North Mississippi Archives - Elite Care Family Medicine

We’ve traded our winter coats and boots for shorts and flip-flops in Mississippi. For many of us, that means more time spent looking at our skin, which makes the summer the perfect time to protect our skin and inspect for suspicious spots. But what do you really know about skin cancer? Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. One million people in the US are diagnosed with skin cancer each year. Although the number of skin cancer cases...

The kidneys serve two vital roles in the human body. When the kidneys are healthy they filter toxins out of the blood and send the waste out of the body through urine. Keeping your kidneys healthy involves various factors including dieting, exercising and managing medical conditions. According to the National Kidney Foundation, obesity increases the risk of developing kidney disease. The two major risk factors of developing kidney disease are high blood pressure and...

Do you have the “sitting disease?” How much of your time do you spend sitting in a chair or on a sofa? We all know the adverse health effects of obesity. New research, however, shows us that even people with a normal BMI who do nothing but sit all day are also at risk for medical problems. A growing body of research shows that long periods of physical inactivity raise your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity. Not getting enough exercise...

There’s no doubt that Type II diabetes is on the rise in the United States and around the world. If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes there’s a lot you can do to improve your health. The secret to managing Type II diabetes isn’t necessarily found in a pill. In most cases, the best way to treat/prevent Type II diabetes is to practice healthy habits on a regular basis. Keep close tabs on your diet. A healthy diet for people with Type II diabetes should include...

Every year millions of children are on a quest to find their decorated Easter eggs, candy and gifts. As parents we can't help but give our children a little better challenge each year, sometimes not thinking of the safety factor. So before you start getting out your 24-foot extension ladder or unscrewing that 100 watt light bulb and replacing it with an egg, the USDA (US Dept of Agriculture) has a few great safety tips to help you have a fun and safe Easter. General...

E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid that contains nicotine, other chemicals, and flavors. Heating the liquid turns it into a vapor which is what the user inhales and exhales. They’ve been advertised as an alternative to tobacco products. They’re growing in popularity among smokers who want to quit, but there are hazards associated with them as well. Vaping may damage the heart Because they do not burn tobacco but infuse water vapor with nicotine, people who vape...

When considering overall health, recognizing how stress affects the body is important. What is stressful to one person may not be to another. Stress can come from happy events (a new marriage, job promotion, new home) as well as unhappy events (illness, overwork, family problems).While the American Heart Association has not found a direct link between stress and heart disease, stress can negatively affect your health and cause issues which affect your heart. Stress is...

Many say smoking is a bad habit, but it’s not. Smoking is more than a bad habit. It’s a chemical dependence on nicotine. Chemical dependence is a condition in which a person experiences physical withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking certain drugs. If you’ve ever tried to quit smoking before and experienced irritability, anxiety, depression, impatience, insatiable hunger, weight gain, difficulty concentrating, or difficulty sleeping, you experienced nicotine...

When cold weather hits or allergy season comes around, you can hear it. The sound of countless people hacking up a lung. While coughing is a pain, its purpose is to protect you. It’s a reflex that rids the body of things that don’t belong in your respiratory system like inhaled dirt, food, germs, and excess mucus. Many things can trigger a cough, but here are a few of the most common. Viruses Cold and the flu are the most common causes of a cough. The purpose of...

Have you had your flu shot yet? The flu season is in full swing, and while this season has been well below epidemic levels Mississippi has still been one of the states hardest hit this year. According to the CDC, Mississippi had an influenza-like illness rate of 6.1% well above the national average of 2.3%. The nation has experienced a mild flu season overall as of the week ending December 2, 2017. However, the disease has caused hospitalizations and casualties this...