“90 percent of kids will have at least one ear infection before they start school; most will occur between the ages of six months and four years.”

American Academy of Pediatrics

What causes an ear infection?

Inside tiny ear canals the Eustachian tube connects the middle ear to the back of the throat. This passageway serves as a moist breeding ground for bacteria and since a baby’s Eustachian tube is short, wide and more horizontal than they are in older kids and adults.  This means that fluid is more likely to pool in babies’ and toddlers’ Eustachian tubes – and the pooled fluid provides the perfect conditions for an infection to take hold.

Symptoms

Well ear pain is the most common symptom of an ear infection – but how do you know if they’re in pain before they begin talking? Younger children may tug at their ears, be fussier than normal, or have a hard time sleeping. A fever may or may not accompany an ear infection. Ear infections often come about during a cold due to excess fluid buildup.

Treatment

While antibiotics are usually prescribed, the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends a ‘watch-and-see’ approach. This is due to many ear infections clearing up on their own without the intervention of antibiotics – and some believe that the overuse of antibiotics may have contributed to the rise of antibiotic resistant germs.

If your baby is otherwise healthy and doesn’t appear to be in severe pain, the doctor may suggest waiting two to three days. If your tike isn’t feeling better by then your pediatrician may then prescribe an antibiotic treatment.

It’s extremely important to treat ear infections properly – your child’s hearing depends on it. Repeated infections and fluid accumulation can damage the eardrum and dampens both eardrum and middle ear structure vibrations, which interferes with hearing. While the ‘watch-and-see’ method is the new recommendation, it doesn’t mean that you should make that diagnosis yourself. Visit an emergency care clinic or urgent care clinic when an ear infection is suspected.

Ear infections are hard to treat and diagnose blind. Your doctor needs to examine both the eardrum and the whole respiratory tract to make the correct recommendation.

Prevention

So we know how ear infections are caused and treated – but what about some preventative measures?

Limit the binky

Numerous studies show a direct correlation between the frequency of pacifier use and ear infections. Try to limit the use when your baby is falling asleep, especially if your kid is over 6 months old.

Combat allergens

Irritants can cause fluid to build up more easily in the nasal passages and middle ear. Keep pets and stuffed animals away while baby sleeps – and never, ever smoke around baby!

Bottle-feed upright

Try to keep baby propped up (at least 30 degrees) and keep baby upright for at least 30 minutes after the feeding.

Boost baby’s immune system

A healthy diet of fruits and veggies has been shown to improve babies’ developing immune systems.

Passes with age

As your child grows the Eustachian tube becomes longer, narrower, and positions itself more vertically to allow fluid to drain rather than collect.

1.9 million U.S. veterans suffer from a service-related hearing disability.

Signs of hearing loss:

• Frequent requests for repetition
• Avoidance of social situations
• Turning up the volume
• Withdrawal from conversations

Effects of hearing loss:

• Social isolation
• Increased risk of falling
• Depression & anxiety
• Fatigue

Causes (other than loud noises):

• Head injury
• Heredity
• Illness or infection
• Ototoxic medications

So how loud is too loud?

Next week is… you guessed it – Food Allergy Awareness Week in your community. You know, that time of year when you and all your loved ones gather together, potluck style, to help raise awareness of food allergy as a serious public health issue. Remember the shrimp and pecan salad you made last year? — man, that was good!

All kidding aside, there are some serious allergic reactions that coincide with many food allergies, some even fatal, and being informed and familiar with warning signs may wind up saving somebody’s life. So let’s jump in.

Defined

A food allergy is an adverse immune reaction to a food protein. They are far more serious than other adverse responses to food, such as intolerance, toxin-mediated reactions, and pharmacological reactions. While some medications may prevent, minimize or treat protein allergy reactions, there is no known cure.

A note for parents

Don’t start to panic if you’re a parent reading this “NO KNOWN CURE” looks discouraging but in actuality, many children outgrow a food allergy as they age and often food intolerance are misdiagnosed as allergies. While exasperating, food intolerance is a far less serious condition that does not involve the entire immune system.

It doesn’t take much…

As most people with a food allergy know, even a minuscule amount of the allergy-causing food can trigger common symptoms such as digestive problems, swollen airways, or hives. In rare cases a food allergy may even be life threatening when a reaction known as anaphylaxis is developed (more on this below).

Symptoms and Warning Signs

For some, an allergic reaction means a period of discomfort while others need to act quickly in order to save their life — a wide range, we know.Allergy symptoms usually develop within a few minutes to an hour after eating the offending food.

Some common symptoms:

• Hives
• Tingling or itching around the mouth
• Abdominal pain
• Nausea, diarrhea, or vomiting
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Swelling of the lips, face, tongue, and/or throat.

Serious Reactions

CALL 911 or get to an emergency clinic immediately

• Constriction or tightening of airways
• Rapid pulse
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Shock, with a severe drop on blood pressure
• A swollen throat or the sensation of a lump in the throat making it difficult to breathe

The majority of food allergies are triggered by proteins found in:

• Peanuts, Walnuts, Pecans
• Shellfish
• Fish
• Eggs

Are you or your children at risk of developing food allergies?

A few food allergy risk factors are out there that include:

Family history

If you have a family history of asthma, hives, or other allergies you have an increased risk of a food allergy.

Age

While many children outgrow their food allergies, in some cases they return later in life. The most common food allergies that fade with age are: wheat, milk, soy, and eggs. Allergies like shellfish or nuts are likely to pervade into adulthood.

Asthma

What comes to mind is the stereotypical geek that we all think of from high school with the inhaler and the food allergies – well, there’s a degree of truth to that. Asthma and food allergies typically go hand-in-hand since both are allergic disorders that can trigger each other.

Minor Reaction Symptoms:

• Slight swelling and redness around sting area
• A small, raised welt at the sting area
• A small white spot where the stinger punctured the skin
• Immediate sharp burning pain at the sting site

Severe Allergic Reaction Symptoms:

Seek Care Immediately

While only about 4% of people who get stung by a bee develop a severe allergic reaction, they’re potentially life-threatening and requires immediate emergency treatment. Signs and symptoms generally include:

• A weak and rapid pulse
• Difficulty breathin
• Skin reactions in parts of the body other than the sting area
• Swelling of the tongue and throat
• Dizziness or fainting
• Loss of consciousness

Multiple Bee Stings:

Seek Care Immediately

If you’re stung more than a dozen times, even from honeybees, the venom may induce a toxic reaction and make you feel suddenly ill. Some symptoms of multiple bee stings include:

• Headache
• Vomiting/nausea
• Convulsions
• Fever

A Few Home Remedies

Before we dive into some at-home treatments for bee stings, the following steps should be taken first, before administering any home remedy:

1. Remove the stinger – don’t believe the old wives tales either… you can take it out with your finger. Act quickly to stop the stinger from pumping more venom into you.
2. Look for symptoms of an allergic reaction (see symptoms list above)
3. Take an ibuprofen or acetaminophen to dull the pain
4. Wash the sting with soap and water

Toothpaste

Apply toothpaste to the sting site every 5 hours. The tingling sensation will mimic the scratching sensation and will help the wound heal. Plus, you’ll smell o’ so minty fresh.

Ice

This is the most widely known/used treatment. Just apply ice to the sting site for twenty minutes, with a fabric barrier between the ice and your skin. The symptoms usually dissipate quickly and the relief lasts for about 5 hours before reapplication is needed.

Hydrocortisone Cream

Apply some maximum strength hydrocortisone cream to the sting site and reapply every four hours. Most people only report slight relief with this method and it’s usually used in combination with another technique.

Calamine Lotion with Analgesic

Apply calamine lotion to sting site—you should start to feel a soothing tingle. Wait up to 45 minutes for the symptoms to be fully relieved and reapply every 4 hours.

Honey

Apply honey to the sting and you’ll feel a cool and soothing sensation—but it only lasts about thirty minutes and it can be a sticky mess.

Deodorant

Apply a roll-on deodorant to the sting site and the symptoms will be displaced, rather than relieved. The immediate sting site may feel relief but the surrounding area around the sting will not feel any better. Reapplication is needed every 8 hours.

Raw Onion

Hold a slice of raw onion on your sting site—as a warning, a percentage of people report that this actually makes the symptoms worse, so you’ve been warned. Also, you’ll smell like an onion. This should be a last resort.

Preparation:

While a variety of malicious methods are used by terrorist organizations to create fear and inflict harm, bombs are the most common. According to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, bombings accounted for almost 70% of all terrorist attacks in the U.S. between 1980 and 2001.

Have a plan and know it

Every organization (work, school, community) and family should have a disaster plan in place and review it every few months. Here’s a sample family plan from FEMA.

Identify alternative hospitals

Hospitals and Emergency Care clinics closest to the event will be the busiest so be sure to know some alternative hospitals/clinics in your city.

Suspicious Activity

If you suspect someone is going to set off a bomb, adhere to the following, depending on your environment:

• If you’re at home or in public, leave the area immediately and call 911. Tell the operator exactly what you saw or know.
• If you’re at work or school, follow the existing evacuation guidelines and adhere to directions from people in authority (police, firefighters, EMS, military personnel, or workplace supervisors/school administrators.

Immediately after the event:

If you or individuals in your immediate surroundings have life-threatening injuries provide or seek first aid as soon as possible. If you or individuals in your immediate surroundings have minor injuries seek out those more severely injured. If your, or a loved one’s, injuries are not life-threatening try to go to a hospital that is not in the immediate area of the blast as hospitals and clinics closest to the blast will quickly become crowded.

If you’re not injured and cannot be of any assistance, to keep safe, move away from the area – avoiding crowds, unattended cars and trucks, public transportation, and damaged buildings.

Hours and/or days after the event:

Stay away from the area surrounding the blast until authorities learn more about the situation. To stay up to date, turn on the radio, television, or your favorite news site online for updated health and safety announcements.

Even if the explosion didn’t result in any physical injuries the emotional toll is extensive. Feelings of fear, anxiety, and confusion are all common reactions – you may even feel dazed or numb as a result of the trauma, all of which is completely normal. Time helps alleviate these feeling along with:

• Try to follow your normal routine as much as possible
• Eat healthy, regular meals
• Do not dwell on TV, radio, or the Internet – try and limit your time around the sights and sounds of what happened
• Exercise and stay active
• Volunteer in the community

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends: If you or someone you know is having trouble dealing with the tragedy, ask for help. Asking for help is smart. Talk to a counselor, your doctor, or community organization, such as the suicide prevention hotline (1-800-273-TALK) or the American Red Cross (1-866-GET-INFO)

Come join us Saturday, April 13^th, 2013 from 10am to Noon. The facility officially opens for business on Monday, April 15^th, 2013.

There will be scrumptious snacks and refreshments, fun-filled family activities and games, and we’ll also be giving away a X-Box video game system.

So stop by, check out the new center, have some food and drinks with us – and maybe some fun too!

Well, I don’t know – maybe. Take a look at some of the symptoms, signs, and treatment options below to see if that sore throat is actually a bacteria infection that needs to be treated with antibiotics.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

Strep throat (Streptococcal pharyngitis) is an extremely contagious diseased triggered by an infection caused by streptococcal bacteria. Obviously, the first sign you may have strep throat is an extremely sore throat that lasts more than 3 days.

Other symptoms generally include swollen lymph nodes in the neck, fever, and redness/swelling of the throat and tonsils. The telltale sign that your infected with the bacteria is white or yellow patches on the tonsils. To check for this it’s easiest to have a friend or loved one take a look in a well-lit environment while you open your mouth and say “Ahhhh.”

It’s important to note that most cases of sore throat are, in fact, due to a viral infection, not bacteria. A severe cold can irritate your esophagus and throat to the extent that you may think you’re afflicted with a bacteria infection, but usually that’s not the case. If you’re unsure though, to conclusively determine whether you have strep or not is a really quick and easy process that just takes a few minutes to collect a throat culture and test in the lab. Visit any of our locations and head to the lab to have a throat culture collected.

 Seek emergency care if…

If your sore throat is accompanied by any of the following symptoms, seek emergency care immediately:

• Inability or extreme difficulty swallowing food
• Wheezing or labored breathing
• Extreme swelling and redness of the neck
• Unable to swallow saliva and/or drooling

Although these signs are related to strep throat infection they can also be strong indicators of more severe conditions, such as: esophageal strictures, epiglottitis, or tenaus (lockjaw).

Treatment

When strep throat is confirmed through laboratory testing, antibiotics are prescribed. If administered early in the process the antibiotics can actually decrease the duration of the symptoms (generally 1 day). After about the same amount of time you’re far less contagious. Without antibiotic treatment strep will eventually clear up on it’s own – it just take 4-6 days to fully recover, when the antibiotic gets you back on your feet in 2-3 days, tops. The full course of antibiotics should be taken, even if the symptoms dramatically improve after the first few doses.

Well, hopefully you don’t have strep and this information helped you answer some questions. Whatever the case, please don’t cough on me.

Did you handle it well? Was there anything you would have done differently?

In order to ease your stress after a survivable car accident it’s vital to maintain your composure and stay calm – try and remember the major points from the following step-by-step guide and it will help you maintain your presence of mind and not forget any crucial after a car crash.

Proceed Gingerly                            

Before you do anything else, if your car is still running go ahead and turn off your vehicle.

In a crash that impacts the vehicle’s occupants to a significant force, it’s important to not make any sudden movements. There’s a reason why whiplash and neck injuries, while occasionally fraudulent, are the majority of injuries reported after a car accident. More than one-third of all liability or personal injury claims involve neck injuries, according to the Insurance Research Council.

With that said, once potential injuries and the situation are adequately gauged — and you’re confident that remaining in the vehicle poses more danger than being outside the vehicle — proceed to exit the vehicle as cautiously as possible. (It should be noted that if you smell smoke, or the car is visibly on fire, exit the vehicle as quickly as possible). Be aware of traffic, and your own visibility to drivers on the road.

Consult and Exchange

In accidents not involving serious injury, take a quick visual inspection of your vehicle and speak with the individual(s) involved. Swap information, which includes:

• Name
• Address
• Driver’s license number
• Vehicle’s registration and license number
• Proof of insurance (insurance provider/number)

If the other individual(s) are not able to exchange information (presumably due to injury) you MUST stay on the scene and call 911. Leaving the scene, when an injury has occurred or 911 have been notified is a crime and you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Don’t say too much

There is no reason to talk about whose fault it was now. Even if the accident was clearly your fault, refrain from accepting blame at the time of the accident. If the other party’s insurance company contacts you after the accident, it’s wise to direct them to your own insurance representatives. If injury was involved or the crash was rather serious you may consider hiring a lawyer.

Waiting Around

Chances are that you’ll be at the scene of the accident for a while — either waiting for emergency services, the police, tow truck, or a ride home. While you’re waiting take notes of the accident while your memory is fresh. Try to jot down as much as possible and include drawings and diagrams. Snap a few pictures of the vehicles with your phone as well.

 Don’t forget your stuff

Before your car is towed, empty all your personal belongings out and take them with you. Often, it’s very difficult to get access to your car after a serious accident. Insurance companies will inspect the wreck at the tow yard before it’s sent to impound. So be sure to grab your stuff and say your goodbyes before it’s too late.

 Contact your insurance company

Dealing with insurance companies and the red tape that goes along with car accidents can occasionally be more trying than the actual wreck itself. However, it’s a necessary evil so try and get it out of the way as soon as possible following the wreck. Car repair and personal injury claims have a set amount of time they can be filed by (depending on your insurance provider).

What number is more important?

Normally, more attention is given to the top number (systolic blood pressure) given it’s history as a indicatory of cardiovascular disease for individuals over 50 years old. The majority of people see an increase of their systolic blood pressure throughout their life due to increasing stiffness of large arteries, long-term plaque build-up in the arteries, and increased incidence of cardiac and vascular disease.

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure (hypertension) is known as a silent killer. Why? Hypertension isn’t accompanied by any warning signs or symptoms and yet it contributes to nearly 1,000 deaths per day in the United States. That said, it’s extremely important to have your blood pressure measured regularly. It’s wise to get your blood pressure checked at least every two years starting at age 18. The doctor’s office isn’t the only place to check it though. Most drugstores and health resource fairs will allow you to measure your blood pressure for free, however, take the results with a grain of salt since the accuracy isn’t always precise.

One high reading doesn’t equate to hypertension

Blood pressure can fluctuate based on the amount of stress an individual is under as well as the how often they’re exercising. 
If your doctor notices a higher blood pressure than normal they may take several readings over time and/or have you monitor your blood pressure at home before you’re considered to have hypertension. If readings remain 140/90 mm Hg or above, your doctor will likely want to begin a treatment program that may include prescription medication and lifestyle changes.

Dangers of uncontrolled blood pressure

Other than the ultimate danger, death, hypertension can also cause issues with many of your body’s systems:

• Arteries: Hypertension causes damage to cells of the arteries’ inner lining and over time can rupture, causing an aneurysm.
• Heart: Heart failure and coronary artery disease.
• Brain: Stroke, dementia, cognitive impairment, transient ischemic attack (TIA). 
• Kidneys: Kidney failure, kidney artery aneurysm and kidney scarring. 
• Eyes: Nerve damage, eye blood vessel damage and fluid build-up under the retina. 
• Sexual dysfunction: Significant decrease in blood flow to sexual organs.
• Peripheral arterial disease: Blood flow blockage to lower extremities.

Come for the wine – stay for everything else!

Wine lovers will have a wide range of choices, from outstanding local winemakers to some exceptional flavors from around the world. However, the assembled talent reaches far beyond just wine. Artists, musicians, chefs and fine craft makers will all be showcasing their immense talent during the two-day event. So come down and get inspired, amazed, enlightened and entertained by just having a drink and taking a stroll through the promenades of the worldwide cultures.

Event Overview:

• Over 40 local and international wines featured
• Regional and local artists in a variety of media including painting, photography, jewelry, pottery, and more
• 4 Global Experiences (Australia, South America, Europe, and South Africa) featuring international wine tasting booths from each region, juried art and craft vendors, food vendors, dessert vendors, and scheduled strolling artists
• 4 different local chefs presenting cooking and wine pairing demonstrations from each of the featured regions
• Wine making classes
• Art cars on display each day
• Live music and entertainment all day Saturday and Sunday
• Moroccan themed VIP tent decorated with the highest quality Moroccan furnishings, drapes and decor featuring custom-rolled cigars, selected private musical performances, and more
• Scheduled grape stomps for fun each day and an I Love Lucy Grape Stomp Contest each day with prizes
• World market featuring art and craft vendors

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