Now that spring is in full swing, you and your family will likely be spending more time outside taking part in activities and enjoying the beautiful weather. However, there are some dangers unique to the outdoors that you should be aware of, to keep your family healthy all season. Here at AFC/Doctors Express, we have some tips on how to avoid a seasonal trip to your urgent care center! Wear sunscreen — even when it ...
Alcohol is one of the most popular addictive drugs on the planet, but it’s one that people still haven’t quite learned how to use safely. Every year, more than 2.6 million Americans are hospitalized due to complications or injuries related to alcohol. April is Alcohol Awareness Month, so to help bring attention to this issue and give you the tools to enjoy a drink safely, AFC/Doctors Express compiled a list of ...
It’s early spring, which means it’s time for all young athletes to get ready to join their teams to compete in the spring, summer or fall. According to a report Sports and Fitness Industry Association, about 21.47 million children in the United States participate in organized sports, which comes to about 75 percent of boys and 69 percent of girls. One essential step in your preparation for your sport of choice should ...
Medicine is probably one of mankind’s biggest accomplishments. It can be listed up there with farming, electricity and the microchip as one of the advances that fundamentally changed how people lived, mainly because it gave us power over our own bodies that we had never had before. It might seem counterintuitive to think that medications could ever hurt us, but the reality is that medication misuse and adverse reactions cause more than 700,000 ...
Summer is fast approaching, which means it will be time to get out the bathing suits and short shorts! Who doesn’t begin to feel a little insecure after a long winter of bundling up? But before you start getting ready to bare your “bikini body” on the beach, AFC Urgent Care wants to know: how do you feel about crash diets? For those who have never tried one, a crash diet is when you ...
Spring has sprung, and telltale sniffles are beginning to fill the air. For some people, this beautiful season is nothing but misery, due to the constant sneezing, congestion, itchy eyes and countless other exhausting symptoms. Seasonal allergies affect as many as 50 million Americans, and it’s not just a mild annoyance. As many as 55 percent of workers report calling in sick at work because of allergies. There are many ways to avoid the ...
St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and those celebrations bring green beer and pub crawls. This St. Patrick’s Day, the team of physicians at your local AFC/Doctors Express wants to raise your awareness of binge drinking and the harmful effects that it may have on your health. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, binge drinking is defined as a pattern of drinking that brings the blood ...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, incidences of the mumps have decreased 99 percent since the era before widespread vaccinations. But tell that to the 10 states that have seen outbreaks of the mumps in the past month. So far, there have been 69 reported cases of the mumps this year. It seems to have started in Iowa, but it quickly spread to places like Colorado, Indiana and Massachusetts. The mumps virus ...
It’s the middle of February, which means our New Year’s resolutions are either new habits or fond memories. We at AFC/Doctors Express are hoping that one of your resolutions was to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and to help you stay on track, we have compiled a list of things to look out for when you’re evaluating your health. As February is American Heart Month, we’ll go over what could indicate ...
If you have a cough that just won’t go away, it’s time to see a doctor — It could be bronchitis!
Mosquitoes have always been a source of annoyance and big, itchy, red bites. Usually we only need to worry about them in the summer, but the Zika virus outbreak is causing people to sweat throughout the world. So, what exactly is Zika? We’re here to help you learn everything you need to know about Zika virus. Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The virus has been known to ...
AFC Urgent Care South Plainfield would like to remind you to make sure you’re talking to your child about good practices for staying healthy — like remembering to wash their hands!
Mosquitoes have always been a source of annoyance. Usually we only need to worry about them in the summer, but the Zika virus outbreak is causing people to sweat throughout the world. So, what exactly is Zika? We’re here to help you learn everything you need to know about Zika virus. Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The virus has been known to circulate Africa, the Americas, Asia ...
The United States is one of the most diverse nations in the world. As different as we may seem, our health issues can be very similar. Health care trends tend to be pretty consistent across large swaths of the population, so it’s important to pay attention when one becomes widespread. AFC Urgent Care South Plainfield can advise you on which conditions should concern you and how to take action to prevent them. The No ...
Here is the second part of our series on flu season! We hope you took our advice from last week and got your flu shot! We’re going to get a bit more into the nitty-gritty about how the flu spreads and what makes the flu vaccine work. So hang on, we’re diving right in! The influenza virus is a respiratory virus, and it spreads primarily through contact with respiratory droplets. However, these droplets ...
What is Black Ice? Black ice, which is sometimes called clear ice, refers to a thin coating of glaze ice on a surface, especially on roads. How Does Black Ice Form? Black ice forms when the temperature is at 32 °F or below and some form of precipitation is falling on a road surface that is at a temperature below 0 °C. When Does Black Ice Occur? Black ice occurs when ground temperature causes the ...
The influenza virus is a seasonal epidemic that typically hits the United States around October and can last until May. Even though this is a yearly occurrence, there are still some misconceptions about the flu and what people should do to protect themselves. To keep our readers informed, we are doing a two-part series on important facts people should know about the flu. Part two will be released next week. The flu is not just ...
After an unseasonably warm start on the East Coast, winter is finally letting us feel its chill. It might seem like yesterday that high temperatures were breaking records all over the place, so it can be easy to disregard the recent cold. Winter weather can present a lot of hazards though, so it’s important to be aware of what might happen in your area and be prepared for what winter may bring. Here are ...
Every January, you see the determined, motivated faces of people all around you working to improve themselves in the new year. Inevitably, by March, the vast majority of those have gotten off-track or completely given up on their goals. It’s not a lack of desire for these changes to work or even a lack of commitment to their goals that’s knocked them off the path toward a better self. For many people, change ...
This holiday season, give the gift of good health! Instead of spending a fortune on the latest fad, invest in your health and the health of your loved ones. Trends come and go, but good health will always be in style. Whether you’re shopping for a budding health nut or a fitness fanatic, this guide will help you find the perfect healthy gift for all the special people in your life. Reusable water bottle ...
