Category Archives: Dr. Rina Shinn
How do you honor your mother?
By Dr. Rina Shinn
Although set holidays such as Mother’s day come upon us to do something for our mothers, it might be a good idea to take a small break and think about what it means to honor our mothers on Mother’s day. Quite often, however, you send cards and gifts to her and promptly resume your life. Or worse yet, you forget it all together. 
The amazing thing about mothers is that she is just glad that you exist. So she gives continuously and unconditionally and is only glad that you remembered her.
Your relationship with your mother is going to be revolving throughout your life. As an infant, toddler, child, teenager, and adult, your understanding of who she is changes and she changes as well since she is a revolving and growing human being just like you. And often, you don’t appreciate your mother until you turn into one.
Being a mother changes a person more than anything else she goes through in her life, more so than any marriage, job, or other significant events. Here you are bonding with another human being in the most physical, emotional, and spiritual way. The amazing bodily changes you go through during the pregnancy and delivery and the tumultuous emotional roller coaster you experience with your newborn leave an indelible mark in your heart and soul as well as in your body.
And the continual learning process of worrying for the child and delighting in his/her accomplishments and simple life events, as well as relentlessly thinking about them throughout the rest of their life mold a person into a mother whose perspectives on life are permanently altered.
In some sense, being a mother brings a person a step closer to a divine state, whether you believe in God or not. The selfless giving, the unconditional acceptance of another person, the boundless love that truly wishes another person only happiness and blessings can be attributed to a high level of emotional and spiritual maturity.
It goes without saying that not all mothers can be that pious all the time. After all, you are living a life along side your children, so you will experience the usual emotional upheavals that daily life doles out: anger, fatigue, disappointments towards kids or life itself, etc. Yet, the deep flowing constant love persists throughout all the tribulations of life.
So, if you want to honor your mother who has seen all the facets of your life and is still devoted to you and wants you to have good things in life, just let her know that you are grateful for her and that you respect and honor her for who she is. And say that often and mean it, and not just on Mother’s day. The chance that you can tell her this might not come often and for some, it is already gone.
So the simplest way to honor your mother is just to tell her:
“Thanks, Mom and I love you too.”
Can We Be Free of Chronic Pain?
Pain is a useful safeguard that our body developed in order to warn us about the dangers from our surroundings. Yet when pain becomes chronic, it becomes 
extremely debilitating.
It is estimated that one in three Americans are suffering from some form of chronic pain. When one suffers constantly from headache, low back pain, arthritic pain, or any other chronic pain, the person’s entire life is altered. The persistent and ever present pain forces one to limit activities and change goals in life in order to avoid any worsening of the pain.
An alarming amount of money (estimated $560 to $635 billion in 2010) is spent in dealing with chronic pain in this country with very poor to moderate results.
One modality that is extremely under-utilized in America is pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy. PEMF was utilized in Europe for more than 40 years and has been used in USA in the orthopedic area for the past 30 years. It was FDA approved in 1979 for bone growth in non-union fractures. It has been used for post operative pain management as well as wound healing along with depression and chronic pain management.
So what is PEMF and how does it work?
PEMF utilizes an intense electromagnetic field to penetrate the body and influence the polarity of the cells. With PEMF, the cells’ pH increases to allow better oxygenation and suppressing of toxins and infections. The cells’ viscosity (including red blood cells) improves as well, thus allowing better blood, lymph, and other fluid flow.
The end result is accelerated healing in any part of body where electronic signaling was impaired. This translates to better wound healing (bony or soft tissue) and less pain in a chronic pain situation.
PEMF was introduced to the general viewers in Dr. Oz show last November. Since then, many PEMF devices were sold, but the true therapeutic results are only seen with medical grade machines which generate close to 2 Tesla (20,000 gauss) strength of electromagnetic field. For comparison, the earth’s magnetic field is 0.5 Tesla and most of MRI machines are 0.5 to 1 Tesla (although newest ones go all the way up to 3 Tesla). Most home units do not achieve any strength comparable to this.
PEMF is applied to the body in a comfortable fashion. Patients feel a pulsing sensation where the machine is placed on the affected area. (The area of body where there is no electromagnetic blockage feels no pulsation.) The session is usually 9 -15 minutes.
There are numerous testimonials for the reduction or complete cessation of chronic pain with PEMF. This is an effective and proven alternative to the medications and invasive procedures people are willing to go through to get relief from chronic pain.
Adonis Cosmetic Surgery & Spa is the only facility south of Denver that offers PEMF for patients who suffer from chronic pain. Call 719-543-5000 with further questions or visit the PEMF section on our website.
Click here to see our current specials, which may include Magnetic Sessions for chronic pain.
Want To Meet That New Year’s Resolution? Get Your Hormones Checked
Most people’s New Year’s resolution list has some form of health related items, 
according to surveys. Whether it is for weight loss, better fitness, or cessation of smoking/drinking, most people acknowledge that there is room for improvement in their health.
One key secret for improving or maintaining your health is, however, not likely on the list.
The secret to weight control, improved cardiovascular health, better muscle tone, increased energy, clearer memory, stronger immune system, and balanced mood is bio-identical hormone replacement.
Without the proper amounts of hormone, the biological system of human body cannot perform to its optimal level.
Or alternatively, we can continue living with the naturally diminished hormone level and adjust our activities to suit our hormone-driven functional level: i.e. sit in the corner and play an old person, complain about all sorts of aches and difficulties with bodily function, and be afraid of getting sick since recovery will be prolonged and complicated.
More and more people are pushing themselves harder than before in their mature years. Demanding such higher level of performance when the hormone level itself tells you that you are closer to kicking the bucket creates all sorts of havoc.
But the constant fatigue, difficulty sleeping, lack of energy or motivation, depressed mood, irritability, diminished libido, weaker muscle tone, and difficulty losing weight don’t have to be tolerated. All of them are possible symptoms of androgen or adrenal deficiencies and can be reversed with hormone replacement.
I recall myself before my hormone therapy 4 years ago with horror. There I was, almost unrecognizable from my usual self. Although I maintained the public façade of a professional person, I was easily irritable and an emotional wreck, tearing without reason and feeling totally hopeless at times. The body weight was doggedly at the highest level and libido was none existent. Despite the incessant fatigue, restful sleep at night was near impossible. My life was running in black and white only and all the color was drained. The true joy, curiosity, or carefree fun of life was nowhere to be found. Only after hormone balancing did I realize how much I was missing out on life.
Is the hormone replacement panacea of life? Probably not, but it is definitely a necessary, if not sufficient step for one’s better health.
Ignoring the desperate need of hormone replacement while flogging yourself to achieve all the health goals will only frustrate you more. So be sure that hormone replacement makes it onto the top of your New Year’s resolution list for 2013.
Make 2013 The Year for Permanent Weight Change
Just imagine: the New Year’s countdown reaches zero and the Time Square Ball falls down and your wishes are granted, including the long desired weight loss. You are now a healthy thin person and don’t have to worry about weight issues ever. 
Wouldn’t that be nice?
But it doesn’t have to be a fairy tale dream. It is possible and can be yours this year, if you just extend the timeline only slightly longer. How about at the end of the year, at a mid-point, or even at a quarter point? All you need is a firm belief that it will happen.
Have you ever wondered why you have weight problems? If losing weight is as simple as what all the gimmick ads claim, why is it that you have weight issues? It surely isn’t due to lack of information. There is a multi-billion dollar industry related to weight reduction as well as plethora of free information on the web.
So the question is why do you have weight problems?
Most often, it is the symptom of the neglected person – you. When you have placed the importance of your own body’s health at the bottom of the priority list, your body will reflect that clearly.
There are many excuses we usually use: no time for the diet, too busy with life, too much stress, etc. But the bottom line answer is that you have decided to give your time and attention to everything else except to your own weight issue.
So the first ingredient for the realization of this dream is your decision to put your weight issue at the top of your priority list. It has to be more important than anything else you are going to do this year.
Once you’ve committed to obtaining this goal, the next step is to find a well established behavior modification program for the weight loss. Can you do it by yourself? Yes, of course. How likely is it that you’d succeed by yourself? Unfortunately, not very likely.
In order to change any given behavior, it requires quite an effort to analyze the current pattern and introduce steps to turn each one into a desirable one. Small but persistent, corrective actions are needed to form a new habit and these new habits then become the foundation of a new behavior model.
When you try to initiate and carry out behavior modification on your own, you are at risk for a failure. Unless you can afford to dedicate a chunk of time and will power to achieve your goal, any pressure or stress from daily life will knock you off course, as you might have experienced on numerous occasions.
At Adonis, you will be helped in achieving your goal of maintaining a healthy weight via an effective behavior modification.
Learn more.
Your weight loss dream doesn’t have to be recycled again on the New Year’s resolution list. How about making it real this year and retire it completely from the future lists?
True Appreciation By Dr. Rina Shinn
As the holiday season looms near, most of us are busy trying to come up with some idea of what to give our loved ones and acquaintances as gifts. The commercial 
world thrives on that desire and the shopping frenzy seems to start earlier and earlier.
Yet we wonder if the trinkets (sometimes rather expensive) we buy for the family and friends are really appreciated by the recipients. For that matter, are we really moved by the gifts we get for the holidays? Most often, the gifts are received with very little excitement and very quickly forgotten. The charm and magic of the Christmas gifts we received as a child seem to have evaporated.
Quite often, the holiday gift exchange seems to be an exercise of futility. We seem to spend too much money and receive not much appreciation for the gifts we give out. On the opposite side of the fence, we end up with a whole bunch of stuff that seems to give a transient pleasure for us, at best. Most of the time, they end up forgotten or thrown out in frustration since they seem to occupy our shelf space without being useful. We have to wonder why we are perpetuating this rather expensive and seemingly meaningless practice.
We might be showering people with material goods since we tend to avoid one thing that might really make an impact on our loved ones or acquaintances: true appreciation. Just imagine the shock and awe we might experience if we get a heart-felt appreciation or admiration from our friends or acquaintances.
“You know, I really appreciate your cooperative spirit. I feel like I can always count on you to pitch in whenever I am in a tight spot.”
“I really appreciate your high spirit. I never feel down when I am with you. You always lift my spirit.”
“I love your sense of humor; you make me see the funny part in even a depressing situation.”
“I think you are so unique. I just wish I can be as cool as you; the ease and grace you show whenever you have to deal with difficult situations makes me to be like you when I grow up.”
A sincere appreciation, spoken out of heart-felt conviction is like a gem-stone. It doesn’t cost a penny, but it does demand that we pay attention to the person around us and notice things about them. This is difficult when we seem to be all wrapped up by our own troubles and worries and never get to spend time to notice the people around us.
Yet, when such appreciation is communicated to us, we are elated to no end and we thirst such recognition all the time.
Before we run around to find the perfect gift or surf the internet for the best bargain, we might want to contemplate the best gift we can possibly give to our loved ones : letting them know about how much we truly appreciate them.
Billows of Gratitude – Dr. Shinn is Thankful
When Thanksgiving approaches each year, somehow the true meaning 
of the holiday gets buried in the flurry of activities and stress of holiday celebrations. If anything, complaints and ingratitude overpower any thoughts of thankfulness.
Despite living in one of the wealthiest countries of the world in this modern time of amenities and abundance, we express any true gratitude only occasionally and only when we are uncommonly moved.
Yet, when we are in touch with our need of daily gratitude, we would start living a richer, fuller life.
It took me over half a century to learn this lesson.
It was so hard to see any room for gratitude in my life. I was way too busy to find time to reflect on any aspects of my life, let alone feel grateful for them. Since I was constantly abusing myself and never taking care of my needs, I couldn’t possibly feel grateful about my life. With constant push for more things to do and more to achieve, I was constantly focusing on the lack of things.
It wasn’t until this summer when I had an awakening moment to remove my blinders to look around that I was overwhelmed with the abundance that my life held for me. All the things that I only gave a token appreciation for, the family, the health, the jobs, the coworkers, the community, etc., rushed at me and swallowed me up in the most awe-striking realization that how blessed I was.
How could I have possibly thought that I was lacking things?
Yet, my fear was as real as anything, only a few moments before, to think that my current situation could go down at any moment, that I may not meet my financial obligations, that things could turn worse at any second as they have been in the past, etc.
It was only when I realized that although I thought I accomplished what I had around me, it was more of the grace of God that allowed me to have what I had. My job was to give thanks and enjoy what was allowed for me, rather than constantly beat up myself to achieve more and accomplish more. It was a true “aha” moment.
I have heard many sermons regarding this concept of relegating the driver’s seat to God in order to enjoy my life fully; but it is completely different thing to actually live a life in that fashion.
It goes against our grain to think that we have to give up the control over our lives. Yet, the truth is that there is a very little control that we actually have over our lives. Most of our life’s good fortunes are from fortuitous opportunities and hidden blessings. Our job is just to thank for whatever is given to us again and again.
When we surround ourselves with billows of gratitude, the life will award us more of its abundant goodness. Try it now.
No More Zombie Living – Be Mindful About Eating, Exercising, Interacting with Others
With this week’s excitement over the Presidential election, one of the biggest 
questions that many people had was the future of health care in this country. The healthcare system is broken and the proposed solutions don’t look that promising. What most of us are doing is hoping and praying that we do not get hit with any unexpected disease or accidents.
One can do, obviously, far more than just hoping and praying. I am not talking about the health nut fad we tend to see around us, running around and self diagnosing with limited information (usually from the internet) and dousing ourselves with the newest supplements and health gizmos.
If we truly want to practice a preventive health regime, there are a few proven methods we should engage ourselves in. Eating well and exercising regularly definitely top the chart, although most of us will roll our eyes and think that we don’t have time (or willpower) to do such healthful things.
It actually takes a lot more effort to counter bad eating habits and lack of exercise. Yet all the statistics and numerous research papers will not convince us to change our behaviors unless we have a deep conviction that we want to have a healthy lifestyle, meaning that we are willing to have a healthy mind.
Most often, we are not living in present. We are constantly living in the past or in the future.
While you are reading this, what was on your mind? Can you truly say that you had no other thoughts other than what was presented in this article? You were most likely entertaining what was on your to-do list for today or what just transpired, such as mean comments from coworkers, bosses, or family members.
Our brain is constantly reprocessing what happened and worrying about what will be happening. When we are jamming our mind with what happened already (what we should have said or done), we cannot see what we are doing right now.
By the same token, if we are inundating our brain with what we should do (the never-ending to-do list), we cannot focus on what is happening at this moment.
Multi-tasking is a most flagrant example of us avoiding the moment by moment living. Our mind processes one thing at a time (despite other claims); so when we are “multi-tasking”, we are deliberately not paying adequate attention to one chore at a time.
When we are engaged in a zombie-like life (since we are not living at the moment), many illnesses and diseases will freely enter our lives without us noticing it.
If we truly seek a healthy body so that we are not so dependent on health care to take care of us, we will have to engage in mindful living: mindful eating, exercising, doing tasks, interacting with others, etc. When we are present in a given moment, we can guard ourselves and sustain a healthy body.
Taking deep breaths is an absolute necessity to control your stress
Want to notice an immediate, stress-reducing change in your body? 
Breathe!
We have heard many times that we should take a deep breath when we are stressed. Have you wondered why? Why not take a fast and furious breath in order to increase more air flow to the lungs? Besides, what does air movement have to do with stress?
When we are stressed, whether acutely such as finding out that our house is on fire, or chronically with relentless overwork, our body is constantly stuck in the sympathetic side of autonomic nerve system (ANS) that controls many of our body functions. We are constantly in the “fight or flight” mode and not allowing the parasympathetic side which controls sleeping, digesting food, growing, and healing to function normally.
When we are stressed out, our breath becomes shallow, rapid, and labored (or tight).
When we are relaxed, or in the parasympathetic side, we breath more deeply, slowly, and without much effort.
This slow, deeper breath also lowers the heart rate as well as lowers blood pressure.
Here are a couple of tricks of simple deep breathing that can be easily learned and practiced daily. YOu can do them anywhere: in the car, while cooking dinner, when anger starts to boil up…
- In a relaxed state, either sitting or lying down, blow out all the air and consciously concentrate on tightening all the abdominal and chest muscles (external and internal obliques, transversalis, rectus abdominus, and intercostals muscles) to the max. When you cannot contract any more, let go and relax all the muscles to allow the rush of air to fill the lung. Allow enough time to have all the emptied space to be filled with air. Then repeat the process.
- Another exercise is prolonged exhalation. The basic idea is holding onto CO2 long enough to allow blood acidosis to increase oxygen release into the tissue. You inhale for a few beats then hold it for a while and slowly exhale. Count 4 beats of inhalation, hold for 7 beats, and exhale slowly for 8 beats.
Try both exercises for 8 or 9 repetitions.
Dr. Shinn Speaks Throughout Southern Colorado
Free Educational Seminars
It’s a busy month for Dr. Rina Shinn of Adonis Cosmetic Surgery & Spa.
Dr. Rina Shinn is one of the most respected and skilled surgeons in Southern Colorado and has been changing lives for more than 18 years.
She currently offers inspiring seminars/workshops for many groups throughout Southern Colorado. Learn more.
We invite you to meet Dr. Shinn at any of the following events this month.
Thursday, October 4, 5-6:15 pm. Tianna Galgono. Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, will address many of the subconscious issues that can sabotage your weight loss goals. Learn more.
Thursday, October 11 at 5 pm ”Weight Loss & The Subconscious Mind.”
Dr. Shinn will present a free seminar at Lady of America, Pueblo. 719-543-5000
Friday, October 12, 11:15 a.m. “Save Your Business, Get Your Hormones Checked”
Dr. Shinn is the featured guest with the Colorado Springs Women’s Express Network.
Learn more.
Wednesday, October 17, 2 pm. Dr. Rina Shinn will present “Myths Surrounding Hormone Replacement Therapy, Breast Augmentation and Breast Cancer.” Dillard’s Pueblo Mall.
Follow Up Care At Adonis Cosmetic Surgery & Spa Makes Great Results for Cosmetic Surgery
Dr. Rina Shinn of Adonis Cosmetic Surgery & Spa always tell patients that having an operation performed is only a fraction of the whole process and that preop and postop lymphatic work and attention to all the details of post op care is what makes great results for their cosmetic surgery.
You will not feel like another “Surgical Case” at Adonis. You will see Dr. Rina Shinn at least twice after your procedure and you will feel well cared for and comfortable in discussing your healing process.
Here is the amazing follow up schedule at Adonis Cosmetic Surgery & Spa.
For Breast Augmentation patients:
POD1, POD1wk, POD 1mo, POD 3mo, 6mo, 9mo and an annual visit.
For Liposuction:
POD1wk, POD1mo, 6mo, and an annual visit recommended.
For minor surgeries:
POD2wk, 1mo, and as needed.
Dr. Shinn personally attends their first two or three follow ups appointments, or more, if there is any concern of complication such as infection or scar.
The Adonis Cosmetic Surgery & Staff consistently contact our patients is they miss their follow up appointments.
Ready to meet Dr. Shinn for your consultation? Please call 719-543-5000
Schedule a Consult You could win a $100 Gift Card
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