setting realistic goals, focusing on the wins, and finding an exercise program that interests you all improve the chances that you trade hate for healthy habits.

By: Devi Ramprasad for Khanna Connections. A common complaint amongst many is the lack of knowledge about the importance of SPF earlier in life. And by the time you realize the importance, the sun has already burned you to a fine crisp. After the effects of acne and lack of SPF arise, people tend to seek out 2-in-1 solutions frantically, and some give up altogether.

But your skin deserves the extra chance that your ex-high school boyfriend didn’t. Only this time, you won’t regret it.

I decided to join in searching for skin care solutions and came across the JetPeel facial. If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for facials, but this one seemed like it was on another level. And I was right.

During the treatment, pressurized streams of air penetrate the deep layer of your skin, called the dermis, to deliver cleansers and serums. Your dermis is made up primarily of collagen and provides your skin with structure and elasticity. Loss of collagen is one factor that causes your skin to age. Jet peel facials help boost collagen and restore elasticity, reducing the appearance of aging and delivering same-day results. As much as I wanted to run for the hills after hearing the procedure details, I was intrigued. And according to Elle, “It [JetPeel Facial] sounds intense, but a jet peel facial isn’t as harsh as the title suggests.” As I educated myself, I learned that these peels are actually needle-less. And after Nerisha Penrose, a reporter for Elle finished her JetPeel session, her skin was ‘clean’ and ‘shining.’ Despite hearing this, I was still skeptical about how it would work for everyone else because, from what I learned, skincare is not one size fits all. But my doubts were put to rest when I discovered that JetPeels work on all skin types. Now I was convinced that you would walk out of the spa doors a new person. Now, which spa doors?

It seemed like a reach to visit a local spa as this treatment looks fit for celebrities and would put anyone less than a B-List on the see-ya list. The philosophy that gas money shouldn’t cost more than the actual service was ringing in my ears as I searched for local spas. A couple of years ago, anyone would’ve been packing their bags to get this service, but now this treatment is accessible to locals. Shelly Nunez, the owner of Celebrity Lashes and Makeup, offers this treatment to help her clients look and feel their best from the inside out. “The sun is one of the most damaging elements to the skin. Jet peel facials have the potential to reverse a lot of damage relatively quickly. So it was important to us to bring this level of advanced technology locally,” says CEO and aesthetician Shelly Nunez. Keep on wearing SPF, but from now on, the only thing it stands for is Super Pretty Face.

A look into how your watch might help your healthcare team with expert insights from Dr. Luis Peña-Hernández

There’s no doubt that the Apple Watch is one of the most desired watches on the market. For most people, it’s because of its sleek design and the fact that it allows you to leave larger devices behind while still staying connected to phone calls, texts, emails, and more. But can the Apple Watch keep track of data that might help your healthcare team? Between the watches’ fitness tracker, heart rate monitor, sleep tracker, blood oxygen, and ECG apps, plus the tons of other health and safety features, it is safe to say that the Apple Watch really was designed to be “the ultimate device for a healthy life”. 

What Are the Apple Watch Health Features?

While this is not an Apple Watch endorsement, I do think that this device is in its early stages of becoming the future of health. It has the potential to catch early warning signs, send fitness reminders, and keep track of data in your everyday life that your doctor would otherwise not be able to track. Here are just a few of the current features that may be helpful to you and your healthcare provider:

• Heart rate notifications: Apple Watch checks for unusually high or low heart rates in the background, which could be signs of a serious underlying condition. This could help you and your doctor identify situations that may warrant further evaluation.
• ECG app: With the ECG app, those who experience symptoms such as rapid or skipped heartbeat, or receive the irregular rhythm notification, can capture an ECG and record their symptoms. This real-world data can enable you to make more informed and timely decisions regarding further evaluation and care. 
• Sleep tracker app: The Sleep app doesn’t just track your sleep. It works with your iPhone to help you create a schedule and bedtime routine so you can meet your sleep goals. This information can be particularly useful for people who have daytime sleepiness, obesity, or general medical conditions like hypertension. Those individuals are at higher risk of suffering from sleep apnea. The information recorded can be useful to recognize the need to seek medical advice to evaluate your sleep in a more professional manner.

 In addition to the features listed above, the watch can keep track of your workouts, oxygen level tracker, ability to connect you to emergency services after a hard fall, and more. These features could be essential to early detection and could ultimately end up saving a life. 

Apple Watch is one of many devices capable of tracking your sleep. There are several Android equivalents such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch, Fitbit, and Amazfit. Each one will have pros and cons that will depend on every different user and other devices used to pair and store the data.

In general, it’s always advisable to discuss any potential concerns with your healthcare provider. But information is power, and there’s no better way to achieve better quality sleep than measuring it.

Hemorrhoids are soft fleshy lumps filled with blood vessels, similar to varicose veins, found at the end of the rectum or around the anus area. Also known as piles, they are found inside the rectum (internal) or outside (external). Although common, hemorrhoids can be uncomfortable and an area of self-consciousness, but in some cases, they can prove dangerous.

Nearly three out of four American men and women will experience hemorrhoids throughout their lifetime. According to the National Institute of Health, that number increases to almost 50% over the age of 50. Although they are unlikely to pose a significant health risk, hemorrhoids are known to be unsightly, itchy, painful, uncomfortable, and can cause hygienic risks.

Luckily, advances in research and treatment offer effective options as simple as lifestyle changes and home treatments to more permanent solutions as minimal as same-day in-office procedures.

Causes

The main cause of hemorrhoids is increased pressure in the lower rectum caused by straining during bowel movements, lifting heavy objects (including weights), childbirth, obesity, and long periods on the toilet. Other causes include anal intercourse, low-fiber diets, chronic diarrhea or constipation, and normal aging due to the weakening and stretching of the tissues that support the veins in your rectum.

The likelihood of being affected by dilated veins, or hemorrhoids, in a lifetime is high, so knowing the signs and symptoms is imperative.

Signs and Symptoms

Sometimes the first sign of a hemorrhoid is simply palpation, meaning the person finds it incidentally while showering or touching near the anus. Other symptoms include itching, irritation, pain, discomfort, or swelling. However, it’s the most common sign that may have the most significant need for further evaluation.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the most widely recognized sign is bright red blood in your stool, on your toilet paper, or in your toilet. This symptom can also be associated with colon cancer.

“Rectal bleeding in the absence of an obvious external lump near the anus or rectal bleeding accompanied with a change in bowel habits, change in stool, unintended weight loss, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain or discomfort, or any new unexplained symptoms need further evaluation,” said fellowship-trained colorectal surgeon Dr. Kyle Eldredge who has a practice in Wellington. “Hemorrhoids do not cause colon cancer, but they share some symptoms, and there have been cases where diagnoses have been prolonged because symptoms were mistakenly dismissed as hemorrhoids.”

Treatment Options

There are many treatment options ranging from prevention to surgical removal of hemorrhoids, called hemorrhoidectomies. The best way to prevent hemorrhoids is by keeping your stools soft. This can be accomplished with high-fiber foods, plenty of fluids, fiber supplements when indicated, relieving your bowels as soon as you feel the urge, weight management, and avoiding long periods of sitting (especially on the toilet).

Seeing your doctor is helpful for learning which invasive and non-invasive treatments are an option. “I think most people assume we will recommend a surgical procedure as the first solution, and that’s not typically the case. We consider the severity of the hemorrhoid(s) and how much it interrupts the quality of life. Most of the time, we can help with an over-the-counter medication combined with education on lifestyle changes or a non-surgical option,” adds Dr. Eldredge, who routinely treats hemorrhoids. “Some people qualify for a small office-based procedure using the CRH O’Regan System, which allows us to use gentle suction for a painless, permanent solution that takes minutes and does not require anesthesia. We really have so many newer options, including a hemorrhoidectomy when needed.”

Enlisting Help

Despite most hemorrhoids being non-threat, there are many reasons that many people want to address them. For starters, they can get worse or bigger. In addition to sharing some symptoms with more serious diagnoses, rare but severe cases of hemorrhoids can cause anemia, strangulated hemorrhoids, and blood clots can form in thrombosed hemorrhoids, all of which can cause immense pain.

The Best Exercise Program for Each Decade of Your Life(Opens in a new browser tab)

Visiting an expert is the safe next step, especially if symptoms don’t improve after a week with over-the-counter remedies and lifestyle changes. Learn more about Advanced Surgical Care in Wellington, Florida, by visiting www.toplinemd.com/advanced-surgical-physicians or calling (561) 333-1335.