If your goal is to lose weight, look and feel your best and live a healthy, vibrant life, be aware of the damaging additives and synthetic chemicals in the foods you buy and eat. Seventy-five percent of the average American diet is from processed and packaged foods, which equates to approximately 10 pounds of additives eaten annually.

Did you know that the most common causes of knee pain are treated non-operatively? The most common cause of non-traumatic knee pain is due to patellofemoral pain or knee cap pain. This occurs in all age groups from teenagers to adults for different reasons. In teenagers, this is often associated with rapid growth during the teenage years that results in relative tightness of the knee cap. In middle-aged patients and older adult, this is caused by the cartilage on the underneath surface of the knee cap getting thinner, which is essentially the onset of arthritis.

When Jay Mesinger heard about a study seeking Golden Retrievers to help fight canine cancer, he immediately signed up 2-year-old Louie.

Shoulder pain is one of the most common reasons that a patient is seen in the orthopaedic office. The vast majority of shoulder pain is treated non-operatively with physical therapy and sometimes a cortisone injection. The most common source of shoulder pain is the rotator cuff. For most patients, they have either a partial rotator cuff tear or tendinitis. Partial tears of the rotator cuff occur with increasing frequency with increasing age, but overhead activities can certainly incite more severe symptoms. These are the types of injuries that very rarely require any type of surgical intervention. Therapy and an injection normally resolve 80 percent of these problems. There are only a small percentage of patients who continue to have symptoms for greater than six months, despite therapy. For those still symptomatic despite conservative treatment, shoulder arthroscopy becomes an option. The patients who have a full thickness rotator cuff tear, particularly tears that are large, will require surgery to repair the cuff. Although this can be done arthroscopically, rotator cuff repairs will require at least three months of physical therapy post operatively. The consequence of not repairing a rotator cuff is a tear that continues to worsen potentially leading to severe arthritis.

Ahwatukee Foothills has one of the youngest, most active demographics in the Valley today. The truth is that people in Ahwatukee love to work-out. Yet some are hesitant to exercise if their knee is arthritic fearing that exercise will increase the knee pain in their knee joint which is already sore, causing more damage to the knee. As an orthopedic surgeon, I am often treating knee injuries sustained from athletic injuries or as a consequence of sustained high impact exercise. While it is true that the wrong type of exercise can result in arthritis, it is equally true that the correct type of exercise is an excellent treatment for arthritic knee pain.

Acupuncture gets a thumbs-up for helping relieve pain from chronic headaches, backaches and arthritis in a review of more than two dozen studies — the latest analysis of an often-studied therapy that has as many fans as critics.

New animal rescue seeks home for 2 abandoned dogs

Ever meandered through the pharmacy aisles of Whole Foods, Sprouts, or even Trader Joe’s and wished you knew more about the various supplements and which ones could possibly benefit you? Herbal/dietary supplements (also called botanicals) are plants used for their therapeutic properties, and the roots of herbalism go back to the beginning of humanity. The following list contains some of the more popular herbs that are generally accepted to have psychoactive and/or medicinal properties with positive effects in humans:

I always knew that at some point in my children’s lives, we would have to say goodbye to our family dog.

Genetically modified foods are foods derived from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), which is from a process in a lab where genes are taken from one species and inserted into another in an attempt to obtain a desired characteristic or trait.

Genetically modified foods are foods derived from Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), which is from a process in a lab where genes are taken from one species and inserted into another in an attempt to obtain a desired characteristic or trait.

A local small business has grown by 800 percent in the last seven years, perhaps leaving the term small business behind.

A local small business has grown by 800 percent in the last seven years, perhaps leaving the term small business behind.

We all love our dogs and we know that our dogs love treats and pretty much anything that we're eating at any given moment.

We're writing in response to your recent story about Ringling Bros. ("Circus comes to town this week," AFN, June 22). We would like to provide you with additional information that explains why these performances are protested at every stop.

You may have heard, "You are what you eat." Actually, you are what you absorb and assimilate. Hippocrates quotes: "All disease begins in the gut." Your second brain is through the gut.

You may have heard, "You are what you eat." Actually, you are what you absorb and assimilate. Hippocrates quotes: "All disease begins in the gut." Your second brain is through the gut.

We're becoming a nation of bum knees, worn-out hips and sore shoulders, and it's not just the Medicare set. Baby boomer bones and joints also are taking a pounding, spawning a boom in operations to fix them.

May is National Arthritis Awareness Month and Saturday, May 7 the Arthritis Foundation hosts its Annual Arthritis Walk presented by GoDaddy.com at the Phoenix Zoo. This free, family-friendly event features a one-mile course with music, breakfast, sponsor booths and more. Everyone who attends the walk gains free admission to the zoo for the remainder of the day.

May is National Arthritis Awareness Month and Saturday, May 7 the Arthritis Foundation hosts its Annual Arthritis Walk presented by GoDaddy.com at the Phoenix Zoo. This free, family-friendly event features a one-mile course with music, breakfast, sponsor booths and more. Everyone who attends the walk gains free admission to the zoo for the remainder of the day.

Have you been told that you're anemic and automatically think you need more iron? Anemia does not necessarily mean you need iron. And, what about too much iron?

Have you been told that you're anemic and automatically think you need more iron? Anemia does not necessarily mean you need iron. And, what about too much iron?

It is often said that, regardless of time or situation, simply smiling will improve one’s mood.

Unlike other joint replacement therapy programs, the Banner Boswell Joint Club has patients up and walking the same day of their surgery in an effort to speed recovery and reduce the risk of complications. Former Joint Club member Inta Meya of Peoria had knee replacement in December and said that the therapy can be hard work, but the results are worth it.