In The News
Falling back on sleep – get ahead of the time change
With the end of daylight saving time fast approaching, some people begin to dread turning the clocks back an hour on Saturday. Research shows most of us feel the effect of time changes for days after we reset our clocks. Sleep is a function of the brain, and the brain needs a little prep time … Read More
Prescription opioids are a gateway to heroin use in O.C.
Sometimes it begins legitimately. Pain from an injury or a surgery leads to a prescription for Vicodin, Oxycontin or Percocet. But when the pills run out, too often people find they are hooked on a highly addictive drug. That’s when they turn to other opiates, especially heroin. This has led to a “normalization” of heroin … Read More
Labeling drug addiction a choice is intellectually dishonest
In recent mainstream articles, addiction has been portrayed as a habit or a choice, instead of what it truly is – namely, a chronic, treatable brain disease. This misconception is both wrong and dangerous, and it flies in the face of neuroscience, which has shown addiction to be rooted in the brain's chemical imbalance and … Read More
Hoag opens on-site rehab facility in Newport Beach
Hoag Hospital has opened a 21-bed residential substance abuse treatment center in Newport Beach, the first in California to be located on an acute-care hospital campus. The facility, called SolMar Recovery, comes at a time when heroin addiction and prescription painkiller addiction are soaring locally and nationwide, and as the Affordable Care Act requires insurance … Read More
Commentary: Summer's end doesn't have to mean school stress begins
When you’re a kid, summer means long sunny days, fun outings and flexible schedules. No one wants to give up those delights. It’s no wonder that as August fades into September, many kids and families start to feel stressed about the looming academic year. Some kids experience a sense of impending doom about being responsible … Read More
How a battery-operated spoon allows O.C. woman with Parkinson's disease to eat with confidence
Pat Ferguson’s hand quaked as she raised her spoon from her soup bowl, but despite her unsteady grip she had no fear of splattering her pristine white jacket during a lunch out. As her hand shook, her battery-operated spoon shook in the opposite direction to counter the tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease and a lesser … Read More
Commentary: Make sure your child is ready for the stressors of college
One of the most important things to remember about raising children is that you’re really raising adults. As high school seniors decide where to attend college, parents are starting to realize that all their hovering and hand holding may have done their teens a disservice. Can your kid manage her time effectively? Do his own … Read More
Tips to Fight Early Signs of Alzheimer's Disease
People found with early signs of Alzheimer’s disease can still form memories and learn new things. Huntington Beach resident Chuck Manley, 87, who has learned to embrace his condition, shared with Eyewitness News tips on what’s helped him most. Watch health specialist Denise Dador’s full story in the video. To view the original KABC 7 … Read More
Monitoring kids' online behavior could save their lives
Just last year, a 12-year-old male cheerleader in Northern California decided he had had enough of the taunts and bullying that had tormented him for years, and he took his own life. As a community, we grieve together in the face of such a loss. The pain endured by the boy’s parents is unimaginable. We … Read More
Hoag's Vital Brain Program Awarded Grant for Online CME Courses in Cognitive Health
Physicians in Orange County will soon have more resources to manage their patients’ cognitive health. Hoag Neurosciences Institute’s Orange County Vital Brain Aging Program has been awarded a grant to develop an online tool to address that issue. The $132,000 grant by the UniHealth Foundation, combined with designated philanthropic donations, will help the Orange County … Read More