Houstonian Medical Associates

Prevention News

HOUSTONIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATES

June 2008

IMAGINE…..DIRECT ACCESS TO DR. MATOCHA, NO WAITING FOR APPOINTMENTSOn January 1, 2007 Houstonian Medical Associates began offering a premium level of medical service-for an annual fee. This includes the comprehensive annual physical exam, direct access to Dr. Matocha, immediate response to prescription refills, preferential appointment scheduling, travel recommendations and immunizations, and a “hotline” for immediate triage to our office, emergency care, or specific consultants. Please contact Lorrie 713-680-2611 x223 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for full details about the program. CARDIAC PERFUSION TESTHoustonian Medical Associates is now offering by appointment a physiologic way to determine if there are blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. This test using a small amount of a radioactive tracer measures the distribution of blood flow to the heart during exercise and at rest. It increases the predictive accuracy of treadmill testing, from approximately 80% to 95%. It is indicated as a screening tool for patients who are having chest pain, those with an abnormal treadmill test, or for those patients at increased risk for heart disease because of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, family history, and/or diabetes. The radioactive material is cleared from the body naturally within a short time, and the radiation exposure is equivalent to that of an x-ray or CT scan.

CAROTID SCAN AND INTIMAL MEDIA THICKENING TESTING

Houstonian Medical Associates is now offering by appointment a unique way to objectively assess plaque build up within the arteries. It is also a relatively inexpensive method to assess the effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering therapy. This ultrasound technique is completely noninvasive and takes only minutes to complete. NEW BLOOD TEST NOW AVAILABLEA new blood test is available that dramatically improves the predictive accuracy of risk assessment for heart attacks and strokes. This test called, PLAC measures Lp-PLA(2) which is an enzyme that promotes arterial inflammation and rupture. Additionally this test can also be used to follow the efficacy of therapy to reduce arterial inflammation (i.e. cholesterol lowering medication).

FRESHEN YOUR APPEARANCE THIS MONTH WITH OUR SUMMER SPECIALS

Brighten your features with a microdermal infusion and facial rejuvenation package for $275. All hair removal sessions are 15% off during the month of June. As an added bonus, you will receive special springtime pricing on Botox if you participate in one of the above packages. Contact Stephanie at 713-680-2611 x233 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details.

THE RADIESSE EXPERIENCE

Radiesse is a hydroxylapatite based filler. This product provides a scaffold effect that promotes filling of naso-labial folds and marionette lines by natural collagen. Radiesse will also provide a softening effect of deeper wrinkles. This product has duration of twelve to eighteen months. We continue to offer state-of-the-art laser therapy for skin rejuvenation, hair removal, acne treatment, and spider vein elimination. We offer micro-dermabrasion with the silk peel machine. We also provide Botox injections and hyaluronic acid fillers to help “soften” facial wrinkles. Contact Stephanie at 713-680-2611 x233 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for additional information or an appointment.

WELCOME……

Claudia Ramos, a board certified nurse practitioner has joined our practice. Claudia has relocated from the Rio Grande Valley where she received her Master’s of Science in Nursing from The University of Texas Pan American. She specializes in well woman care, but also has extensive experience in managing chronic medical conditions, i.e. hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease. Claudia welcomes the opportunity to see walk-in and same day patients.

SCHEDULING

You will now be able to schedule same day appointments or follow-up care at any time. “Walk-in’ patients will be accepted and worked in as quickly as possible.

IMMUNIZATIONS

Several new immunizations are now available. Zostavax-recommended for individuals over 60 to prevent the very painful and debilitating herpes zoster”shingles” infection. Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine-recommended for young women to prevent cervical cancer. We will continue to provide the meningitis and pneumonia vaccines as well as a full complement of travel vaccines.

JUNE IS NATIONAL MEN’S HEALTH MONTH

Men's Health and Mortality There is an ongoing, increasing, and predominately silent crisis in the health and wellbeing of men. Due to a number of factors, men’s health and well-being are deteriorating steadily. This crisis is most dramatically seen in mortality figures. In 1920 the life expectancy of men and women was approximately the same. By 1990, men were dying 7 years younger than women. Men have a higher death rate for every one of the top 10 leading causes of death. Men’s health is not just a man’s issue. Because of its effect on wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and others, it is also a woman’s issue. Women can help men live longer by becoming aware of their specific health needs and insuring that the man in their life seeks age appropriate health screening and timely treatment for medical problems. Prostate Cancer Diseases of the prostate, particularly prostate cancer, have been featured in Time magazine, Fortune magazine, the Washington Post, and numerous radio and television talk shows. Every man should know the risk of developing prostate cancer. Except for lung cancer, prostate cancer is the greatest cause of cancer deaths among American men. At highest risk are African-Americans and those with a family history of prostate cancer. One in five men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime and the American Cancer Society estimates that over 32,000 men will die from the disease this year, a mortality rate approaching that of breast cancer in women. It is recommended that men at high risk begin annual prostate cancer screenings at age 40, and that all other men begin at age 50. At your next visit to the doctor, please ask your physician about diseases of the prostate. Your physician may suggest you have a DRE exam and a PSA test. Both tests are painless, quick, simple, and inexpensive. Testicular Cancer The National Cancer Institute reports that testicular cancer is among the most common cancers striking men between ages 15 to 39, and is the # 1 cancer among men 20 to 34. However, it can strike males at almost any age. It is projected that 7,600 new cases of testicular cancer will be diagnosed and 400 men will die of the disease in the United States this year. The Institute also reports that men who have an undescended testicle are at higher risk of developing cancer of the testicle. This is true even if surgery has been done to place the testicle in the appropriate place in the scrotum.

The key to defeating testicular cancer is early detection. Regular self examinations increase the likelihood of discovering testicular cancer at an early stage, when it is most easily cured.