Athletes
Sports Spine Specialist Chiropractic Team: Athletes strive to achieve their body’s maximum performance by participating in numerous training regimens consisting of strenuous exercises and physical activity and ensuring they meet all of their body’s nutritional requirements. Through proper fitness and nutrition, many individuals can condition themselves to excel in their specific sport. Our training programs are designed for athletes that look to gain a competitive edge in their sport.
We provide sport-specific services to help increase an athlete’s performance through mobility, strength, and endurance. Occasionally, however, the excess workouts can lead many to suffer injuries or develop underlying conditions. Dr. Alex Jimenez’s chronicle of articles for athletes displays in detail the many forms of complications affecting these professionals while focusing on the possible solutions and treatments to follow to achieve overall well-being.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, Professionals
Five physicians affiliated with El Paso Children’s Hospital appear on the Best Doctors in America® List for 2015-2016, officials from El Paso Children’s Hospital announced today. Only five percent of doctors in America earn this prestigious honor, decided by impartial peer review.
El Paso Children’s Hospital is proud to announce that Dr. Maria Teresa Ambat, Dr. Eduardo Rosas-Blum, Dr. Gilbert A. Handal, Dr. Garrett Stephen Levin, and Dr. Lewis P. Rubin are recognized as a 2015-2016 Best Doctors in America®
Dr. Rubin 
Dr. Glevin 
Dr. Mambat 
Dr. Rosas-Blum, 
Dr. Handal
Best Doctors has earned a sterling, worldwide reputation for reliable, impartial results by remaining totally independent. Doctors cannot pay to be included in the Best Doctors database, nor are they paid to provide their input. The List is a product of validated peer review, in which doctors who excel in their specialties are selected by their peers in the profession.
In bringing together the best medical minds in the world, Best Doctors works with expert physicians from its Best Doctors in America® List to help its 30 million members worldwide get the right diagnosis and right treatment.
The highly regarded Best Doctors in America® List, assembled by Best Doctors, Inc. and audited and certified by Gallup®, results from exhaustive polling of over 40,000 physicians in the United States. Doctors in over 40 specialties and 400 subspecialties of medicine appear on this year’s List. In a confidential review, current physician listees answer the question, “If you or a loved one needed a doctor in your specialty, to whom would you refer?” Best Doctors, Inc. evaluates the review results, and verifies all additional information to meet detailed inclusion criteria.
The experts who are part of the Best Doctors in America® database provide the most advanced medical expertise and knowledge to patients with serious conditions – often saving lives in the process by finding the right diagnosis and right treatment.
El Paso Children’s Hospital’s group of experts listed in the database includes world-class specialists in Neonatology, Neonatal & Perinatal Medicine , Pediatric Gastroenterology and Pediatric Infectious Diseases.
Dr. Maria Teresa Ambat is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso and serves as Associate Director and Neonatologist at El Paso Children’s Hospital. Dr. Ambat is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in General Pediatrics and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Ambat received her medical degree at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines and residency in pediatrics at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital. Ambat completed her fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and then completed her U.S. pediatric residency training at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso.
Ambat is a member of the Texas Medical Association and served at Texas Medical Association Committee on Maternal and Perinatal Health in 2008 to 2012. Ambat is also a member of the Texas Pediatric Society and serves at its three committees including the Fetus and Newborn Committee.
Dr. Eduardo Rosas-Blum serves as a Pediatric Gastroenterologist at El Paso Children’s Hospital and as an assistant professor of pediatrics with the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. Rosas-Blum earned his medical degree from Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara and then conducted his pediatric residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso.
Rosas-Blum then completed his pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition fellowship at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston. Dr. Rosas-Blum is currently a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society; the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition; the American Gastroenterological Association, and is Board Certified through the American Board of Pediatrics and Pediatric Gastroenterology.
Dr. Gilbert Handal serves as a Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist at El Paso Children’s Hospital and as a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. Handal serves as the Marta Cuellar Chair for Child Advocacy for the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. Handal received his medical degree from the University of Chile de Pregrado. He went on to complete his pediatric residency at University of Chile de Pregrado and at the University of Miami, Florida. Handal completed his fellowship in infectious diseases and pediatric critical care at the University of Miami, Florida.
Dr. Garrett Levin serves as a Neonatologist at El Paso Children’s Hospital and as an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso. Dr. Levin is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in both pediatrics and neonatal-perinatal medicine. Levin received his medical degree from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Levin then went on to complete his pediatric residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso and his fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Lewis P. Rubin serves as Chief Neonatologist at El Paso Children’s Hospital and as Professor and Vice-Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics and Professor of Biomedical Sciences in the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso. He is certified in Pediatrics and Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine through the American Board of Pediatrics. Dr. Rubin received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
He then completed his residency in pediatrics, a fellowship in newborn medicine, and a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular endocrinology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Rubin is a recognized authority on intensive care of premature babies and of infants who have complex metabolic, cardiorespiratory, or neurodevelopmental disorders or multiple congenital anomalies. He has received numerous honors and has authored more than 100 articles, invited reviews, and book chapters.
His research focuses on pregnancy, prematurity prevention, neonatal nutrition and metabolism, eye/brain development, and health disparities. Dr. Rubin has been an international consultant in women’s and infant care. He has been named a Top Doctor from 2007 to the present in the U.S. News & World Report “Top Doctors” List. Rubin is an elected member of the American Pediatric Society and has been a longstanding funded investigator with the National Institutes of Health.
About Best Doctors, Inc.:
Best Doctors works with the best five percent of doctors, ranked by impartial peer review, to help people get the right diagnosis and right treatment. Gallup has certified Best Doctors as using the highest industry standards survey methodology and processes in polling physicians to discover the doctors they would choose for their own care.
Founded in 1989 by Harvard Medical School physicians, the global health solutions company, which has grown to over 30 million members worldwide, uses state-of-the-art technology capabilities to deliver improved health outcomes while reducing costs.
Best Doctors seamlessly integrates its trusted health services with Fortune 1000 employers, insurers and other groups in every major region of the world. For further information, visit Best Doctors at www.bestdoctors.com
Author: EP Children’s Hospital
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
For 2016, Americans have three top resolutions in mind – increase savings, increase exercise and lose weight.
According to Nielson, 37% of Americans chose to “stay fit and healthy” as their resolution. To help them get started, El Paso area Sam’s Clubs will be hosting free health screenings, which are open to the public, from 11-4 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 9.
In fact, two of the free tests being offered, blood pressure and blood glucose, are two key markers that indicate your overall health. Participants will be able to get an idea of where they stand with their health, and what they need to do it improve it for a healthier 2016.
These health screenings are free, confidential and available to the public at all Sam’s Club locations with a pharmacy (617 locations). Additional details on each one will be made available at SamsClub.com.
The first screening will take place on Saturday, Jan. 9 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., while supplies last, with a key health indicator review, valued at $150,[ii] which includes the following tests:
- Blood pressure
- Total cholesterol
- HDL (good cholesterol)
- Glucose
- Body mass index (BMI)
- Vision (not available at all locations)
- Hearing (not available at all locations)
“For the last five years, we have been proud to offer these free screenings as an easy and affordable way for the communities we serve to stay on top of their health,” said Jill Turner-Mitchael, senior vice president, Sam’s Club Consumables & Health and Wellness. “Health and wellness remains a top priority for Sam’s Club and we are constantly striving to find ways to make healthcare more accessible.”
Additional information about Sam’s Club health and wellness offerings can be found at SamsClub.com and in the Sam’s Club exclusive bi-monthly wellness magazine, Healthy Living Made Simple.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
Adults in New Mexico who have been diagnosed with diabetes can learn how to prepare healthy and delicious meals by participating in the Kitchen Creations cooking school, sponsored by the New Mexico Department of Health and offered by the New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service.
The next Kitchen Creations session in English will be offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. April 6, 13, 20 and 27 at Mayfield High School (1955 N. Valley Drive – Las Cruces) The next Kitchen Creations session in Spanish will be offered from 5:30-8:30 p.m. April 7, 14, 21 and 28 at Santa Teresa High School (100 Airport Road in Santa Teresa, N.M.)
The cooking schools are free thanks to funding from the New Mexico Department of Health Diabetes Prevention and Control Program.
“There was so much interest in our last Kitchen Creations session that we were able to schedule two more for April, one in English and one in Spanish,” said Karim Martinez, Doña Ana County Extension Home Economist.
Each Kitchen Creations session consists of four classes taught by a registered dietitian and an Extension Home Economist. Participants will learn food safety, how to plan meals, measure appropriate serving sizes, read food labels, balance carbohydrates and other useful cooking tips. Participants will also prepare and sample a variety of recipes during each class.
Research has shown diabetes complications may be decreased when blood glucose levels are maintained within a range that mimics “normal” levels. In order to achieve these levels, people diagnosed with diabetes are often prescribed lifestyle changes such as diet modification.
According to New Mexico’s Indicator-Based Information System, nearly 11 percent of adults in New Mexico were living with diabetes between 2011 and 2013. The national average during the same time period was about 10 percent.
“Many people with diabetes are not sure what to do to improve their health, especially when it comes to food,” said Cassandra Vanderpool, registered dietitian and extension diabetes coordinator for NMSU’s Department of Extension Family and Consumer Sciences. “Kitchen Creations goes beyond simply providing nutrition information to engaging participants in hands-on cooking and other activities so they can immediately apply what they are learning.”
Vanderpool said that last year, more than 400 people attended Kitchen Creations cooking schools. At the last class, Vanderpool said, every participant reported they understood strategies to plan and prepare healthy meals, and that they were satisfied with the classes.
“Several months after attending the Kitchen Creations cooking school in Valencia County, a participant called the home economist to share her good news,” Vanderpool said. “She had just returned from the doctor, and her A1C had dropped. She attributed the improvement to the changes that she and her husband, who also attended the classes, had made in their cooking and eating habits as a result of what they learned from Kitchen Creations.”
To enroll in the Kitchen Creations cooking school, contact the Doña Ana Cooperative Extension Service at 575-525-6649.
Author: Adriana M. Chavez – NMSU
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Cancer Health, Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
In honor of Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month this March, the Against Colorectal Cancer in Our Neighborhoods (ACCION) program is teaming up with community partners to raise awareness about colorectal cancer and to encourage El Pasoans to get tested for the disease.
ACCION is a cancer prevention program at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso) that offers no-cost screenings to qualifying El Paso residents.
Even though colon cancer is easily prevented with a simple screening test, this cancer is the second leading cancer killer in the U.S. Doctors encourage adults age 50 and older to be regularly tested for colon cancer, but many El Pasoans do not follow these guidelines.
In fact, El Paso has one of the lowest colon cancer screening rates in Texas. According to theTexas Department of State Health Services, only 54 percent of qualifying residents get tested for the cancer, compared to 66 percent of the rest of the U.S.
On March 15, TTUHSC El Paso will join efforts with El Pasoan’s Fighting Hunger and New Mexico State University to conduct colorectal cancer education at Guillen Middle School. The event will include a food pantry distribution and NMSU’s giant, inflatable colon for families to tour.
On March 23, TTUHSC El Paso’s ACCION team will visit the San Jacinto Adult Learning Center to educate some 150 adult students about colorectal cancer. Those who are eligible for colon cancer testing will be offered a free screening through the program.
A former ACCION participant will be on-hand to discuss the program and to encourage students to get screened, thereby lowering their risk of colon cancer. NMSU will assist with cancer education and have their giant colon on display.
What: Colon Cancer Awareness Month Events
When: 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 15 and 8 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, March 23
Where: Guillen Middle School, located at 900 S. Cotton Street, and the San Jacinto Adult Learning Center, located at 1216 Olive Avenue
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
Staff Report May 19, 2016 808 Views
Senator José Rodríguez, in partnership with Ventanas de Socorro, will offer free memory screenings on Friday and Saturday (May 20 and 21) as part of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s National Memory Screening Program (AFA).
AFA’s National Memory Screening Program provides free, confidential memory screenings to individuals who are concerned about memory problems or who want to check their memory now for future comparisons.
Qualified healthcare professionals will administer the face-to-face memory screening, which lasts approximately 10 minutes and consists of a series of questions and tasks designed to gauge memory, language skills and other intellectual functions.
- What: Free Memory Screenings
- When: 3- 6 p.m., Friday (May 20) –and– 2-6 p.m., Saturday (May 21)
- Where: Ventanas de Socorro, 10064 Alameda Ave, Socorro, TX 79927.
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by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
After opening his first Tropical Smoothie Café location in East El Paso, local businessman and law enforcement officer Kaleb Warnock is set to open his second location.
The second location for Warnock’s Tropical Smoothie Café is set to host a special VIP event Thursday afternoon at the Fountains at Farah, ahead of his grand opening on Saturday. His original location, at 1513 North Zaragoza continues to be popular with thousands of El Pasoans every week.
Warnock’s career often calls upon a shift from a law enforcement officer to an emergency first-responder, assisting local, state and federal agencies. The demands of the job require physical fitness and good health; meaning that eating and living healthy are essential requirements to Kaleb’s lifestyle.
Kaleb’s appetite for that healthy lifestyle has given him the opportunity to provide healthier options his fellow El Pasoans via Tropical Smoothie Café.
“I’ve always been a health enthusiast with an appetite. Yearning for a delicious smoothie (especially after a workout) has helped me maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle for my job and my family.”
Warnock adds that his cafés offers “bold, flavorful food and smoothies with a “healthy” appeal, all made to order from the freshest ingredients.”
The café features real-fruit smoothies, toasted wraps, sandwiches, flatbreads, and salads are the healthier food options needed for active lifestyles.
by Dr Alex Jimenez | Fitness, Health News El Paso, UTEP (Local) RSS
SANTA FE, N.M. — The most popular New Year’s resolutions for 2016 involved staying fit and losing weight, and chances are good that many people are setting the same goal again in 2017. The psychology of motivation may hold the answer to how people can keep their resolutions in the new year.
According to Elliot Berkman, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, it’s important to start with a goal that is less abstract and more actionable than just “staying healthy” – and to start on it as soon as possible.
“What you want to do is to get those immediate reinforcements as early as you can,” Berkman said. “So, it’s kind of classic advice and it’s good advice to start small, and to make sure to reinforce each little step.”
According to a Nielsen study, 43 percent of people said they planned to lose weight at the beginning of this year by eating healthier. But more than 75 percent who had that goal had not followed a healthy diet or weight-loss program the year before, so they hadn’t developed the healthy habits necessary for success.
Berkman said this can be the biggest obstacle. Our habitual behavior – which may not involve regular visits to the gym – is the easiest for us to fall back on. Following through on a New Year’s resolution means rewiring the brain for a new habit – literally. Berkman said people are better off doing something they like and connecting the habit to something bigger.
“Maybe it’s connecting it to your family or your work, or earning money,” he said. “Whatever is the thing that you really care about, find the way that that new goal is connected to that, and that’s going to also serve as a reinforcement for it.”
Technology also can be useful for keeping people motivated. Berkman said at the University of Oregon’s Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab where he works, he and other researchers use text messaging to remind people of their goals. He said abstract goals can be hard to keep in mind day to day, especially when concrete temptations exist all around.
“It helps combat fire with fire, a little bit, to get those texts in your daily life,” Berkman said. “And so, you don’t need to go out of your way to remember why you care about losing weight or exercising more. We’re going to remind you, and we’ll do it in your own words.”
Author – Suzanne Potter, Public News Service (NM)
