Dr. Grimes’ Bottom Line

Is This Strep Throat?

Are you worried you might have “strep throat”? How can you tell when it is time to head to your family doctor for a sore throat? Certainly the majority of sore throats are not caused by the streptococcus bacteria, and do not require antibiotics. In fact, seasonal allergies often cause extremely painful throats, but do not involve bacterial infection at all. While there is very little in medicine that is completely black and white, there are several clues to clinicians that a particular sore throat may be caused by strep (and therefore, respond quickly to antibiotics.)

Typically with strep infections, … Read more

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Painful Ankles…to X-Ray or NOT?

This month I am talking a bit about bone fractures and x-rays. As we try to “do no harm” in medicine, leading physician groups have been taking a closer look at procedures that have become automatic, and determine whether or not they are medically necessary- do they IMPROVE outcomes? One such procedure involves imaging ankle injuries. Both clinicians and patients often expect that a painful joint needs an x-ray as part of a thorough evaluation. When SHOULD we order an x-ray for a painful ankle? Current evidence suggests the answer to that question- at least for adults- lies in the … Read more

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Do I Need an X-Ray?

When you hurt your back (or ankle, or wrist) and head to the doctor, should you expect an x-ray? In my last post, I mentioned that the only way to be certain whether or not a bone is broken is with imaging, and that is true. However, not every painful joint NEEDS to be x-rayed. I find that many patients are surprised or disappointed if I do not insist on an x-ray for an acute injury, but they are simply not always necessary, and radiation is not without harm.

XRAYS look at bones. They do not “see” cartilage, muscles, tendons … Read more

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Spring Break: Alcohol 411

Spring Break is nearly here, and students everywhere are gearing up for a week-long party. Alcohol is often a large part of these festivities, so I think this is a great time to review some facts about alcohol dangers. In recent years, studies show that about a third of college students admit to binge drinking (consuming 5 or more drinks in a row.) The good news is that this number is down over 15% from over the last two decades, and actually, drinking trends in ALL categories are decreasing- whether the measurement is annual consumption, monthly, weekly or number of … Read more

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“Don’t Let the Frostbite BITE”

Who doesn’t love FROZEN? Our family can’t stop singing the award-winning songs from Disney’s latest musical hit, so I couldn’t resist borrowing a line for my blog title today…However, frostbite is no laughing matter, and with the record low temperatures we have had this year, I thought I should say a few words about this cold weather danger.

What is frostbite?

Frostbite occurs when ice crystals literally form within the tissue in our fingers and toes and noses, damaging and often completely destroying the cells in the skin. Frostbite shows up when it the thermometer reads in the negative in … Read more

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What’s Hookah?

What’s Hookah?? In the past few years, instead of asking my patients “Do you smoke?” I have learned to ask  “Do you smoke? (pregnant pause)…ANYTHING?” I found that asking in that manner greatly increases my yield. Couple that with Colorado’s legalization of marijuana, and more people are freely sharing the full extent of their substance use with their doctors. Which left me asking the question, “what’s hookah?” (I could add here that I was also asking “what’s shisha” and “what’s snus”?)

 Hookahs are water pipes used to smoke flavored tobacco. The flavors are often sweet- chocolate, cherry, licorice or fruit … Read more

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CVS Quits Smoking!

Congrats to CVS pharmacy for taking a stand for HEALTH and announcing that they will completely quit selling tobacco products by October 1st of this year! While, yes, consumers can choose to walk across the street and head into another store to purchase their cigarettes, I am hopeful that other major pharmacies and grocery stores will consider this same step. As people have heard me say repeatedly, there is NO amount of tobacco that we believe to be actually GOOD for your health.

Every single day in the United States, there are over 1300 deaths attributed to smoking. How can … Read more

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Sugar for Your Sweetheart?

As Valentine’s Day approaches, our thoughts turn to HEARTs, right? And maybe chocolate? Perhaps…but we also need to think about the heart muscle keeping us alive right now, and we have yet another medical study that shows the EXCESS SUGAR in our diets is taking a toll on our heart health.

The recently published Journal of the American Medical Association report, “Added Sugar Intake and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality Among US Adults” confirmed that American adults consume too much added sugar (such as the sugar we directly add to coffee and foods, as well as the “added sugar” in sodas, fruit … Read more

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Can’t Stop Sneezing?

Ah, the beautiful golden mist floats above our Austin trees…ACHOO! It’s cedar fever time in central Texas, and many of us are suffering. Itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, stuffy nose, ear pain and very sore throats are all part of the package. Often people are afraid they have the flu or strep throat, because their symptoms are so intense, but one clue with allergies is the LACK of a fever- while you might have an elevated temperature of 99-100*, allergies don’t cause the 101-104* fevers and chills that infections can trigger. That being said, some of the most PAINFUL … Read more

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Gardasil: What’s Up Down Under?

The HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccine, Gardasil, was FDA approved in the United States for use in young women in June, 2006, then extended for males in October, 2009. In October of 2011, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP- the group that creates our national guidelines that you see posted on your doctor’s office walls) extended their official recommendations to include ROUTINE VACCINATION of both boys and girls at age 11-12 years, with “catch up” immunizations for those youth  ages 13-21 who had missed getting this vaccine series.

Why are we vaccinating?
We vaccinate primarily for CANCER PREVENTION. Each … Read more

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