I overindulged (eating and drinking) over the holidays and have put on about 11 pounds. I always seem to loose weight when I diet, however I also always gain the weight back within the next few months. I feel like this happens every year! Why does this happen to me and what can I do about it?

Stephie
Biscayne

Dear Stephie,

You are not alone! We all go a little crazy with overeating and our alcohol intake seems to hit it’s peak during this time of year. Remember, weight loss is an internal process. Diets attempt to change what you eat while exercise affects your body’s strength and endurance. Unhealthy eating is the result of poor choices, therefore it is necessary to change our thoughts and learn to restructure our thinking. Everyone is different. Your best chance for success is to sit down with a specialist in Weight Maintenance who can individualize specific strategies. Success requires the right attitude in addition to the proper program.

Dear Dr Fine,

With the holidays and a new baby, do you think it is possible that my thoughts could get in the way of enjoying sex with my partner? I feel as if we have lost a connection. We are both so busy.

Angela
Coral Springs

Dear Angela,

Congratulations on your new addition! It sounds as if Life is coming at you from all angles. Make time each day to sit down with each other and talk about your day. The conversations that we have with our partner and ourselves are the most important conversations that we can have. The brain is the largest sex organ. Your mind controls your body and your body talks back to your mind. This conversation will either cause sexual excitement or sexual inhibition. Keep an open mind, filled with happy thoughts. 

What makes LAVIV™ unique?

Each patient’s LAVIV™ treatment is unique because it is made from that patient’s own skin cells. In order to be approved by the FDA, LAVIV™ was held to high efficacy standards. In clinical trials, LAVIV™ demonstrated a statistically significant improvement as measured by both a physician and patient assessment scale, where improvement was defined as a 2-point improvement on the scales. These trials were designed to be vehicle-controlled and demonstrate superiority to vehicle. Each dose of LAVIV™ is also held to strict testing standards to ensure product performance and safety.

LAVIV™  is an appropriate treatment for adults who desire an improved appearance of nasolabial fold wrinkles, an autologous cellular product, and a treatment regimen that delivers gradual results.

HOW IT WORKS:

First, through a simple cheek swab, a DNA test is performed on six genes that impact YOUR skin’s health. Your unique results are used to create four custom-formulated, genetically-guided Dermagenetics® DNA ULTRACUSTOM® skin care products based on your specific genetic variations: Enhanced Repair Serum, Corrective Eye Gelée, Optimized Day Crème and Nightly Repair Crème.

Each of these age-defying skin repair products combine our powerful base formulas and our proprietary Dermagenetics® blend with targeted ingredients based on the results of your unique genetic assessment. This becomes your custom formula and will always remain the same.

The second step in the customization process is performed by your provider at The Miami Institute. They will assess your skin for current problems you may be experiencing today such as: post procedure healing, troublesome break-outs, redness and irritation or excessive dryness. This assessment is used to further customize and optimize selected products to address these issues. This part of your Dermagenetics® formula can be adjusted for you every 3 – 4 months by returning to your provider for follow up visits.

The result is a DNA ULTRACUSTOM® skin care system that is made just for you!

There are over 100,000 hair restoration surgeries a year in the United States.

The most common way to restore hair is for the surgeon to take hair follicles from the back of the head and replant them in balding areas. Usually, in 1 to 2 sessions, the restoration process is complete, with an average number of 1,700 grafts. That may seem like a lot, but consider that a single square centimeter typically harbors 100 grafts in the normal scalp! Strip grafting (the harvest of skin containing grafts) leads to a scar which can sometimes be bothersome with short hair.

One way to avoid this scar is to have your procedure performed with a NeoGraft machine which harvests follicles individually, obviating the need for strip grafting.

The advantage is clear: No scar. NeoGraft.

Fall has officially begun, and unfortunately, so has the slippery slope to holiday weight gain. Comfort food is everywhere and we’re facing weeks of Halloween candy, pumpkin pie and eggnog and Art Basel! Here are our favorite “skinny” fall foods:

1.    Pumpkin: Pumpkin is ridiculously low in calories (one-half cup of pumpkin puree is only 50 calories), but it’s also loaded with potassium, beta-carotene and Vitamin A. Plus, studies show that pumpkin prevents cancer, heart disease and protects eye health. Use unsweetened pumpkin puree in soups, sauces for pasta and even mac and cheese! Toss with shredded, roasted or poached chicken as a filling for enchiladas.

2.     Apples: Apples are nutritional powerhouses loaded with fiber, flavonoids and important antioxidants. And studies show they may help you shed pounds, too. Chop or grate Granny Smith apples into oatmeal or whole grain waffles with cinnamon for a breakfast reminiscent of fall’s famed apple crisp (Denny’s version  weighs in at 740 calories compared to about 180 calories for oatmeal with apples and cinnamon). Include apple cubes in chicken salad with toasted walnuts and celery.

3.    Pears: Pears are loaded with slimming fiber and they’re a good source of vitamin C and copper — both of which help protect cells from damage. Slice and roast pears and serve with lean pork tenderloin or mix into arugula salad. Core, peel and blend pears with balsamic vinegar and a swirl of olive oil for a sweet, fragrant vinaigrette.

4.    Squash: Winter squash including butternut and spaghetti squash all have their own nutritional benefits (butternut boasts vitamin A and carotenoids; and spaghetti squash is very low in calories — just 42 calories per cup). Cube butternut squash and add to spicy vegetarian chili. Halve spaghetti squash, roast and then pull out the spaghetti string strands with a fork and serve with red sauce.

Treatment for Incipient Caries and White Spots

A key challenge for dentists is how to treat caries while preserving healthy tooth structure. Two current treatment options for caries are: Fluoride therapy or wait till “drill and fill”. Both are somewhat inadequate. This is because fluoride therapy is not always effective in the advanced stages and a filling almost always sacrifices significant amounts of healthy tooth structure.

MI Paste, has a new approach to the treatment of incipient caries – a caries infiltrant. This breakthrough micro-invasive technology fills and reinforces demineralized enamel without drilling or anesthesia.
MI Paste  provides an innovative option for treatment of smooth surface and proximal carious lesions because: “Instead of taking a “wait and see” approach, MI Paste can arrest the progress of early enamel lesions up to the first third of dentin – in one simple procedure, without unnecessary loss of healthy tooth structure!”

MI Paste also offers a revolutionary approach to the cosmetic treatment of carious white spot lesions. Lesions infiltrated by MI Paste take on the appearance of the surrounding healthy enamel. This provides a highly esthetic alternative to micro-abrasion and restorative treatments of cariogenic white spots.

MI Paste and MI Paste Plus with RECALDENT™ (CPP-ACP):

• Strengthens your teeth with tooth-replenishing calcium and phosphate
• Releases vital minerals into your mouth when and where they are needed
• Produces a saliva-like environment that maintains normal acid levels and healthy teeth
• RECALDENT™ CPP-ACP is milk derived with lactose content less than 0.01%.*
• Helps condition, protect and rebuild your tooth surfaces
• Is a water-based, sugar-free crème that comes in five delicious flavors

The First Minimally Invasive FDA Approved Automated Hair Transplant System, NEOGRAFT is a revolutionary Hair Transplant System that avoids large visible incisions and minimal imperceptible scarring. Minimal Downtime. Fast Recovery. Our board certified team is entirely devoted to giving you the treatment you need to feel and look your best.

NeoGraft is not your ordinary hair restoration procedure. It is the least invasive procedure of its kind with no sutures, no scalpel incisions, and no linear scars. This means that your recovery or down-time will be minimal - usually taking only one day. Additionally, if you choose NeoGraft, we can restore large areas in a single session, which greatly reduces the need for any additional procedures that might have been required in the future.

Have your procedure performed with a NeoGraft machine which harvests follicles individually, obviating the need for strip grafting.

The advantage is clear: No scar. NeoGraft.

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!

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.

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.