Benign prostatic hyperplasia, (BPH), is a condition in men in which the prostate gland is enlarged and not cancerous.  BPH causes men to suffer with symptoms of frequent and urgent needs to urinate (especially at night!), a weak stream, dribbling or leaking and painful urination. These symptoms make it difficult for men to enjoy many activities of daily living, including getting a good night’s sleep. BPH is the most common prostate problem for men older than age 50. Treatment options for BPH include lifestyle changes, medications, surgery and minimally invasive procedures. For some doctors, the customary treatment is to prescribe…

July 7 – September 1, 2018Shows Nightly at 8:30pm The Pageant of the Masters is arguably one of the most unique productions in the entire world. This uber-creative, one-of-a-kind show combines theater, performance art and art history. Each evening during the summer season, classic and contemporary works of art are faithfully re-created with theatrical illusion and real people posing as living pictures. A live narrator serves as a guide through the story of each recreation accompanied by the music of a professional orchestra. In the early years of the 20th century, a new generation of impressionists and plein air painters…

When I was 24 and planning a trip with a girlfriend to Cabo San Lucas, our families thought the idea sounded, well, fine. They didn’t know much about the destination other than it was resort town, and that some people they knew owned a timeshare there. So as we boarded the plane to fly down, my friend and I had little inkling that we would spend much of the next decade reminiscing about Cabo as one of our best vacations ever. Annoying, it must have been, to hear all about the pools and the sun and the hammocks and the…

Women’s Intimate Health and Wellness is Important The medical device and pharmaceutical industries have made tremendous advances in male sexual health, finally, there is a breakthrough in female sexual health! Childbirth and the natural aging process can cause changes which may affect feminine wellness. To address these issues, Dr. Fleming and her team now offer vaginal rejuvenation via a non-surgical, non-invasive in-office procedure with no discomfort and no downtime. “Controlled radiofrequency stimulates new collagen and elastin production, resulting in better tissue quality,” says Dr. Fleming. “This revitalized tissue translates to improvement in laxity, relief from post-menopausal dryness, and help with…

My husband recently discovered that there are certain restaurants in our area which have a “ghost menu.” Items the chefs are willing to whip up for guests, but only if you know what to ask for. His immediate request? A grilled cheese sandwich. I couldn’t help but laugh. All the choices in the world awaited, including some of the best kept secret recipes of city’s cooking elite, and he picks a grilled cheese. His response? “You can’t ever go wrong with comfort food.” He was right. And that’s exactly what EATS Kitchen & Bar at the Hotel Irvine offers: except…

Segerstrom Center for the Arts has announced its internationally and culturally rich 2018 – 2019 Dance Series, a season marked with important World, American, West Coast and Center premieres to be discovered by audiences throughout California and nationwide. World Premiere ISADORA Starring Natalia Osipova American Premiere PYGMALION Inspired by the Greek Myth Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg West Coast Premiere HARLEQUINADE American Ballet Theatre Center Premiere PEPPERLAND Mark Morris Dance Group Center Premiere DON QUIXOTE Starring Ivan Vasiliev Mikhailovsky Ballet and Orchestra Annual Holiday Presentation THE NUTCRACKERAmerican Ballet Theatre For information, visit SCFTA.org

The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel presents its annual summer Festival of Arts exhibit featuring 13 contemporary artworks from the Festival’s Permanent Collection. Honoring the oceanfront resort’s long-term partnership with Pageant of the Masters and Festival of Arts, guests are invited to view the exhibit from May 11 through September 4, 2018. Guests can also visit the Festival of Arts, featuring 140 of Orange County’s finest artists, and experience the Pageant of the Masters UNDER THE SUN-themed stage performance where art comes to life. The exhibit, titled “Fantastic Imagination: 45 Years of Contemporary Art,” was curated by Pat Sparkuhl and includes: Iranian…

I love the concept of consignment - finding a true treasure for which someone else paid full retail and I get the benefit of acquiring the same item sans the depreciation. But I have a friend for whom the word “resale” is synonymous with sketchy deals on Craigslist. Suffice it to say that it took some doing to convince her to explore the offerings of the San Juan Capistrano-based Revel Consignment. We were on our way to lunch and had some time before our reservation so we walked in and got so caught up perusing the beautifully displayed furniture, art…

Since its first Wills and Trusts Week in the fall of 2011, the Orange Catholic Foundation has had as one of its primary goals to encourage everyone to have an estate plan designed to provide for the needs of their families. Each year in the spring and fall, the Orange Catholic Foundation works in collaboration with parishes and schools throughout the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange to provide information sessions led by local Catholic estate planning attorneys and financial advisors to help you protect and provide for your loved ones, update or create your estate plan, and learn more about…

The word ‘omni’ is the root of a great many words in the English language. From Latin, it means ‘all, every, the whole’, and can be attached to both ‘omnis’ and the more simple root: ‘op’. Abundance. Wholeness. What a magnificent pair of adjectives to describe a weekend away. Omni La Costa Resort and Spa takes those adjectives very seriously, as well as the root word they came from. An all-inclusive location in gorgeous, sun-kissed Carlsbad, California, the property has everything one might need for a girlfriends retreat, family vacation, or romantic getaway. You name it, Omni provides it: all…

All the stars were in alignment in early April. Our kids and our family friends’ children (who live in Napa) ended up with the same spring break schedule AND all the grownups were able to arrange time off of work to spend a few days away in one of the prettiest places on the planet: Lake Tahoe’s South Shore. Since we’ve been back, our children haven’t been able to stop raving about the trip. In fact, they’ve been talking it up so much that friends here at home joked that someone must have put them on retainer while they were…

Why did this music resonate with the teenagers that were a product of the 50’s? The music was theirs. DJ’s of the day would play the songs over and over, yet the audience never tired of listening. There were times when one record would be played over and over to break it down and listen to what the words meant.  It was untouched idealism. Going steady meant a pledge to see or date only that one person, exclusively. Guys and girls went “steady” even if they never kissed or were forbidden by their parents to date. It meant a letterman’s…

Assisted Living facilities have struggled with their reputation for a great many years. The emotional understanding of what those facilities actually do is mired in miscommunication. Ivy, or rather Hedera, as it is known in the scientific world, has also suffered from a bad rap for years. An immigrant to the States, Hedera is a genus of 12-15 species of evergreen that climbs or creeps, loves rocks, and is native to western central, and southern Europe, Africa, Asia, Japan, and Taiwan. Making the list of best air-freshening plants, ivy also takes one of the headers in place of non-native invasives…

Sunday May 5th is International Pilates Day. Pilates Day is an annual, international community event, celebrated on the first Saturday of May every year. The Pilates Day mission is to foster the public’s appreciation, and awareness to the Pilates Method. Through a network of varied, innovative, and high quality grassroots Pilates events, that are taking place around the world and accessible and affordable for all. Align Pilates and Yoga is excited to be participating in this world-recognized event. To be part of this exciting day, it’s paramount for Align to explain what the hoopla with Pilates is all about. Pilates…

It takes a trained eye to note the subtle shading needed to contour a surfboard. To taper the rails just so. To send the airbrush lightly over the fin box and trace the shape perfectly, symmetrically, precisely. It takes a trained eye to paint the female form, to counter shadow and shape until a living woman appears on the page. It takes a trained eye to dive below what William Asbury called the “large-scale manifestations of classical biology” to the molecular plane below. For Kristy Fleming, MD, each of those became immediately necessary and tangential to another when she discovered…

When I was a child, I remember my parents moving our family into a new house, with pristine, white carpets. Beautiful to look at, but completely impractical when you consider that two young children would soon be tromping about. As expected, my brother and I managed to ruin a swath of the floor covering in spectacular fashion … and in relatively short order. Enough so that it was replaced with a more manageable shade. Had my parents discovered the benefits of professional carpet cleaning services like those offered by the Laguna Niguel-based Beacon Carpet Cleaning, they certainly would have been…

At Capital Bank, we are dedicated to collaborating with clients to provide financial solutions tailored to their specific needs and goals. We call it “Banking Outside the Box” and it’s our signature at Capital Bank. Orange County is our home and supporting its local business community is our passion. Under the leadership of Senior Vice President Don Solsby, our local office team is comprised of highly accomplished banking professionals with a proven track record of achieving results for our clients. Our commercial lending team in San Juan Capistrano will work closely with you to customize credit solutions to accommodate all your business’s financial needs, including: Working capital Business term loans Equipment acquisition loans Commercial…

My father does not like debt. My father does not like debt in the way that most people don’t like spiders, or brussel sprouts. It irks him. He (and his own father) both worked their way out of debt, and have been fortunate enough to never look back. But for most in America, the concept of a little debt (or even a lot of it) isn’t too far off from the concept of satisfying a craving for your favorite food. Sure, it might not be the most healthy meal in the world, but you’re balancing it along with a handful…

Sean Jones: Inspired by Miles Davis’s Jazz Friday, April 6, 2018, 8 PM Music and spirituality have always intertwined in the artistic vision of trumpeter, composer, educator, and activist Sean Jones. As a child he performed with the church choir in his hometown and switched from the drums to trumpet upon his first exposure to Miles Davis at age ten. The New York Times describes Sean Jones as “a trumpeter with an incisive tone and a firm grasp of jazz traditions,” and JazzTimes writes, “When Jones solos, soaring with a gentle strength as his band swells behind him, it’s not…

Dining at the Ritz-Carlton is itself a worthy reason to pay a visit any day of the week and enjoy a different experience for every meal, each appropriate to the moment: a light, casual breakfast at the Market Place (try the quinoa bowel for a guiltless treat); a poolside snack while lounging midday (the fresh pita and house-made hummus from the Dana Pool Cafe is surprisingly finger-licking); a late drink at the outdoor, oceanfront lounge, 180blû (the Tequila Sangria is a specialty). RAYA, however, is a singular dining experience that simply mustn’t be missed. RAYA showcases Chef Steve Wan’s signature…