Dr. Grimes’ Bottom Line

Why get a Flu test?

Rapid flu tests can tell you in about ten minutes if you have the flu; why don’t doctors use these all the time, instead of wasting your time with more questions or examining you?

POSITIVE flu tests are GREAT, and yes, they speed up our assessment. We STILL need to examine you to see, for example, if your cough is aggravated with wheezing in an asthma-like response (because that involves an additional, different treatment) or if it sounds like you have developed a pneumonia (either directly from the influenza virus or as a secondary bacterial infection)-again, different treatment.

A … Read more

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Tidy Up: Medicine Cabinet Edition

Tidying up in 2019? Truly, reducing clutter does indeed REDUCE STRESS, so it sparks joy in me, whether or not you follow Marie Kondo’s method. In addition to precision-folded t-shirts, I’d like to encourage you to tackle your MEDICINE CABINET.

First of all, I’m betting you will find WAY-EXPIRED drugs that are at best merely adding clutter, and at worst, INEFFECTIVE when you need them. Take diphenhydramine (popular trade name Benadryl)- if you are grabbing this because you’re having an allergic reaction, you want it to WORK! Obviously the same would be true reaching for migraine, stomach acid, or fever-reduction … Read more

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2019 Resolutions Road Block

2019 is my year of STRENGTH, or so I proudly proclaimed on December 31, 2018. Our nest is empty, work schedules are modified, and FINALLY, it’s time to add RESISTANCE TRAINING back into my healthy habits.

January 2, 2019: I blast into the gym, super pumped to sign up for some personal training sessions to re-introduce myself to weight machines after a decade-long hiatus. (Side note, friends, if we can treat ourselves to hair highlights or Starbucks, we can prioritize money to meet with dietitians or personal trainers- don’t be cheap on your health!) I try to … Read more

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SUPERDOC Master Cleanse Diet

Welcome to 2019!

As we face the new year, many of us are looking to jumpstart our health. Like many, I happily over-indulged in treats, sweets and celebratory liquid calories during the holidays, and now it’s time to face the scale (or the jeans), own the numbers and get to work. So back by popular demand, here is my annual new year’s WORLD FAMOUS Dr. Grimes’ SUPERDOC Cleansing 3-Day Detox Diet* (or insert whatever over-the-top superlative and overstated title you prefer) 

TWITTER VERSION:

Eat #VEGGIES, #FRUIT & a #PROTEIN source + drink #WATER.

Yep, that’s it. Processed foods are … Read more

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Top Five Best Gifts for College Students

In the final stretch of holiday season, what can you purchase for the college student who has “everything”? From the perspective of a COLLEGE CAMPUS DOC and mom of two college students, here are my top five gift choices:   (Disclaimer: NO financial ties to any products mentioned)

  1. Weighted blanket: Expensive ($100+)? Yes, relatively, but for anyone dealing with anxiety or insomnia, these are worth their weight (pun intended) in gold. These blankets feel like a massively prolonged hug, and have been shown to reduce anxiety and improve sleep. Any brand works, but if your student is particular about
… Read more
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7 Simple Strategies to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

With Thanksgiving  in the rearview mirror, we are officially in the #EatDrinkAndGainWeight season, aka. the HOLIDAYS. Not to be a buzz-kill, because believe me, I LOVE December. Baking and eating our family’s traditional cookies, pies, and candied nuts invoke  a warm hug from my mom in heaven, bringing back comforting smells, sights, and tastes. For me, the extra “calories in” are worth the additional time and effort I will have to carve out to walk the dogs or climb on the elliptical machine to to balance the equation. And yes, I’ll admit that it does seem harder each year!

We … Read more

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Nicotine/Nico-TEEN? Here’s Why NOT

TEENS want to know: WHY are adults freaking out and taking away their “harmless” JUULs (the most popular e-cigarette) when teens have REAL problems (like active shooters, social media stress, and impossible college admissions?)

DON’T ROLL YOUR EYES, this is a legit question from our teens. Let’s talk nicoTEEN!

Last week, Austin high school SENIOR GIRLS shared with me that well over HALF of their peers are JUULing regularly at school. (Rapidly outdated/underestimated studies from 2016 show that over 9% of 8th graders and 16% of high school students Juul.) These are the very kids who grew … Read more

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Why MDs Avoid Supplements

When your physician asks what medications you are taking, and then follows up with “anything else? Vitamins? Supplements?” PLEASE share everything that you are taking. We don’t ask this to judge your personal choices, nor because we know every ingredient- on the contrary. Natural ingredients like herbs can and often do interact with prescription medications. At a minimum, we should have a complete list and look for obvious potential negative interactions (such as taking St. Johns wort with certain cholesterol medications, antidepressants or hormones), and also to promote further discussion.  For example, not only do WE not know … Read more

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Peppermint Oil for Irritable Bowel? Sweet!

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is beyond “irritating” to the 10-15% of the US population (mostly young people in their 20’s or 30’s) that deal with this frustrating medical problem. The typically cramping abdominal pain occurs on average at least one day per week, along with either a change in frequency or consistency of bowel movements along with painful pooping. (Bowels can either speed up or slow down in IBS, and sometimes they flip back and forth between diarrhea and constipation.) The IBS diagnosis is made when you’ve had these symptoms consistently for three continuous months, and your physician does not … Read more

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Campus Flu Shot Clinics Starting NOW

Flu Shot Time!

Attention Longhorns, Aggies, and everyone else, flu season is upon us, so it’s time for your annual flu vaccine. Check with your campus health services to see if they are offering vaccine clinics.

At UT: UHS is providing flu shot clinics starting TOMORROW, Tuesday, 9/24/18.

For a complete schedule and information about the vaccine and the flu, go to www.healthyhorns.utexas.edu.

This week’s flu shot clinics include:
Tuesday, 9/25/18 – noon–4 p.m. – Student Services Building (SSB G1.310)
Wednesday, 9/26/18 – 1–4 p.m. – Facilities Complex Building 1 (FC1 1.118)
Thursday, 9/27/18 – noon–4 p.m. – … Read more

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