Category Archives: Doctors

Child health, Doctors, Healthcare, Hospitals, Medical Tourism, Surgeons, Surgery

More Parents Travelling For Child Surgery

Traveling out of state or country for medical treatment, commonly referred to as medical tourism, is now catching on with parents seeking specialized surgeries for their children. 

In the last few years, parents f r o m around the world have flocked to the United States for specialized pediatric surgeries. And American parents have sought help in countries with nationalized healthcare or more affordable surgeries, such as India. But as with all surgical procedures and practices, experts are advising caution. 

Dr. Armen Ketchedjian, author of the book Will It Hurt? A Parent’s Practical Guide to Children’s Surgery, says that any parent looking for the best care for their child should place quality first, and that any decision made about surgery should be done with the advice and counsel of the child’s pediatrician. 

“Selecting a surgeon for a child can be a difficult process for parents,” says Dr. Ketch, as the author is known to his patients. “It’s a frightening thing to be told that your child needs surgery, and parents are sometimes slow to trust doctors to operate. So caution is a natural and advisable strategy.”

Hospitals like Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, have adapted to the trend and deal with families f r o m around the world—200 f r o m Italy alone—who travel there to take advantage of the hospital’s specialized surgeries to restore vision in premature babies. 

For American parents, the journey often leads them to areas with American-trained doctors working for lower wages. “Unfortunately, the healthcare companies sometimes insist on very strict criteria for approving a surgery,” says Dr. Ketch. “It has changed the way pediatric surgeons practice medicine.”

Dr. Ketch hopes that his book will contribute to better parent education about pediatric surgery in general and recommends that parents who are considering traveling to see specialists keep the following guidelines in mind:

* Look for a surgeon who has training in the kind of surgery your child needs

* Find out in advance what type of facility your child will have to be in for the procedure

* If you have a choice between a medical center that specializes in pediatrics and one that does not, choose the one that specializes in pediatrics

* Look for a surgeon who has extensive experience

These tips and more are part of Dr. Ketch’s efforts to give parents some insight into the world of pediatric surgery. He says hopes that more parents will take advantage of resources like his to learn about their options before making a final decision about where to take their child for surgery. 

Will It Hurt? helps educate parents about pediatric surgery. It is an easy-to-read resource that will give parents, children and families the help and reassurance they need to make surgical experiences as stress-free as possible.

Listed in The Guide to America’s Top Anesthesiologists by the Consumer Research Council of America, Dr. Ketch trained at Cornell Medical Center, with a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a pain management elective at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has also worked to help develop new techniques in ambulatory anesthesia, taught medical students and residents, and cared for more than 10,000 patients.

Dr. Ketch is also the author of the children’s book Golden Apples (winner of the 2008 Reviewer’s Choice Award), a beautifully illustrated book that aims to help educate children about the dangers of drug abuse. 

For more information, contact the author directly at support@dr.ketch.com.

WARREN ENTERPRISES, LLC and author Dr. Armen G. Ketchedjian chose Arbor Books, Inc. (www.ArborBooks.com) to design and promote Will It Hurt? A Parent’s Practical Guide to Children’s Surgery. Arbor Books is an internationally renowned, full-service book design, ghostwriting and marketing firm. 

(Will It Hurt? A Parent’s Practical Guide to Children’s Surgery by Dr. Ketch; ISBN: 0-9815373-0-8; $14.95; 172 pages; 5½” x 8 ½”; softcover with illustrations; WARREN ENTERPRISES, LLC).

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Diagnostics, Diseases, Doctors, Eye Care, Healthcare, Medicine, Ophthalmology, Society

Barack Obama Signs Proclamation Save Your Vision Week 2009 – BiCOM with Glaucoma Eye Test Diaton is Preparing to Help

Barack Obama, President of the United States of America proclaims March 1 through March 7, 2009, as Save Your Vision Week. BiCOM Inc home of Glaucoma Eye Test Diaton – non-contact Glaucoma Eye Test through the Eyelid is prepared to assist with vision screenings. Roman Iospa, CEO of BiCOM comments on Presidents support of glaucoma screenings. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are critical to minimize vision loss from eye diseases.

Proclamation by the president of the United Stated of America addresses the important issue of Blindness and visual impairment that affects millions of Americans. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are critical to minimize vision loss from eye diseases. During Save Your Vision Week – Barack Obama encourages all Americans to take action to prevent their vision loss.

BiCOM Inc. home of Glaucoma Eye Test Diaton Tonometer (IOP through the Eyelid), has been a long supporter of preventive glaucoma screenings. At a recent free glaucoma screening event where BiCOM in conjunction with SAVE Program (Sight for a Vision Exchange) and The Congressional Glaucoma Caucus Foundation conducted at New York City Children’s Services in honor of African American Heritage Celebration has revealed many with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) a major risk factor for glaucoma. Patients were referred to an ophthalmologist Dr. Lynnette P. Williams-Young a glaucoma specialist for further evaluation.

Unfortunately, most people have limited knowledge of blinding eye disorders. Based on National Eye Institute 2005 study, only eight percent of respondents knew that glaucoma, a condition that can damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss and blindness, strikes without early warning. Similarly, glaucoma also begins as a silent vision threat; as per Prevent Blindness America, it is estimated that of those Americans that have glaucoma, only half know they have it. It is estimated that 60 million Americans are at risk for developing glaucoma.

Everyone should be screened, especially with availability of new non-invasive (over the eyelid) glaucoma screening technology aka “Glaucoma Eye Test” Diaton tonometer available to optometrists, ophthalmologists and general physicians, enabling doctors to quickly and painlessly screen individuals at risk.

Several demographic groups are at higher risk for visual impairment, including teenagers, diabetics, Hispanics, African Americans, and the economically disadvantaged. Older Americans are more susceptible to eye conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Children need regular vision screenings because vision disorders left untreated during childhood can lead to permanent visual impairment during adulthood.

President Obama stated, “Eye disease knows no bounds, and every American should take steps to protect his or her eyesight.”

To remind Americans about the importance of safeguarding their eyesight, the Congress, by joint resolution approved December 30, 1963, as amended (77 Stat. 629; 36 U.S.C. 138), has authorized and requested the President to proclaim the first week in March of each year as “Save Your Vision Week.”

“I’m pleased to see that President Barack Obama, with only weeks in the office is addressing an important issue of blindness, its early detection and timely treatment. My whole team at BiCOM Inc., and our partners are ready to continue our efforts and act on a larger scale by reaching out to many more people through awareness, training, glaucoma screening events and making “Glaucoma Eye Test” Diaton tonometer available to all that are willing to participate,“ said Roman Iospa, CEO of BiCOM Inc.

From the website of the White House:http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Save-Your-Vision-Week-2009/

“NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 1 through March 7, 2009, as Save Your Vision Week. During this time, I invite eye care professionals, teachers, members of the media, and all organizations dedicated to preserving eyesight to join in activities that will raise awareness of vision diseases and disorders.”

About BiCOM Inc:
BiCOM, with its 15 years of tradition and global clientele, has proven to be the enterprise of the highest level of professionalism, integrity and financial solvency. A unique team of engineers, medical, legal and business experts makes BiCOM Inc. the right place for global talent to find support and guidance. BiCOM Inc. sees its mission in bringing to market innovative products developed and manufactured worldwide. More about Diaton tonometer: TonometerDiaton.com

BiCOM represents and supports Glaucoma Eye Test aka Diaton tonometers in over 50 countries and growing. BiCOM conducts Free Glaucoma Screening Events throughout the Globe.
BiCOM-Ophthalmic.com

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Child health, Doctors, Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Psychologist, Society

There Are Pearls In The Pain of Every Experience

Former Child Bride/Teenage Wife/Mother Realizes the American Dream: You Can Make It if You Try. Dr. Trevicia Williams’ stirring bounce back book, There Are Pearls In The Pain of Every Experience: Spiritual Truths about Life’s Experiences (ISBN: 0-9743519-0-3), cuts to the chase about her life as an African American teenager in an arranged marriage to a man of European descent in the United States. It’s about currents of faith, hard decisions and perseverance and ways to bounce back from near life shattering experiences.

Trends in the United States show Mississippi as the state with the highest rate of teenage pregnancies. However, Houston (Texas), the fourth most populous city in the U.S. is probably the last place one would expect to find a 13 year old African American girl facing discussions about an arranged marriage, and, at 14 years of age in an arranged marriage to a man of German descent 12 years her senior. That’s exactly where Dr. Trevicia Williams’ arranged marriage happened, and, at the age of 15 she became pregnant and gave birth to her daughter just before her sixteenth birthday.

How she survived an incredible start is in There Are Pearls In the Pain of Every Experience: Spiritual Truths about Life’s Experiences. It’s about being caught between childhood and forced adulthood, and having to make some very difficult choices: Taking high roads out of some very low places. Dr. Williams takes readers on a subtle journey between having to create a support system, being a child herself while being a responsible parent to her child. It’s about faith and adversity and Dr. Williams’ use of inner strengths. “I’m amazed when I hear the life stories of young women auditioning for shows like True Beauty and American Idol. Success requires an awareness of inner strengths and greatness, and, it is during the moment of decision that the course of life is determined, or, at the very least, the next experience” says Dr. Trevicia Williams.

About the Author
Dr. Trevicia Williams is a psychologist, trainer and speaker with over a decade of academic studies in human behavior. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston-Downtown, Master’s degree from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and Doctorate degree from Walden University. Dr. Williams’ passion for helping women optimize their potentials takes her into community based organizations speaking to girls and women about overcoming adversities. It also inspires her to travel across the U.S. with motivational, inspirational and educational conferences. Dr. Williams is a woman of titanium faith: Although Lakewood Church of Houston, Texas, Pastor Joel Osteen, is the church that she still calls her “home church,” she also enjoys worship at Northland Church, where Dr. Joel Hunter is the Senior Pastor, community in Orlando/Longwood, Florida.

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Allergies, Child health, Doctors, Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Pediatrics

The National Center for Health Statistics reported recently that the number of children diagnosed with food allergies has spiked eighteen percent in the last ten years

Dr. Armen Ketchedjian, author of the book Will It Hurt? A Parent’s Practical Guide to Children’s Surgery, explains that the best way for parents to keep track of their child’s changing health needs is to keep up with regular appointments with the pediatrician and to log any sudden changes in temperament or physical condition following a meal.

“Pediatricians use these regular visits as a way of establishing a baseline for your child’s state of health,” says Dr. Ketch, as he is called by his patients. “It’s important that parents show up to these appointments and notify the pediatrician of any unusual activity.”

Dr. Ketch added that laboratory tests can verify most allergies but that pediatricians are also a good resource because they are trained to notice any differences in physical health that should raise a red flag. Symptoms associated with an allergic reaction include:

-hives
-wheezing and other lower respiratory problems
-vomiting
-nausea
-stomach cramps

In his book, Dr. Ketch advises that most allergic reactions will express themselves in anywhere from the first minute following a meal to a few hours afterward. He recommends that parents set an appointment with their child’s pediatrician following these incidents, especially if the reaction was severe enough to warrant a hospital visit.

Will It Hurt? helps educate parents about pediatric surgery. It is an easy-to-read resource that will give you, your child and your family the help and reassurance you need to make the surgical experience as stress-free as possible.

Listed in The Guide to America’s Top Anesthesiologists by the Consumer Research Council of America, Dr. Ketch trained at Cornell Medical Center, with a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a pain management elective at Boston Children’s Hospital. He has also worked to help develop new techniques in ambulatory anesthesia, taught medical students and residents, and cared for more than 10,000 patients.

Dr. Ketch is also the author of the children’s book Golden Apples (winner of the 2008 Reviewer’s Choice Award), a beautifully illustrated book that aims to help educate children about the dangers of drug abuse.

For more information, contact the author directly at support@dr.ketch.com.

WARREN ENTERPRISES, LLC and author Dr. Armen G. Ketchedjian chose Arbor Books, Inc. (www.ArborBooks.com) to design and promote Will It Hurt? A Parent’s Practical Guide to Children’s Surgery. Arbor Books is an internationally renowned, full-service book design, ghostwriting and marketing firm.

(Will It Hurt? A Parent’s Practical Guide to Children’s Surgery by Dr. Ketch; ISBN: 0-9815373-0-8; $14.95; 172 pages; 5½” x 8 ½”; soft cover book with illustrations; WARREN ENTERPRISES, LLC)

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Doctors, Eye Care, Health Reform, Healthcare, Healthcare Information, Healthcare Professionals, Medicine, Society

Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness worldwide. 60 million Americans are at RISK for developing Glaucoma

Dr. Lynnette Williams-Young, S.A.V.E Program Coordinator, in conjunction with National Glaucoma Awareness with support from Park Avenue Laser Vision, Dr. Emil Chynn and Roman Iospa, CEO of BiCOM Inc., home of Glaucoma Eye Test, are providing free Glaucoma screening events for the whole community.

Prevent Blindness America Survey found that:

  • Blindness ranked third (after cancer and heart disease) as people’s major fear.
  • It is estimated that over 4 million Americans have glaucoma but only half of those know they have it.
  • Glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more common in African-Americans than Caucasians.
  • Everyone is at risk for glaucoma from babies to senior citizens. Yes, older people are at a higher risk for glaucoma but babies can be born with glaucoma (approximately 1 out of every 10,000 babies born in the United States).

National Glaucoma Awareness Month presents an opportunity to educate and screen those most at risk for developing the “sneak thief of sight”. Dr.Williams-Young is the coordinator for the S.A.V.E program.

The “Sight for A Vision Exchange” is a program inspired by Sis. Mae McGill and Bishop James Gaylord and developed by Dr. Chynn and Dr. Williams-Young to raise $50,000 to benefit the Capital Stewardship Campaign of Kelly Temple Church.

Through the partnership between Park Avenue Laser Vision Center and Kelly Temple, we will be able to provide quality affordable laser vision correction for church members. Also, we will be able to provide education about laser vision correction and educate about maintaining a lifetime of good ocular health. Ultimately, this will reduce the fear of laser vision correction in the African American community.

Glaucoma screenings will be performed with BiCOM’s non-invasive, through the eyelid Tonometer Diaton (www.GlaucomaEyeTest.com) – the newest, safest way to screen for high intraocular pressure (IOP), which can be an indication of Glaucoma.

Join us for a free eye pressure screenings at Park Avenue Laser Vision 102 East 25th Street (& Park Avenue South). Call Park Avenue Laser Vision with any questions and directions at 212-741-8628.

About “Sight For A Vision Exchange” (S.A.V.E) – The objective of S.A.V.E is to provide affordable laser vision correction for church members, provide education about laser vision correction and reduce fear of laser vision correction in the African-American community.

About Park Avenue Laser Vision – New York’s Only No-Flap, All-Laser Vision Correction. http://www.ParkAvenueLaser.com

About BiCOM Inc. – BiCOM Inc. home of Tonometer Diaton a.k.a “Glaucoma Eye Test” allows to safely screen for intraocular pressure through the eyelid. BiCOM Inc. is a continued supporter of Glaucoma screening / educational programs nationally and internationally. More: http://www.TonometerDiaton.com

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Business of Medicine, Cosmetic Surgery, Doctors, Healthcare, Surgeons, Surgery

Competition that gives 5 UK citizens an unique opportunity to win FREE all-inclusive cosmetic surgery has been launched

“We believe that beyond beauty enhancement, cosmetic plastic surgery can change one’s life in a much more important way – on the inner, emotional, side. Therefore we have decided to launch a competition for people with an interesting life story and strong motivation to undergo plastic surgery which will enhance the quality of their life,” says Pavel Hilbert, CEO of Cosmetic-plastic-surgery.info.

Five winners will receive FREE all-inclusive cosmetic plastic surgery treatment carried out by leading Czech plastic surgeons: M.D. Tomas Dolezal, M.D. Roman Kufa, M.D. Josef Kulhanek, MBA, M.D. Libor Kment and M.D. Karel Urban.

“Excellent aesthetic plastic surgery results can be never achieved without a client/patient who has a strong motivation for the procedure, realistic expectations, readiness to make a deliberate decision and be well-disciplined in the recovery from the procedure. It is always a pleasure and great satisfaction for me, as a plastic surgeon, when a natural looking aesthetic result improves the patient’s life, not only his visual appearance but above all her/his self-confidence,” points out M.D. Josef Kulhanek, MBA

Competition is open to all UK citizens with no age or gender limitation who send their contest application untill 28.02.2009.

Winners will receive a 1st prize package consisting of one cosmetic plastic surgery treatment performed by a Czech board certified plastic surgeon, consultation and pre-operative medical examination, post-operative care, all-inclusive in the clinic as well as hotel accommodation, return air ticket and airport transport.

Additionally, the winners will be expected to be interviewed in print and internet media and their stories published with photos (with no territorial restriction).

Competition details – http://www.cosmetic-plastic-surgery.info/cosmetic-surgery-competition/

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Doctors, Healthcare, Healthcare Products, Healthcare Services, Medical Apparel, Medicine

Medelita’s breakthrough performance lab coat works overtime on the new medical TV show set

Medelita™, maker of breakthrough medical apparel for female clinicians, announced today that Dr. Lisa Masterson of the CBS television show, “The Doctors” wears a new, high performance lab coat designed by Medelita. Specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Masterson is one of four distinguished physicians who discuss various health related topics and answer questions from viewers. The new television show, which debuted in September, 2008, is produced by Stage 29 Productions and distributed by CBS Television Distribution. Jay McGraw, Carla Pennington and Dr. Phil McGraw are executive producers.

“The Medelita lab coat was chosen for it’s aesthetic appeal as well as for its performance during long days on the set,” said Amanda Linton, “The Doctors” costumer. “A medical environment is where uniforms are really road-tested, but in television, it’s all about the style and that’s where the Medelita lab coat meets both criteria.”

In addition to her regular appearances on “The Doctors,” Masterson is on staff at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and maintains a private practice in Santa Monica. The telegenic doctor can be seen regularly on the syndicated series along with three other physicians: Dr. Travis Stork, who was ABC’s “The Bachelor” in Paris; Plastic Surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon; and Pediatrician Dr. Jim Sears, of the renowned Sears family of pediatricians.

The lab coat used on the set of “The Doctors” is designed by Medelita, a uniform company, founded by a practicing physician assistant, that specializes in high-end scrubs and lab coats for female clinicians — physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. Made of high tech fabrics that possess a breakthrough combination of properties, the Medelita lab coat is designed to repel fluids and retards wrinkles. Exposure to heat from an iron or dryer recharges the fabric’s stain fighting ability.

“We are flattered that our lab coat is worn by Dr. Masterson on the show,” said Medelita Founder Lara Manchik. “Masterson is the epitome of a high achieving female healthcare professional — exactly the person for whom I developed Medelita’s line of high performance lab coats and scrubs. As a doctor, she has experience and qualifications and, as a TV personality, she will be judged equally on presentation and credentials.”

The philosophy behind the development of Medelita was, and continues to be, a desire to create a uniform that aptly reflects the enormous strides that female clinicians have made in their profession, and the high standards to which they hold themselves. As an emergency room physician assistant, Manchik’s own experiences convinced her that the frumpy unisex garb of past failed to convey clinical competence and professionalism. She left healthcare and created Medelita as a departure from the boxy doctor’s lab coats – made for the male figure and representative of a time when men dominated all clinical fields of medicine.

Made from high-denier, 100-percent brushed cotton, high performance fabrics. Medelita lab coats are designed specifically for women with a focus on fit and function. The tailored lab coat has a feminine shape with a rounded collar, hidden inside pocket, traditional side slits, and French finish inside seams. The fluid-resistant Medelita lab coat is available in sizes 0 to 20, with optional custom embroidery.

In addition to high quality lab coats, Medelita provides a line of performance women’s healthcare apparel, including clinician scrubs and nursing scrubs, which are available for purchase at www.medelita.com.

About The Doctors
From the creative team behind the long-running hit series “Dr. Phil,” “The Doctors,” does for health care what “Dr. Phil” has done for down-to-earth discussions of emotional and psychological issues. The series’ experts, ER physician (and former ABC “Bachelor” in Paris) Dr. Travis Stork, obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Lisa Masterson, plastic surgeon and reconstructive surgery expert Dr. Andrew Ordon and pediatrician Dr. James Sears, focus on the compelling, real-life experiences of the show’s guests and then weigh in, disseminating valuable information about health, medical care and drugs in a compelling, informal, easy-to-understand and entertaining format. “The Doctors,” taped in front of a live audience in Hollywood, is produced by Stage 29 Productions and distributed by CBS Television Distribution. Jay McGraw, Carla Pennington and Dr. Phil McGraw are executive producers.

About Medelita
Medelita has one purpose: to reinvent the way women of all healthcare professions present themselves at work by offering the highest quality, best fitting, and most comfortable medical apparel available, including lab coats, women’s scrubs and nursing scrubs. Medelita caters to professional women who want their uniforms to embody the poise and confidence already displayed from within. For more information, visit our website at http://www.medelita.com or call (877) 987-7979.

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