September 2017 - Elite Care Family Medicine

Every year, thousands of people make the smart decision to protect themselves from the flu with the flu vaccine. The single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year. CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a seasonal flu vaccine. Keep in mind that vaccination is especially important for certain people who are high risk or who are in close contact with high risk persons. You cannot catch the flu from the flu shot, but it can...

Your body uses cholesterol, waxy, fatlike substance found in your bloodstream, to make cells. Your liver creates the cholesterol  your body needs to function. When too much cholesterol builds up in your arteries the deposits narrow your arteries, putting you at risk for heart disease and stroke. How do you know you have high cholesterol? High cholesterol usually doesn’t have any symptoms. As a result, most people don't realize their cholesterol is too high. A medical...

Every four minutes, someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer. Despite this shocking statistics, many people do not know much about the disease, or any of the other blood cancers, until they are diagnosed. That’s why today we’re talking about Leukemia. Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood (white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets). It causes the DNA of immature white blood cells to become damaged in some way. This...

Do you know anyone who vapes? Do you vape? Are you completely lost on what vaping is? Vaping is the act of using an e-cigarette (a battery powered electronic cigarette). Rising taxation and regulation on tobacco products often makes smokers seek alternatives or cessation. Because of the rising costs of tobacco products, E-cigarettes have become more and more popular over the past decade. While there is a controversy about whether e-cigarettes are harmful, new evidence...