With or without CORONA, Spring Break is here and students everywhere are gearing up for a week-long party. In addition to focusing on hand washing (you know the drill- wash early and often, scrubbing for a full 20 seconds with soap and water or sanitizer), be aware that alcohol-related injuries are currently far more deadly than COVID-19. Over 1500 college students die each year from alcohol poisoning, motor vehicle accidents and other alcohol-related injuries, and not surprisingly, we see a spike in these fatalities during spring break at popular destinations. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of alcohol-fueled physical … Read more
What Your College Student Needs to Know About Corona Virus
On planes, trains and buses; in grocery stores and malls; and most definitely walking across universities, surgical masks appear to be the latest fashion accessory. Mind you, few people are wearing them correctly…but I digress. People are understandably worried about this new Corona Virus, for which we have marginal understanding, no vaccine, little effective treatment and no cure.
First things first, though, let’s start with the name.
On Feb 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially changed the name from Corona Virus to COVID-19, which is simply an abbreviation of “CO”rona “VI”rus “D”disease, which started in 20“19”. … Read more
Can’t Get Rid of that COUGH?
Okay, so you don’t think you have Corona Virus (now known as COVID-19), but why can’t you get rid of that cough? Perhaps you had the flu (or a flu-like illness) a couple weeks ago, complete with fever, chills, headache and body aches. The hit-by-a-Mack-truck symptoms have gone away, but the cough is driving you (and your spouse/roommate/classmates) crazy. Unfortunately, post-infectious coughs commonly persist up to SIX weeks after the initial illness, and this year’s influenza seems to be setting records.
Allergies certainly can cause coughs as well, but typically allergic coughs are more the dry, annoying, clear-your-throat variety, rather … Read more
FLU Symptoms? Worried about Corona? Here’s What You Need to Know
SHOULD I BE TESTED FOR CORONA VIRUS? Typical person living, studying or working in the USA? Probably not. But YES, you should be sent for testing* IF you have ALL three things:
- Fever
- Respiratory Symptoms (like Cough/Shortness of Breath)
- Travel in Wuhan City, China (expanded 1/31/20 to include anywhere inside the Hubei Province and anywhere in mainland China if you are ill enough to be hospitalized) within the last 14 days before your symptoms started OR close contact with someone confirmed or suspected of having Corona Virus.
Also, as of 1/31/20, if you have a cough even WITHOUT fever … Read more
What’s This Little White Pill?
“Stray” pills are unfortunately a thing. Rogue pills escape off the counter and roll to the floor. Others hide in the depths of our backpacks (purses, jacket pockets, etc.), and many of us actually create these strays by tossing vitamins, decongestants, or prescription meds into one of those convenient little travel-sized bottles of Advil or Tylenol to save room and carry with us. (Side note- really best not to do this, particularly with prescription medications. And especially if you are flying. Imagine explaining your drug stash to the TSA.)
But what if you legitimately forgot which pill is which, … Read more
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! (Shhhhh…let’s talk about hangovers)
Is there any better day to discuss HANGOVERS? Here’s hoping your New Year’s Eve overflowed with more fun than alcohol, but just in case…let’s talk.
What causes hangovers? Well, drinking too much alcohol- duh! But on a physical level, we also know that:
- Alcohol tells the kidneys to make more urine (by turning off the anti-diuretic hormone, for the curious) so yes, this dehydrates your body
- Dehydration (from anything- sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, etc.) can cause headaches and muscle aches, or make you lightheaded (especially when you go from lying down to sitting up, or sitting to standing)
- Alcohol causes your
2020 3-Day Detox Diet (aka. Dr. Grimes’ World-Famous SuperDoc Cleanse)
Cheers to a Healthy 2020!
As we face the new year, many of us are looking to jumpstart our health. If you’re like me, during holiday celebrations, you may have happily over-indulged in treats, sweets and celebratory liquid calories, but now it’s time to face the scale (or the jeans), own the numbers and reprioritize. Do we NEED a “cleanse” to DETOX? Nope, that’s what our kidneys, lungs, liver, and spleen do for us. Forcing fluids up, down, around or through our GI tract does not “detox” anything. However, so many of my patients have tried unhealthy “detox” methods or … Read more
Healthy Holiday Gifts (Peleton Not Included*)
Last week the now infamous Peleton ad went viral, infuriating many who felt this commercial portrayed a sexist jerk of a husband who wanted his already thin wife to lose weight. Ironically, I am the proud (& almost immediately obsessed) recipient of a shiny new Peleton that was a birthday gift from my husband last month. Truth be told, this bike was on my wish list for BOTH of us, and not to transform EITHER of us into supermodels. I’m all about gifts that enhance exercise, nutrition or emotional/spiritual health, because these are truly the “gift(s) that give … Read more
Is My Sore Throat STREP?
Your throat is killing you, and judging from how badly it hurts, you think it might be strep…but are there any other clues to tell you when to head in to see your doctor? Well, yes, there are! Turns out there are four signs that strongly suggest your sore throat might be caused by “strep” bacteria:
1. Fever (TAKE your temperature! True fever is temp 100.4*)
2. NO COUGH
3. Swollen, red tonsils (with our without bonus “pus” on them)
4. Tender, enlarged “glands” (lymph nodes) in the front of your neck
If you have only a couple of these … Read more
Wait, Is It Broken?
“I can move it, so it’s clearly not broken…” Maybe, maybe not! In primary care settings, the majority of fractures that we treat are diagnosed days after they occur (sometimes weeks), ignored because of this myth. Wrist fractures are particularly notorious for late diagnosis, because there is rarely dramatic bruising, deformity, or swelling. Finger, foot, and ankle fractures often display more impressive dark bruising and swelling, but even with these injuries, the affected area can most frequently still be moved voluntarily (albeit with significant discomfort). Muscles, ligaments and tendons MOVE the bones…and they can move broken bones as well as … Read more