May 2017 - On Call Medical Clinic

Cholesterol

cholesterol

We at On Call Medical Clinic want to share this information about Cholesterol from the American Heart Association. We feel it is important for everyone to be aware of what it is.

Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with high cholesterol or just want to learn more about it, this is a good thing. You’ve already taken the most important first step. You’ve shown you care about your cholesterol and health.

Now, just remember three things: Check. Change. Control.

What cholesterol is and what it does is important to all of us.

It is a waxy substance. It’s not “bad”: your body needs it to build cells. But too much can be a problem.

It comes from two sources. Your body (specifically your liver) makes all the cholesterol you need. The rest you get from foods from animals. For example, meat, poultry and full-fat dairy products contain it (called dietary cholesterol). More importantly, these foods are high in saturated and trans fat. That’s a problem because these fats cause your liver to make more cholesterol than it otherwise would. For some people, this added production means they go from a normal cholesterol level to one that’s unhealthy.

Some tropical oils, such as palm oil, palm kernel oil and coconut oil, also can trigger your liver to make more of it. These oils are often found in baked goods.

It circulates in the blood, and as blood cholesterol levels rise, so does the risk to your health. That’s why it’s important to have your cholesterol tested so you can know your levels.

There are two types : “bad” and “good.” LDL cholesterol is the bad kind. HDL is the good kind. Too much of the bad kind — or not enough of the good kind — increases the chances that cholesterol will start to slowly build up in the inner walls of arteries that feed the heart and brain. We talk more about these two kinds here: LDL, HDL and Triglycerides.

For now, think of LDL as being like a family member who carries stuff all through the house and drops it along the way. (If you recognize or live with this person, sorry!) HDL is like someone who picks up the dropped stuff and puts it away. This (good!) person helps keep the house from becoming impassable.

Together with other substances, it can form a thick, hard deposit that can narrow the arteries and make them less flexible. This condition is known as atherosclerosis. If a clot forms and blocks a narrowed artery, a heart attack or stroke can result.

High cholesterol is one of the major controllable risk factors for coronary heart disease, heart attack and stroke. If you have other risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure or diabetes, this risk increases even more. The more risk factors you have and the more severe they are, the more your overall risk rises.

We at On Call Medical Clinic are here 7 days a week to help you with any minor illnesses or injuries. Please visit our website at www.oncallclinc.com to learn=n about all the services we offer.

Laser Hair Removal

skin care

If you’re not happy with shaving, tweezing, or waxing to remove unwanted hair. Laser Hair Removal may be an option worth considering.

Laser hair removal is one of the most commonly done cosmetic procedures in the U.S. It beams highly concentrated light into hair follicles. Pigment in the follicles absorb the light. That destroys the hair.

Benefits of Laser Hair Removal

Lasers are useful for removing unwanted hair from the face, leg, arm, underarm, bikini line, and other areas.

Benefits include:

Precision. Lasers can selectively target dark, coarse hairs while leaving the surrounding skin undamaged.

Speed. Each pulse of the laser takes a fraction of a second and can treat many hairs at the same time. The laser can treat an area approximately the size of a quarter every second. Small areas such as the upper lip can be treated in less than a minute, and large areas, such as the back or legs, may take up to an hour.

Predictability. Most patients have permanent hair loss after an average of three to seven sessions.

How to Prepare for Laser Hair Removal

It is more than just ”zapping” unwanted hair. It is a medical procedure that requires training to perform and carries potential risks. Before getting laser hair removal, you should thoroughly check the credentials of the doctor or technician performing the procedure.

If you are planning on undergoing this process, you should limit plucking, waxing, and electrolysis for six weeks before treatment. That’s because the laser targets the hairs’ roots, which are temporarily removed by waxing or plucking.

You should also avoid sun exposure for six weeks before and after treatment. Sun exposure makes laser hair removal less effective and makes complications after treatment more likely.

What to Expect During Laser Hair Removal

Just before the procedure, your hair that will be undergoing treatment will be trimmed to a few millimeters above the skin surface. The laser equipment will be adjusted according to the color, thickness, and location of your hair being treated as well as your skin color.

We at On Call Medical Clinic offer state of the art Laser Hair Removal. We are glad to have shared the above information from the webMD.com website.

Please give us a call at 228 818-5155 to set up an appointment to discuss the many skin care services we offer.

Spring Colds

spring cold

Spring has sprung and that can spell misery for the more than 50 million Americans with allergies. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, allergies are the sixth leading cause of chronic illness with an annual cost of over $18 billion.

Dr. Robert Weiss, a board certified otolaryngologist, says allergies are also a leading cause of chronic sinusitis, a chronic condition that may result in multiple sick days and lost productivity.

“And that’s not mentioning the profound affect sinusitis has on the 30 million sufferers’ daily lives and relationships,” says Weiss, head and neck surgeon and director of CT ENT Sinus and Allergy center in Norwalk, Connecticut. “Spring and fall are the worst time for allergies and sinusitis.” Statistics show that despite the prevalence, over half the people suffering from allergies do not seek help from a specialist for their condition. One reason: Confusion over whether they are suffering from hay fever or a common cold virus.

“Many think they’ve caught a cold and can’t tell the difference,” he tells Newsmax Health.
Here are eight ways to tell the difference between a cold and spring allergies — and what to do about them.

Allergy attacks NEVER include fever as part of their presentation. Colds often involve low-grade fevers, below 101 degrees, and can run higher if the virus is aggressive.
Common colds often involve some form of cough while patients may never cough during an allergy attack. Some allergy patients, however, especially asthmatics, can experience wheezing or cough as part of their presentation.
Frequent and multiple sneezes are a hallmark of the allergy attack, especially in a patient who doesn’t feel “sick.”
Runny, stuffy nose. Nasal congestion is a common symptom for both allergy and cold sufferers. It results from increased blood flow to the internal mucous membranes of the nose and sinus cavity as the immune system responds to the condition at hand. Generally, allergic mucous is clear and watery, while an infection causes thick, colored mucous. Contrary to popular belief, the color of nasal mucous does not distinguish whether the infection is viral or bacterial.
Often congestion can cause a feeling of pain or pressure within the sinuses, sometimes called “sinus headaches.” This can occur in both allergies and colds. But if the headache is one-sided, that could indicate a more serious bacterial infection.
Itchy eyes, ears and throat.Itching in these areas almost always suggests an allergic cause of the symptoms.
Sore throat. Both colds and allergies can result in sore throats. But allergy patients often describe the pain as more “scratchy” while colds produce a more severe, “sharp” sore throat.
Swollen glands. Swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck and under the chin frequently accompanies the common cold and resolves on its own. Allergies seldom produce swollen glands.

We at On Call Medical Clinic are here 7 days a week when you need help with a spring cold or allergy issues. Our staff of professionals are ready to help. We have the capability of determining what your condition may be with the help of our onsite laboratory. Please visit our website at www.oncallclinic.com to learn more about us and all the services we offer.