Osteoporosis isn’t a disease that suddenly strikes in your retirement years. Bone loss is slow, but relentless, throughout your adult life. Every day gives you a new chance to make lifestyle choices that protect your bones and prevent osteoporosis. It’s never too late to protect your bones, even after osteoporosis...
You may think of arthritis as a disease that appears in late adulthood, but that only applies to degenerative types like osteoarthritis. Inflammatory arthritis is different. You can develop several types of inflammatory arthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis, at a much younger age. In fact, 80% of people with ankylosing...
Most people take their bones for granted, assuming they have strong, healthy bones that will support their active lifestyle. They’re blissfully unaware that all adults slowly but continuously lose bone. If they’re not careful, they end up with osteoporosis and a high risk for fractures. Behnam Khaleghi, MD, and our team at Pacific...
Did you know that some of the most widely used medications originally came from plants? One example, paclitaxel, comes from the bark of the yew tree and is currently used as a powerful chemotherapy agent for several types of cancer. Though many are now synthetically reproduced in the lab, the...
Many rheumatic conditions begin with mild, generic symptoms that make it hard to recognize you have a serious problem. Gout is different. Gout is an inflammatory arthritis that appears suddenly, causing extreme swelling and severe pain in your big toe. And gout attacks often strike in the middle of the...
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) eases joint pain the best way possible: by healing damaged tissues and reducing inflammation. Orthopedic specialists often use PRP to heal joint injuries. It also effectively relieves pain caused by osteoarthritis. As a rheumatologist and expert in regenerative medicine treatments such as PRP, Behnam Khaleghi, MD, at...
You may be surprised to learn that you can eat a healthy, balanced diet and still be at risk of developing a vitamin (or mineral) deficiency. Your risk skyrockets if you’re under stress or have a chronic disease, including a rheumatic disease. Behnam Khaleghi, MD, at Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center, pays...
Regenerative medicine can ease your pain the best and longest-lasting way possible because it builds new cells that repair inflamed and damaged tissues. As an expert in rheumatology, Behnam Khaleghi, MD, at Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center, helps people with chronic, painful conditions. He uses many advanced medical treatments to slow down disease progression...
Dehydration deprives your body of the water it needs to function. Though your body warns you by making you feel thirsty, sometimes you don't drink enough or you may be sweating and losing fluids rapidly. That's when moderate to severe dehydration develops and you’re at risk of health complications. Once...
There's no doubt that your diet can cause inflammation. On the other hand, the foods you eat can also fight inflammation. Whether your diet is to blame for your current inflammation is a different issue. Rheumatologic conditions involve a disease process that causes long-lasting inflammation no matter what you eat....
As one of regenerative medicine's starring treatments, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections are increasingly used in many medical fields, from orthopedics and dental surgery to dermatology and rheumatology. PRP's ability to activate healing and reduce inflammation make it a valuable option for a wide range of health conditions. But if you're...
The most challenging and frustrating aspect of fibromyalgia is that the treatments currently available only ease your symptoms. And they don’t help everyone. One medication, Pregabalin, reduces pain by 30-50% for many people, but you may still need other therapies to keep up with your daily life. And medication doesn't...
Heart disease, cancer, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and diabetes share two things in common. They rank in the top-eight causes of death, and they're all directly associated with chronic inflammation. Just in case that doesn't illustrate the serious impact inflammation has on your health, here's another eye-opening statistic: More than half...
You may have heard about platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and wonder if it's just a fad. Or maybe you're not familiar with PRP, what it does, and how it improves your health. Either way, the first thing you need to know about PRP is that it contains the same cells your...
There's no doubt that people with certain health conditions should take anti-inflammatory supplements. These products ease pain, reduce disease flare-ups, and generally improve your symptoms. Anti-inflammatory supplements also help prevent chronic health conditions. That means you may benefit from taking supplements even if you currently feel healthy and well. But...
Despite the widespread availability of CBD products, myths about CBD abound. Some exaggerate its advantages, often claiming false health benefits. Other myths go in the opposite direction, claiming CBD is a scam with no benefits and many side effects. The truth lies between the extreme myths. To set the record...
Vitamins and minerals are called essential nutrients for good reason. They perform hundreds of roles that keep your body alive and healthy, yet your body doesn’t produce them. That means they need to come through your diet. You can develop a nutritional deficiency if you don’t eat a balanced diet...
Most people think of arthritis as a problem they may need to deal with when they’re older. While it’s true that osteoarthritis usually appears after the age of 50, rheumatoid arthritis is different. Rheumatoid arthritis typically begins between the ages of 30 and 50. Though men develop rheumatoid arthritis, women...
Regenerative medicine relieves pain by tapping into your body’s natural ability to heal. Thanks to advanced technology, we can harvest the cells responsible for healing and inject them at the site of damaged tissues. From there, the cells jump into action, stimulating healing, regenerating new tissues, and easing your pain....
Dr. Behnam Khaleghi Receives Congressional Recognition from U.S. Congressman Ken Calvert Dr. Behnam Khaleghi, board-certified rheumatologist at Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center (PRMC), receives a certificate of special recognition from congressman Ken Calvert for outstanding and invaluable service to the community. The ceremony took place in Riverside CA. Dr. Khaleghi earned...
Inflammation is a sign that your immune system is working. After an injury or during an infection, inflammation is a good sign because it contains cells that help you heal. But sometimes your immune system goes into overdrive, and inflammation persists long after it’s needed. This type of ongoing inflammation...
Though all types of vasculitis are considered to be rare diseases, some are more common than others. A few forms affect only one in a million people, making them truly rare. But the most common form, giant cell arteritis, is diagnosed in 278 of every 100,000 people. And another type...
Dr. Behnam Khaleghi, board-certified rheumatologist at Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center (PRMC), was recently awarded as Top Doctor in Rheumatology, receiving the designation two years in a row. Dr. Khaleghi earned his medical degree and graduated with honors at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran, one of the most prestigious academic institutions...
Scleroderma is such a rare disease that there’s only one way to be sure you get the very best treatment. You need a rheumatology expert who is familiar with all the medications and who stays up to date with developing treatment options. That’s exactly what you get from Behnam Khaleghi,...
People with arthritis face a major conundrum, and it’s this: Exercise is essential if they want to reduce joint pain and maintain optimal function, but how can they exercise when they’re in pain? The short answer is to begin very slowly and gently. Most importantly, exercise under the guidance of...
Dr. Khaleghi, the leading rheumatologist at Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center (PRMC), has recently joined the Dean’s Leadership Council (DLC) at the UCI School of Biological Sciences. He joins an established group of individuals who regularly interface with the Dean and BioSci leadership on various issues, such as admissions, curriculum, research,...
You can take steps to strengthen your immune system, but you should know right from the start that there’s no pill or action you can take that will suddenly boost your body’s ability to protect you from illness and disease. Vaccines enhance your immune system to fight a specific viral...
Hot flashes and night sweats can make you miserable, but they’re not the most worrisome health concerns after menopause. When estrogen production drops, nearly every system in your body is affected, and one of the most dramatic changes takes place in your bones. You can lose 20% of your bone...
Stress comes from many sources, both good and bad. Your body’s stress increases during intensive exercise or athletic training as well as when you’re sick, you have a chronic health condition, or you deal with daily anxiety. When your body is under stress for any reason, it needs more nutrients...
You can prevent tendonitis by learning about the bad habits that cause the condition and taking steps to avoid them. And if you want to stay active, prevention is the way to go. Here’s why. Once you have tendonitis, it can take more than six weeks to heal. Ongoing tendonitis...
Most of us have had some experience with having a mentor at one moment in our lives, even if we don’t realize it. Whether that person was an older sibling, a friend, or a coach, there are various role models who’ve shaped and helped us grow. In the healthcare and...
The widespread availability of CBD in neighborhood outlets translates into a huge market with massive sales. In 2019, consumers spent $845 million on CBD products, and that number is projected to double over the next two years. But there are major problems with being able to walk into your local...
Scleroderma is a complex disease. It shares symptoms with many different diseases and affects multiple body systems. The symptoms you initially develop may be different from the issues that arise as the disease progresses. In other words, it takes a specialist like Behnam Khaleghi, MD, at Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center...
Stem cells and platelets work together in your body, complementing one another as they heal injuries and diseases. At Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center, under the direction of Dr. Behnam Khaleghi, we have the option of treating you with just one or both types of regenerative medicine therapies, depending on the...
Of the 1.5 million Americans diagnosed with lupus, more than 90% are women. Beyond these facts, it’s hard to narrow lupus down to a standard definition. Each person with lupus has their own experience with the disease. Their symptoms can be mild, debilitating, or life-threatening. Lupus symptoms are tremendously varied...
We’re seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic, yet we still get up in the morning and read headlines telling us that Orange County set a coronavirus record. One day, the headlines will change as we get a tighter grip on the pandemic. Meanwhile, dealing with such an insidious virus is...
Somewhere between 15 and 24 million Americans have autoimmune disorders. The exact number is hard to pin down because there are 80-100 different autoimmune diseases. The statistics that are reported depend on which diseases were included in the tally. But there’s one fact that everyone agrees on: Women are more...
Gout is a common inflammatory arthritis that occurs three times more frequently in men than women. While a gout attack is incredibly painful, early treatment often reduces the severity and frequency of future flare-ups. Dr. Behnam Khaleghi and our team at Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center in Orange and Laguna Hills,...
Intermittent fasting does a great job of helping you lose weight, and weight loss has a positive impact on your health, improving chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. But that’s not where your health benefits end. Intermittent fasting (IF) also affects the health of your cells and...
Vasculitis may not be a common health problem, but it can affect anyone at any age. And getting an early diagnosis makes it easier to relieve your symptoms, put the disease in remission, and prevent serious complications. To get early treatment, however, you must first spot the warning signs. We...
Regenerative medicine began in the 1950s, when the first bone marrow transplant was performed. Since then, researchers have identified other cells in your body responsible for healing and rebuilding new tissues. Now we have the ability to extract those very cells and use them as treatments to heal and relieve...
Almost a quarter of all American adults have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. Travelling can be a challenge when stiffness, soreness, and pain set in, but you can still enjoy visiting friends and family or travel for professional reasons. It’s all in how you plan for your trip. At Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center,...
Tendonitis is an issue that affects many of the patients we care for at Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center. Many people think that surgery is required to fix the aches and pains they experience from tendonitis. More often than not, however, our Dr. Behnam Khaleghi uses nonsurgical procedures for treating tendonitis...
When 1.5 million Americans — and at least 5 million people around the world — suffer from lupus, myths and misinformation are bound to arise. At Pacific Rheumatology Medical Center, we want to give lupus patients the best care possible, so let’s clear up a few common myths to enable...
Maybe your grandmother had a dowager’s hump — the hunched upper back that some women develop as they age. Or she broke a hip. Or your mother or your aunt did. While you may be aware of osteoporosis in your family members, you might never have considered that you could...
A rare autoimmune disease, scleroderma involves the hardening of connective tissue throughout your body. Connective tissue holds the different parts of your body together and gives your body structure: Your skin, tendons, and ligaments are all examples of connective tissue. With an autoimmune disease, your own body works against you....
A 2014 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 8.6 million Americans are injured playing sports each year. That’s 34 people out of every 1,000. Out of those injuries, sprains and strains led the pack at 44.1 per 1,000 injuries. Although most injuries don’t require a...
Do you suffer from chronic pain due to arthritis? You aren’t alone. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that by 2040, 78 million US adults (26% of the population) will have doctor-diagnosed arthritis. There are many effective treatments, but when physical therapy and medication fail to provide...
Pain is meant to be a good thing. It’s your body saying to your brain, “Something’s wrong.” Once the source of the pain goes away — say an injury heals — the pain goes away. Usually. When you have chronic pain, the pain continues long after your injury has healed,...
Inflammation or swelling is the body's natural way of repairing itself. But this healing process can sometimes cause pain or soreness. Inflammation can also be caused by arthritis and other conditions. Inflammation causes more than physical discomfort, it can also lead to depression or a lack or motivation to get...
You probably know that the lifestyle choices that help you stay energized and active are the same ones that support your overall health. But even if you understand how maintaining healthy habits can help you feel great and reduce your risk of developing a disease like diabetes, cancer, or heart...