February 11th, 2007 by Dr. Val Jones in News
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Apparently, dentists are now offering feel-good perks to compliment their regular services. One dentist turned her Chicago-based practice into a “dental spa,” complete with free 10 minute massages, cooling eye masks, and peppermint foot scrubs. Cushy lounge chairs, scented candles, herbal tea, soothing music and flat screen TVs adorn the office. Dr. Mitchell says that this is her way of making a trip to the dentist “a really positive experience.”
The American Dental Association estimates that up to 25% of Americans avoid dentists because of fear of pain.
To be honest, I have mixed feelings about spa dentistry. Although I love massages, I’m sure if I were having one at the dentist, the impending doom of drilling and novocaine would diminish my enjoyment. It’s kind of like taking your boyfriend to dinner to break up with him – how much will you really enjoy the meal?
Beyond that, I wonder if the anxiety surrounding dental visits (provided in a spa-like setting) would cause some kind of anxiety transfer to spas in general? I can imagine that if people subconsciously associate foot massages or scented candles with tooth drilling, the next time they get a spa certificate as a gift they may pass it on at a white elephant party.
What do you think? Would you like to see more dental spas crop up across the nation?
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
December 30th, 2006 by Dr. Val Jones in True Stories
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Good medical diagnosis and treatment often requires some detective work. One of my patients came to see me for foot pain recently. She described what sounded like a pretty typical case of plantar fasciitis – pain in the heel of her foot, worst with the first few steps in the morning, improving throughout the day. I recommended stretches, physical therapy, night splints, ibuprofen… but to my surprise nothing was really helping.
One wintery day she came back on a return visit and I happened to notice her footwear – boots with a very thin, flexible sole. Slowly I began to think of her tromping over ice, sand, gravel, and snow in these boots… I asked her if she could feel the ground under her feet.
“Yes, I can feel everything – I don’t like to walk around in the snow and ice because it kind of hurts to step on all the lumps and bumps. But I can’t just stay indoors all day, I have errands to run!”
I explained to my patient that I had a hunch that the rocks were bruising her plantar fascia, causing it to be inflamed and painful. I asked her to buy herself some thick soled boots – the kind where she couldn’t feel the lumps and bumps under her feet.
About a week later my patient called to tell me that her foot pain was much better. The new boots seemed to be doing the trick… “I never knew why my plantar fasciitis got worse in the winter times, doc. I thought it was the cold that made things worse.”
Well, I had learned a lot too… sometimes the best treatment option is not on the standard protocol list. The power of observation is one of a physician’s most important weapons.
This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
December 28th, 2006 by Dr. Val Jones in Health Tips
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The plantar fascia is basically a thin, broad “rubber band” on the bottom of your foot. It holds your foot bones together and gives you a little spring in your step. But when that rubber band gets stiff, every step can be painful, especially the first few steps in the morning. So what would you do with a stiff rubber band that needs to fit around a deck of cards? You’d stretch it gently until it could fit around them, right? Well, as it turns out, that’s the best course of action for plantar fasciitis. There are many different ways to stretch the fascia (like rolling a tennis ball under the bottom of your foot) but my favorite method is: the night splint.
What’s a night splint? They’re little booties that keep your feet at a 90 degree angle when you’re lying down. This gentle stretching works while you sleep, so it couldn’t be easier. Night splints are available online or at most surgical supply stores, and cost upwards of $30. Try them for several nights in a row, and see if it makes a difference in the pain you’ve been feeling when you take your first steps of the day. Keep it up for a week or two, and you may have cured yourself.
Have you tried night splints? Still having pain? Find out what else might work in the next blog entry!This post originally appeared on Dr. Val’s blog at RevolutionHealth.com.
