Dr. Grimes’ Bottom Line

ABCs of HIV for National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day

Today, April 10, 2016, is National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day. Why do we need a YOUTH awareness day? Because in 2014, nearly 10,000 young adults were newly diagnosed with HIV (age 13-24 years, 9731 cases). And that is only young people who got TESTED and therefore were DIAGNOSED. Nearly half of young people already living with HIV are UNAWARE that they are infected. In honor of this HIV Awareness Day, here are my quick HIV ABCs:

A: ALL people ages 15-64 should be tested for HIV at least once, regardless of risk factors. Why?Widespread testing will help identify … Read more

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STD Awareness Month 2016 “Talk. Test. Treat”

“TALK. TEST. TREAT.”

Perfect theme for the CDC’s 2016 STD Awareness Month! We can’t have AWARENESS if no one is talking about these diseases. And because these diseases are mostly SILENT, you can’t have AWARENESS that you have an STD unless you TEST for it.

The Bad News: 

  • Sexually transmitted infections affect over 20 MILLION Americans every year, and young people ages 15-24 make up over HALF of these cases.
  • Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis are on the rise for the first time in a decade.
  • Gonorrhea is more difficult to treat because it has become very resistant to antibiotics
  • Curable
… Read more
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Pre-Gaming with ADD Meds…A Dangerous Party Plan

Binge drinking in college students is not exactly breaking news. My patients repeatedly explain “if you can’t handle five shots of vodka, you are pretty lame”. They toss back multiple shots, have beers, then top off with mixed drinks. Hit the replay button once or twice, and the weekend is over. On Monday morning, they head back to class, seeming none-the-worse for wear beyond a headache. How is this possible? Especially for adolescents who are only STARTING to drink, how exactly can they tolerate this volume of alcohol? I started asking…and heard the same answer, over and over. “Well, to … Read more

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Drug Abuse from YOUR Medicine Cabinet

Prescription drug abuse is at an all time high – no pun intended. Sadly, studies have found that 1 in 5 high school students say they have taken a prescription drug without a prescription. What are they taking? Pain killers, stimulants, and anxiety medications. Specifically, the most common drugs are OxyContin, Vicodin, Percocet (narcotic pain pills), Ritalin & Adderall (ADD stimulant drugs), and Xanax (called “bars” because of the shape-an anti-anxiety sedative like valium.)

Many people have a false sense of security using prescription medications to catch a buzz, especially adolescents. The prescription element seems to be a stamp of … Read more

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STILL Coughing? Will Anything Help?

Is your cough driving you (and everyone around you) nuts? If your purse, coat or pant pockets are overflowing with empty cough drop wrappers and tissues, than you’ve dealt with that cough on your own long enough. Whether the original culprit was a common cold, the flu, or “just” seasonal allergies, coughs can take on a life of their own as our lungs gear up mucus production and airway spasm. My rule of thumb is that lingering coughs should be on a clear decrescendo- getting slowly but steadily better each day. If your cough is getting worse by increasing in … Read more

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Flu Vaccine – NOT TOO LATE!

Friends, family, colleagues and everyone else – FLU SEASON was mild to begin with, but now we are really gearing up. Pictured above are two positive flu tests from one morning this week (two of many). The extra good news is that so far I have not seen anyone with the flu who was vaccinated, though certainly that can happen. Remember that seasonal influenza causes thousands of hospitalizations and deaths every year in the United States, and the flu vaccine is our best method to prevent or at least reduce the severity of the flu.

This year, we hit a … Read more

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Got RED? WEAR IT FRIDAY, 2/5/16

Don’t wait for Valentine’s Day next week to wear RED – pull it out tonight to wear on Friday, February 5, 2016. The American Heart Association has set aside the first Friday in February to call attention to cardiovascular disease in WOMEN. Did you know that one in three deaths in women are caused by heart attacks and strokes? This is not to minimize the deaths and struggles from cancers, but to create awareness about the incredibly high frequency of these diseases in women, and therefore encourage more women to take positive steps to improve their health. The best news … Read more

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New Years’ Resolutions: Take 2

Well, here we are at the end of January already…and how are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions? From the number of FitBits and step counts that I am seeing and hearing, I believe many people are enjoying being more active (or at least enjoying “competing” with themselves or friends over their numbers.) Perhaps the two most common health related resolutions are to increase exercise and to eat “better”. What does that really mean?

First let’s tackle “increase exercise”. Please, focus on the INCREASE. If you are honestly doing nothing, start with walking. Consider a “FitBit” or a smart … Read more

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Is TEAL the New PINK?

January is Cervical Cancer Awareness month, and the color is TEAL. Did you know there are still over 12,000 women in the United States who are diagnosed with this cancer every year? And although our treatments have greatly improved, there are still over 4000 deaths from this cancer every year. The good news is that we have PREVENTION, and with this prevention, we hope to eliminate cervical cancer within our lifetime!

The HPV vaccine is approved and strongly recommended for all adolescents- girls and boys- as part of their routine vaccinations at age 11-12 years. The second generation of Gardasil … Read more

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Out with the OLD, In with the NEW (AKA Healthy New Year’s Resolution #1)

Happy 2016! Hard to believe we are nearly half way through January as I look at my home STILL filled with Christmas decorations. Many of us tackle the new year with a cleaning or de-cluttering frenzy after we pack up the holiday decor. In fact, it can be overwhelming as we survey overflowing closets, desks and kids rooms…wishing for that magic wand to neatly organize our lives. I once read an organization plan that suggested a better chance of success if you tackled ONE specific area and thoroughly completed it before you moved on- whether that was one drawer of … Read more

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