Archive for the Health News Category

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time when communities come together to promote education and prevention. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers globally – According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, more than 360,000 people will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2024. Increasing awareness around breast cancer can help in the fight against this disease, promote early detection, and save lives. The doctors at Lakes Urgent Care have four key actions that everyone can take to make a meaningful impact:

1. Understand Your Family History

Knowing your family history of cancer can significantly affect your risk profile and guide you in making proactive health decisions. Breast cancer, in some cases, is linked to genetic mutations (such as BRCA1 and BRCA2), which can be passed down from one generation to the next. If you have close family members (such as a mother, sister, or grandmother) who have been diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, you may be at a higher risk of developing the disease yourself.

• Action Step: Talk to family members about their health history and discuss any cancer diagnoses. If you discover a pattern of breast cancer or other cancers in your family, share this information with your healthcare provider. They may recommend genetic counseling or testing to assess your risk.

2. Get Screened Regularly

Early detection of breast cancer is key to successful treatment. Regular screening can catch the disease in its early stages, even before symptoms appear. The two most common screening methods are mammograms and breast MRIs, depending on your level of risk. Women aged 40 and older should have regular mammograms, although the recommended starting age may vary based on individual risk factors.

• Action Step: Schedule your screening appointments regularly, and don’t skip them. If you’re unsure about when to start or how often to get screened, consult your doctor for personalized advice. For those with higher risk factors, such as a family history or genetic predisposition, more frequent or advanced screenings may be necessary.

3. Be Proactive About Your Health

Being proactive about your overall health is one of the most impactful ways to reduce your risk of breast cancer. This includes maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, managing your weight, and limiting alcohol consumption. While these measures don’t guarantee prevention, they can help lower your risk and improve your overall well-being.

• Action Step: Make small but meaningful lifestyle changes. Incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your meals, engage in physical activity several times a week, and keep your body weight in a healthy range. You should also perform regular breast self-exams to familiarize yourself with how your breasts normally look and feel, so you can detect any unusual changes.

4. Encourage Friends and Family to Get Screened

Your influence on the people around you can make a difference. One of the best ways to support breast cancer awareness is to encourage your friends and family to stay informed and get screened. By sharing your own story and providing helpful reminders, you could help someone detect breast cancer early and increase their chances of survival.

• Action Step: Talk openly with your loved ones about the importance of regular screenings. You could even schedule mammogram appointments together to make it a shared experience. Remind the women and men in your life, regardless of age or background, to be mindful of their health and take preventive measures.

Supporting the cause of breast cancer awareness involves a combination of education, personal action, and outreach. By understanding your family history, getting screened, taking care of your health, and encouraging others to do the same, you can make a significant contribution to this important cause. Early detection saves lives, and the more we spread awareness, the closer we come to reducing the impact of breast cancer globally.

We love cinnamon. We just made some cinnamon French toast the other day and it was fantastic. Cinnamon can be a great component of so many delicious recipes, especially in the fall. No wonder it is a staple in so many of kitchens. Cinnamon also has tremendous health and anti-inflammatory benefits. But new research shows that some brands of ground cinnamon contain unacceptable levels of lead, some provide “acceptable levels of lead”, while a third group is rated most safe.

It’s always surprising to learn that items purchased at a grocery store can have any unsafe levels of ingredients. In the case of cinnamon, Consumer Reports says that the cinnamon with the highest levels of lead tend to come from smaller brands and stores. You can see the whole list of the brands you want to avoid, plus a lot more information in this article from Food & Wine about cinnamon.

Of the safest brands mentioned, the 365 Whole Foods market brand is the most widely available locally, so we’ll make that our number one pick.

According to Consumer Reports, these were the brands of ground cinnamon deemed best to use:

• 365 Whole Food Market organic ground cinnamon
• Loisa organic cinnamon
• Morton & Bassett San Francisco 100% organic ground cinnamon
• Sadaf cinnamon powder
• 365 Whole Foods Market ground cinnamon
• Sadaf seven spice

Consumer Reports also mention several brands that were not the safest, but were considered OK to use:

• McCormick ground cinnamon (0.23 ppm) 
• Simply Organic cinnamon (0.28 ppm)
• Bassett San Francisco ground cinnamon (0.55 ppm)
• Good & Gather ground cinnamon (0.56 ppm) 
• Trader Joe organic ground cinnamon (0.69 ppm) 
• Great Value ground cinnamon (0.79 ppm)  
• Kirkland Signature organic Saigon cinnamon (0.80 ppm)

Now that you’ve got the right cinnamon in your spice rack, here 44 ways you can use it, courtesy of Southern Living.

And as reported by the National Institutes of Health, cinnamon provides you with lots of health benefits.

It is “an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancer, lipid lowering, and cardiovascular disease lowering spice. So, pick up the right brand of cinnamon, and enjoy its delicious flavor and health benefits all year long.

In the great State of Michigan, we are blessed with an abundance of fresh and tasty produce, especially during the summer. Take advantage of this time of year to help your family discover and love healthy foods and incorporate them into your diet to encourage healthy family eating habits.

Now is the time of year when your grocer’s fruit and vegetable offerings are the freshest and most locally sourced. Even if you don’t venture beyond your neighborhood Kroger, you will find a greater variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Go to a Farmer’s Market

If you have the time, consider taking the family to any of the great farmer’s markets in our area. Taking the family to a farmer’s market has many benefits: great exercise and socialization, ability to meet some of the people who grow the food, learn about how they grow it, sometimes sample products before purchase, and give family members an opportunity to see and select fruits and vegetables they might enjoy. Here’s a  comprehensive list of all the farmer’s markets in our area, courtesy of Metro Parent. Eastern Market boasts an amazing array of fresh produce, meats, cheeses, and other gourmet items. The Saturday Farmer’s Market in downtown Farmington was recently judged number one in the area.

Stock up on Michigan cherries

Not only are cherries one of the most delicious fruits of all-time, but they are loaded with health benefits. Many of them (especially tart cherries) come from the State of Michigan. And as outlined in this great article from the Cleveland Clinic, cherries are a super food! The fresh cherry season is short. Even more reason for you to grab as many as you can now and freeze some for the fall and winter. For safety and expediency, get a cherry pitter, which helps you to extricate the pits more easily, an essential step before freezing.

Add color to your diet

The fruits and vegetables with the highest nutritional value are also the most colorful: broccoli, spinach, brussels sprouts, etc. Fruits and veggies get their intense colors from phytochemicals, which also produce the richest vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Eating more of these types of fruits and vegetables every day is the best way to help your body perform its best, relieve inflammation, and promote overall good health.

Ask for the “no thank you bite”

Do you live with a picky eater? If so, a trip to the farmer’s market is probably not on their list of favorite things to do. That’s OK. But eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is a cornerstone of good health. Pick some “high value” veggies like spinach, offer them up in different ways, and ask that picky eater to at least give it a try. And if it doesn’t work the first time, keep trying!

Sparklers aren’t as safe as you might think! The lit tips burn at temps up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, and can cause burns and start fires. Take care with sparklers and don’t let small children handle them!

Fireworks can make any celebration special and have become an important part of many Michigander’s July 4th holidays. However, handling fireworks requires a commitment to safety. To ensure your festivities are both thrilling and secure, it’s important to follow some simple but essential safety guidelines.

If you’ve suffered a burn or other firework-related injury, both Lakes Urgent Care locations are equipped to treat you quickly, no appointment needed! Here are some common-sense fireworks safety tips to keep in mind this year:

The CDC is reporting increased cases of norovirus in our area and across the country. Norovirus is highly contagious, and the symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea. “Other than making sure you are well hydrated, there is no other specific treatment for norovirus,” said Lakes Urgent Care medical director Dr. Haidar Al-Saadi. “We can’t give you a z pack and make you feel better if you have norovirus. That’s why prevention is by far your best approach to avoiding this nasty illness. And the number one thing you can do is wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.”

Proper hand washing involves soap, water and vigorous hand washing for at least twenty seconds. The friction of your hands rubbing together is an important part of keeping your hands clean. According to the CDC, “hand sanitizer does not work well against norovirus. You can use hand sanitizer in addition to hand washing, but hand sanitizer is not a substitute for handwashing, which is best.”

Always wash your hands after using the toilet, changing a diaper, or disposing of pet waste. Always wash your hands before eating, preparing, or handling food and before handling medicine.

Another important way to prevent the spread of norovirus is to use disinfectant wipes regularly in all the “high touch areas” of your home: door and drawer handles, light switches, and doorknobs.

According to the American Red Cross, cooking is the number one cause of home fires. As the holiday season nears, the kitchen increasingly becomes the heart of the home, with family and friends gathering for meals and celebrations, and it’s easy to get distracted and make a mistake resulting in a cut or burn.

“For serious burns in the kitchen, a good rule of thumb is if blisters develop, it is likely a second degree burn, and you should seek medical attention right away,” said Lakes Urgent Care medical director, Dr. Haidar Al-Saadi. “For kitchen cuts, if the wound will not stop bleeding after a few minutes of applying direct pressure, it is likely that the wound will require more acute care and treatment. We can take care of minor burns and cuts easily and quickly, no appointment needed at either Lakes Urgent Care location in West Bloomfield or Livonia.”

Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a novice, these easy holiday kitchen safety tips from Lakes Urgent Care will keep you and your family safe this season:

1. Make the kitchen a kids-free zone during holiday gatherings: children and pets can easily get underfoot or distract you and cause accidents. Consider using pet gates or other means to create a boundary. At the very least, keep them away from the stove!
2. Don’t wear loose clothing or sleeves that dangle while cooking – that baggy Thanksgiving sweater with the 3D sequined turkey isn’t ideal when working around open flames.
3. You’ve got knives and open flames – maybe take it easy on the cocktails!
4. Install a smoke alarm in or near your kitchen, on each level of your home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms if you sleep with doors closed. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year if your smoke alarm requires it.
5. Purchase a fire extinguisher and keep it in an easy-to-reach location in your kitchen.
6. If you are cooking anything on the stove top, never leave it unattended – stay in the kitchen. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove top, or deputize a family member to keep watch for you.
7. If there’s more than one person working the kitchen at one time, make sure to communicate clearly and be aware of your surroundings – always announce if you are walking behind someone, or if you’re carrying a hot pan or sharp knife, to avoid collisions.
8. Keep anything that can catch fire – oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, towels or curtains – away from your stove, oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.
9. Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving the home to make sure all stoves, ovens, and small appliances are turned off.

If you ignore all of our advice and end up with a cooking-related injury this season, know that both of our Lakes Urgent Care locations in West Bloomfield and Livonia are open seven days a week, including holidays! We are fully capable of treating your kitchen knife cuts and minor burns quickly and professionally.

Let’s start with some good news: according to a recent article in Time magazine, the 2023 flu vaccine is expected to work well this year. By watching flu activity and effectiveness of this year’s vaccine in the southern part of the world, where the flu first appears each year, the World Health Organization found that the 2023 flu vaccine should be effective againstthis year’s flu virus.

“Getting a flu shot remains your best defense against serious illness and a possible trip to the hospital,” said Lakes Urgent Care medical director Dr. Haidar Al-Saadi. “There is absolutely no way that you can get the flu from getting a flu shot, And while there’s no guarantee that getting a flu shot will prevent you from getting the flu, your symptoms will likely be milder if you are vaccinated.”

Lakes Urgent Care makes it easy for you and everyone in your family to get a flu shot, no appointment needed at our West Bloomfield or Livonia locations.

In addition to the standard dose (appropriate for everyone six months and older), Lakes Urgent Care also offers a “high dose” version which is recommended for adults over the age of 65. This vaccine is comprised of 3 types of flu strains in the formulation (known as trivalent).

Current medical recommendations indicate that it’s best to get your flu shot sometime after October 1st.

In particular, patients over the age of 65 may be negatively impacted by getting the flu vaccine too early in the season. The vaccine stimulates our immune systems to create antibodies to fight against influenza. However, those antibodies may have a limited period of effectiveness.  If the vaccine is provided too early in the season, it may lose some of this effectiveness if we experience a late flu season. The flu season typically begins around November or December, with peak activity in January and February. Should there be a slight delay in that pattern, it’s possible that the vaccine’s effectiveness may not be as good as it could have been if provided too early in the season, say in August or September.