September 2018 - On Call Medical Clinic

Lavender An Amazing Helpful Plant

lavender

Lavender is more than just a pretty plant to look at, we at On Call Medical Clinic would like to share this interesting information with you about this amazing plant.

This purple flowering plant may be a powerful healer. One small study found that lavender essential oil relieved soreness and redness for women who had episiotomies, vaginal cuts made to deliver babies. Another study showed that inhaling lavender essence, aka aromatherapy, eased pain from C-section childbirths.

Trying to slow down hair loss? Massaging your scalp regularly with a mix of lavender oil and other herb essential oils may help slow hair loss. Research goes on to see if lavender oil might help hair grow, too.

Culinary lavender adds a clean sweetness to just about any dish. It also packs ursolic acid, a nutrient that may help fight cancer and burn more calories.

Ancient Roman soldiers counted on lavender’s antibacterial powers to treat upset stomach and other illnesses. Some research suggests that the plant’s essential oil can help fight colitis, inflammation of the colon that can lead to pain and diarrhea. It may do this by helping fend off bad bacteria and protecting the infection-fighting strains.

House cleaners in Medieval times sprinkled floors with this aromatic herb to refresh stale or sickly air. It still works great on modern carpets to quash bad odors and to fight bacteria. Make your own floor deodorizer with 8 drops of lavender oil to ½ cup of baking soda. Sprinkle it over your carpet, let it sit for a few minutes, and vacuum.

Lavender can improve your memory. A recent study found that nursing students who took a sniff of lavender right before a test scored much higher than their peers. Those test takers retained more information, concentrated better, and were less anxious.

We at On Call Medical Clinic hope that this information was helpful. We gathered this information from the WebMD website. Please remember when minor illnesses or accidents occur we are here 7 days a week to help. We have state of the art laboratory facilities. Please visit our website at www.oncallclinic.com to learn about all the different medical services we provide.

Food Allergies are Common

food allergies

Food allergies are a common occurrence throughout America. We at On Call Medical Clinic would like to share some important information about food allergies that may be helpful.

More than 50 million Americans have an allergy of some kind. Food allergies are estimated to affect 4 to 6 percent of children and 4 percent of adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Food allergy symptoms are most common in babies and children, but they can appear at any age.

The body’s immune system keeps you healthy by fighting off infections and other dangers to good health. A food allergy reaction occurs when your immune system overreacts to a food or a substance in a food, identifying it as a danger and triggering a protective response.

While allergies tend to run in families, it is impossible to predict whether a child will inherit a parent’s food allergy or whether siblings will have a similar condition.

Symptoms of a food allergy can range from mild to severe. A food that triggered only mild symptoms on one occasion may cause more severe symptoms at another time.

The most severe allergic reaction is anaphylaxis — a life-threatening whole-body allergic reaction that can impair your breathing, cause a dramatic drop in your blood pressure and affect your heart rate. Anaphylaxis can come on within minutes of exposure to the trigger food. It can be fatal and must be treated promptly with an injection of epinephrine (adrenaline).

Below are the most common foods that cause allergies in people.

Eggs, Milk, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish, Shellfish, Wheat and Soy.

Certain seeds, including sesame and mustard seeds , also are common food allergy triggers and considered a major allergen in some countries.

Symptoms of an allergic reaction may involve the skin, the gastrointestinal tract, the cardiovascular system and the respiratory tract. They can surface in one or more of the following ways:

Vomiting and/or stomach cramps
Hives
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
Repetitive cough
Shock or circulatory collapse
Tight, hoarse throat; trouble swallowing
Swelling of the tongue, affecting the ability to talk or breathe
Weak pulse
Pale or blue coloring of skin
Dizziness or feeling faint

Anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening reaction that can impair breathing and send the body into shock; reactions may simultaneously affect different parts of the body (for example, a stomachache accompanied by a rash)

We at On Call Medical Clinic hope this information was helpful. We gathered this information from the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology’s website. Please remember that we are here 7 days a week when you need us. Please visit our website at www.oncallclinic.com to learn about all the services we offer as well as skin care services.

Flu Shot or Not is the Question

flu shot

Many people question whether they should get a flu shot or not. Many will have an excuse why they shouldn’t have the flu shot. The flu is nothing to play around with. We at On Call Medical Clinic would like to clear up the possible excuses.

I don’t want the shot because it will give me the Flu

This is not true. The flu shot or nasal spray cannot give you the flu. It takes a couple of weeks for the body to be protected from influenzas after receiving the vaccination. So, there is a possibility that you could contract the flu in that timeframe.

It doesn’t really make a difference if I get the flu shot or not.

Again, this is not true. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that vaccinations prevented 79,000 flu hospitalizations and 6.6 million flu-associated illnesses during the influenza season. Complications from the flu can be serious and result in hospitalization, and even death, for some patients. The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated.

I am not a candidate for the flu vaccine

With rare exceptions, everyone 6 months and older should get the flu vaccine. Pregnant women, those younger than 5 or older than 65 and people with certain chronic medical conditions are at higher risk for flu-related complications.

I don’t need the flu shot because I never get sick

Even if you don’t get sick — or only experience mild illness when you are sick — others might not be as lucky. Infants, the elderly and people with multiple medical conditions or weakened immune systems may not be able to fight off Influenza as well as you do.

Getting vaccinated not only protects you, but also helps protect others who may not be able to fight off illness as well as you.

I heard the vaccine has side effects

Side effects of flu vaccination are generally mild. If you get the flu shot, you might feel achy or have redness or soreness where the shot was given. If you get the nasal spray vaccine, you could get a stuffy nose or throat irritation.

Talk with your doctor to find out which type of vaccine is right for you and make sure to let him or her know if you get any of these symptoms. Often, we can recommend supportive measures to help you through these.

But most potential side effects of the vaccine are nothing, compared to how bad you’d feel if you had to suffer through the actual flu.

We at On Call Medical Clinic hope that this information helped clear up your concerns about having a flu shot this season. If you are not feeling well or had a minor injury and your primary care doctor is not available please remember we are here 7 days a week to help. We have laboratory and x-ray capability at our office, so we can quickly diagnosis your medical issue. Please visit our website at www.oncallclinic.com to learn more about all the medical services we offer. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call us at 228 818-5155 7 days a week.

Skin Care in the Summer

skin care

We at On Call Skin Care would like to share this information with you as it relates to skin care in the Summer. You must always be prepared to face the sun’s strong rays with Top Summer Skin Care Tips.

First keep your skin Hydrated

Up your regimen’s level of hydration with intensive masques, perfect for use one to two times a week. Boosters are a great fit, working best when layered underneath a moisturizer. Toners are a refreshing moisturizer prep, working to even out skin porosity. Tip: Refresh with a revitalizing toner spritz at your desk, in the car, at the gym, or anywhere.

Drink Plenty of Water

You should drink at least eight 8-ounce glass of plain filtered every day. This will help you to maintain a critical moisture balance of the body and skin and assist in detoxification. If you like caffeinated beverages, then you will need to triple the amount of water you drink.

Exfoliate for Cleaner, Smoother Skin

Exfoliation removes dead, dulling skin debris to prevent congestion and improve hydration from toners and moisturizers.

You should perform this in the morning prior to toners, moisturizers, SPF, and make-up.

Sunscreen

Apply sunscreen often, it is not enough to just apply once. As for how much to apply often, a teaspoon for the face and as much as would fill a shot glass are gauges to use.

Repair and Treat Sun Damage

UV light causes photoaging in the form of brown spots, coarse skin and wrinkles. When sunlight comes in contact with your skin a cascade of damages result. You should bombard your skin with age-fighting ingredients to hopefully undo any damages from the sunlight, and to further protect your skin from the aging effects of UV light.

We at On Call Skin Care like you look forward to our coastal Summer. We hope that this information was helpful to you. We not only can help when you get severe sun burning, but we also have a great skin care facility to help keep your skin looking young. We are here 7 days a week to help.

Please call us at 228 818-5155 if we can help with your sunburn or if you have any summer skin care questions. Also, please visit our website at www.oncallskincare.com to learn about all our medical and skin care services.