One of the best things about being a pediatric orthopedic physician is “getting kids back to being kids,” says Jaclyn Wey, M.D., who works at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Fremont Center.
A Bay Area native, Dr. Wey feels at home in her community and treats her patients like she would her family and friends.
“One of the most rewarding things I do is to help my patients understand medicine, making sense of something that may be scary and foreign to them,” she says in this video, which is part of a series highlighting the diverse voices of PAMF physicians.
MyLifeStages.org is one of the few places online where you’ll find Northern California practicing physicians answering questions, blogging and talking about the very topics that matter most to you.
What is MyLifeStages? It’s Sutter Health’s wellness portal that connects women and their families with Sutter-affiliated doctors for health information, tools, expert tips and more, all for free. Serving more than 360,000 visitors in 2011, this site is loaded with its interactive features and health resources designed to support women on their journey toward good health at every stage of life.
For Ron Sinha, M.D., an internal medicine doctor at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Redwood City Center, a good physician-patient relationship is in many ways like a good marriage — where there is open communication, honesty and mutual trust between both parties. For him, personalized care means treating the patient as a person, not just their illness. “What is really rewarding to me is when you make that connection to the patient and you motivate them to make a change that’s really important to them,” says Dr. Sinha.
Co-leader of PAMF’s South Asian Wellness Task Force, Dr. Sinha takes care to learn about a patient’s cultural and ethnic background, and family history, before recommending lifestyle changes. “Each patient has a unique culture, a unique background or family history,” he says. “I have to make sure I give them advice that will fall within the context of their life.”
In this video, Dr. Sinha shares his thoughts on personalized care.
Doctors Amy Lin, Sandra Wong, Vivian Tsai (l to r)
As with many holiday celebrations, it may be tempting to overeat during Chinese New Year. However, there are ways to eat healthier and still feel satisfied. Even small, simple changes can lead to a healthier you.
Did you know that 12 percent of patients who call the Palo Alto Medical Foundation their medical home are of Chinese descent? In honor of them and the Chinese New Year, PAMF would like to share some nutritional information to help you make good dietary choices. Start the Year of the Dragon off right by eating healthy and paving the way to a long life by improving your diet. Gung Hay Fat Choy!
For Nancy Pham-Thomas, M.D., an Obstetrics and Gynecology doctor at PAMF’s Dublin Center, patients are not appointment times or diseases – they are first and foremost people in her community.
“I live a few minutes from work…I see my patients at the grocery store, at the parks and the farmer’s market,” she says. “My children will probably go to the same schools.”
Soccer practice, ice skating lessons, piano recitals, birthday parties, a full homework load and several school projects on the horizon – our kids’ lives can make the busiest Silicon Valley exec’s schedule look manageable. In today’s competitive environment, where kids feel they need to excel at so many different things, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Although stress is part of our daily lives, parents shouldn’t feel powerless. One of the most important things you can do is to help your child learn to manage stress effectively, so that he or she can live a healthy, balanced life – and as a parent of a child with activities, you can, too.
Longtime PAMF patient Jim Black, 73, takes good care of himself. He leads an active life and his health was always something he could rely on, until one Friday when his health took a dramatic turn for the worse.
“My first symptom was a tremendous fainting spell, and I literally collapsed on the floor,” says Jim. “I was able to reach a telephone and call 911. That triggered the entire response from the paramedics to El Camino Hospital in Mountain View and to PAMF vascular surgeon Robert Mitchell, M.D., to whom I owe my life.”
One in eight women in the Bay Area is diagnosed with breast cancer. Runi Chattopadhyay, M.D., knows how overwhelming the news of a new diagnosis can be.
A PAMF surgical oncologist at the Palo Alto Center with special training in breast cancer surgery and a regular volunteer at Breast Cancer Connections, Dr. Chattopadhyay says she feels very fortunate to be able to guide women through a difficult time and provide support and counsel.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging consumers to carefully read the labels of liquid acetaminophen marketed for infants to avoid giving the wrong dose to their children.
A less concentrated form of the popular medication is being sold in some stores. Giving the wrong dose of acetaminophen can cause the medication to be ineffective if too little is given or cause serious side effects and, possibly, death if too much is given.
Welcome! This blog is designed as a forum for engaging patients, their families and the community in conversations about health care, and to help promote health education and wellness with articles and tips from our doctors and staff from different departments. We welcome your comments and insight, however, please remember that this blog does not address specific patient medical issues or provide personalized medical advice. If you have a specific medical question, please contact your doctor directly.Thank you for visiting our blog.
