Sneezing, a runny nose and watery eyes…yes, springtime in Connecticut is almost here. While allergies begin during the spring months, typically starting in March, they can last through the fall as late as October. While seasonal allergies can feel like a nuisance, it is important to seek treatment for them to determine what is causing… Read More
You’re in great health and feel good. You eat right. You go to bed at a reasonable hour. So, why do you need a primary care physician (PCP)? Well, you most likely drive your car daily, and you’re a safe driver. Your insurance company says so, too. But you wouldn’t keep driving, day in and… Read More
Osteoporosis is a disease in which your bones become weak and brittle; this happens when your body develops too little bone or bone deteriorates, making your bones likely to fracture. Think of your bones like a honeycomb that contains small openings. When you have osteoporosis, the small openings become bigger, resulting in weaker and more… Read More
Developing the shingles virus is common, with almost one out of three people in the U.S. experiencing it within their lifetime. And unfortunately, this number is on the rise, with more people of all age groups developing shingles (or herpes zoster) than ever before. Emerging studies cite a few different reasons for this trend, including… Read More
While bronchitis and pneumonia share similar signs and symptoms, there are also a few key differences that may make it easier to determine if you have one versus the other. The same infections that cause bronchitis may also cause pneumonia, making it difficult to decipher which illness is present. Determining the difference between bronchitis and… Read More
Adding certainty in a very uncertain year If 2020 has shown us anything, it’s that there’s a lot of uncertainty in the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many practices have been challenged to remain open, while our representatives in government have continued to question the structure and philosophy behind the US healthcare system.
Receiving a flu shot each year is the best preventative step you can take to ensure you do not come down with influenza. The CDC recommends that people 6 months and older get a yearly flu vaccine. Flu vaccinations prevent millions of people from developing the flu each year. The CDC states that during the 2018-2019 flu season, the vaccine stopped an estimated 4.4 million influenza illnesses, 2.3 million related medical visits and 58,000 influenza-caused hospitalizations, as well as 3,500 deaths. A case of influenza can be especially severe for the elderly or those with compromised immune systems. Fortunately, you can help avoid this scenario by receiving an annual flu vaccine.
It’s an alarming statistic: The Centers for Disease Control estimates that approximately six in ten adults in the U.S. are living with a chronic disease and four in ten adults have two or more chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Discovering the presence of a chronic disease is key to treating it in its early stages when positive outcomes are more favorable, which is why making an annual physical exam is important for delivering preventative health services and detecting problems before they start.
Antibody testing, also referred to as serology testing, can determine if a patient has produced an immune response to the COVID-19 virus. If you’ve gotten sick in the last few months since the emergence of COVID-19, you may be left wondering if you had the virus at one point or another. In addition, the virus can be asymptomatic (meaning the virus produces no symptoms) in some individuals, so you may have been previously infected without knowing. COVID-19 antibody testing can help answer some of these questions for you and your family.
Heart disease is one of the most common diseases in men and women and causes 1 in every 4 deaths in the U.S. The term heart disease refers to any disorder or deformity of the heart, including congenital heart disease, arrhythmia, coronary artery disease and heart failure. While heart disease has often been perceived as an older person’s health condition, it has been occurring more frequently in younger populations, ages 35-64, making it all the more critical to be proactive about heart health.
