Moving in to a DORM? Double Check Your Vaccinations!

Why do COLLEGE STUDENTS need the Meningitis Vaccine?

What is meningococcal disease? The bacteria Neisseria meningitidis causes a range of illnesses that can rapidly progress to be fatal if not immediately recognized and treated. Meningitis is an infection of the lining of the brain that can cause coma, sepsis and death. Early symptoms start like the flu- fever, headache, body aches, and possibly nausea and vomiting, then the headache progresses in severity, the neck becomes very stiff and painful, and the person may become confused or even unconscious. A very specific RASH can alert clinicians to this dangerous disease- it … Read more

Top 6 Non-Medication Items in a College First Aid Kit

A College First Aid kit is my favorite personalized gift for graduating high school seniors, and a MUST for every young person heading off to college. As an urgent care physician seeing students at the University of Texas, I have significant insight as to how teens handle their first illness away from home. As you start your child’s first aid kit, here are SIX NON-MEDICINE items I suggest:

  1. THERMOMETER- Preferably two inexpensive digital thermometers (because I’ve found their shelf-life is often less than a school year.)
    • Knowing whether or not you have a true FEVER (temperature >100.4*) is a very
… Read more

Summer Travel First Aid Kit

Packing up for your summer vacation? If you are driving, may I suggest you prioritize finding a small space (maybe under the passenger seat as above) to stash a first aid kit? If you already keep one in your car (hello, fellow soccer/dance/volleyball moms!) then let this be your reminder to pull that kit out of your car, CHECK EXPIRATION DATES, and replenish all your used up supplies.

What’s in my kit? Although I will confess my kit is over-stocked with “extras”, here is my basic essentials Top Ten First Aid Kit List:

  1. Ibuprofen (trade name Advil/Motrin)- for headaches, muscle
… Read more

Doctor’s Help for Fear of Flying

If your fear of flying is putting a damper on your summer travel plans, know that you are not alone- and that your family physician can offer you a few different medications that may reduce your stress. Many patients have told me they were afraid to ask for any medication, because they did not realize these drugs could be used situationally for a single event such as a flight.

Beta-blockers – this class of medication simply keeps your heart from racing, and lowers your blood pressure. This drug is used for public speaking anxiety as well.

Sedatives – although when … Read more

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

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

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

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

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

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