Best Docs Network Dallas & Fort worth February 23 2014

It's a call that's telling me I'm here to serve. It's a need to make a difference in the world. 24 hours day or night these healing hands will make it right. Looking in their eyes I know that I'm changing lives, changing lives, changing lives for the better, for the better, changing lives. And hi again everyone, Jim Knox, of course with Kandace Krueger and we welcome you back to another edition of the Best Docs Network featuring some of the outstanding doctors in the Dallas, Fort Worth area, Kandace, that help change people's lives, like our first doctor. That's right we're going to start off with minimally invasive bariatric and general surgeon Dr. Preeti Malladi. Well I had been a diabetic for over 10 years. I had colorectal cancer and the good news was that they caught it early, they treated it, but the result was I was starting to gain a lot of lymphedema in my legs to the point that my calves were about the same size as my knees, maybe a little bigger and I was having a lot of problems getting around. So with diabetes you want to move, you want to exercise, that's how you lose weight and I couldn't move or exercise and it seemed like I was in this downward spiral and I didn't want to be in that spiral anymore. So Mr. Leslie is a great patient, very educated, he had done a lot of research on the internet, had done a lot of reading, he's a teacher and he came to see me because he had done his reading and he knew that bariatric surgery could help him with his diabetes. What's really exciting about bariatric surgery and particularly the gastric bypass is that it can almost cure diabetes. For me it was not a cosmetic procedure. As far as I was concerned it was a lifesaving procedure because I went from over 250 pounds to right now right around 160 pounds. And he has resolved his diabetes, he's off of his medications and he is doing great. When I was in my twenties I spent some time in the U. S. Army and got in the best shape of my life. I'm down to that same weight now. I have energy, I can exercise, I can do all the things that I didn't think I would ever do the rest of my life. I walk around my classroom whereas before I would sit behind a desk and watch students and then when they had questions they would have to come to me and instead now I go to them. When we were as a teacher, when we were doing things we decided that we would do a group building exercise and play a game of kickball with each other. And so this summer was the first time I really started playing that game. It was the first time I really ever sprinted so I was in right field and somebody is kicking the ball and I'm running so fast my brain's going you don't know how to run this fast, you better slow down before you fall and then the next thing I know I would fall flat, flat on my face. Everybody's going are you okay, are you okay? And I'm laughing because it felt so wonderful to be able to run and yes did I fall, yes did I scrape my knees, yes, but can I run, I can move, that was fun. I came to Dr. Lewis because I always wanted to have really white teeth and my teeth were straight. I never had to wear braces, didn't have any of those issues but I had extreme sensitivity. So I could not use any of the whitening strips or just the gels that anyone could. I had a, my gums were receding probably because I'm one of those brushers that brush the wrong way, didn't do the circular motion. She really wanted veneers. She had just gone through a lot of personal stuff and she wanted to make a change in her life, but she really did not want her teeth touched. She did not want anything reduced on her teeth or anything prepared. So he sort of walked me through the process and I found out that what he could do was I didn't have to have any you know, didn't have to have my teeth all filed down. They just sort of buffed them and he just recreated sort of my smile. It didn't, it's really strange because he didn't change a whole lot but it did change a whole lot. So we did the set on her and it turned out beautiful. I've done thousands of them and people were very happy with them and they're, and what we found out is in most cases they're stronger, even though they're very thin, they're stronger than regular veneers because the strength isn't derived totally from the thickness of porcelain, I mean you have to have a certain thickness, but it's derived from the bond to the tooth and we found that when we bond to the enamel which is the natural outer layer of the tooth that we get a much stronger, much harder veneer. Just the craftsmanship was amazing. I mean it was like going to a da Vinci or somebody because it was such tiny details but it really changed my smile. So in actuality not only are they you know less destructive to the tooth or you don't have to take anything off the tooth, but they're also stronger and so they look, they look great. It was painless, came back, put them on, was getting my hands massaged during the whole process and I walked out and I had a perfect smile that looked natural. I enjoy smiling and I love having people say you have the prettiest smile. This is Dr. David Azouz with Best Docs Network. Did you know that you can do a breast augmentation, a breast lift and a tummy tuck also called a mommy makeover all at the same time? If you want more information, please logon to bestdocsnetwork.com. I was very apprehensive about coming into Preferred Imaging . The night before I had read every negative thing that could happen when you have an MRI, so when I came in the door the secretary met me, you know just smiled and the technician for the MRI was just really helpful, very reassuring. I was so happy I'd come to Preferred Imaging. So I had saw a physician out of town and he had looked at both MRIs and was wanting to order a different MRI and he preferred the one from Preferred Imaging better than the other one and asked me would I return here for the one he was ordering so we did and he was very pleased with the second one that I had here as well. The setting, the waiting room and the changing room all were really nice. Their room is really painted pretty neat, it's very artistic and just kind of makes you feel like you're not in that normal cold hospital type feeling, just more of a warm type feeling. The staff was uplifting and answered all my questions and the procedure was so stress free. The technician gave me a button to push if I needed help instead of wiggling my feet and trusting that somebody was going to see me. The first thing I did when I was inside the MRI machine was to test the button and she immediately came and pulled me out and said what do you need, is everything OK? And I was like no, I was just testing the button. And she was like oh that's OK, I just want you to know that I'm here watching you and you have the button and so that was very reassuring. And then the procedure was just like they said. I had an absolutely fabulous experience at Preferred Imaging. I also live two hours away in a small town and the imaging there is mobile and it's not very well so I do travel two hours so I can get good quality imaging and so when the doctors like it and prefer it, it's worth the drive of two hours. They're really friendly, really nice, very helpful. It was awesome, I really did have a good experience here. For more information about any of our outstanding doctors you see on today's show, request an appointment, even check out other life changing stories, head to the website, bestdocsnetwork.com, that's bestdocsnetwork.com. Right now it's time to introduce you to our next best doctor, it is pain management specialist Dr. Jason Williams. When patients come to see me they're usually at a point where the pain is starting to affect their daily life whether it be at work, their personal life, their moods, anything of that nature. They notice that normal things that they used to do aren't really helping anymore such as taking medicines that they get over the counter or going to see a massage therapist, chiropractor, acupuncture, all of those things seem to be failing even if they have worked in the past. So at that point the patients are at a point where they feel that there's something else going on and they need to be evaluated to figure out what is wrong with their low back or neck. When a patient comes in my clinic, first what I like to do is sit down with the patient and learn about what's been going on with them that's you know do an extensive history, spend the time with the patient to find out why they're hurting, where they're hurting, how long they've been hurting and that's in addition to a physical exam to see if I can't evaluate the nature of the pain that the patient's having. When patients come to my clinic this is a perfect example of what a patient might be experiencing that could be causing their low back pain or leg pain or even their neck pain and arm pain. This is a herniated disc or an example of a herniated disc where the nucleus pulposus or the center of the disc material has actually excreted through this annulus fibrosus. When this happens this can cause spinal stenosis. It can actually impinge upon nerves in the spinal canal itself or if you can imagine a nerve root coming across this, coming out exiting to your leg or your arm and it actually getting pinched off by this herniated or bulging disc. What the AccuraScope procedure does is addresses a condition like this. The laser energy is focused right here on the actual bulging or herniated disc where it can reduce the herniation and improve circulation to the nerve and reduce impingement on the nerve and patients can have immediate improvement of their symptoms and pain. A recent study in the Journal of Periodontology shows that 2 ounces of yogurt a day may protect you from gum disease. The typical container of yogurt holds 6 ounces and the good bacteria in yogurt helps fight germs in your mouth. I had a bad problem of grinding my teeth and 30 years ago I had some beautiful teeth and you know they slowly got worse and worse and worse and then of course I started having cavity problems. My regular dentist told me look they're not going to last your lifetime so you're faced with either dentures or you know redoing your mouth. Many patients find us because they're at the end of the road on their dental history. They have neglected their teeth or they have had habits that have caused their teeth to wear down to the point where they know they have to do something and they present sometimes after many decades of problems and they're ready now to fix those problems the best they can afford to. A lot of the patients fall into the full mouth reconstruction category which means they need every tooth in their mouth addressed in their treatment. When I finally went to Dr. McFadden, I was looking to him for a permanent solution and something that would last the rest of my life obviously. And then he calmly brought me into his office and literally wrote down on a piece of paper here are three different proposals. After weighing it I decided to take the highest cost option for me which was to put crowns on every tooth. When Bob came to the practice it was a really fun appointment. He was instantly charming and fun to be around and we became friends throughout his treatment. When Bob arrived he had had four decades of tooth grinding and ended up with almost no tooth structure left and his wife hated his smile. We were able to use all of his teeth and performed certain procedures to allow him to keep his natural teeth and improve the way they look through crown treatment. One of the funniest things about Bob is that he carries his before and after pictures on his iPhone. He shows everybody. He shows people that don't care at all what his teeth looked like and how great his teeth look now. He cares, incredibly cares how good your teeth are. A little bit obsessive compulsive he is but it works out in your mouth to be beautiful. As always, for more information on any of the doctors you've seen on today's show or to even request an appointment, be sure to head to our website, bestdocsnetwork.com. And right now, Kandace, it is time to head to our next best doctor. One of the top plastic surgeons in the entire Dallas, Fort Worth area, you're going to enjoy this, it is Dr. David Azouz. I had a condition called true gynecomastia and the condition is basically a hardening of the tissue in the chest area. And so unlike some of the other people that have that, it was actually hard tissue that caused pain and it was pronounced through clothing, things like that. It was more pronounced on one side than the other and so that kind of began the search where I looked for doctors for about 3 years. Gynecomastia is a very common problem for many men where they have the physique in their chest that's more female or feminine and that's why it's called gynecomastia, feminine *** on men. And obviously most men are not happy to have *** and they want to have that corrected. They like to have prominent pectoral muscles, they like to show a lot of musculature but they don't want to have ***. So I talked to my primary care physician and then I started to look at different plastic surgeons in the Houston and the Dallas area and without even examining me most of the doctors would tell me the procedure right off the bat and usually that entailed to do multiple cuts around the area, multiple incisions and then go in from all angles kind of you know take out that tissue. So I knew that that wasn't something that I really wanted to do because it was going to leave a lot of scarring so I put it off and it ended up like I said it took about 3 years. And the first time I went into Dr. Azouz's office he told me flat out, I'm going to you know stay here until we answer all of your questions. And he kind of went beyond that, I mean he came up with questions that I wasn't even thinking about. And within a few minutes I knew he was the man for the job, I mean he actually examined me before he made any recommendations and then he kind of went through the whole procedure. And the procedure was going to be you know two really small cuts which I kind of didn't believe at first to be honest because I had been told by so many other doctors that that wasn't possible, that they would have to do multiple incisions. What we do is we take off the *** by making small incisions under the areola and through liposuction and sometimes incision as well we remove the breast tissue and we give them better contour. Now that the procedure is done you know all I have is praise and thanks for Dr. Azouz. Without him I would have probably gone to one of the other doctors and been unhappy with the results. My life has truly changed as a result of this procedure and I would highly recommend it to other people. The Best Docs Network is all about doctors helping change people's lives. It's educational, informative and real. Logon to bestdocsnetwork.com. We tend to think of athletes as being healthy people. They're out running or lifting weights or wrestling or whatever they do but surprisingly there are a number of conditions that are more prone to develop in athletes depending on what kind of sport they engage in. One of the reasons is they may be in an environment where they're very close to other people that may be carrying a bacteria for example like staph so they're prone to get boils and sometimes cellulitis and folliculitis so that's one thing that can happen. There's also sometimes *** virus infections especially in wrestlers. There's a type of *** called *** gladiatorum which is due to their touching one another in a wrestling match and one spreads the *** to another one. Fungal infections too, they get hot, sweaty skin especially in runners or people that are in hot, warm environments their skin chafes and then fungus can set up shop there. They can get a yeast infection or can get so called jock itch which is due to ringworm type of fungi. So those are all things that we see fairly commonly in athletes. Athletes can protect themselves if they use careful skin hygiene. So in other words for wrestlers for example they need to make sure that they use a good antibacterial type of wash very frequently especially after they've wrestled and ideally before they wrestle so if the wrestlers are all doing this together and keeping the gym clean and all this kind of stuff the chance of spreading those kind of infections is certainly less. As far as trying to prevent things like ringworm, it's good when you're getting hot and sweaty to let that area kind of cool down, take a cool shower, let the area air dry so it doesn't really just stay hot and macerated and whatnot. You think you might have one of these infections, athletes foot or jock itch or whatever, probably the first thing you can do is maybe just try something over the counter. There are things like antifungal preparations that you can buy at the pharmacy. If it's not getting better in about a week or so probably ought to call it to the attention of your dermatologist, have them take a look at it. They can do a scraping possibly even a skin biopsy. Even though in a young individual that's got predisposing factors that's going to be by far the most common cause. There are some other things sometimes that can look like fungal infections that are more serious so you wouldn't want to let it go too long if it didn't respond pretty quickly to treatment. Be sure to wash your sheets and other bedding in hot water that is at least 140 degrees Fahrenheit to properly sanitize and remove dust mites that can irritate sensitive skin and exacerbate eczema. Welcome to the Best Docs Network in the Studio. We're very pleased to be joined today by one of the top lasik surgeons not only in the Dallas, Fort Worth area but in the country, Dr. Harvey Carter. Dr. Carter, thanks for being with us today. Thanks for having me. It's a pleasure. Now talk to us about how your started in this field. I chose this field of medicine because I love microsurgery and I found that out very early in medical school. Ophthalmology is an incredible mix of microsurgery, laser surgery and wonderful, wonderful technology. And you did your undergrad at SMU. Did you always plan to come back to Dallas to start your practice? Yes, that was my goal. I came to SMU because of the premed program back in the time that we've been here and then went to LSU medical school in New Orleans, then did my internship back here in Dallas and residency in Georgia and then back here to Dallas again so I love Dallas. That's great and you have a lot of ties in the community, very involved in the Dallas community. You're the official lasik eye surgeon of the Dallas Cowboys. That has to be both exciting and very rewarding. That's been an incredible, incredible journey and I sort of fell into that. Really. I went to a charity event many, many years ago and while we were there, there were a number of Dallas Cowboy players there and one thing led to another. And first Tony Casillas wife came in and had lasik surgery and then Tony Casillas came in and had lasik surgery and then I think it was like 50 or 60 Cowboys over time came in and had lasik surgery. That's so fun. And what would you say sets your practice, Carter Eye Center, apart from other eye practices in the Dallas, Fort Worth area? I really think it's personal service and high technology. Patients I think are looking for personal service and at the same time I think they're looking for high technology. They want the latest, greatest, they want the best. Should you take over the counter cold medicines when you have a bad cold? Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no. These medications will kill the germs but they will dry up the mucus that acts as the food for the germs and then the germs die sooner. Antibiotics kill germs but antihistamines and decongestants can dry up mucus that feeds the germs and then they die sooner whether you use antibiotics or not. Using nasal sprays may help if your nose is stopped up and you can't sleep. Oftentimes using one of the over the counter nasal sprays will help you sleep just don't use it more than 3 or 4 days so you don't get hooked on it. Also antihistamines can dry up mucus especially if it's accompanied by sneezing like allergy symptoms. Decongestants are good too. That dries up mucus, the non-allergic type mucus, the infected type mucus. Also some cough medicines although they don't work very well may make you feel a little bit better. Now using anti-fever medications and anti-inflammatory medications for aches and pains, those will help you too and help you feel a lot better while your body fights off the germ that's causing your bad cold. For additional Medical Minutes from Dr. Honaker, logon to bestdocsnetwork.com, click on Education and the Medical Minute tab. Hi I'm Dr. Preeti Malladi. Did you know that gastric bypass can not only help you lose weight but have a profound impact on diabetes? To learn more please see my videos on bestdocsnetwork.com. I didn't have Poland's Syndrome but it was like it where one breast is significantly bigger than the other, so I was like a B and a C. It affects everything, the way you dress, the way you wardrobe is, the things you can and can't buy and as a woman you want to be able to just go buy it because you like it and you want to wear it not because of the way it's shaped or formed around your breast area. I just got tired of feeling like that and I knew that after having a child it still didn't change. I finally said enough is enough and I went and saw Dr. Barnett. Kaleah was a special case. This was actually more of a reconstruction than it was simple augmentation. There was nothing simple about that case. She had vast asymmetry of the breast. Asymmetry means one is not the same size or shape as the other. In Kaleah's case this one never developed and this one was what you'd call a tube sock, elongated, hanging down, this one was barely there. Usually should have been a two stage operation and I told her going in that I can do so much but probably you're going to need another operation. We talked about it and looked at the pictures and the kind of surgery I needed and required with what I had should have been a two step, possibly three step operation. And what Dr. Barnett did was just a one step operation and that's all it took. I was able to in one stage create a matched pair. It worked out beautifully. It's been a year now and she looks fabulous and she's happy as a clam. Is it rewarding? Yeah, really is, that's a special case. Dr. Barnett treats his patients like family. He will give you his cell phone number to make sure you can always be in contact with him if you ever need anything before and after surgery. I'm happy and glad to know that I safely chose him. I've had no complications, you can't even see my scars. He changed my life forever. It was the best decision I ever made. Experts say weight training should actually be done first because it's a higher intensity exercise compared to cardio. Your body is better able to handle weight training early in the workout because you're fresh and you have the energy you need to work out. We have recently introduced a new treatment to our various and sundry offerings that ties in very well with our weight loss options called I-Lypo which is a non invasive fat reduction technique I guess is the best way to put it. It's not liposuction but it does melt fat stores. The I-lipo is non invasive, there's no down time, there's no discomfort so it's an excellent technique for those patients looking to reduce fat in a very localized area without having to undergo any kind of surgical technique. The I-lipo technique can be used in conjunction with a suction technique that directs the energy a little bit more into the epidermis itself that then stimulates a collagen reaction. So deeper into the fat layer it empties fat cells but it's more superficial the same energy actually can induce collagen response and it causes basically a tightening effect of the skin. The best candidates for this technique are patients who have focal problem areas such as the pooch on the abdomen, the little saddlebags that occur on the thighs. You can do it on arms, we've done it on chins. The I-lipo used in conjunction with a weight loss program gets the patient to their target faster, keeps them more motivated and involved in their weight loss program because they can see the results so much faster. So the normal treatment course is two treatments a week over four weeks. You want to focus on one treatment zone at a time. The treatment itself takes about twenty minutes but we do a measurement before the treatment and a measurement immediately after the treatment and there is a noticeable difference from those measurements that we're able to take. I think that the benefits that the I-lipo technique offers over other fat reduction techniques is its simplicity. It is fast, it's pain free, no downtime, no recovery and very definitive almost instantaneous results. It's a quick fix, it's very natural in many respects. That'll do it, that'll wrap up another edition of the Best Docs Network featuring some of the best doctors in the entire Dallas, Fort Worth area that helped change people's lives. The good news is, Kandace, for more information on any of these outstanding doctors, head to the website, bestdocsnetwork.com, that's bestdocsnetwork.com. And if you have a question or comment for us, send us an email at info@bestdocsnetwork.com. So long everyone we will see you next week.