eDocAmerica Health Tips

Part of the transition to adulthood is shouldering more responsibility for your own health care.  Most teens who are in high school, may still rely heavily on parents for managing their health care.  As they become more independent as young adults, making health care decisions can be daunting for some. …

The new school year is upon us.  Kids have already started returning to school and many of them may be experiencing some type of back-to-school anxiety.  Younger kids may be anxious about leaving their parents.  Teenagers may be more anxious about academic performance or social pressures.  This year, with the…

Last week we talked about the benefits of spending time in nature.  While we focused more on the benefits that adults see, children have even more benefits when they spend time in a natural environment.  They particularly benefit when they are learning outdoors in nature, instead of spending most of…

With our modern lifestyle, we spend most of our time indoors.  In fact, on average, Americans spend nearly 93% of their time indoors.  I think people seem to know instinctively that spending time outdoors in nature is a good thing, but can we prove it?  Over the last 20 years,…

In the United States, thousands of venomous snakebites occur each year.  Because reporting of snakebites is not mandated, the exact numbers are difficult to determine.  This time of year, many of us enjoy activities like hiking and camping, which can put us in a snake’s natural habitat and that increases…

Last week, we talked about kidney stones, focusing on the causes and symptoms.  Today we’ll talk about how kidney stones are diagnosed and treated. How is the diagnosis made? Diagnosis always starts with a good medical history and physical exam.  If your doctor believes you could have a kidney stone,…

You may have had a kidney stone or know someone who has had one.  They are becoming more common, with the prevalence of kidney stones in the US jumping from 3.8% in the late 1970s to 10% or higher over the past several years.  Each year in the US, kidney…

Carbohydrates get a bad rap in life; however, they are the body’s main source of energy and essential to life. People with diabetes frequently think they should avoid all carbohydrates and sugar when a consistent carbohydrate diet is more appropriate for managing blood sugars. One serving of carbohydrates is 15…

We have talked about the different types of diabetes over the past few weeks.  Today we will talk about the complications that can develop in people with diabetes.  The risk of long-term complications gets higher the longer you have diabetes, but how well diabetes is controlled is also an important…

Diabetes that is diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy is called gestational diabetes.  According to the American Pregnancy Association, between 2 and 5 percent of women develop diabetes during pregnancy.  It can cause some serious complications for both mom and baby if it is not recognized and treated. What…