Firing up the grill this summer? Follow these BBQ food safety tips to prevent foodborne illness.

As the weather warms up, many of us will take our dinner prep outdoors and enjoy food from the grill. But it’s important to remember that instances of food poisoning rise in the summer months, with bacteria multiplying more quickly in higher temps. Make sure you are taking the necessary precautions to protect against foodborne illness and all its unpleasant symptoms. Below, we highlight helpful grilling safety tips to minimize germs.

Grilling Safety Tips

1. Wash your hands. Always wash your hands with soap and water before and after handling food. If there is no running water where you’re cooking, plan ahead and bring disposable wipes, hand sanitizer, or water, soap, and paper towels.
2. Keep uncooked meat, poultry and seafood below 40°F. Leave your meat in the fridge until it’s time to grill. Or if you are on the go, use an insulated cooler.
3. Avoid cross-contamination with marinades and utensils. If you plan on using a marinade as a dressing or sauce, save a separate portion in the fridge or cooler. Throw out marinades that have contacted raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Use clean utensils and a clean platter to serve cooked foods.
4. Use a food thermometer. Cook your food thoroughly and ensure it reaches a safe temperature by using a food thermometer.
   • 145°F – whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and veal (let stand for 3 minutes before serving)
   • 145°F – fish
   • 160°F – hamburgers, ground beef
   • 165°F – poultry and pre-cooked meats, like hot dogs
5. Refrigerate. Don’t let food sit out too long. Food should be refrigerated after 2 hours — 1 hour if the outdoor temperature is above 90° F.

Always follow these guidelines to reduce your risk of foodborne illness! Consuming contaminated food can lead to food poisoning, with mild to severe symptoms, including:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Upset stomach
• Stomach cramps
• Fever
• Dehydration

If you develop severe symptoms after a cook-out, head into our clinic. Our friendly medical team is available to evaluate and treat instances of foodborne illness, with no appointment necessary.

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury (TBI) that occurs when a sudden blow or jolt to the head causes your brain to slide back and forth against the walls of your inner skull. This forceful movement creates chemical changes in the brain and can stretch or damage brain cells. Concussions can occur during contact sports and motor vehicle/bicycle accidents, or from falling or physical abuse.

This type of injury can temporarily affect your brain function, and lead to serious long term complications. General symptoms include headaches and problems with concentration, memory, balance and coordination. You may have a concussion and not realize it.

Concussion symptoms

• Headache or pressure in the head
• Confusion
• Feeling foggy, dazed, groggy, in a haze
• Amnesia surrounding the traumatic event
• Dizziness and balance problems
• Ringing in the ears
• Nausea or Vomiting
• Fatigue

Other symptoms may appear hours or days after the injury. You may experience issues with concentration, memory, and sleep. Irritability, personality changes, sensitivity to light and noise, and disorders of taste and smell are also common.

Signs of a concussion, as seen by others:

• Amnesia or confusion surrounding the traumatic event
• Delayed response to questions
• Appears dazed
• Slurred speech
• Forgets instructions, or is confused during simple tasks
• Loss of consciousness

For any head injury, it’s important to seek an evaluation from a doctor, even if emergency care isn’t required.

As long as you did not experience a loss of consciousness, nausea or vomiting as a result of your head injury, our urgent care center is a good place to seek care. Our providers are available to perform quick diagnostics and can ensure that the injury is not life-threatening or require emergency treatment. Always err on the safe side in regards to a brain injury! Walk into our clinic today for a fast, affordable evaluation and an expert treatment plan.

When to seek emergency treatment:
Call 911 or head straight to the emergency room for any head injury associated with a loss of consciousness, seizures, neck pain, vomiting or numbness, prolonged confusion or amnesia, or weakness in arms or legs.

We run the risk of burns throughout our daily lives. A burn can occur during simple activities such as making dinner, curling your hair, ironing clothes, or making a pot of coffee. And while some burns can be safely treated at home, others require professional medical attention. Underestimating the severity of a burn can delay proper treatment, lead to infection, and in extreme cases, life-threatening conditions. Learn when and where to seek the appropriate treatment for burns.

Consider the following factors to determine the level of care your burn needs:

Depth

Superficial, or first-degree, burns are red and painful like a sunburn, affecting only the outer layer of the skin. These burns can usually be treated at home.

Deeper second-degree burns cause swelling and red, white or blotchy skin. Blisters can develop, pain may be severe, and scarring is possible.Head to an urgent care for this type of burn.

Full-thickness third-degree burns involve the entire epidermis and dermis layers of the skin, may have patches of black, brown or white, and appear leathery or charred. At this point, emergency care is necessary.

Location and Size

Most minor burns can be safely treated at our urgent care center. However, any burn involving the face or covering a large area of the body should be treated at a hospital.

Infection

It’s important to see a doctor if your burn is showing any signs of infection. Our urgent care can assess your burn, and provide antibiotics or referrals as necessary. Symptoms include:

• Increasing pain
• Redness
• Swelling
• Drainage
• Odor

If you’re unsure of your burn’s severity, it’s best to seek professional care. Walk into our clinic for a fast, affordable evaluation and high quality treatment of minor burns.

Seek emergency care for:

• Burns that:
  • cover the face or a large area of the body
  • cause the skin to look leathery
  • appear charred or have patches of black, brown or white
  • are caused by electricity
• Deep burns, which means burns affecting all layers of the skin or even deeper tissues
• Difficulty breathing or burns to the airway

As we head into hay fever season, it can be difficult to pinpoint the cause of your congestion– are your sniffles due to seasonal allergies or a sinus infection? The two conditions share similar symptoms, but are not the same thing.

Seasonal Allergies

Allergies occur when our body’s immune system mistakes a harmless, everyday substance for a dangerous one. The body releases histamines to fight the perceived intruder (the allergen), causing symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose and scratchy throat.

Pollen and mold are major allergens for millions of people, and during springtime, as plant species begin releasing pollen particles into the air and outdoor molds release their spores, cold-like, allergy symptoms abound. These seasonal allergies are sometimes called “hay fever” or seasonal allergic rhinitis.

Sinus Infection (Rhinosinusitis)

In contrast, a sinus infection occurs when your nasal cavities become infected, swollen and inflamed, usually due to a virus. Infected sinuses cause pain and pressure in the face, severe congestion, and nasal discharge that is cloudy, green, or yellow. Other possible symptoms include sore throat (due to post-nasal drip), fever, tooth pain, headache, and bad breath.

Evaluation and Treatment

While allergies and sinus infections are separate conditions, their treatments do share some overlap—if you are experiencing congestion with either, a decongestant medication can help to break up mucus in your nasal cavities.

Allergies can be treated with antihistamines, such as Benadryl, Zyrtec, and Claritin. These medications block the body’s histamine-producing response and help to reduce symptoms. Allergies cannot be fully prevented, but you can minimize your exposure to known allergens.

For viral sinus infections, your best bet is to rest and drink plenty of fluids. Antibiotics are not effective in treating viruses. Nasal irrigation can also help to clear your sinuses, relieve dryness, and flush allergens. With proper care, most sinus infections go away on their own within 1-2 weeks.

If you’re suffering from seasonal allergies or a possible sinus infection, head into our clinic today. Our friendly medical team can offer quick treatment and expert advice to help you feel better.

Your toddler is running a fever and acting extra fussy… Do you rush to the emergency room, or simply set an appointment with the pediatrician for next week? How about a trip to the local urgent care center? Determining what level of care your little one needs is often a difficult and confusing task. While your first step should always be a call to your pediatrician or an after-hours answering service to discuss symptoms, below, we offer some general guidelines for when and where to take your sick child for care.

When To Head Straight To The ER

A visit to the emergency room should be reserved for true medical emergencies, such as trauma, surgical procedures, and life-threatening situations.

Call 911 or go right to the ER if your child:

• is under 2 months old and has a fever of 100.4 degrees F or higher
• suffered a serious head or eye injury
• suffered a serious burn or large cut
• had a seizure
• has a broken bone with visible swelling
• shows signs of dehydration (dry lips and mouth, absence of urination for more than 12 hours, lethargy and confusion)
• is having trouble breathing
• ingested a poison, drug, or unknown substance

When To Use An Urgent Care

If your child is able to walk, talk, play and interact, it’s most likely not a medical emergency. For minor injuries and illnesses that require immediate attention, an urgent care center is a time- and cost-saving alternative to the ER.

Urgent care centers are able to treat a wide range of non life-threatening injuries and illnesses, and offer extended evening and weekend hours, usually with X-rays and lab testing on-site. Average waits are under an hour and the cost per visit is much less than the ER.

Common children’s medical issues that can be treated by an urgent care include:

• Coughs/Stuffy Nose
• Strep throat
• Minor Cuts and Burns
• Common Cold
• The Flu
• Pink Eye
• Minor Broken Bones and Sprains
• Ear Infections
• Rashes
• Asthma
• Vomiting/Diarrhea

It’s also a good idea to call the urgent care ahead of your visit to verify what ages and conditions they treat. Based on your child’s symptoms, the clinic may direct you to the ER.

Now you know the basics of where to take your sick child for care. We’re here for you when an urgent care is the best choice.

Almost every adult will deal with low back pain at some point in their life. In fact, it’s one of the most common reasons people head to the doctor. While most cases of acute low back pain will go away without intervention, a visit to an urgent care center can help rule out more serious conditions and ensure you’re on the quickest road to feeling better.

Symptoms of Low Back Pain:

• Muscle aches in lower spinal region
• Shooting or stabbing pain
• Pain that radiates down your leg
• Pain that worsens with bending, lifting, standing or walking
• Pain that improves with reclining

If you’re suffering from the symptoms above, head into our clinic whenever it’s convenient for you. Our providers can review your medical history and lifestyle for signs of systemic diseases, social and psychological stresses, and risk factors that may be contributing to your pain. We will perform a comprehensive physical exam to inspect the back, assess areas of tenderness, and evaluate your spinal mobility. Through this medical evaluation, we can help narrow down the cause of your low back pain and develop an appropriate treatment plan. Some common causes of lower back pain include:

Muscle and Ligament Strains

Lifting a heavy object or twisting suddenly can strain the muscles in your back or the ligaments of your spine and cause diffuse back pain.

Herniated Disc

The intervertebral discs that act as cushions in your spin can become compressed and bulge outward (herniation) or rupture, causing dull or sharp shooting low back pain.

Compression Fracture

Commonly caused by osteoporosis, a spinal compression fracture occurs when a bone in the spine collapses, leading to debilitating back pain.

Osteoarthritis (spondylosis)

A breakdown of the cartilage of the joints and discs in the lower back can make movement difficult and painful.

Skeletal irregularities

Scoliosis, a condition in which your spine curves to the side, can lead to back pain later in life.

Visit our clinic today to better understand your lower back pain. Our talented and friendly medical team can quickly evaluate your symptoms, and determine a treatment plan to help you find relief. Initial treatment for low back pain may include hot or cold packs, over-the-counter NSAIDs, cortisone injections, and physical therapy. Integrative medicines such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, yoga and massage may be helpful.

Fall is here, and flu season won’t be far behind. Learn the best flu prevention methods, and when it’s time to see a doctor.

Flu is a contagious respiratory illness that can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia and even death. In fact, flu-related illnesses claimed over 80,000 lives just last year! Here’s how to protect yourself and your family this flu season.

Flu Prevention

Flu viruses occur seasonally (October through May) and spread through droplets in the air when people with flu cough, sneeze or talk. Follow these simple preventative steps to avoid falling ill.

• • The most effective way to fight the flu is to get vaccinated. Flu vaccinations save lives, and the CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get an annual flu vaccine. The vaccine can lessen the severity of an illness –if not prevent it all together– and reduce your risk of serious complications.
  • Practice good hygiene. Wash your hands often, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and moth, and disinfect surfaces.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick. While this step isn’t always possible, it’s worth noting!

Flu Treatment

A sudden onset of fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, headache and fatigue? You might have the flu. Here’s how to handle it.

See a doctor ASAP. Your doctor can run a rapid flu test and if indicated, prescribe an antiviral medication proven to lessen the severity and duration of your illness. When taken promptly, antiviral drugs can reduce the time you are sick by 1-2 days and also prevent serious complications, such as pneumonia.

Help stop the spread of flu. If you are experiencing flu-like symptoms, limit contact with other people and stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except for necessities and to get medical care. When you sneeze and cough, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, then throw the tissue out and wash your hands.

We treat cold and flu on a walk-in basis, at an affordable price. Visit our clinic today to feel better faster.