Category Archives: Longevity Medicine

Even after death, COVID-19 could be contagious, a new report finds.

A forensic practitioner working in Bangkok, Thailand, most likely caught the virus from a deceased patient, according to the report, which was posted online April 11 as a preprint for the Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine.

The forensic practitioner later died of the virus, marking the first case on record of a "COVID-19 infection and death among medical personnel in a forensic medicine unit," the researchers wrote in the report.

Related: Latest COVID-19 news and US case counts

At the time the report was written on March 19, just 272 people in Thailand including the forensic practitioner and a nurse assistant had tested positive for the new coronavirus. Most of these cases were imported, meaning they weren't from community spread, the researchers wrote. So, it's unlikely that the forensic practitioner caught the new coronavirus outside of work or even from a patient at the hospital, the researchers wrote.

"There is [a] low chance of forensic medicine professionals coming into contact with infected patients, but they can have contact with biological samples and corpses," the researchers wrote in the report.

It's not surprising that the body of a recently deceased COVID-19 patient might be contagious, said Dr. Otto Yang, a professor in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

"Absolutely, a dead body would be contagious at least for hours if not days," Yang told Live Science in an email. "The virus will still be in respiratory secretions, and potentially still reproducing in cells that haven't yet died in the lungs."

COVID-19's longevity in the body can be problematic for people in the funerary industry. For instance, following reports that temples in Thailand were refusing to perform funeral services of COVID-19 victims, the head of Thailand's Department of Medical Services incorrectly announced on March 25 that the disease was not contagious in bodies after death, according to Buzzfeed News.

It's unclear, however, just how long the virus remains infectious in a dead body.

In light of this finding, forensic scientists should take a number of precautions while examining the remains of COVID-19 patients, the researchers said. For instance, forensic professionals should wear protective gear, including a protective suit, gloves, goggles, a cap and a mask, they wrote.

"The disinfection procedure used in operation rooms might be applied in pathology/forensic units too," they added.

Usually, pathogens that kill people don't survive long enough to spread to others after the person's death, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). "Human remains only pose a substantial risk to health in a few special cases, such as deaths from cholera or haemorrhagic fevers," such as Ebola, the WHO said.

Other illnesses that are contagious in human remains include tuberculosis, bloodborne viruses (such as hepatitis B and C and HIV) and gastrointestinal infections (including E. coli, hepatitis A, Salmonella infection and typhoid fever), according to the WHO.

Originally published on Live Science.

Original post:
The bodies of COVID-19 victims may be contagious, coroner's case reveals - Livescience.com

Special Report

John Harrington, Hristina Byrnes

Most Americans are under orders to stay at home. Though they are allowed to go out just to exercise, gyms and other facilities where people can work out are closed. That should not discourage people who want to stay or get in shape because, as research has found, walking is often just as beneficial a workout.

Its easy to forget that walking is actually an aerobic activity. After all, about 7 billion people do it every day. Its low-impact, simple, natural, accessible, and has many health benefits.

A study from the University of Utah showed that the body may actually be made to walk. Walking is physically easier on the body, but the body still requires to take in more oxygen than in sedentary mode, providing the same benefits as running.

Not even a third of American adults exercise on a regular basis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just about 23% meet the federal guidelines for aerobic activity and strength training. But people in some places are less active than others these are he 50 laziest cities in America.

The rule of thumb is to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise a week, according to the2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Breaking the numbers down, thats 30 minutes five days a week. This sounds like a small price to pay if you want to significantly improve both your physical and mental health.

Click her to see 30 reasons walking is the best exercise.

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30 Reasons Walking Is the Best Exercise - 24/7 Wall St.

In 1995, the New England Centenarian Study embarked on a research project to identify the defining traits of people who lived past 100. Whether it was looking at healthy eating habits or genetic markers, the goal was to unlock the secrets of a long life.

Today, the New England Centenarian Study is one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind. Thomas Perls MD, MPH, is its founder and director, and he literally wrote the book on living to a ripe old age. Published in 1999, Living to 100: Lessons in Living to Your Maximum Potential at Any Age is an educational resource based on research conducted at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Thomas Perls created the Living to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator as a free online resource for health-conscious people.

While doing research for his book, Thomas realized that most people have the potential to live to 86 or 89 years old, depending on gender, but the vast majority of people were failing to live up to that potential. The average life expectancy in the U.S. was about 75 in the 1990s, and today its currently hovering at 79.

What caused that 10-year gap between potential and actual life spans? Unhealthy dietary and lifestyle habits. Thomas saw an opportunity to inform the public and promote healthier living, so he created theLiving to 100 Life Expectancy Calculator as a free online resource.

The calculator uses a 40-question quiz to determine how long a person can expect to live if they continue on the same trajectory. It can identify unhealthy habits and offer healthful solutions to anyone wondering what he or she can do to increase their life span.

Couples can use this informative tool to adjust their diets and adopt healthier habits so they can maximize their time together. Anyone planning to lead a life together can benefit from consulting the Living to 100 website for important guidance from medical professionals.

Thomas has dedicated his life to the study of health and longevity. He is a professor of medicine and geriatrics at Boston University School of Medicine, and he also cares for patients as a physician at Boston Medical Center. His research project on centenarians has gone a long way toward answering important questions about why someone lives past 100 years old, and how the average person can follow their good example.

If you can take advantage of the genes that get us to those advanced ages, you can live beyond your 80s or even your 90s, Thomas said. The majority of variation in how old we live is related to our health behaviors.

The Living to 100 questionnaire is straightforward and takes no more than 10 minutes to complete. You start by providing basic personal information (age, gender, marital status, etc.) and then you answer general questions about your stress levels, eating habits, smoking habits, family medical history, medical information, and other health-related factors.

Every answer has a value that can add to or subtract from a persons overall life expectancy. Women start with a score of 89, and men start with 86.

Unhealthy habits, like smoking and heavy drinking, can subtract from that total score, while positive genetic factors like having a family member who lived past 96 can increase someones life expectancy quite a bit. The more honest you are in your answers, the more accurate the calculation will be.

The Living to 100 quiz prompts individuals to assess how well they take care of themselves.

The Living to 100 questionnaire relies on the most recent medical literature to base its calculations, and it weighs each factor differently. The end result can let people know what theyre doing right and wrong in terms of maintaining good health and setting themselves up for a long and prosperous life.

Its a public service site and an educational tool, Thomas said. The calculator isnt supposed to give exact life expectancy its not a crystal ball but it does give you a rough idea of how your day-to-day behaviors translate to a ballpark average life expectancy.

After youve taken the test, you can review your results in more detail in the Feedback Section. This offers a clear breakdown of how you can extend your life span and correct potentially life-shortening behaviors.

For instance, I took the test and found out that I can expect to live to 92 years old (hooray!), but I could live up to four years longer by cutting fast food out of my diet. Now, as much as I love Chicken McNuggets and Bic Macs, its hard to justify trading four years for those unhealthy meals.

By giving consumers hard data, the Life Expectancy Calculator can really put things in perspective and bring greater awareness to how small daily actions can lead to serious health consequences. It can also recommend medical screenings, vaccinations, and other preventative measures to prolong life.

The quiz results can offer a customized action plan for getting healthy and living longer.

Taken as a whole, the Living to 100 calculator can provide a good barometer to track ones progress in leading a healthy lifestyle, and its follow-up advice can make sure people know exactly what to do to improve their results.

The health resources on Living to 100 can offer valuable education and intervention tools for at-risk patients and health-conscious folks. Its focus on preventative health measures can do a world of good for people who want to live to 100 but need to change course to get there.

In addition to health information, Living to 100 also recommends financial planning so that individuals and couples are prepared for the more than likely possibility that theyll spend over 20 or 30 years in retirement. They need to have enough savings to take care of themselves in their golden years, and the time to start planning for that is now.

Many individuals, couples, and families have used the Life Expectancy Calculator over the years, and it has brought them insight into how their behavior impacts their life span. Sometimes the results are promising and reinforce good behavior, and other times a person has a lot of room for improvement and finds motivation in the idea of mortality.

Thanks for providing this interesting site, wrote I.M. in a testimonial. Its good to know how one is getting on. I am going to suggest that my husband does the questionnaire it might frighten him into giving smoking up!

Couples who take the quiz together can hold each other accountable for making healthful decisions in the future, and its a great way to use teamwork to improve the odds of living a long life. When couples tackle diets together or commit to exercising together, they bond over the shared activity and become more committed to following through with their health goals.

I found this very enlightening and encouraging! anonymous Living to 100 user

The Life Expectancy Calculator can give couples the inspiration they need to make positive changes and start a dialogue in their family about the importance of eating right, getting exercise, and maintaining good health.

When people are proactive about their health, they reap the benefits later in life and can spend more time doing the things they love with the people they love.

A Living to 100 user with the initials J.Y. said that approaching retirement was much more exciting because of an augmented life span. It was terrific to have a cheery prognostication of nearly thirty years to enjoy it in, J.Y. said. Your test was easy and fun to take and encourages me to continue doing what I do well and to address those areas where I know I could improve. Now, if the results only came with a guarantee

Since 1995, the medical community has gained more knowledge and insight into what factors can shorten or lengthen a persons lifespan, and Living to 100 has refined its results accordingly. This longevity calculator cant see into the future or offer any guarantees, but it can give individuals and couples the opportunity to assess their daily health habits and understand how their choices can give them more time with the people they love.

The Living to 100 calculator is a fun and informative tool for anyone interested in improving and lengthening their lives, so maybe one day they can sit beside a centenarian partner and look back on a life well lived.

Over the years, Thomas has gotten a lot of offers from drug companies looking to make a buck off peoples private medical information and family history, but Living To 100 remains a free educational resource with no targeted ads to speak of.

Im all about healthy aging, Thomas said. I care a lot about people, so if I can help them, thats really important to me.

Read more:
Living to 100 Tells Couples How Long Their Life Will Be - DatingNews

With most of the country on some form of shelter-in-place, its left millions of minds left to their own devices for entertainment.

This means lots of scrolling through coronavirus headlines.

While its important to stay up-to-date and aware of the pandemic situation, too much opinion mixed with faulty information will increase anxieties, spur depressive spirals, and cause stress, which adversely affects our overall health. Blaring grab me headlines mixed with uneducated and uninformed opinion may make the time go by faster, but its also doing a number to your psyche.

Alright, what is an isolated, bored person to do?

Curate your coronavirus news intake by choosing a podcast.

Not only can you find a trustworthy podcast on any Coronavirus angle whether youre looking for purely scientific facts, a political overview, global journalism, or a medical take but you can plugin for a specific allotted time and then be done with your news intake for the day.

Here are a few Coronavirus-specific podcasts to get you started!

The Drive/peterattiamd.com/podcast/

If youve ever felt annoyed by the watered-down medical and scientific podcasts, then The Drive may be the perfect match for you!

When it comes to this podcast, it starts with the amazingly informed creator and host, Peter Attia, M.D. Attia is a medical doctor who earned his M.D. from Stanford University, holds a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics, and is the founder of Attia Medical, PC, a medical practice that focuses on the applied science of longevity.

WhileThe Drive normally hosts a variety of guests to talk about everything under the longevity and human health moon, if youre looking for COVID-19 information, this podcast has become a one-stop-shop of accurate, curated, and need-to-know information from mental health specialists to epidemiologists. Recently, Attia hosted Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. the Dean for the National School of Tropical Medicine Baylor College of Medicine as well as Sam Harris, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and author and Michael Osterholm, Ph.D. the Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and author ofDeadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs.

Mayo Clinic Talks Podcast COVID-19 Miniseries/ce.mayo.edu/online-education/content/mayo-clinic-talks-podcast-covid-19-miniseries

The Mayo Clinic is one of the top-ranked and most well-respected hospitals and research facilities in the states. In fact, the U.S. News & World Report has again recognized Mayo clinic as the No. 1 hospital overall and top ranked in twelve specialties.

In light of the coronavirus outbreak, the May Clinic has published a free-access COVID-19 miniseries podcast calledMayo Clinic Talks COVID-19 Miniseries. Technically created for physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, this podcast miniseries is a great place to get up-to-date information that isnt sugar-coated.

With that said, having a slight medical background is a bit helpful with terminology!

This podcast has 9 episodes ranging from a download on the virus itself to preparing for a pandemic to the most recent episode talking about the use of ibuprofen.

America Dissected: Coronavirus/crooked.com/podcast-series/america-dissected

Looking for at a more political take on the whole pandemic?

America Dissected: Coronavirus by Crooked Mediahits all the spots. Not only does this podcast take a look at how we got to this point and why, but it also takes a look at the future and what we can do to move forward. Hosted by Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a physician and former city health commissioner America Dissected: Coronavirus by Crooked Mediaaims to keep you updated on what you need to know about COVID-19, what led us to this crisis in the first place, and what policies can lead us out.

Current episodes includeOpen for Business: Toilet Paper and Disaster Capitalism, All the Lonely People, Where Do They Belong?, Pharmageddon,andThe Anti-Anti-Vax-Vaccine with new episodes available every Tuesday and Friday.

Coronavirus Daily: NPR/www.npr.org/podcasts/510355/coronavirusdaily

NPR National Public Radio is one of the most well-loved and trusted news sources in the country. This independent, nonprofit media organization has accumulated 27.4 on-air listeners, has over 1,000 broadcasting stations, and is an international institution with 34 bureaus worldwide.

In order to fully cover the coronavirus outbreak, NPR has created a COVID-19 specific podcast called Coronavirus Daily. As the name implies, this is a daily podcast hosted by NPR journalist Kelly McEvers that covers all dimensions of the story from science to economics and politics as well as society and culture. Available every weekday afternoon, the podcast includes stories and interviews from NPRs Science, International, National, Business, and Washington reporting teams, as well as station reporters, and the crews at Morning Editions and All Things Considered.

What sets this podcast apart from the rest?

Its only 10 minutes in length!

Recent episodes include Ventilator Shortages; 6.6 Million New Unemployment Claims,The Mask Debate; Preventing More New York-Sized Clusters, andSocial Distancing Extended; Grocery Store Tips.

If youre looking for the ultimate, daily, one-stop, quick download of whats happening with the pandemic thenCoronavirus Dailyis a great option.

Coronavirus Global Update by the BBC/www.bbc.co.uk/programmes

Even though experiencing this pandemic may cause our brains to go insular, its important to remember that this is apandemic, which refers to aglobaloutbreak.

If youre looking to stick with the international news then log into theCoronavirus Global Update by the BBC. The BBC prides itself on being an impartial and independent news outlet that creates distinctive, world-class programmes and content which inform, educate and entertain millions of people in the UK and around the world.

Another daily podcast, these episodes provide world-wide coverage of the spread of the coronavirus, with reports from affected areas, details of the latest medical information and the impact on health, business, and travel.

Recent episodes include global coverage including Confirmed Global Cases Pass One Million, Spain Passes Ten Thousand Coronavirus Deaths, Hospitals Say US Running Out of Medical Supplies, and Italys Daily Death Toll at Lowest Level for Six Days.

NewScientist/www.newscientist.com/podcasts

In these times of faux information, sourcing from a scientific outlet is always a great go-to. Created by the New Scientist Magazine, the Coronavirus Special podcast takes you down the pandemic rabbit hole with a keen eye towards the scientific side of things.

Founded in 1956, New Scientist Magazineis the worlds most popular weekly science and technology magazine, which covers international news from a scientific standpoint, and [asks] the biggest-picture questions about life, the universe and what it means to be human.

With multiple coronavirus-related podcast episodes, theCoronavirus Specialseeks to answer some of the most pressing questions about COVID-19 by interviewingNew Scientistjournalists Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, and Graham Lawton. This special covers topics including when you are likely to be at the peak of infection, whether it is possible to be infected twice, and why the coronavirus doesnt seem to be affected much by heat and humidity, as well as tips for maintaining a healthy mental state during lockdown.

Whats so unique about this podcast?

Its not only centered around the science of the pandemic but each episode also includes non-pandemic-related news in the science world, providing a more balanced download of the world for those looking to not overdo the coronavirus news.

OtherNew Scientistpodcasts episodes includeCoronavirus Questions Answered; Revolution in Human Evolution; Mind-Reading Computers,Coronavirus Lockdown how to flatten the curve, reset the immune system, and the worlds most hardcore mammal, and Coronavirus vaccine; neutrinos in the early universe, and organ transplants.

Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction/vulture.com/article/coronavirus-podcasts.html

Created by the highly acclaimed and well-known news outlet CNN,Coronavirus: Fact vs. Fiction is a perfect, quick download of the most up-to-date pandemic information.

Hosted by CNNs Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta a practicing neurosurgeon with a Doctorate of Medicine degree from the University of Michigan Medical School this podcast focuses on not only providing updated information on the outbreak, but Gupta also helps to make sense of headlines, [speaks] with the experts and [gives] you all the information you need to stay safe and healthy.

Recent episodes includingAstronaut Scott Kelly on How to Survive Isolation, Checking in with Dr. Fauci, COVID-19 FAQs, andPregnant During a Pandemic.

Nature/www.nature.com

Natureis one of the best places to go if youre looking for hard facts, significant discoveries, studies, reviews, critical comments, news, and analysis. They focus on promoting findings that advance knowledge and address some of the greatest challenges that we face as a society today. With nine million readers,Naturetruly hones and curates its content to communicate the most significant scientific advances.

The special coronavirus podcast calledCoronavirus Science in the Pandemicis hosted by journalist Nick Howe and includes interviews with epidemiologists, genomicists and social scientists about how theyre working to tackle the coronavirus and what theyve learned so far.

We also highly recommend downloading ourFood Monster App, which is available foriPhone, and can also be found onInstagramandFacebook. The app has more than 15,000 plant-based, allergy-friendly recipes, and subscribers gain access to new recipes every day. Check it out!

For more Vegan Food, Health, Recipe, Animal, and Life content published daily, dont forget to subscribe to theOne Green Planet Newsletter!

Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Pleasesupport us!

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8 Top Scientific, Medical, and Culture Podcasts to Help You Stay Informed on the Latest Coronavirus Updates - One Green Planet

As more people live to advanced ages due to health care innovations, more also are dealing with the decline in mental acuity that can come late in life. Cognitive training is often touted as a way of treating or even preempting these issues, but there is significant disagreement on the effectiveness of various methods.

Researchers from The University of Texas at Dallas Center for Vital Longevity (CVL) conducted a large-scale analysis of the benefits of multiple training types for individuals who are aging healthily, as well as those with mild cognitive impairment.

Dr. Chandramallika Basak

Dr. Chandramallika Basak, associate professor of cognition and neuroscience in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, is the corresponding and first author of the study published in February in Psychology and Aging. She said her meta-analysis which assessed the results of 215 previous studies published in 167 journal articles will have a large-scale impact on a controversial field.

Effective cognitive training during late adulthood can help maintain, or even enhance, our cognitive abilities, said Basak, the director of the Lifespan Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratoryat CVL. Credit this cognitive plasticity to our brains ability to recover some core abilities that decline with age with practice, such as processing speed, executive functions and working memory.

Cognitive training in older adults refers broadly to activities designed to maintain or improve cognitive abilities that typically decline in late adulthood, such as short-term memory, attention, problem-solving and executive functions. Although techniques and tests vary widely, they usually involve a professional who administers a standardized test, supervises a training module designed to improve the skill or skills used on that test, and then retests to see if a subject has improved.

Training modules are designed for the subject to relearn an ability that may have declined in a way that is both engaging and scientific, said CVL research associate Shuo (Eva) Qin PhD19, another author of the study.

Basak said that the results from this meta-analysis supported the benefits of cognitive training, albeit limited to specific training modules: Those who were given any type of training outperformed their related control groups on post-training cognitive tests. The results support the idea that even an aging, slightly impaired brain can still make positive changes.

Though healthy participants showed more robust cognitive improvements than those with mild cognitive impairments, there was widespread improvement across all groups, Basak said. One key finding was that cognitive training was found to significantly improve everyday functioning in older adults, which in turn can provide additional years of independence and potentially delay the onset of dementia.

Effective cognitive training during late adulthood can help maintain, or even enhance, our cognitive abilities. Credit this cognitive plasticity to our brains ability to recover some core abilities that decline with age with practice, such as processing speed, executive functions and working memory.

Dr. Chandramallika Basak, associate professor of cognition and neuroscience in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Her analysis compared the effectiveness of two prominent cognitive-training modules and gathered significant data on which techniques accomplish the most in older patients with mild cognitive impairment as well as those aging healthily. It also differentiated between what are called near-transfer and far-transfer effects.

Though the primary goal was to compare single-component training to multicomponent training, this is also an important distinction, Basak said. We want to understand not only the effects cognitive training has on the specific abilities participants are trained on these are near-transfer effects but also on unrelated abilities that are not specifically trained during that specific training, which is far transfer.

Basak explained that one way to describe far-transfer effects is learning a set of cognitive skills that results in improved performance on tasks under different contexts and that are very different from the learned task. For example, someone who is learning to play a computer game may end up improving their driving or someone practicing aerobic exercise may have an improved memory.

The Lifespan Neuroscience and Cognition Laboratory, directed by Dr. Chandramallika Basak, uses both behavioral and brain-imaging techniques to understand the mechanisms of memory and complex skill and how these abilities may change and be enhanced across the lifespan. The research is particularly focused on the interaction between working memory and attentional control, sources of individual differences of enhanced learning and memory, and how these skills are affected by age and memory disorders.

While single-component training studies focus on a single function, such as short-term memory, multicomponent studies either target multiple abilities sequentially or nonspecifically and simultaneously.

The most important finding was that all modules of multicomponent training yielded significant near and far transfer suggesting that, in older adults, multicomponent training is a more effective general tactic than most single-component training modules. However, single-component training that targeted executive functions and working memory showed a very robust near and far transfer.

Specifically, multicomponent training that combines core cognitive abilities, such as executive functions and processing speed, may be most promising, Basak said.

As older adults become physically frail, cognitive training can be conducted without demands on physical abilities from the comfort of ones home, she said.

Whether youre trying to fend off the effects of cognitive aging from the beginning or are hoping to halt an existing deficit, cognitive training helps.

Margaret OConnell MS16, PhD18, now a clinical research associate at Medpace, was also an author of the study.

The research was supported by grant R56AG060052 from the National Institute on Aging, a component of the National Institutes of Health.

Read more:
Researchers' Analysis Confirms Effects of Cognitive Training for Older Adults - University of Texas at Dallas

Rick Monroe

Special to Village News

Fallbrook's senior practicing dentist, Dr. Philip C. Roberts celebrated his 45th year serving the community April 1. Like so many nonessential businesses, his office was closed but it was still a very special day.

"We had a nice celebration with friends, staff and former staff, plus our family," the dentist said. "We didn't see them face-to-face, but it was a nice alternative with nonstop phone calls, text messages all day long.

"My wife Gail made a special dinner and it was nice to hear from our three daughters, who are spread all across the country," he said.

Philip Roberts recently signed a new lease on his building in south Fallbrook, meaning that God-willing, he plans to reach 50 years or more here.

"I have no plans to retire," he said. "I really enjoy what I do here."

Dentists have a great longevity in Fallbrook. Dr. Ronald Allison retired in January 2019 after a 60-years here. He still lives in town.

"I was honored that my friend Dr. Allison asked me to take over his clients," Philip Roberts said. "I sure can't retire now with these new patients."

He also loves his patients.

"It's a very rewarding profession. Our motto is 'We treat people, not just teeth.' That's why we have so many people coming back," he said. "There may be two people with the same exact symptoms and condition, but that doesn't mean they get the same treatment. Everyone is different and special."

Roberts said he considered medicine as a career, but dentistry is so much more rewarding.

"That's because you can see the positive result of your work immediately. You see the satisfaction and get their feedback," he said.

Growing up in San Diego, the future dentist and his wife-to-be grew up in the same neighborhood, meeting when they were ages 10 and 7. The friends attended the same schools and church, and eventually both attended San Diego State. Philip Roberts decided to attend dental college at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

They married in 1971, two years before he graduated from dental school.

"It was a bad time to start my own business, since the country was in a recession," Philip Roberts said, and in 1973 he began working under Dr. Burton H. Press in the San Francisco Bay area.

"It was a great experience. I learned so much more than the mechanics you learn in school," Philip Roberts said. "He taught me practice management, and the importance of being a people person of serving your patients well."

Press was a cutting-edge professional, Philip Roberts said, and president of the state dental association. He later became national president.

A San Diego dentist told Philip Roberts about a practice in Fallbrook where the dentist had died. Roberts was interviewed by the staff, and they liked him and the rest is history.

"Fallbrook was and still is such a friendly place. It's a place where people look out for one another, a friendly village," Gail Roberts said. "This is the nicest place in Southern California."

Originally located in the north end of town at 304 E. Mission, Philip Roberts relocated the practice after nine years to a larger office in the southern section at 1680 S. Mission Road,

"When we moved here in 1975, there was one stop light," Philip Roberts recalled. "We would see our patents in town in the grocery store, church or other places and so many became our friends."

He also marveled at wide range of interesting clients who live or lived in Fallbrook, from movie actors and producers to World War II fighter pilots as well as the "average Joe" clients he loves to serve.

"We're blessed in Fallbrook to have some really great dentists," Philip Roberts said. "We're all friendly to each other and get together at continuing education meetings."

Philip Roberts' practice includes a hygienist, receptionists and two assistants.

Gail Roberts helps the practice as bookkeeper and other duties but was able to focus on raising three daughters.

"She's been my right arm, helping the most on the business side," Philip Roberts said. "The receptionist does the billing and insurance."

Having a full staff allowed Gail Roberts to focus on raising their three daughters, each who have become professionals. Their oldest daughter is an occupational therapist who works with children with disabilities in Canoga Park. Their middle daughter is a dentist in the Air Force, stationed in Alaska. And their youngest daughter is a speech pathologist in Tennessee.

Faith is important with the Philip Roberts, each serving in multiple leadership capacities at Zion Lutheran Church. Gail Roberts was also a teacher at the school.

When the Roberts celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in July 2021, the hope is there will be no coronavirus or other situation to spoil the celebration.

To contact Dr. Philip C. Roberts, call (760) 728-5848. The practice has been closed since March 17 with the exception of caring for emergencies.

Read the rest here:
Dentist celebrates 45 years in the village - Fallbrook / Bonsall Villlage News