Mondays with your MD – Back-to-school Health Tips

2022-08-22T19:59:16+00:00August 22nd, 2022|Families, Family Practice, Health Care, Public Health|

It’s that time of year again! Today we can review how to help children have a successful year.

Focus on Nutrition

Packing a healthy school lunch is key for giving your child a healthy energy boost during their school day.

High protein foods (yogurt, cheese, beans, hummus) with fresh vegetables and fruits are best.

Avoid empty calories added from sugars and solid fats.

Hydrate with water. Drink the number of 8oz cups daily equal to age. (5 cups for 5 year old)

Make Sleep a Priority

Most healthy children need EIGHT TO TEN HOURS of sleep each night

Put away electronic devices at least one hour before bedtime

Encourage children to read a book before bedtime

Eating a light healthy snack before bed can be beneficial, but avoid caffeine

Learning Styles and Behaviors

Now is a good time to schedule an annual exam with your doctor

Review any questions or concerns you may have about age-appropriate behavior, developmental milestones, and learning needs that can affect your child’s ability to learn in a classroom

Vision Screening is important. If your child is squinting, tilting head and holding handheld devices too closely are just some of the signs your child may have a vision problem.

Exercise: Get Active

School age children need 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity each day

Encourage sports and outdoor activities after school

Walk or Bike to school

It is an exciting time with lots of changes to the routine. Parents play a key role in helping children make a successful transition.

Mondays with your MD – HPV: What you should know

2022-08-15T21:41:16+00:00August 15th, 2022|Adults, Family Medicine, Health Care, Public Health|

Human Papilomaviurs, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the United States.

70- 80% of women will get at least one type of HPV at some point in their lifetime. HPV can cause cervical cancer.

The following questions and answers address what you need to know about HPV and screening for cervical cancer:

What is human papillomavirus (HPV)?

HPV is a group of viruses that can be passed through sexual contact. The types that infect the genital area are called genital HPV.

Who gets HPV?

Genital HPV is the most common STI in the United States. It is so common that 70-80% of women will get at least one type of HPV at some point in their lifetime.

What are the symptoms of HPV?

Most people with HPV do not have any symptoms which is why women need regular Pap tests starting at age 21. The Pap test can find changes on the cervix caused by HPV. If you are a woman between ages 30 and 65, you can also do a DNA test for HPV strains of the virus that cause cervical changes.
HPV infections can sometimes cause genital warts. Genital warts usually appear as a small bump or group of bumps in the genital area and physicians can usually diagnose warts by looking at the genital area.

What health problems can HPV cause?

HPV usually goes away on its own and does not cause any health problems. But when HPV does not go away, it can cause health problems including: cervical cancer and genital warts most commonly.

Do I need to get tested for HPV?

  • If you are 21 to 29 years old, your doctor might suggest the HPV test if you have had an unclear Pap test result. Most women younger than 30 do not need the HPV test, because the immune system fights off HPV in the vast majority.
  • If you are 30 years or older, you may choose to have the HPV test and Pap test to screen for cervical cancer. If both tests are normal, the chance of getting cervical cancer in the next few years is very low and often you can wait up to five years for your next HPV screening.

How can I prevent HPV?

There are two ways to prevent HPV. One way is get an HPV vaccine. The other way to prevent HPV or any STI is to avoid sexual contact with another person.

 

If you do have sex, lower your risk of getting an STI with the following steps:

  • Use condoms. Condoms are the best way to prevent STIs when you have sex.
  • Limit your number of sex partners. Your risk of getting STIs goes up with the number
    of partners you have.

If I get the HPV vaccine, do I still need to use a condom?

Yes. The vaccine does not replace or decrease the need to wear condoms. Using condoms lowers your risk of getting other types of HPV and other STIs.

Do I still need a Pap test if I got the HPV vaccine?

Yes. There are three reasons why:

  • Although the HPV vaccine protects against many of the HPV types that cause cervical cancer, it does not prevent all HPV types that cause cervical cancer.
  • You might not be fully protected if you did not get all the vaccine doses (or at the recommended ages).
  • You might not fully benefit from the vaccine if you were vaccinated after getting one or more types of HPV before vaccination.

Talk to your doctor today about HPV screening

Mondays with your MD – Monkeypox: Questions and Answers

2022-07-31T14:56:29+00:00July 31st, 2022|Adults, Families, Public Health, Urgent Care|

Monkeypox is caused by a virus that is usually not serious, though the rash is painful and can cause scarring.
Although a public health emergency, Monkeypox disease is not similar to COVID and no one should panic.

What is monkeypox?

Previously, monkeypox was known as a rare disease. It was first seen in humans in 1970 and caused by an infection with the monkeypox virus (a part of the same family of viruses as smallpox). The disease is milder than small pox symptoms and it is rarely fatal. Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease that lasts 2-4 weeks.

What are the symptoms of Monkeypox?

  • Headaches
  • Muscle aches
  • Exhaustion
  • Fever
  • Sore throat, cough, congestion
  • Swollen lymph nodes
  • Rash

What does the rash look like?

The rash can be extremely itchy or painful and goes through different stages before forming a scab and healing. It can be located near genitals but also on hands feet and other parts of the body.

How does the virus spread?

  • Through close skin to skin contact
  • Contact with surfaces used by someone with monkeypox (shared towels for example).
  • Direct contact with rash or body fluids from someone with monkeypox.

How can I protect myself?

  • Limit contact by avoiding close skin to skin contact of persons with a rash.
  • Do not share utensils, plates, or cups with person who has monkeypox.
  • Do not handle bedding towels or cloths with person who has monkeypox.
  • Wash hands frequently.
  • The vaccine is limited and recommended for people who have been exposed to monkeypox.

Mondays with your MD – Women’s Rights to Reproductive Health Care in 2022

2022-07-03T18:04:48+00:00July 3rd, 2022|Adults, Family Practice, Health Care, Pregnancy, Public Health|

I am grateful today that I live in Illinois, but I do not believe access to health care should depend on where a woman is residing within the US. The disruption to appropriate health care for women has caused chaos in caring for women who are pregnant, and ultimately will lead to preventable deaths of women that will affect the entire nation for generations.

People misunderstand the far-reaching consequences of the ruling by believing abortion to be a simple elective decision to terminate a “normal” pregnancy. This ruling, in fact, threatens the fundamental health care rights of women. It demonstrates HOW IMPORTANT the physician-patient relationship is and why neither government nor insurance companies have any place making health-care decisions.

Reverting to state level laws from early 1900s, immediately following this ruling, has put numerous physicians in an impossible situation wondering how to legally provide appropriate care for their patients. In Utah, for example, the law describes the delivery of anything except a dead fetus as an abortion. Women who are severely infected or hemorrhaging as a complication of pregnancy, with a fetus that has a heartbeat but cannot survive outside of the uterus, have routinely been treated by terminating pregnancy as the standard of care… until now. With the change in law, instead of terminating the fetus and sparing the life of the woman, there will be an additional preventable loss of life. The lives of women will be lost.

In some states, immediately following the ruling, physicians were asked to contact the legal department prior to caring for patients appropriately….this simple delay in care can cost the life of a woman who is hemorrhaging from an ectopic non-viable pregnancy in an emergency care situation.

The supreme court decision eliminates equitable and safe access to medical care and will ultimately lead to higher maternal mortality rates in the US. There is absolutely no space for third parties, government bodies nor insurance companies, in the delivery of health care. These decisions must be made DIRECTLY between patients and their physicians.

“The American Medical Association is deeply disturbed by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn nearly a half century of precedent protecting patients’ right to critical reproductive healthcare—representing an egregious allowance of government intrusion into the medical examination room, a direct attack on the practice of medicine and the patient-physician relationship, and a brazen violation of patients’; rights to evidence-based reproductive health services. States that end legal abortion will not end abortion—they will end safe abortion, risking devastating consequences, including patients’ lives….

We will always have physicians’ backs and defend the practice of medicine, we will fight to protect the patient-physician relationship, and we will oppose any law or regulation that compromises or criminalizes patient access to safe, evidence-based medical care, including abortion. As the health of millions of patients hangs in the balance, this is a fight we will not give up.”

Mondays with your MD: Formula Shortage

2022-06-25T21:22:11+00:00June 25th, 2022|Families, Family Medicine, Public Health|

Formula Shortage

Recently I had a patient reach out to let me know she was unable to locate the formula she routinely provided to her baby. She let me know she was considering feeding her baby with breastmilk from a friend and was concerned about allergens in some of the other formula products.

Nothing is as important to families as the health and safety of their babies. The formula shortage has left many anxious about how to feed them. My guess is that many are thinking about a similar solution. I thought I would share a few recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Consider trying a brand new formula
  • Consider trying a formula made in another country
  • Talk to your physician about substitutes for hypoallergenic or specialty forumulas (as was the case in the above example)

OPTIONS for HOW to FEED YOUR BABY SAFELY

  • Consider discussing using whole cow’s milk if baby is over 6mo
  • If baby is close to one year discuss with physician options for toddler drinks
  • Consider using local milk bank

AVOID these options

DO NOT share breast milk with friends or purchase on the internet. There are significant infectious disease and storage safety risks

DO NOT water down formula

DO NOT make it at home

DO NOT use expired formula

If you are having difficulty finding formula and solutions please reach out to your physician.

Mondays with Your MD: Gun Violence – A Public Health Epidemic

2025-08-04T17:32:30+00:00May 29th, 2022|Community, Public Health|

Firearms are the leading cause of death in children in the United States. Firearm deaths are completely preventable and occur at a rate more than 5x higher than drownings.


Prevention is key… As with any health-related problem, prevention through education is a critical component. Firearms are present in 1/3 of households with children.
  • The best way to keep children safe is to NOT have a gun in the home.
  • If it is necessary to keep a gun in the home safe storage is critical. Guns should be kept unloaded and ammunition should be stored separately. Both should be locked and inaccessible.
  • Parents can speak to caregivers in homes where young children are visiting about guns in the homes where they play.
  • Talk to older kids about guns and safety.

In almost every documented case of active shooters, there were warning signs. In 4 out of 5 school shootings at least one other person had knowledge of attackers plan but failed to report it.

9 critical warning signs of violence:

  1. Suddenly withdrawing from friends, family and activities (including online or via social media)
  2. Bullying, especially if targeted towards differences in race, religion, gender or sexual orientation
  3. Excessive irritability, lack of patience, or becoming angry quickly
  4. Experiencing chronic loneliness or social isolation
  5. Expressing persistent thoughts of harming themselves or someone else
  6. Making direct threats toward a place, another person, or themselves
  7. Bragging about access to guns or weapons
  8. Recruiting accomplices or audiences for an attack
  9. Directly expressing a threat as a plan

Advocacy to protect children from gun-violence needs to occur a national level to have meaningful impact.

States with stronger gun laws have less gun violence overall. However, Chicago borders states outside of IL with fewer gun control laws.

Basic measure such as stopping assault weapon sales and advocating for high-capacity magazine limits, alongside ammunition regulation, and required background checks are all important. Increasing gun manufacturer liability is also critical.

Visit https://www.everytown.org/ to learn more about how you can work towards limiting gun violence.

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