June is Men's Health Month and while we talk a lot about the need for women to get regular screenings for breast cancer, men can be at risk for getting breast cancer, too.

As the weather warms up, we tend to get more active outside. Whether it’s gardening, walking the dogs or going to the pool, summer is a time of increased activity for most people. With that increased activity, it is common to notice new aches and pains. A frequent injury we see year-round but more often in the summer months is injury to the tendons in your shoulder, called the rotator cuff. It is the most common cause of shoulder pain we treat at Denver Health.

In May, we celebrate National Adolescent Health Month.

Adolescent Health is a broad term that includes many parts of health and well-being – from physical health to behavioral health to sexual and reproductive health. Healthy eating, exercise and maintaining a healthy weight are at the heart of all of these things.

As a bariatric surgeon, I have a unique perspective on weight loss strategies, including the use of weight loss medications in addition to surgery. Obesity is a chronic medical disease and should be treated by combining more than one method. In the case of high blood pressure (hypertension), your doctor will ask you to make lifestyle changes and prescribe you medications. In this example, both treatment methods work hand in hand. We in bariatric surgery and obesity medicine treat obesity in the same way. Weight loss medications can be a tool to complement weight loss surgery.

As a bariatric surgeon, I have a unique perspective on weight loss strategies, including the use of weight loss medications in addition to surgery. Obesity is a chronic medical disease and should be treated by combining more than one method. In the case of high blood pressure (hypertension), your doctor will ask you to make lifestyle changes and prescribe you medications. In this example, both treatment methods work hand in hand. We in bariatric surgery and obesity medicine treat obesity in the same way. Weight loss medications can be a tool to complement weight loss surgery.

Thanksgiving may have already passed, but the holiday season is just getting underway – with Hanukkah this week, and Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's right around the corner. Staying healthy, especially with eating and nutrition, can be a concern for some people during this time. Increased holiday dinners and social events can pose opportunities to deviate away from your typical diet, often for days and weeks. Traveling and having visitors over during this time can also lead to a change in your typical exercise routine.

At the Denver Health Bariatric Surgery Center, we offer two options for bariatric surgery, the sleeve gastrectomy and the Roux en Y

National Home Safety Awareness Month, part of National Safety Month, is celebrated in June when people focus on how they can keep their homes safe and free from danger and keep their families injury-free.

May is National Adolescent Health Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is a large part of adolescent health, so let's talk about it.