www.desertinfection.com/HBO September/October 2026 www.DesertHealthNews.com www.circecares.com Holistic pproach to Patient-Centered Care t Circe Healthcare Solutions, our compassionate team takes the time to understand each patient, empo ering them to take control of their health journey through education and disease prevention. Integrative Primary Care Health Coaching Mindfulness Practices No accepting ne primary care patients ith most major insurances accepted. Edith Jones-Poland, M.D. Founder/Family and Integrative Care Physician Patricia Van Santen, D.A.O.M. Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Patricia 760-773-4948 Palm Desert: 73345 Hwy. 111, Ste. 101 Yucca Valley: 57463 Twentynine Palms Hwy, Ste. 202 circecares.com Integrative Medicine The Valley's Leading Resource for Health and Wellness 15 760.636.1336 36923 Cook Street, #103 Palm Desert Desertinfection.com/HBO Bachir Younes, MD, MPH Roula Younes, DNP Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is recommended for treating a variety of medical conditions including expediting wound healing. Desert Hyperbaric Medicine is a part of Younes Medical offering comprehensive care for patients. The company encompasses aninfectious disease clinic, a state-of-the-art wound care center and the largest independent IV fusion therapy facility in the valley—Desert Infusion Center. Immerse yourself in healing 760.773.3899 If you live with low back pain, you know how much it can interrupt your daily life. Sleeping is difficult, chores feel like a burden and even a short walk can be daunting. Moving your body is one of the most reliable ways to reduce back pain over time, and one of the most beginner-friendly places to start moving is in the pool. Performing guided exercise in warm water with a licensed physical therapist is referred to as aquatic therapy. Many programs take place in chest-deep water, so you don’t have to be a swimmer. Aquatic therapy is different from traditional water aerobics as it focuses more on core strength, stability and balance specific to your needs. How does it help? Buoyancy reduces load on joints and discs. When you’re immersed in water, your body “weighs” less because buoyancy offsets gravity. In waist-deep water, you unload about half your body weight; in chest-deep water, about 75%. The lighter load makes it easier to move stiff or painful areas and practice better movement patterns without exacerbating symptoms. Hydrostatic pressure supports circulation and provides stability. Water exerts a uniform pressure around your body that helps push fluid back toward the heart. This can reduce swelling, improve blood flow and offer a subtle stabilizing “hug” around the trunk. Many people find this makes balance exercises and core activation feel more secure than on land. Water provides adjustable resistance. If you move slowly, the water resists a little. If you move faster, the water resists more. This makes it easy to adjust effort without weights or machines. Exercises often feel smoother and safer for irritated backs. Warmth relaxes muscles. Physical therapy pools are usually warmer than lap pools, often in the low 90s F. Warm water helps muscles relax and can make stretching and mobility work more comfortable. Studies report that when comparing supervised aquatic exercise with standard physical therapy treatments like heat and TENS, water-exercise groups demonstrate greater reductions in pain and disability, with many maintaining those improvements for up to 12 months. Aquatic exercises should feel comfortable to moderately challenging, but not painful. You should be able to talk in full sentences while working. A typical session lasts 45–60 minutes and focuses on multiple elements specific to individual needs. For example: Warm-up/cardiac endurance: water walking in different directions. Core and lower extremity strength: standing marches, mini-squats holding the pool rail, hip abduction/adduction and gentle “pull-downs” with a foam noodle to engage core muscles. Mobility, range of motion, and stretching: hamstring and hip flexor stretches at the pool wall, gentle spinal rotations and ankle mobility work. Balance: tandem or single-leg stances. Who tends to benefit most? Those whose pain worsens with standing or walking and those recovering from a painful flare-up; people with stiffness, low fitness or balance worries; and those who have failed other conservative treatments. Many use the pool to calm pain and restore movement, then transition to land-based therapy. Aquatic therapy isn’t a magic cure, but it is a gentle and often enjoyable way to get meaningful exercise with low back pain. Regular sessions build strength, flexibility and confidence. If low back pain has been keeping you on the sidelines, the pool might be the most comfortable place to start to improve your health. Jessica Super is a doctor of physical therapy and owner of Dynamic Physical Therapy in Palm Desert. She is a member of Desert Doctors and can be reached at (760) 501.6655. For more information, visit www.desertdoctors.org. References: 1) Wang X-Q., et al. “Efficacy of Therapeutic Aquatic Exercise vs, Physical Therapy Modalities for Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” JAMA Network Open. 2022;5(1):e2142063; 2) Shi Z., et al. “Aquatic Exercises in the Treatment of Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Eight Studies.” American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. 2018;97(2):116-122. Hitting the Pool for Back Pain By Jessica Super, DPT, CSCS Curiosity can transform conflict and opposition into exploration and growth. Rather than seeing differing viewpoints as threats, the conscious communicator recognizes them as opportunities to expand awareness and discover new possibilities. This mindset also creates flexibility within one’s own perspective. Conscious leadership is not rigid attachment to being correct; it is the willingness to remain open while still honoring one’s values and truth. Even when viewpoints differ, respectful dialogue and appreciative inquiry can move conversations beyond polarization and toward shared understanding. Tone, delivery and emotional presence also matter deeply. Respect is communicated not only through words, but through energy, listening, patience, body language and intention. Speaking with calm, kindness and emotional steadiness creates an environment in which meaningful dialogue and resolution can become possible. Ultimately, conscious communication is the practice of leading conversations— and relationships—with awareness, intentionality, curiosity and respect. In doing so, conversations become more than exchanges of opinion; they become opportunities for connection, collaboration, understanding and transformation. May we all intentionally choose to communicate consciously, bringing more love, understanding, compassion and curiosity into our beautiful world. Tracy Smith is an energy medicine practitioner, author and founder of Blissful Release Now and can be reached at tracy.blissfulrelease@gmail.com. www.blissfulreleasenow.com. Sources available upon request. Are You a Conscious Communicator? Continued from page 11 Targeting Prostate Cancer with Precision Continued from page 7 Aquatic exercise can ease the pressure that causes lower back pain. Greenwood’s leadership role and her international platform highlight the important work of HALO’s Indian Wells team; the growing importance of imaging-guided innovation in oncology, and promising new standard-of-care options for those affected by prostate cancer. Lauren Del Sarto is founder/publisher of Desert Health. For more information on HALO Precision Diagnostics and their work, visit www.halodx.com. Greenwood may be reached at (760) 469.8104, bernadette@halodx.com. References available upon request.
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