28 minute read
Dr. Steven Larsen: Desert Pain Specialists’ Newest Physician
Dr. Steven Larsen
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Desert Pain Specialists’ Newest Physician
As integral parts of a comprehensive pain management practice, the physicians at Desert Pain Specialists treat patients from head to toe and every joint in between. This statement holds true for Dr. Steven Larsen, a military veteran and Desert Pain’s newest physician. “I tell patients that if they have any problems from their toes to their nose, I can help them,” he said. “I will go to battle for my patients’ needs.”
Larsen brings several years of experience in treating chronic and acute pain to Desert Pain, and he is looking forward to serving the southern Utah community. His broad spectrum of interests include arthritis pain, sports medicine, headaches, minimally invasive spine procedures, and injections for neck and back pain.
Larsen lives in St. George, Utah, with his wife of sixteen years and their three children. The family moved to southern Utah in January after he was offered a position at Desert Pain, which he believes is one of the best interventional pain management clinics anywhere. Outside of work, he volunteers as a Little League coach. “I’m extremely excited to be engaged in the community,” he said. “We’re excited to live here in this beautiful place, and we have no intention of leaving.”
Growing up in the heart of the Salt Lake Valley in Taylorsville, Utah, Larsen took an early interest in health care, but after completing two years of missionary work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Korea, he decided to join the Army.
Larsen served combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan along with assignments to Kuwait and South Korea during six years of active duty. This was followed by four years in the Utah Army National Guard. While working as an interrogator in an impoverished Afghani village, Larsen was struck by the medical needs of the community and began to realize his true calling was in healing.
“I felt a longing to treat them, and it rekindled an earlier aspiration I had of pursuing medicine,” he explained. “I realized I needed to pursue my dream of working with people on their health.”
Larsen enrolled in college classes while finishing his military service, studying at night and online. He ultimately obtained his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and his medical degree from Oregon Health & Science University, where he was the recipient of the Award of Excellence scholarship.
While in medical school, Larsen was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society as well as the Gold Humanism Honor Society, a peernominated recognition for students who excel in compassionate patient care.
Larsen completed his residency in anesthesiology and fellowship in pain management at the University of Utah. Over the course of his medical training, Larsen was involved in many research projects with subjects ranging from the molecular makeup of potential cancer biomarkers to diabetes treatment to spine surgery outcomes.
Larsen interviewed with numerous pain management clinics across the country in search of trustworthy physicians who shared his core principles of putting patients first. As a practice that focuses on providing quality care ahead of business demands and strategic expansion, Desert Pain was the perfect fit. “Simply put, here at Desert Pain, we do the right thing for the patient,” he said.
As a pain management physician, Larsen works diligently to identify the sources of chronic pain and provide appropriate treatment. He strives to empower his patients to take better care of their bodies and recognize the role they play in their own healing, from the way they eat, sleep, and move each day to the bigger picture of how they view themselves and their pain condition. “My treatment goals revolve around the belief that patients have the power within themselves to make positive transformations in their lives,” he said.
Larsen said he aspires to be an ally in healing whom patients can trust with their concerns and needs. He will give them as much time as he would give to a member of his own family if they needed care.
“I hope I help patients smile more often and help them realize that they’re capable of better health,” he said. “I’m very excited to serve this community with all my heart.”
For more information about Desert Pain Specialists or to make an appointment, call (435) 216-7000 or visit www.desertpainspecialists.com.
By Richard K. Harder, Contributing Author
When I was seventeen years old, my parents divorced. At that time, high school baseball and longboard surfing were my favorite recreational pastimes, which instantly became needed therapy for a now emotionally distraught teenager without parents in an intact marriage relationship.
The divorce of my parents left me and my three siblings confused about our futures and uncertain about such things as post high school education, marriage, and family relationships.
Thanks to a caring father-figure baseball coach, an empathetic high school counselor, and my best friend and scholar/athlete, I was encouraged to further my education by going to college. My older brother joined the military, and my younger sister married soon after high school graduation.
My mother became a single parent, underemployed and nearing financial ruin. Soon thereafter, my father was killed in an auto accident along with another adult and two children who were in the vehicle.
So much for the traditional civil marriage vow and mantra: “To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health until death do us part.”
Some sources indicate that most stable marriage relationships protect children from mental, physical, educational, and emotional problems. Further research on marriage reveals that children who are raised by their married biological parents enjoy better physical, cognitive, and emotional outcomes on average than children who are raised in other circumstances.
Considering this personal family scenario just outlined, one could say that my wife and I are statistical outliers who, like many married couples, have been in a stable, healthy marriage relationship for over fifty years.
Couples in a stable, healthy marriage relationship can expect and enjoy levels of emotional as well as physical and spiritual fulfillment that can be experienced in no other way.
Such healthy marriage relationships also include but are not limited to About the Author disagreement, disappointment, unmet Richard K. Harder is founder expectations, arguments fueled by and owner of Lead Smart negative emotion, open expressions of Consulting LLC (formerly anger, and navigating the complexities related to sexual intimacy. I could go on, Richard Harder & Associates), a management consulting firm that specializes in but you get the picture. leadership and organizational I am not a marriage counselor (though I have been asked by some if I am) nor development. He is also an adjunct instructor in the College of Humanities and am I a relationship therapist. Simply Social Sciences at Dixie State put, I, like so many other committed University, St. George, Utah individuals, decided a long time ago to get and senior adjunct instructor married and to stay married despite the inevitable disappointments and pitfalls in the College of Business and Public Management at the University of LaVerne, associated with close loving relationships. LaVerne, California. He Why? For the benefit of my posterity and earned a master’s degree in to further the quality of life for the one healthcare management from whom I have always loved. There is no magic here, simply a firm commitment to California State University at Los Angeles and degrees in business and hospitality perseverance and hard work in the most management from San important of all relationships. Francisco State University
Here are some practical bottom-line and the City College of San Francisco respectively. His tips for maintaining an enduring, healthy, professional mission is to and stable marriage relationship: assist leaders in both domestic • Always put your marriage partner first and professional settings in their effectiveness at leading and never react on negative emotion. highly productive teams • Seek to understand and respect differences in physical intimacy and as well as improving the quality of life for themselves and others. Richard can be always maintain or enhance your reached by email at richard@ spouse’s self-esteem. leadsmartconsulting.org. • Never go to bed mad at each other. • Allow deity to prevail in your marriage relationship. • If you must, argue in private, preferably in a sound-proof room so the children cannot hear you. • Avoid consumer credit debt. It is the ruin of too many otherwise stable marriages. • Do something alone together like you did when you were courting each other. It does not have to be expensive. • Be kind to one another.
Add these relationship tips to what you are already doing so well to stabilize your enduring, healthy, and stable marriage and continue looking forward to celebrating each year’s wedding anniversary.
Be well.
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Success is Stamina
To Win Means to Keep Playing
By Tiffany K. Gust, MS
Goal setting turns wanting something into creating a pathway to get there. However, a lifelong dream can often get stuck at the same point in the process every time you set out to accomplish it. Thinking of your goals as experiments is key. During this process, we can observe what is working and build from there to bring you one step closer to success. It’s time to create step-by-step goals that will foster a growth mindset rather than one that is fixed.
In a growth mindset, you believe that your most basic abilities can be developed into skills that will help you achieve your life goals. A growth mindset fosters a love of learning and builds resilience to try again and again knowing that the word FAIL is merely an acronym for:
This type of mindset leads to great accomplishments with less stress along the way. Pinpointing what you are ready to pursue and learning to change the mindset will help you avoid the pitfall of “all or nothing” thinking, which typically leads to quitting.
The stamina needed to continue forward with the learning process will pay off in the long run. By tweaking your goal and moving forward with your experiment, you will feel the confidence needed to stay the course.
Using the SMART Goal framework will help you become very clear on what you want to achieve. Clear and reachable goals should be: • Specific (simple, sensible, significant). • Measurable (meaningful, motivating). • Achievable (attainable). • Relevant (reasonable, realistic, resourced, results-based). • Time bound (time-based, timelimited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).
Once you’ve identified your vision, you can begin to create smart, positively worded goals that will be your compass for guiding your journey each step of the way. Here’s what to keep in mind: • Speak “As If.” Use phrases such as
“I am” and “I will” when writing your goals. • Set a Time frame. Test out this new habit with a reasonable chunk of time.
“Think of your goal as an experiment and adjust based on what you are learning along the way,” said Tiffany Gust, a certified health and wellness coach and exercise physiologist for Intermountain Healthcare in the Live Well Center at St. George Regional Hospital. “Focusing on what is working and what isn’t working can bring you closer to what you want to accomplish.”
Four Day Rule
Implement a new skill four days at a time. This is just long enough to begin feeling like the habit is status quo while not so lofty as to become overwhelming. After four days, you can assess whether the task was attainable or too hard.
Break It Down
If the goal was too hard to complete for four consecutive days, you’re likely to encounter issues in the long run. A growth mindset doesn’t get discouraged at this point. Rather, assess how you can break down this portion of the goal into smaller steps. Your end goal is only attainable if you’re willing and able to follow through on the smaller, day-to-day steps that get you there.
Order of Operations
If you’re still struggling to follow through even after breaking it down, you may need to take a step back and conjure some curiosity around other areas of your life that need to shift in order for your end goal to become attainable.
“If your goal is to work out first thing in the morning but you struggle day after day to get up with the earlier alarm, you may need to first focus on getting to bed earlier,” explained Gust. “This alone might be a process of baby stepping your bedtime back by fifteen-minute intervals, four days at a time, until your new normal bedtime gives you enough sleep to finally have a fighting chance of waking up at 6:00 a.m.”
No matter how many “failed” attempts you’ve made, your dreams are worth achieving. Continue experimenting; every time you try, you are learning. It’s what you do with the experiment that counts. Begin to build the kind of mindset that spurs you on even in the toughest of times, knowing that each effort is fostering your growth, building your wisdom, and helping you become the best version of yourself. It’s all about the progress you are making that counts. Remember, it takes stamina to bring about success, so quit quitting on yourself and believe that you are worth the dreams you have created.
Urinary Incontinence in Women
By Valley Women’s Health
Urinary incontinence is a very common problem in female patients, affecting up to 60 percent of the population at some time in their lives. Here at Valley Women’s Health, we have a full line of treatment options that can help to diagnose and correct this issue. Read on to learn more about urinary incontinence and what you can do to help fight it.
“Urinary incontinence” is the medical term for when a person leaks urine or loses bladder control. Often, it’s just referred to as “incontinence.” If you’re experiencing incontinence, take comfort in knowing that you’re not alone. Approximately thirteen million Americans of all ages share this condition, and it can be caused by many factors.
There are three main types of incontinence, each with different symptoms. • Stress incontinence. People experiencing stress incontinence leak urine when they laugh, cough, sneeze, or do anything that “stresses” the belly. Stress incontinence is most common in women, especially those who have had a baby. • Urgency incontinence. People experiencing urgency incontinence feel a strong need to urinate all of a sudden. Often the urge is so strong that they can’t make it to the bathroom in time. “Overactive bladder” is another term for having a sudden, frequent urge to urinate. People with overactive bladder might or might not actually leak urine. • Mixed incontinence. People experiencing mixed incontinence have symptoms of both stress and urgency incontinence.
If you experience any of these problems, there are treatments that can help, along with changes you can make on your own. Incontinence isn’t an unsolvable problem, and no matter what, you don’t have to “just live with it.” The first step is bringing it up with your doctor or nurse, who can find out what may be causing the problem. Ask your doctor or nurse if any medications you take could be causing your symptoms, as certain medications can cause incontinence or make it worse.
After diagnosing your incontinence, it’s much easier to start building a path towards a solution. Treatment options differ depending on what type of incontinence you have and whether you are a man or a woman. Treatments can be as simple as taking medicines to help relax the bladder. Surgery may also be recommended to both repair the supporting bladder tissue or improve the flow of urine.
Many people with incontinence can regain their bladder control, or at least reduce the amount of leakage they have. The key is to be vocal about it to your doctor or nurse. If any of the information on this page is relevant to you, feel free to call and make an appointment with any of our board-certified physicians. Speak up, collaborate, and find a solution that works for you!
St. George OB/GYN Group Craig D. Astle, M.D. Tracy W. Winward, M.D. Brady N. Benham, M.D.
Phone: 435-628-1662 | Address: 295 S. 1470 E. Suite 200, St. George, UT 84790 Website: www.valleywomenshealth.com
Coby T. Brown, M.D. Cameron B. Leavitt, D.O. Cassandra R. Weidman, D.O. Jeffrey G. Rogers, M.D. Pamela J. Sorensen, R.N., P.A.-C Brittany Duckett, M.S.N., F.N.P.-C
A Vicious Cycle
Drug-induced nutrient depletion occurs because drugs, as they are designed to do, either inhibit/block or encourage receptors in the body to help alleviate symptoms of illness. But what also happens is that the body gets confused (so to speak) and will begin to disallow food source nutrients (vitamins and minerals) from being absorbed and utilized. This ultimately weakens the body1 causing more symptoms that are then managed by more medication, causing more nutrient depletions, causing more symptoms to be managed with medications…and so on.
Case Study: Chronic Heartburn and Depletion
Recently, I had a consultation with a patient who had been using a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medication twice a day in high doses for over twenty years. PPI medications (i.e., Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix, Prevacid, Aciphex) block the enzymes in the wall of the stomach that produce acid and are commonly used for the treatment of chronic acid reflux disease. This patient had suffered almost three decades of severe bloating, gas, diarrhea, and indigestion with no end in sight. Even with a PPI and other medications, he still continued to have symptoms.
I have learned that if patients really want a change in their health, they have to be committed to the process, even if it means falling off the routine only to get back on it. Given the length of time he had suffered from this condition, the multiple medications he was taking, and his state of mind towards trying something new, my protocol had to be flexible.
We started my patient’s journey to better health by first supporting his gut function. Over time and as his condition worsened, his body had ceased digesting food properly, leaving him severely deprived of vitamins and minerals. Drug-induced nutrient depletion is so subversive that more often than not, you aren’t even aware of how deprived you are. This is why it is so important to understand what medications can be doing in your body and what steps you can take to help your body support itself.
His protocol required a change in the types of food he was eating. We eliminated processed foods and sugary drinks and began drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Once a healthier diet was in place, we started to normalize his stomach acid production, supplementing with betaine hydrochloride, which aids in breaking down food. Adding apple cider vinegar to his diet was also tried. In this case, his chronic heartburn was actually due to a lack of stomach acid, which had been suppressed with medications.
We continued with digestive enzymes to further his food breakdown and increase nutrient uptake and added probiotics to support good gut bacteria. These remedies killed the bad gut bacteria that had been proliferating from his consumption of refined sugar—a root cause to his bloating and gas. Finally, all of these were combined with a daily fiber routine from both food and supplement sources.
Within three months, my patient started feeling better! As he began to see improvement in his gut symptoms, we were able to decrease his medication frequency. Within another three months and with adjustments to his healthy gut protocol, he was able to rid himself of the daily use of his PPI medication. Today, he reports that he has, out of habit, slipped a few times with eating processed foods, but he quickly remedies symptoms by sticking with what he had learned during our work together.
Signs of Nutrient Depletion
Signs and symptoms of nutrient depletion can come in many forms. Typical symptoms may include but are not limited to fatigue, weight gain or loss, dehydration, muscle aches, headaches, nausea, and diarrhea. Studies have also shown that cognitive and neurological symptoms—depression, slowing of the reflexes, brain fog, anxiety, and confusion—can also be present. All medication, whether prescription or over-the-counter, can cause nutrient depletion. The type of medication, dose, and frequency all play a role in how much nutrient deprivation you could be experiencing. Drugs, such as proton pump inhibitors, have been shown to deplete the body of B12. Low B12 can cause confusion, muscle aches, and weakness.2 It can also severely disrupt gut health.
Can’t I Just Take Extra Vitamins?
In short, you could take extra vitamins. Your pharmacist or prescriber should know what vitamins you need. However, it’s important to note that if your gut health is poor, you won’t absorb those extra vitamins and minerals. Focusing on the gut first is vital for a path to wellness.
Getting off Medication
Tapering off or completely eliminating medication should always be done under the care of your provider. Inform them of your intention, and update them on your progress.
If you would like more information on drug specific nutrient depletion, talk to your doctor or pharmacist, and for a free Nutrient Depletion Guide, go to my website at https://www.fusionspecialtypharmacy.com/nutrient-depletion/.
References
1. https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/druginduced-nutrient-depletions-whatpharmacists-need-to-know 2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/are-your-medications-causing-nutrientdeficiency
Here is one of my favorite recipes to aid in digestion and gut health: Honey Cinnamon Tea
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 2 tablespoons lemon juice Honey, to taste Cinnamon, to taste 1 cup hot water Stir vinegar, lemon juice, honey, and cinnamon into hot water.
About the Author
Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting the sugar from apples. This turns them into acetic acid, which is a main active ingredient in vinegar and may be responsible for its health benefits.
Koby Taylor, PharmD, is the owner and pharmacist of Fusion Pharmacy. Working as a retail pharmacist early in his career, Koby began to see that pharmacy patients needed to have access to available alternative medications. He realized that pharmacy in its truest form is compounding, and he wanted to be able to provide patients with customized medications. He also desired more personalized interactions with patients in order to truly help their health and wellbeing. To fulfill his passion for improving the health of patients and educating them about compounding, Koby opened the doors of Fusion Pharmacy in 2013. Today, Fusion is nationally accredited with PCAB and NABP. It is licensed in and ships to 27 states. Fusion is proud to have two locations to better serve the southern Utah community. Koby graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in molecular biology in 1995 and from the University of Utah with his Doctorate of Pharmacy in 2000.
By Matt Eschler, PhD, LMFT
We are a quarter of the way through 2021. We are still wearing masks, enduring the COVID pandemic, and hearing rumors of another strain of COVID that may take hold and cause us future issues. We are being bombarded with the “politics of a few” who have loud voices, causing fear and even panic. Amidst all of this, the team at Ascend/Integrated Counseling and Wellness are steadily raising the levels of peace and joy by teaching sound relationship principles. Relationships can provide balance, security, a sense of belonging. A bad relationship, however, can be messy and painful and cause a major loss of security. With everything that is happening in 2021, relationship fitness is a vital key to your mental health and wellness.
As the weather warms up and we move from spring to summer, it seems like the perfect time to issue a challenge: Take a weekend to gauge your strengths or weaknesses in six domains of relationship fitness. Make specific commitments to become whole in these areas. By doing so, you will raise the bar on joy, satisfaction, and peace in your life regardless of what is going on in the world around you.
Take the Relationship Challenge
Evaluating Your Need for Improvement in Six Domains of Relationship Fitness
The Six Areas of a Passionate Relationship
Enhance the quality of your time investment. Relationships require a significant time investment. As you assess this area of your relationship, don’t give in to the pressure of adding more to your already busy schedule. It may require that you stop some pursuits and begin investing more in your romantic relationship, or it may be that you need to celebrate what you are already doing correctly. Whatever the case, the goal is not to add to busy schedules; it is to enhance the quality of investment you give to your relationship.
Create shared purpose together. Being a unique, healthy, differentiated person in a relationship is a natural process involving self awareness. it requires individuals to resist the “not so romantic” process of “becoming one” with their spouse. When two whole people work together for a shared vision of the future, it is truly romantic. Seek the skills and talents that your lover has that compliment you. Be in tune with each other. Compliment and celebrate each other throughout the day.
Be playful. Couples that can find time to play bring a childlike innocence into their lives. Find things you both enjoy and “just do it.” Take the time to invest in play that is both structured and unstructured.
Enjoy creating beauty together. Share a sunset and discuss what moves you. Remember the beautiful things that you experience during the day, and share these moments together in the evening. Find beauty together and enjoy what it brings into your souls. Sharing the beauty you witness brings your spouse into the scene with you.
Create an active balanced life together. Many couples report being on their electronic devices for four hours in the evening. Imagine giving that time back to each other. No matter who you spend time with on your phone, a live person in the room can fill that time in a more rewarding way. Seek to find a life balance that brings you together in a healthy way.
About the Author
Hold on to what is sacred together. Be unified in your pursuit of
Matt lives in St. George, Utah, where he and his wife, Chris, are enjoying their life with each other. Since their children have grown up and moved out to pursue their dreams, Matt and Chris travel the world. They want to visit 200 countries before they are done. Matt and Chris are active in their community and enjoy working out, training for marathons, and spending time participating in numerous activities with their adult children. Matt received a PhD in psychology. He is focused on the arena of resolving personal conflicts and improving interpersonal relationships. In addition to his doctorate degree, Matt has earned a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy, studied criminal justice and received a category one license with Peace Officer Standards and Training, and received a degree in the Arts of Business Management. Matt is a professor at Dixie State University and hopes to be fidelity, spirituality, and future shared purposes. Discuss often what you hold part of the positive growth of to be true. Discuss the purpose that governs your shared vision of growth. southern Utah. Do not decide that you already know each other. We evolve and mature over time. Keep up with each other by dating/courting, counseling together, and sharing family time.
I encourage you to accept my challenge! The investment you make to the strengthening of your relationship within these six domains will not only increase your satisfaction and joy but also will keep your relationship strong during the remainder of the 2021 year.
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A Small Decision That Changed My Life
By Aeva Dye, Dixie High School Student
Around this time last year, I made a small decision that changed my life. Almost on impulse, I joined my school mountain biking team. Prior to joining, I’d been only a casual cyclist, so joining the team was a huge step—and it was terrifying. The first few weeks on the team, I certainly regretted my decision. Now, almost a year later, I couldn’t be more happy that I made that choice. Reflecting on my progress since last March, I’ve discovered just how much mountain biking and being part of a team has helped me grow, not just as a cyclist, but as an confident, competent teammate and individual.
Most obviously, mountain biking on a team taught me the importance of dedication and hard work. The team only functions properly if each person is willing to commit to it and to help others do the same. Our season ended in October, but as I’ve trained by myself in the off season, I have built some of that essential dedication. Being committed to cycling is difficult; it can be hard on your body and time consuming, and sometimes, you just don’t want to go out. Having something to which I’m 100 percent committed—especially something that lends itself to specific, measurable goals—has paid off. I’ve seen the dedication I’ve built transfer itself to schoolwork, personal pursuits, and relationships.
Equally important to my journey as a cyclist are the relationship skills that I have built over the past year. Mountain biking is a very social sport, especially while on a close-knit team. This aspect of the sport was intimidating at first, but eventually, I was able to open up and connect myself to the team, and my cycling skills improved because of it. Now, some of my closest friends are from my team. For any high school student looking to build strong and supportive connections, joining a cycling team is the way to go.
Finally, mountain biking has been instrumental in improving my relationship with myself. For all that it is social and close knit, mountain biking is, first and foremost, deeply personal. In order to be the best cyclist you can, you are forced to become aware of and responsive to your own needs. Sometimes, that can look like forcing yourself on a hard ride, even when you don’t want to go. Sometimes it can be making yourself stay in. Whatever the consequences, self awareness is essential to cycling, and that awareness transfers.
A year after joining my school’s mountain biking team, the rewards are evident. When I compare myself to where I was a year ago, I see a stronger person, both physically and otherwise. Cycling has taught me a myriad of transferable skills that have been critical to my development as a teenager and as a person. I’m so grateful for my team, for the resources I have, and especially for that decision I made last March. I don’t know where I’d be without it.
