Blog Archive

When we think about losing weight, the main focus tends to be on improving our looks -- but that’s only one of the many benefits of weight loss. There are other significant benefits for your health and lifestyle.  Here at Enrich Family Practice, Kelly Wenger, FNP, can help you achieve...

Lip augmentation with injectable dermal fillers landed the #2 spot on the American Society for Plastic Surgeons’ 2023 Minimally Invasive Procedures report. According to their data, aestheticians plumped and reshaped 1,439,291 puckers, a 4% increase over 2022.   If you want to make a single change that can dramatically transform how...

Although you may see statistics claiming that most people in the United States are chronically dehydrated, severe dehydration that requires medical care through immediate intravenous (IV) fluids is rare. Among older people, however, dehydration that requires medical attention occurs in about 17-28% of that population.  Healthy adults may not get...

One of the many indignities of aging is the development of urinary incontinence. Even if you once prided yourself on being able to “hold it” for hours at a time, those days seem like a distant dream. You head for the head multiple times a day. And night. You have...

Runny noses and kids seem to go together. But when your child is the “snot-nosed kid,” you may wonder if it’s just a normal part of childhood or something more serious. While colds and runny noses are common in kiddos, they shouldn’t be chronic. If your child’s nose is always...

Although the population seems abundantly fertile — more than eight billion people live on our planet — about one in six adults is infertile. Infertility can stem from many factors, including structural or hormonal abnormalities, in both women and men. However, about one in five infertile couples receive a diagnosis...

The days of trying to hide aging skin behind layers of makeup or by booking plastic surgery are long gone. Now, you can nip aging in the bud without nipping your skin. You can also get sleek, beautiful legs free of spider veins without razors, wax, or sclerotherapy. Technologies that...

You look in the mirror and lift your face with your fingers. Just a little tug makes a profound difference, and you suddenly see your “old” (i.e., younger) self looking back at you. When it takes so little effort to give yourself a lift, you wonder whether surgery is even...

Medical science in the United States is skewed toward male issues, as are drug trials and treatments. Women represent half the adult population around the world and yet are often left out of discussions about and research into health issues. In addition, 84% of women sometimes feel that their healthcare...

Weight loss products and services are part of a $300 billion industry worldwide. The reason weight loss is so profitable is, for the most part, it doesn’t work. So you keep trying the next diet and the next product. Diets don’t work because of two main reasons: 1) they’re not...

The Pap smear was named for the researcher who developed it, George Nicholas Papanicolaou. Since the Pap smear entered gynecological practice in 1943, it’s saved millions of women’s lives. This year, one of those lives saved could be yours. Considering how simple, fast, and effective the test is, there’s no...

Even if we don’t have to deal with winter blizzards in Texas, you probably don’t spend much time outdoors in a bikini. In fact, due to the holidays and other at-home activities, you probably spend more time indoors than in other seasons. Why not use these colder months to recharge,...

As an aging woman or man, you may be excited by the idea of jumpstarting your libido and improving cognition by restoring your hormones with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). You have a lot of options, including creams and injections. Creams seem messy and potentially dangerous to others, especially kids (topical...

Testosterone (T) is a sex hormone that jump-started your adolescence, making your voice crack, your face break out, and hair sprout in new places all over your body. Those surges of T may have made your life uncomfortable at the time. You probably struggled with acne and some ill-timed erections....

Intravenous (IV) hydration therapy is a favorite of celebrities who need to look and feel their best to maintain their high-profile and stressful careers. Everyone from Adele to Chrissy Teigen to Jane Fonda, John Legend, and the Kardashians have dipped into the “drip.” Why do celebrities hook themselves up to an IV...

When you wake up after a good night’s sleep, still feeling foggy and tired, you may have a sleep disorder called sleep apnea. “Apnea” means “without breath” in ancient Greek. If you have sleep apnea, that means you’re sleeping “without breath.”  An apnea is a pause in your airflow that...

Life with kids is a never-ending series of surprises and challenges. Chief among them is a child’s energy level, and they don’t have an “off” switch. So, when are your kid’s high-energy antics normal, and when might they be a sign of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? In general, kids...

Soft-tissue fillers, also known as dermal fillers or fillers, took second place in the top-5 most popular minimally invasive cosmetic procedures in 2021-22, as reported by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Botox® and other botulinum-toxin injectable therapies held the number-one slot. Injectable dermal fillers are popular for a...

Sunlight may have damaged your skin, but laser light can revive it. Wrinkles result from a combination of damage from the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, plus the down-regulation of the essential building blocks of skin — like collagen and elastin — that occurs with age. Botox® can quiet the dynamic muscles that...

Many women and men have bulges of resistant fat — which may be genetically determined — that don’t respond to diet or exercise. No matter how few calories you eat or how often you hit the gym, those bulges stay put. When you’re ready to get rid of resistant fat,...

Women’s bodies comprise about 55% water; men, about 60%. All your organs depend on adequate fluids because they, too, are mostly water. For instance, about 73% of a healthy brain and heart is simply water. Thirst indicates that you’ve lost fluids, but thirst alone isn’t always reliable, especially as you...

It seems so arbitrary and old-fashioned. Why should women worry about a “ticking clock” when planning their families? If you eat whole foods, exercise, and manage stress, can’t you maintain your fertility way past age 35? At age 35, you’re probably better emotionally and financially equipped to support and raise...

Testosterone is an androgen — a “male” hormone — that triggers secondary sex characteristics in boys when they hit puberty. Testosterone gives men their deep voices, hairy chests and faces, erections, and increased muscle mass. Women have testosterone, too, just not as much of it as men do. Similarly, men...

Whether you struggle with aging, injury, or acne, when you’re not happy with your skin, you want a solution. While many cutting-edge treatments can erase wrinkles and scars, they can be expensive and time-consuming. Microneedling uses the same principles as lasers and radiofrequency energy without exposing your skin to extreme...

You know you should lose weight to improve your overall health. You want to lose weight, because you miss the body you had when you were younger, or you yearn for a body that can fit more easily in the kinds of clothes that you like. Whatever your reasons for...

Dermal fillers are prescription injectable aesthetic treatments that can completely rejuvenate and enliven your face without a single cut or stitch. You can use dermal fillers to: Erase and plump deep creases Fill in fine lines Restore volume in your midface Rejuvenate tear troughs Plump and reshape lips Create higher...

Children are basically virus and bacteria factories, especially when they’re around other kids at school or play. If you had to rush to the doctor every time they got a sniffle or sneeze, you’d be on the go all the time. But sometimes, a simple cold or flu needs medical...

Even though prostate cancer is the most common cancer type to affect men only, most men with prostate cancer don’t die from it. Because it’s a slow-growing cancer, catching prostate cancer early increases the chances that you can cure it. At Enrich Family Practice in Odessa, Texas, our expert nurse practitioners urge you to...

If you have stubborn pockets of fat on your abdomen, hips, and other areas, you may have inherited that tendency from one (or both) of your parents. More than 60% of fat distribution is caused by genetics. However, you can override those fat genes if you want to fit into your skinny...

Healthy aging starts with health. A whole-foods diet that emphasizes a variety of vegetables, low-glycemic fruits, and high-quality, organic proteins is a good start — so is exercising several times a week. But even with the best diet and the workout routines, your skin and the rest of your body...

Thanks to plentiful, pre-prepared, and delicious food — from frozen meals to bagged snacks to fast food drive-in fare — obesity is a plague in the United States and in the westernized world. In fact, obesity has been associated with increased risk for life-threatening diseases for more than 20 years. Another...

Major depressive disorder — also known as depression — affects about 17.3 million women and men over the age of 18 in the United States and approximately 1.9 million children aged 3-17. Although depression is a mental health issue, it affects your physical health, too. Depression raises your risk for...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) causes about 50,000 deaths in the United States each year, making it the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Women have about a 4% chance of developing CRC in their lifetimes, and men have a 4.3% chance. That rate goes higher if you’re at increased risk due...

Most women have about a 13% risk of developing breast cancer in their lifetime. Although all forms of cancer can be deadly without intervention, breast cancer responds well to therapies and can even be cured if found early enough.  Regular screening has helped lower the death rates from cancer over...

Infertility is on the rise among couples in the United States, with about 15% now considered to be infertile. Fertility issues often occur if the woman is under 35 and you’ve been trying to conceive with regular, unprotected sex for at least a year or — if she’s over 35...

Men in the United States, on average, live five fewer years than women do. Almost half of men who were surveyed about their health stated that they were encouraged to be silent about symptoms and complaints from the time they were children.  Talking about a health issue is, however, the...

Women and men aren’t just shaped differently; where they store fat and how they burn fat is different, too. Although researchers aren’t 100% sure why these differences exist, hormones seem to have an oversized role in dictating fat distribution and metabolism. Testosterone, for example, is a hormone that helps you...

Sleeping isn’t lazy. Sleeping isn’t even inactive. While you’re asleep, your body is busy doing all kinds of housekeeping, from removing toxins to consolidating memories. Our culture, though, has come to view sleep as the enemy of productivity and ambition. Some entrepreneurs and celebrities even brag about how little sleep...

Men in the United States are more likely to develop prostate cancer than any other type of cancer, except for skin cancers. Prostate cancer kills about 34,000 American men annually, and nearly 250,000 men are newly diagnosed each year.  At Enrich Family Practice in Odessa, Texas, we offer regular prostate...

Aging skin is inevitable, but many of the perceived signs of aging aren’t caused by age alone. They’re caused by the sun and its damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays. Just because the sun has injured your skin over time, however, doesn’t mean that you have to live with the damage. Photorejuvenation...

Up to 25% of men experience an unpleasant phenomenon known as painful ejaculation. When orgasm is painful, you may avoid sex altogether. At Enrich Family Practice in Odessa, Texas, we believe that every man and woman deserves a vibrant, satisfying, pain-free sex life. That’s why we offer painful ejaculation diagnosis...

If you’ve ever wondered why most of your body is trim and fit, but you still have excess fat under your chin or around your abdomen, hips — pick your place — your genes may be the reason. Many people have an excessive number of fat cells in key areas...

The body mass index (BMI) is a measurement that breaks down the ratio of your weight to your height. You know you’re supposed to have a healthy BMI, but you also know you’re supposed to feel good about yourself, no matter how you look.  How important is your BMI? And,...

Nature breaks down the old and builds up the new. Leaves fall and regrow. Flowers fade to give way to new buds. Your skin cells constantly renew themselves, too. As you age, however, the renewal process slows down. Old skin cells linger, dulling your complexion. New skin cells lag behind...

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommends that a girl’s first gynecological exam takes place between the ages of 13 and 15. However, if your daughter has already started menstruating or if she’s sexually active, you can bring her in when she’s younger than 13.  Maria Cole, APRN,...

You’ve calculated every way you can, but the numbers aren’t lying. No matter when you consider Day One of your period, it’s not lasting the normal 2-7 days. Or it’s coming at odd times, such as starting early or late, or lasting for too long. When your reproductive system is...

Whether you kept up your workout routine during lockdowns and quarantine or not, if you’re not completely satisfied with your body’s shape, you won’t have to keep it in lockdown this summer. You also won’t need surgery, punctures, or any uncomfortable or chilling procedures to shape up your figure. In...

Women and men have more options than ever regarding the type and size of families that they can build. If you’ve been thinking about starting a family, finishing your family, or adding to it, family planning can help. As women’s health specialists, Maria Cole, APRN, FNP-C, and Kelly Wenger, APRN,...

No matter what age you are, no matter what gender you prefer, if you have female reproductive organs, you benefit from an annual well-woman exam. In fact, insurance companies believe that well-woman exams are so essential to women’s health that they cover the cost of them, even if you have...

Whether you’ve had a baby before or not, or whether you’ve used birth control in the past or not, having trouble conceiving is a fairly common problem. More than 10% of women in the United States between the ages of 15 and 44 years experience difficulties getting or staying pregnant....

Let’s say it up front: Diets don’t work. By “diets,” we mean those weight-loss programs that promise if you eat nothing but pineapple for four months, you’ll wake up looking like Angelina Jolie. And if you’ve been struggling with your weight for years, you know firsthand why diets don’t work....

The sun took years or even decades to damage your skin.  Luckily, it doesn’t take years to erase that damage. At Enrich Family Practice in Odessa, Texas, our nurse practitioners Maria Cole, APRN, FNP-C, and Kelly Wenger, APRN, FNP-C, and aesthetic team revive your skin with the Icon™ laser from...

Every year, more than six million women in the United States have trouble conceiving a child or carrying a baby to full term. Although infertility is fairly common, when it happens to you, you might feel like you’re in it all alone. Why can’t you and your partner get pregnant,...

You thought you’d be thrilled to finally throw out all the tampons and the cramps medications, but if you’ve entered menopause you just might be waxing nostalgic for the days of PMS. As you leave your reproductive years, your estrogen and progesterone levels dip, which can cause a number of...

When you were pregnant, you had to take folic acid, eat a healthy diet, and go to the doctor regularly to be sure your developing baby was hitting their milestones. Now that your precious baby is born, learning how to take care of your darling also requires help and regular...

If you’ve been trying to live up to your New Year’s resolution to lose weight and be ready for bathing suits and short-shorts by the beginning of summer, you may feel frustrated. Losing weight by sheer force of will rarely works. Calorie-restriction diets actually sabotage your weight-loss plans because your...

When you’re under stress, and as you age, you might find it difficult to attain and maintain an erection. Though having an occasional bout of erectile dysfunction (ED) isn’t cause for concern, if it’s happening regularly, you should consult with a doctor to find out why.  At Enrich Family Practice...

The common cold is the bane of good health. It makes you feel just sick enough to not want to do anything, but not so sick that you can’t do anything. It’s caused by any one of many types of viruses, but the rhinoviruses are the most common. It infects...

A well-woman exam is one of the most important things you can do to protect your health. But in the busy lives that most women lead, an exam can move down the priority list. Well-woman exams are about more than just Pap smears, though. Well-woman exams are a comprehensive health...

Even if you stick to an exercise plan and eat a healthy diet, pockets of unwanted fat can continue to linger. WarmSculpting™ with SculpSure® is a non-invasive body contouring treatment that melts stubborn deposits of fat that you've been working hard to get rid of. SculpSure is an effective, nonsurgical...

Aesthetic laser treatments are well-known for their ability to treat a range of skin imperfections and signs of aging. At Enrich Family Practice in Odessa, Texas, our nurse practitioners prefer the Icon™ laser for its ability to treat many different skin problems all at one time.  All about the Icon...

Hormones have to be one of the most misunderstood parts of human anatomy. This is partly due to their nature and also how our culture talks about them. Because estrogen and testosterone play such a big part in reproduction and puberty, they often serve as a stand-in for all hormones....

If you’re looking into getting facial fillers, you definitely aren’t alone. Fillers have become one of the most popular minimally invasive aesthetics procedures available. Their rise has been dramatic. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, use of fillers soared from 1.8 million procedures in 2010 to 2.6 million...

Injectable cosmetic treatments are an oft-requested procedure by women aged 30-50. They can enhance the look of your face, smoothing away wrinkles, filling in fine lines, and plumping lips for a younger appearance. But what can you do about the bruising that often accompanies injectable treatments? Injectables don’t have to...

Nearly 40% of adults in the United States tip the scales into obesity, which is why almost 50% of adults in the U.S. have tried to lose weight between 2013 and 2016, a figure we’re sure hasn’t changed much. The weight crisis in the United States is a clear and...

When it comes to losing unwanted fat, most people will tell you to get plenty of exercise and eat a healthy diet. But sometimes, this just isn’t enough. Several other factors play a role in fat deposits, including your genes and hormones. And, all of these components can lead to...