Deborah Quinn-Chen, M.D., Mills-Peninsula gynecologist and obstetrician, takes you on a video tour of a patient room in this segment from Healthpoint TV. Or you can explore the center on your own through our virtual tour, which you can find on our website.
Some highlights of the Mills-Peninsula Family Birth Center:
Private and spacious suites for your entire birth experience
Rooftop patio garden
Comfortable sleeping accommodations for family in every room
Made-to-order meals
Ranks tops in the country for patient satisfaction
What do mothers-to-be want to know about labor and delivery? According to Andrew Jurow, M.D., Mills-Peninsula gynecologist and obstetrician who delivers babies at the Family Birth Center, one of the most common questions his pregnant patients have is, “Will it hurt?”
“Everyone has a different expectation of the birthing process,” he says, “and we want to accommodate that.” Some women want a medication-free delivery, while many benefit from some pain management, which can allow them to relax between contractions, he says.
Dr. Jurow discusses what women can expect in labor and the latest pain management methods in this video segment from Healthpoint TV.
Is that pain in your stomach an ulcer? About 5 million ulcers were reported in the United States last year, according to Vino Verghese, M.D., a Mills-Peninsula gastroenterologist. “There are many types of ulcers, most commonly occurring in the stomach or small intestine,” he says. “People with an ulcer may experience stomach pain that is relieved by eating or taking antacids. But some ulcers can be completely painless.”
Contrary to popular belief, ulcers are not caused by stress, the doctor says. “Stressful behaviors like smoking or drinking alcohol may predispose people to ulcers, but almost 80 percent of ulcers are caused by a bacterial infection.”
Watch this video segment from Healthpoint TV to find out how ulcers are detected and treated.
Do you know what you and your family will do in the case of an earthquake, fire or other disaster? Earthquakes are common in the Bay Area, but disasters of all kinds can be best navigated with an emergency plan.
Deborah Tauscher, Mills-Peninsula emergency preparedness coordinator, gives you tips on how to plan ahead in the first of a series of video segments from Healthpoint TV on emergency preparedness.
Before high-speed Internet in the OR, surgeons used to feel like they were “operating in a box,” says Andrea Metkus, M.D., Mills-Peninsula general surgeon and medical director at the Women’s Center in San Mateo.
Today, surgeons like Dr. Metkus are connected to information and medical experts around the globe.
“The new integrated operating room system allows us to access test results and lab X-rays on multiple high-definition monitors around the spacious OR,” she says “We can talk to or even show images to a doctor in the next operating room or somewhere else in the world.”
Yoga may seem trendy, but it’s been practiced for health benefits for some 5,000 years. You can do yoga just about anywhere and feel more relaxed and energetic in just 10 – 20 minutes, according to Brooke Benjamin, Mills-Peninsula exercise physiologist.
Some benefits of a regular yoga practice:
Relaxation
Improved digestion
Increased flexibility, strength, coordination and balance
Less anxiety
Lower blood pressure
Watch this video segment from Healthpoint TV to learn a few simple yoga poses you can incorporate into your fitness routine.
Medical experts today understand that the underlying cause of many health problems is excess weight. According to Mills-Peninsula surgeon Pamela Foster, M.D., weight loss surgery is one tool that can be used to treat these sometimes serious conditions, which include type 2 diabetes, hypertension and sleep apnea. It’s also an area of medicine which is making progress due to advances in surgical procedures, she says.
In this video segment from Healthpoint TV, Dr. Foster explains who might be a typical candidate for weight loss surgery and some of the most common and innovative procedures available.
When you walk into the new Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame, the construction and engineering effort it takes to run such a modern and life-saving facility may not not be apparent. You have to go down into the basement to see the type of machinery and engineering wonders that make it possible for our staff to take care of patients in comfort 24 hours a day, come what may.
In this video from Healthpoint TV, which was filmed during the building of the hospital that opened in May 2011, you’ll get a quick tour of the basement which houses electrical and heating systems, as well as 90,000 gallons of water (40,000 gallons of fire/sprinkler water and 50,000 of drinking water).
Exercise is a vital component of any weight loss program. If you are overweight or recovering from injury or surgery, you should begin a fitness routine slowly and consult your doctor first, advises Brooke Benjamin, Mills-Peninsula exercise physiologist.
In this video segment from Healthpoint TV, she demonstrates a beginner’s workout with exercise bands to increase strength and coordination.
Richard and Kathy Gingras collectively lost 200 pounds after having weight loss surgery at Mills-Peninsula. Kathy calls the surgery the best choice she ever made — she feels invigorated and can keep up with her new grandchild. Richard’s doctors told him he would not have survived cardiac arrest two years ago if he hadn’t lost the weight.
“I looked at my children and my wife, and I knew they were more important…than a slice of pizza or that extra scoop of ice cream. I was willing to make the changes because I want to live,” he says in this video segment from Healthpoint TV.
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. Thank you for visiting our blog and sharing.
