Sports physicals, also known as preparticipation physical examinations (PPE), help determine if your child is healthy enough to participate in a specific sport. There are two main parts to a sports physical—going over medical history and performing a physical exam. We’ll go over these and help you understand the importance. Children of all ages will benefit from participating in sports. Children…
One of the best parts of the spring and summer months is being able to spend time outdoors. Unfortunately, the warmer seasons see a spike in skin rashes for many people. Most rashes can be treated at home, but occasionally a severe or persistent rash may require a trip to your nearest Coastal Urgent Care for treatment and fast relief. In general,…
Lots of daily mishaps can result in the formation of a bruise. Although the pain only last for a few minutes or sometimes not at all, you’ll be wearing that ugly bruise as a reminder of your blunder for a while. But what causes your skin to turn back and blue? A bruise, or contusion, happens when a part of the body…
Although the number of ear infections has decreased in the last decade, they still send about 16 million kids to the doctor each year. Kids under age 2 are particularly vulnerable to ear infections because their immune system is still developing and their eustachian tubes (the passageway that drains fluid from the middle ear to the back of the throat) are more narrow and…
Asthma is a long-term disease of the lungs affecting the airways that carry air to and from your lungs. This disease narrows and inflames air passageways, making breathing difficult. There is no cure for asthma, but knowledge about what happens during an asthma attack and treatments can help patients better manage the disease and live normal lives. People with asthma…
FACT: Sneezing is vital to your immune health. HOW IT WORKS: When the sensors in your nose get irritated, your body automatically tries to clear your airways of bacteria and viruses. The nerve endings in your nasal passageways detect an irritant and signal the cilia—tiny, hairlike paddles that line our nostrils and sinuses— to expel the irritants. This irritant might be an…
Every 2 seconds someone needs blood. That’s 43,000 pints of blood a day. Donated blood contains many life-saving components that can help to treat different illnesses and injuries. For many, blood donors are the reason a life is saved. Blood donation also benefits the donor by reducing the chances of heart diseases and frequent donations reduce the accumulated and unwanted iron…
Did you know that heart attack symptoms can be mild, come on slowly, and last for a long period of time? If you watch TV at all then you more than likely think of someone clutching his or her chest and falling to the ground in agony from the pain. Heart attacks come in all shapes and sizes and everyone experiences…
Experts stepped out pretty early on saying the flu shot was less effective than previous years. So why is the flu shot less effective? The reason being that this years strain of the virus mutated. Scientists create the vaccine about four months prior to the start of flu season, meaning sometimes they make wrong predictions on which strains the vaccine will…
You wake up and feel your fourth cold of the season coming on. You’re tired, there’s a headache, and you can’t stop sniffling and sneezing. Good news: It could just be winter allergies, which means you can easily tackle the problem and get those irritating symptoms under control. Seasonal allergies around this time of year are very commonly mistaken for other illnesses….