Beautiful. Medicine.

Dear Dr Fine,

My husband asked me what I wanted for Mother’s Day and all I could think of was a day to myself. To be alone maybe even get a haircut. My husband was quite shocked and told me that wasn’t normal. What do you think?

Sharon A
Gables Estates

Dear Sharon,

When children come into our lives a woman’s focus quickly shifts toward child rearing. Mother’s are the key family caregivers and there is no such thing as a part time mother. However, mothers tend to forget that they are part of the family too and that they, themselves, need to be nurtured.

Even though experts all agree that it is just as important for mothers to take care of themselves nearly 8 out of 10 do not. One of the biggest categories ignored is a woman’s sense of feeling and looking beautiful. Feeling like a woman ends up being more of a wish than a reality. Guilt is often the largest barrier.

Mothers need to learn how to mother themselves. You need to free yourself of past habits and routines. Change your thinking and embrace your own identity. You will be freer and happier than ever before. Your life will be more abundant filled with love and joy.

Let this Mother’s Day and this month inspire you and your husband to ” put you on the list” of family members that need nurturing.

Happy Mother’s Day to you Sharon!

Everyone knows that eating a low-fat, low-calorie diet and getting regular exercise helps shed pounds, but a new study has found that when it comes to losing weight and body fat, diet and exercise are most effective when done together as compared to either strategy alone. A trial in overweight/obese postmenopausal women found those who combined a low-fat, low-calorie diet with regular aerobic exercise shed nearly 11 percent of their starting weight.

The majority of women in the study who both improved their diet and exercised regularly shed an average of nearly 11 percent of their starting weight, which exceeded the study’s goal of a 10 percent or more reduction in body weight.

The year-long intervention involved 439 overweight-to-obese, sedentary, postmenopausal women, ages 50 to 75, who were randomly assigned to one of four groups:

• Exercise only (goal: 45 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise per day, five days a week, including three days at an exercise facility);
• Diet only (goal: 1,200 to 2,000 calories a day, depending on starting weight, and fewer than 30 percent of daily calories from fat);
• Exercise and diet (with the same goals as above); and
• No intervention.

Although numerous studies have examined the effect of lifestyle interventions on weight, few have focused on postmenopausal women, a group that experiences particularly high rates of overweight and obesity.

At the end of the intervention, the researchers found that the women in the exercise-only group lost, on average, 2.4 percent of their starting weight (with a mean weight loss of 4.4 pounds) as compared to an average weight loss of 8.5 percent among women in the diet-only group (with a mean weight loss of 15.8 pounds). The greatest weight loss was achieved by women who both changed their diet and exercised regularly; these women shed an average of 10.8 percent of their starting weight (with a mean weight loss of 19.8 pounds). Two-thirds of the women in this group achieved the study goal of losing at least 10 percent of their starting weight.

Body-mass index (height-to-weight ratio), waist circumference and percentage of body fat were also significantly reduced among the three intervention groups. The women who were assigned to the nonintervention control group, who did not change their diet or activity level, on average lost less than a pound - a statistically insignificant decrease.

This study shows that you get the biggest bang for your buck by combining a healthy weight-loss diet - which in this case meant reducing calories by cutting fat intake and boosting the consumption of low-calorie foods - with regular, moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.. You don’t need to be an athlete; walking, biking or gym cardio machines all work well. Start slowly and gradually increase to 45 minutes of activity a day, more if you are able.

In addition to promoting weight loss and preventing weight gain over time, the anti-aging specialists at The MIAMI Institute recommend regular exercise to help with balance, strength and fitness. This helps patients keep active overall, which has been shown to prolong a healthy life,” Dr. Juan Remos said.

It is a relatively common practice for a plastic surgeon to perform multiple procedures during one operation.  This allows the surgeon to better “sculpt” your final appearance.  If two surgeons operate on a patient simultaneously, the benefits are sizable - Limited surgeon fatigue, less patient risk, fewer days of recovery, dual consultations and significant patient savings. Traditionally, patients who undergo simultaneous plastic surgery procedures are attended to by only one surgeon, a time consuming process that can have the surgeon working on a patient for six to eight hours or more.

Dr. Phillip Craft and Dr. Julio Gallo are two veteran cosmetic surgeons with strong desires to focus on their subspecialties and provide the most efficient cosmetic surgery options to their patients.

Dr. Julio Gallo, board certified by the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, will perform any facial cosmetic surgery, allowing Dr. Craft, board certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgery, to simultaneously work on the patients body needs. The patient will recover in the luxe Four Seasons Hotel with overnight nursing care provided by the stellar nursing staff from The MIAMI Institute.

There are few such combination practices in the USA and The MIAMI Institute is unique throughout the state, in offering this service to their patients. Not surprisingly, both surgeons are energized by their highly innovative, patient-focused practice. Gallo sees this merger as dynamic progression in the way cosmetic surgeons will treat patients in the near future.

The new Thermage CPT System represents a leap forward in skin tightening and contouring technology. Superior results and greater patient comfort are at the core of the new system, which leverages the proprietary Comfort Pulse Technology™ and a vibrating hand piece for more comfortable treatments.

The new CPT technology helps lessen discomfort in 5 ways.

• Improved efficacy due to more uniform heating and increased volume of tissue reaching therapeutic temperature. Edge Heat Border - Since there is less spillage, the “edge heat” that patient’s most complain about is reduced dramatically. The heat is now concentrated directly into the tissue being treated. Higher heat allows for more collagen denaturing.
• Comfort Pulse Technology, including a vibrating hand piece, to deliver enhanced patient comfort. This hand piece offers a clinically proven improvement in patient comfort. In controlled, split-faced clinical studies, comparing treatment of over 40 patients with vibration to treatment without vibration, all patients preferred being treated with vibration.
• A sleek, ergonomically designed hand piece improves ease-of-use and treatment efficiency.
• Seamless integration with the new Thermage Body Tip 16.0 for faster body treatments.
• Coolant/Heat Rotation - Less wasted heat (less “spillage” of heat). The new energy delivery algorithm interweaves a pulsed radio frequency delivery with cooling bursts, mimicking Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (”TENS”) therapy, to disrupt the brain’s neural response and improve comfort during treatment.

The ability to perform a quality Thermage procedure without the use of medications is a great help to our practice and patients.

Imagine having all your dental treatments completed while you rest peacefully under a cashmere blanket. With a board-certified anesthesiologist on staff, the ability to offer sedation dentistry for major procedures, or anxious clients, is an added benefit. While a board-certified dental team is working on your smile, you are dreaming. With sedation dentistry, you have no worries or cares.

Before you leave your house, you are given a light sedative to take with a tiny sip of water. Your companion will accompany you to our luxury appointed dental suite. Upon arrival, you will feel a little sleepy. You will relax into a very comfortable chair and covered with a warm, cozy blanket. A light anesthesia will be administered and your vital signs will be closely monitored. After you are comfortable, our experienced dental team will take care of all of your cosmetic dental needs. When your treatment is completed, you are woken and your companion will return you home to finish your relaxing sleep.

“Our goal is to complete your dental treatment in a relaxed, comfortable environment that will allow you to obtain the ultimate in dental function and aesthetics.”

Dr. Todd B. Barsky – Board-certified prosthodontist