Tag: sore throat


How to Stay Flu Free in February

12
February
February is the peak of flu season

February is the peak of the flu season

Spring time and warmer days might only be a few weeks away but February is not the month to drop your guard. And by that we mean you should take extra precautions this month and avoid putting yourself at risk for the flu and common cold. According to a report by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), February is the peak of flu season and you are more likely to contract influenza or catch a cold this month than in any other time of the year.

Since you would not want to miss out on work days or stay at home with a runny nose, here’s what you can do to protect yourself and fight the flu:

GET YOUR FLU SHOT

Consider yourself lucky if you have managed to stay flu free in the last couple of months without getting a flu shot. However, since there’s no telling when your luck will run out, you should get a flu shot as soon as possible to make sure your February is as flu free as the months preceding it. The CDC now recommends everyone to get a flu shot every six months and that applies to you too. You can easily and quickly get your flu shot by just walking into the MedHelp clinic in Alpharetta.

EAT WELL

Your immune system is your best bet against the flu and common cold and it only works effectively when you eat well. Eating well doesn’t mean overeating or stuffing yourself with junk food, of course. You should try to maintain a healthy diet that’s high on good protein like lean meats, beans and fish- all of which help build the white blood cells fundamental to your immune system. Round up your diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and water, and you will be able to provide your immune system with the ammunition it needs to fight the flu virus.

EXERCISE

People who exercise and enjoy an active lifestyle are less likely to fall ill than people who don’t. Regular exercise and physical activity stimulate your immune system and help it protect your body from the flu and common cold. Exercise is also instrumental to long term health and happiness.

Join us again for more advice on protecting yourself through the flu season. You can also read useful tips and find helpful information about the flu and common cold by browsing our archives.

1 comment » | Urgent Care Atlanta

Is it ‘just a cough’? Or should you be worried?

7
January
Is it 'just a cough'? Or should you be worried?

Is it 'just a cough'? Or should you be worried?

We will get to the answer in a bit but first, all of us here at Urgent Care Atlanta want to wish all our readers a Happy New Year and hope that 2012 brings continued health and happiness to you! And if the cold January weather has you feeling a bit down, don’t worry, just drop by the MedHelp clinic and we will have you as good as new again.

Speaking of January, one of the biggest health complaints at this time of the year is the cough. Now coughs can be no more than just a harmless occasional tickle in the throat. But they can also be the sign of something more dangerous. And that’s why you need to know how to tell the difference between the benign and the malignant. Most of the time you can just clear your throat and go on about your day. But it’s important to know when you should see a doctor.

CASE 1: WHEN YOU HAVE A VIRAL INFECTION

Coughs are the body’s natural mechanism to clean up your respiratory tract. And you can usually make them go away by getting rid of the cause- so if your cough is caused by pneumonia or an allergy, you can take an antibiotic or avoid the cause of the allergy respectively. When coughs are caused by viral infections, they can take up even a week or two to go away but you can at least easily treat yourself with over-the-counter medicine, lots of rest and plenty of fluids.

CASE 2: WHEN THE COUGH ALONE IS YOUR MAIN SYMPTOM

If you aren’t suffering from the pneumonia, allergy or some other identified viral infection and you still have the cough, it could be a strep throat or just a bad case of sore throat. You should consider seeing a doctor for these.

CASE 3: WHEN THE COUGH JUST WON’T GO AWAY

Coughs caused by ‘tickles’ or viral infections should be gone anywhere from a minute to a week. Any cough that lasts longer warrants a visit to your local clinic.

CASE 4: CALL THE DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY

You should call or see a doctor right away if you have any of the following in addition to the cough:

- Symptoms like wheezing, chest pain and/or breathing trouble
- You are coughing blood- or ‘bloody’, yellow or green mucus
- You also have a high fever
- Your condition is worsening instead of getting better
- Unplanned weight loss
- You start sweating heavily during the night

If you have a cough and want to make sure that nothing’s wrong, just drop by the MedHelp clinic. Our medical experts will provide you with accurate diagnosis and the best treatment!

969 comments » | Urgent Care Atlanta

Have a Healthy Winter! Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold (Part 4)

30
December
Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold

How to avoid the flu

By the time you read this post, you will already have a number of good Christmas meals behind you and made up plans for which New Year parties you will be attending. We here at MedHelp Clinic hope you had a really good Christmas and, most importantly, stayed happy and healthy throughout the holidays. To make sure you enter the New Year flu-free as well, our last post of the year will impart some more super effective tips on protecting yourself from common illnesses.
(You can read tips 1 – 9 in our last three posts).

10. DISPOSE YOUR SNEEZE PROPERLY

This heading may sound strange but what it basically means is that you should not sneeze or cough directly into your hands (as we all tend to do). The reason is the same one as we have discussed before: because we use our hands to touch our faces ever so often, any germs on the former get easy access to the latter. A good alternative to using your hands? The crook of your elbow or a tissue you dispose off soon after.

11. QUIT SMOKING

Can any ‘health’ list ever be complete without telling readers to quit smoking? Well now you can add one more reason to getting rid of your smoking habit: Because smoking adversely affects the respiratory tract and weakens the immune system, it can leave you more susceptible to flu and cold viruses. More particularly, research has shown that smoking can destroy the cilia (the tiny fibers inside the nose) which can increase your risk for contracting infections.

12. BE HAPPY!

Feeling positive, having a good time and being happy have more great effects than just the obvious: they can help increase your immune system! Pleasurable events- smiling, playing with a pet and, yes, sex- can all give a boost to your immunity and help you fend off infections better.
At any rate, you should absolutely begin the New Year on a happy note! Go out with friends, have fun at parties and be sure to make positive resolutions for the year to come.

You will now hear from us next week. Happy New Year!

P.S. If you have been a bit too careless in the Holidays and now feel a chill coming, get yourself checked at the MedHelp clinic in time. Our trained medical staff will have you treated and ready to enjoy the beginning of the New Year in no time.

765 comments » | Urgent Care Atlanta

Have a Healthy Winter! Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold (Part 3)

21
December
Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold

Exercising helps avoid illnesses

Sleep well, stop touching your face and get your shots. These were just some of the tips we covered in our last two posts dedicated to listing the ‘best ways to avoid the flu and common cold’. This week we have rounded up some more really easy and effective precautions that will help you enjoy a safe and healthy winter. With Christmas just around the corner, you don’t want to be stuck inside with a runny nose, do you! So take good care of yourself and have the happiest of holidays. Here are this week’s top tips:
(You can read tips 1 – 6 here and here).

07. WORK OUT

Yes we know ‘exercise’ seems to pop up on every ‘you should’ list. But there are plenty of good reasons for that. ‘Work out’ makes our list because exercise, as doctors and medical experts will tell you, helps build the immune system. And with a stronger immune system, you are more capable of fighting off any infections that try to get a hold of you. So put on those gym clothes and get ready to do some sweating. You will feel better, look better and fight viruses better!

08. GET RID OF AN OLD HABIT

Remember how your mother used to tell you to stop biting your nails? Well, from now on you really should listen to her. In the previous posts, we discussed how touching your face basically provides transportation for the germs on your hands to get to your nose and eyes. But when you nibble on your nails- whether it’s a long standing nervous habit or just something you feel like doing every now and then- you are actually INGESTING the germs beneath the nails. Clearly, you are doing half the germs’ work yourself. So from now on, make a conscious effort to avoid biting your nails.

09. KNOW YOUR SYMPTOMS

A sneeze here and there is usually no cause to worry. But if you find yourself coughing and sneezing all too much, it’s time to deal with it seriously. Even ‘just a slight cold’ can easily escalate to a raging case of influenza, so contact your doctor as soon as you feel your symptoms becoming significant. Our team at MedHelp is trained to provide you with the best medical care. Just walk in to your local MedHelp and a doctor will have you diagnosed and treated in no time.

Join us next week as we continue to list more great tips!

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22 comments » | Urgent Care Atlanta

Have a Healthy Winter! Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold (Part 1)

6
December
Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold

Best Ways to Avoid the Flu and Common Cold

Our previous posts covered a few common winter illnesses in basic detail. We talked about the best ways to cure the flu, beat the common cold and the necessary precautions for sinuses. When you’re already ‘under the weather’, learning about symptoms and treatment is useful. But as all healthy individuals know, you should never wait to get the flu or go down with a fever before you start taking care of yourself. That’s why we’re now going to do a series of everyday tips that will help you stay flu free and cold-less during the whole season. After all, prevention is better than cure!

01. SHAKE AND WASH!

While you wouldn’t want to offend anybody by washing your hands right in front of them after shaking hands with them, doctors and medical experts recommend that you should wash your hands as often as you can. Physical contact- even small stuff like shaking hands- with other people is a sure way of getting germs on you. But when you keep the water flowing over your hands, you’re literally sending those illness-causing germs straight down the drain!

02. JUST BECAUSE ITS YOUR OWN FACE DOESN’T MEAN YOU SHOULD KEEP TOUCHING IT

We all touch our face A LOT and usually it’s without reason (it’s not like we have to check and see if it’s there!). Whether you do it unconsciously or because of a nervous habit, the fact is that frequently touching your face- especially the nose and eyes- increases your risk for contracting the flu and cold etc. Because germs can travel directly from your hands into your eyes or nose, you basically provide them with convenient transportation when you touch your face!

03. DON’T WAIT FOR A HIGH FEVER TO GET A SHOT

Flu shots are highly effective in protecting you from many of the associated viral infections. A lot of us don’t seem to find the time to get a shot when we’re up and about. But getting one in time is better than regretting not getting it when you have to miss out on weeks of work and stay under the covers because you’re feeling too sick. Getting a shot doesn’t even take much time: just walk into your local MedHelp clinic in Atlanta and you could get a flu shot in the same visit. Our trained and professional medical staff will make sure your winter is full of health and joy- and not runny noses and bloodshot eyes!

Check back next week for more tips on protecting yourself from the flu and cold.

40 comments » | Uncategorized, Urgent Care Atlanta

Strep Throat: What To Do If You Have a Sore Throat of the Nasty Kind

26
November
Strep Throat: What To Do If You Have a Sore Throat of the Nasty Kind

Strep Throat: What To Do If You Have a Sore Throat of the Nasty Kind

We can’t do a comprehensive round up of common ‘winter illnesses’ without dedicating one post to strep throat. So here you will be able to read about symptoms and treatment for this contagious condition and find out if you should see a doctor for your ‘sore throat’.

Now we all suffer from sore throats every now and then and, because they are caused by viral infections, they disappear on their own after a few days and you don’t really need to seek medical attention. However, a sore throat can also be a symptom of something harder to get rid of: a strep throat. Strep throats are particularly common in children and teenagers. Read on to find out if you or your kids could be suffering from the infection- and if you should schedule a visit to the clinic.

SYMPTOMS

Classic sore throat symptoms- runny nose, cough, hoarseness, and bloodshot eyes- are present in strep throat cases as well. But if your sore throat is actually an indication of strep throat, you will probably start developing the following symptoms after a couple of days:

• Fever
• Stomach Pain
• Red/swollen tonsils
• Appetite loss
• Feeling of general discomfort/nausea
• Headache
• Swollen neck glands
• Red/white patches in throat

HOW DOES STREP THROAT SPREAD

Strep throats are caused by a group of bacteria called ‘A streptococcus’ and the disease can spread from one person to another through simple things like sneezing, coughing and shaking hands. With kids, the best defense against the strep throat infection- and a whole bunch of other diseases that are common in that age group- is to ensure that they take care of their hygiene. That’s why it’s so important to teach your children about the importance of washing hands (before eating, after defecation etc) and keeping clean.

TREATMENT

Visit your local MedHelp clinic to get you kids or yourself checked by a doctor. A ‘rapid strep test’ is usually performed for diagnosis. The test involves using a cotton swab to take fluid samples from the back of the throat. The test only takes a few minutes and, depending on the result, you’ll know if you have ‘strep throat’ during the same visit. Generally, you will get a prescription for 10-days worth of antibiotics for the infection (though sometimes an antibiotic shot may be administered to eliminate the need for oral medication).

Within a couple of days of taking your meds, the strep throat symptoms will start disappearing but you should still complete the course to make sure the infection is gone for good. Your MedHelp doctor will also advise you on the proper medical care (which usually also includes lots of rest and plenty of fluids).

8 comments » | Urgent Care Atlanta

     

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