" Poison ivy is the most common allergy in the United States, affecting about 50 million people every year. The rash from poison ivy is caused by an allergic reaction to urushiol, an oily substance in the leaves, stems and roots of poison ivy, through direct contact. Urushiol is also found in poison oak and poison sumac, which means the rash can be contracted by interacting with any of the three plants. Other than direct contact ...
" Summertime brings many opportunities for outdoor activities. From camping and hiking to playing tag in the backyard, kids and adults alike can enjoy the warm weather. Make sure your family takes the following precautions to avoid missing outdoor fun due to mosquito and tick bites. Before you go outside: Use bug repellent on your skin and clothing. The CDC recommends wearing an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains active ingredients such as DEET or picaridin. Wear ...
" When it comes to treating your seasonal allergies with home remedies, there’s usually more fiction than fact. There are healing claims about everything from apple cider vinegar to local bee pollen. The doctors at American Family Care understand that not everyone wants to grab a drug off of the pharmacy counter, but people want to be able to breathe too! So are there any proven natural remedies that the doctors here at AFC can ...
" Life might be easier if kids came with an instruction book. Most parents usually have enough questions to fill one and it can be extra difficult when your child is looking to you for answers and you don’t have any. That is especially true when they don’t feel good. All they want is for you to “fix it and make it better” but that’s hard to do when you aren’t so ...
" When you have that miserable, stuffy, sneezy, stopped-up feeling from allergies, all you really feel like doing is climbing into bed or relaxing on the couch and taking whatever your doctor has prescribed. Probably the last thing on your mind is exercising! How can you run when you can’t breathe? How do you stretch when you’re sneezing all the time? The experts at American Family Care say a mix of the traditional and ...
" As the blissful fragrance of the new season fills the air, the grass turns bright green and birds sing their cheerful tune, most of us will opt outside to reap the benefits of beautiful weather. However, for more than 50 million allergy sufferers in the U.S., seasonal triggers can put a real damper on the blossoms of spring. With everything on the market today, from over-the-counter tablets to doctor prescribed nasal sprays, choosing the ...
" As long as Jenna can remember, every spring and fall in Ohio brought a familiar rite of passage, red, watery, puffy eyes that were hard to keep open at times, and bouts of near-constant “a-choos” that literally brought her to a standstill because, well, you can’t walk and see where you’re going when your eyes are half closed and you’re sneezing your fool head off. Between tree pollens in the spring, and ...
" We’re in the thick of pollen season, where everything from vehicles to patio furniture is painted a bright yellow, signaling the sign of spring and misery for allergy sufferers across the country. Itchy eyes, excessive sneezing, mucus buildup, and congestion are just a few allergy symptoms that have so many of us pleading for any ounce of relief. Luckily, there are simple and natural ways, like changing your eating habits, that help treat and ...
" Spring has sprung and so have those nasty springtime allergies. The pollens, the molds; they might be tiny, but they sure can have a huge impact on your health. But, for about 25 million people in the United States that suffer from asthma, spring allergies pose an even larger risk. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, about 60 percent of all asthma sufferers have something called allergic asthma. Allergies may be a ...
" Many allergy sufferers feel they are waging a battle with the great outdoors this spring season, trying to keep watery eyes, runny noses and itchy throats from keeping them down. But the truth is, allergies can be triggered just as much by allergens hiding inside your home as they can by the ones outdoors. Before you lock yourself indoors to avoid the spring allergy season, the team at American Family Care wants to make you ...
" The signs of spring are all around; flowers blooming, bees buzzing, noses sneezing, and chests wheezing. Yes indeed, spring can be a beautiful time of the year, but it’s also a peak time for seasonal allergies. According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI), allergies are a major cause of illness in the United States. As many as 50 million people — about one in five — suffer from allergies. Seasonal allergies, like other ...
" It seems like no sooner does the sneezing and wheezing from one season end that the next one begins. And so it goes. The winter cold and flu season that ravaged the country was a doozy. Now, we are enjoying longer days, more sunshine and nature’s reproduction cycle at work. Which is to say, pollen season is upon us. Just look outside. Cooler states started to see plants release pollen in February and March ...
" You’ve probably had that scratchy, itchy feeling. The one that starts in the back of your throat and suddenly turns into a painful burning sensation. Some people say it’s like trying to swallow broken glass. Now that’s a pretty vivid description of the common sore throat and if you have ever had one that bad then you’re not likely to forget it. Usually, a simple sore throat will come along with ...
" With this year’s overwhelming flu activity reaching every corner of the nation, it’s important to remain educated on the potential hot spots and preventative measures to avoid flu-related germs. Doctor’s offices, school classrooms, the gym, and even your workplace are among the top culprits for contracting seasonal influenza. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American adult spends more hours during the week at their place of work ...
" Doctors recommend adults get between seven to nine hours of sleep per night. However, according to HuffPost, more than a third of Americans regularly do not sleep enough. That means that roughly 83.6 million adults in the U.S. alone are sleep deprived. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 34.8 percent of American adults get less than seven hours of sleep per night. Worse yet, 11.8 ...
" The weather’s cold, the days are short, and the cold and flu viruses are running rampant. It’s likely that sometime this season, you’ll find yourself with a bit of a cough. Coughing is the body’s way of trying to clear your airways. It’s a natural occurrence and is rarely the sign of anything serious. The cause of a cough varies widely and so do the treatments, but it’s important ...
" The influenza virus, commonly known as the flu, varies from year to year, both in terms of what type of flu is most common and how hard it hits various geographic locations. This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, is reporting widespread activity in nearly all parts of the United States. Gathering Data The weekly influenza surveillance report takes a snapshot of the flu and influenza-like illness (ILI) activity each week. The ...
" If you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ve no doubt heard that the flu is sweeping the country this year. In fact, for the first time in 13 years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that the entire contiguous United States, excluding Washington DC, is showing widespread flu at one time! Getting a flu shot is a great way to protect yourself from a nasty illness, and for some at-risk ...
" Most years, the terms “flu season” and “flu shot” are viewed as a pesky seasonal rite of passage, a nuisance, another thing on your to-do list. But this year, the virulent H3N2 virus — which has been circulating for 50 years and dubbed the “Hong Kong flu” — is getting peoples’ attention. The 2017–2018 flu season epidemic is expected to kill more than 50,000 people 1 year or older, many of whom appeared healthy “just ...
" New Year’s resolutions fell by the wayside weeks ago (do you still do that?) and the cold and flu season has gripped the country in a vise that has been hard to shake. This time of year, the effort to live a healthy and balanced life can seem like a losing battle. Hey, don’t give up! Daffodils are sprouting. Spring is on its way. February is heart health month and Valentine’s Day ...
