August 2017 - Elite Care Family Medicine

Any idea what the most common autoimmune disease in the United States is? The answer is psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease that appears on the skin and affects as many as 75 million Americans. It occurs when the immune system sends faulty signals that speed up skin cell growth causing red scaly patches on the skin that can crack, itch, and bleed. In spite of it being the most common autoimmune disease, the general public still has many misconceptions...

Most of Mississippi is a rural area, and many people here prefer to live an off road life. To many people having an  all-terrain vehicle (ATV) is part of life. Hunters use ATVs in deer hunting a popular sport in Mississippi. Many of us also enjoy mud riding, because there’s nothing quite like being covered from head to toe in dirt on a four wheeler. But as is often the case when you become too comfortable with something, it’s easy to get complacent. Complacency...

Parents can do a number of things to ensure their children are healthy and happy. Providing them with a healthy diet and getting plenty of exercise for example.  However, following the recommended immunization schedule is one of the most important things parents can do to protect their children’s health. Diseases can spread quickly in child care facilities and in school classrooms. Whether you have a baby, toddler, elementary school child, preteen, teenager, or even...

Backpacks come in all colors and styles. They let kids express their individual sense of style and when used correctly they’re handy throughout the school day.  But as practical and necessary as backpacks are to kids in school, they strain the joints and muscles. They can even cause back pain and serious injury to the shoulders and neck if they are too heavy. Doctors and physical therapists recommend that kids carry no more than 10% to 15% of their body weight in...

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2017, an estimated 1,688,780 new cancer cases will be diagnosed and 600,920 deaths due to cancer in the US. Not very happy statistics, we know. World Lung Cancer Day is recognized on August 1, so for today we’re focusing specifically on this type of cancer. Anyone can get lung cancer. Lung cancer happens when cells in the lung mutate or change and this mutation can be caused by various factors. Most often, this change in...