Archive for the Health News Category

The State of Michigan is experiencing a significant rise in Lyme disease cases, with a 168% increase over the last five years. In 2024, the state reported 1,215 cases, compared to 452 in 2020. This surge prompted the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to issue a warning in May urging residents to take defensive measures against tick bites.

“The best defense against Lyme disease is to take measures to avoid tick bites when you’re spending time outdoors this summer,” said Lakes Urgent Care Medical Director Dr. Haidar Al-Saadi.

Lyme disease, caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is the most common tick-borne illness in Michigan. Another tick-borne disease, anaplasmosis, has also seen a substantial increase, with cases nearly five-folding from 17 in 2020 to 82 in 2024. Both diseases are transmitted by the blacklegged or deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), which is well-established in parts of Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas and has been expanding its range.

Factors contributing to the increase in tick-borne diseases include milder winters and longer, hotter, and more humid summers, which allow ticks to be active for extended periods and spread into previously colder areas.

To protect against tick bites and reduce the risk of Lyme disease, MDHHS and other health organizations recommend the following:

• Avoid tick-infested areas: Ticks live in grassy, brushy, and wooded areas. When outdoors, walk in the center of trails to avoid contact with overgrown vegetation and leaf litter.
• Use insect repellent: Apply EPA-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, or oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) to exposed skin. For clothing and gear, consider treating them with permethrin (do not apply permethrin directly to skin). Always follow product instructions.
• Wear protective clothing: When in tick habitats, wear light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and shirts into pants to create barriers.
• Perform daily tick checks: After spending time outdoors, thoroughly check yourself, children, and pets for ticks. Pay close attention to areas like under the arms, behind the knees, between the legs, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, around the waist, and in the hair.
• Shower promptly: Showering within two hours of coming indoors can help wash off unattached ticks.
• Handle clothing appropriately: Wash clothing in hot water and dry on high heat to kill any lingering ticks. Tumble dry clothes on high heat for at least 10 minutes (or 60 minutes if damp).
• Proper tick removal: If you find an attached tick, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Do not twist or jerk the tick, and avoid using petroleum jelly, hot matches, or other folk remedies. Clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol or soap and water afterward.
• Monitor for symptoms: Be aware of early symptoms of tick-borne illnesses, which typically appear 1-2 weeks after a bite and can include fever, chills, rash (often a bull’s-eye rash for Lyme disease), headache, fatigue, and muscle aches. If you suspect a tick has been attached for more than 24 hours or if you develop symptoms, consult a medical provider.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services encourages residents to email photos of ticks to MDHHS-Bugs@michigan.gov or mail them in for free identification. Early detection and treatment with antibiotics are crucial to prevent serious complications from Lyme disease.

For thousands of years, humans have touted the heath benefits of ginger, and scientific studies have shown that ginger does, indeed help reduce inflammation and help alleviate symptoms of nausea and upset stomach. It was more than just a treat when mom or dad gave you a glass of ginger ale to help with an upset stomach. They were right!

According to an article published in UCLA Health, ginger “helps with osteoarthritis pain, relieves menstrual cramps, improves blood sugar regulation, and improves digestion and reduces the risk of heart disease.  And a new study suggests that eating ginger can provide another important health benefit.

The study recently published in the medical journal Cureus and reported by the editors of Food & Wine indicates that consuming ginger is also a good way to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. According to this new research, “…ginger contains numerous bioactive compounds that decrease inflammation, lower blood pressure, enhance vascular health, and improve lipid profiles.” And not only that, we think it’s pretty tasty!

And there are plenty of natural ways to incorporate the health benefits of ginger into your diet. You can usually find fresh ginger in the produce section of your local grocery store. And it may look intimidating at first, fresh ginger is really quite easy to peel and use. 

Here’s a quick guide from the food site, the kitchn on how to peel and mince fresh ginger. And once you learn how to do it, you’ll find that ginger can be incorporated into a wide variety of beverages, entrees and desserts.

Here’s a list of 27 great recipes that feature ginger. So next time you are in your grocer’s produce section, pick up some fresh ginger, and incorporate it into your daily diet. Your heart will thank you!

Allergic rhinitis—commonly known as hay fever—affects millions of people each year, especially during the spring and fall months. It’s more than just a nuisance; symptoms like nasal congestion, sneezing, itchy eyes, and fatigue can interfere with sleep, productivity, and overall well-being. But with the right strategies, you can manage hay fever season effectively and reclaim your quality of life.

What Is Allergic Rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis is an immune system reaction to allergens in the air, most commonly pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and mold spores. When exposed, the body overreacts by releasing histamines, leading to classic allergy symptoms. Seasonal allergic rhinitis is usually triggered by pollen, while perennial allergic rhinitis occurs year-round and is often linked to indoor allergens. Learn more about hay fever from The Cleveland Clinic.

Early Action Makes a Difference

If you suffer from hay fever, timing is everything. Rather than waiting for symptoms to appear, begin treatment early—ideally a couple of weeks before your usual flare-up. Daily use of antihistamines, nasal corticosteroids, or allergy eye drops can significantly reduce inflammation and symptom severity.

For those with moderate to severe symptoms, a healthcare provider might recommend allergy immunotherapy (allergy shots or tablets), which can gradually desensitize your immune system to specific allergens.

Minimize Exposure to Triggers

Avoiding allergens is one of the most effective ways to reduce allergic rhinitis symptoms. While complete avoidance isn’t always possible, there are practical steps you can take:

• Stay indoors on high pollen days and keep windows closed.

• Use air purifiers and change HVAC filters regularly.

• Shower and change clothes after spending time outdoors to remove pollen.

• Wash bedding weekly in hot water to reduce dust mites.

If pet dander is a trigger, keeping animals out of the bedroom and using HEPA filters can help reduce airborne allergens.

Know Your Environment

Tracking pollen and mold counts through weather apps or allergy websites can help you plan your day wisely. Try to avoid outdoor activities during peak pollen hours—usually mid-morning to early afternoon—and opt for late-day outings instead.

Explore Natural Relief Options

While not a replacement for medical treatment, some people find additional support through saline nasal rinses, butterbur extract, or quercetin supplements. As always, consult with your doctor before trying new remedies, especially if you’re on medication.

If you haven’t gotten your annual flu shot yet this season, don’t worry—it’s not too late! While health experts recommend getting vaccinated in early fall, flu season often lasts well into spring, meaning you can still benefit from the protection a flu shot provides.

Why You Should Still Get Vaccinated

1. Flu Season is Ongoing
   The flu virus circulates for months, and cases can peak at different times each year. Even if you’ve made it this far without getting sick, the flu can still spread well into March and April. Getting vaccinated now can help protect you for the remainder of the season.
2. It Lowers Your Risk and Reduces Severity
   A flu shot doesn’t just reduce your chances of getting the flu—it can also make symptoms milder if you do get sick. This means fewer sick days, less discomfort, and a lower chance of developing serious complications like pneumonia.
3. Protects Those Around You
   Even if you’re generally healthy, the flu can be dangerous for young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems. By getting vaccinated, you help reduce the spread of the virus and protect those most vulnerable.
4. It’s Quick, Easy, and Available
   Flu shots are widely available at pharmacies, doctor’s offices, and community clinics. Many insurance plans cover the cost, and some locations even offer walk-in vaccinations. In just a few minutes, you can get protection that lasts for months.

Don’t Wait—Get Your Flu Shot Today!

If you’ve been putting off your flu shot, consider this your sign to get it done. It’s never too late to protect yourself and those around you. A simple shot can make a big difference in staying healthy and keeping flu cases down in your community.

As the holidays quickly approach, we give thanks to every patient we’ve been able to help this past year. The team at Lakes Urgent Care would like to wish every member of our community health, happiness, and peace, now and throughout the New Year!

Lakes Urgent Care celebrated our 20^th anniversary in 2024. Our Livonia office currently is undergoing renovations so we can continue to treat our Livonia area patients in a clean and updated office. We’ll continue to support St Mary’s hospital with after-hours medical care well into the future.

Please excuse our dust (and sometimes noise) – we expect the work to be finished by the middle of January. Thank you for your patronage and patience from all of us at Lakes Urgent Care, ‘where your health concerns can’t wait.’

Twenty years ago, Lakes Urgent Care opened in West Bloomfield with the mission of providing the community with a place to receive the highest quality medical care, after hours, on weekends, or when a primary care physician was not available. We also helped patients avoid an unnecessary and expensive trip to a hospital emergency department. In September of 2015, we opened our second location in Livonia with the same dedication to service. This year, we are proud to celebrate 20 years of service to our community.

“We pride ourselves on providing excellent emergency room type services in both of our convenient locations, being a member of Urgent Care Association of America, remaining open every day of the year including the pandemic lock down years and having helped over 450,000 patients since opening our doors.” said Lakes Urgent Care owner Dr. Lawrence Dell. “We recently completely remodeled our West Bloomfield office to provide every patient with a better experience.”

“It has been a pleasure serving the community and patients of West Bloomfield, Livonia, and the surrounding areas.” said Lakes Urgent Care Medical Director Dr. Haidar Al-Saadi. “We hope to be available to serve for years to come and continue to provide appropriate and efficient healthcare. We strive to be the best, and our patients are our priority as always.”

From all of at Lakes Urgent Care, we thank every patient we’ve seen over the years with trusting us with their care and we wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season.

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!