illness children

COVID-19 Drop Causing Another Illness in Children

Our primary care doctors in Delray Beach want to advise you of an unforeseen and unfortunate consequence of the drop in cases of COVID-19: an increase in another illness among children.

Those who are vaccinated—as well as those who aren’t—are mingling more in public without masks. Social distancing is now almost a thing of the past as many have come to believe the pandemic is over. (It isn’t, since just under half of Americans are fully vaccinated for the virus.) This change in behavior is leading to a rise in one particularly serious illness in children, RSV.

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asthma allergies COVID

Is it Asthma, Allergies, or COVID-19?

May is Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month because this month is the peak season for allergy and asthma sufferers. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between the two. And these days we have to add COVID-19 to the mix. The symptoms for asthma, allergies and COVID-19 can be quite similar. So how can you tell the difference?

In addition, it’s important to know the difference, because asthma and allergies aren’t contagious. The coronavirus is. If you’re coughing and sneezing when you’re out in public (even with a mask), people are going to look askance at you, and maybe even move away.

So our concierge primary care doctors in Jupiter want to help you sort out the confusion that might arise if you begin experiencing any of these symptoms.

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benefits of supplements

Supplement Benefits: All In the Mind?

It sounds so easy: Pop a pill (or pills) every day and enjoy radiant health. Unfortunately, our concierge doctors have to caution you that it may not be not that simple. And, according to a new study, the claimed benefits of taking supplements might not even be true.

The study, published this month in the journal BMJ, suggests that the perceived benefits of over-the-counter (OTC) vitamin and mineral supplements may largely be due to the power of the mind.

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smoking and covid-19

Smoking and COVID-19: What You Need to Know

The annual Great American Smokeout is set for this week, November 19. So our concierge doctors thought this would be a good time to look into what we know about the combined effects of smoking and COVID-19.

This is especially important because there has been some confusing information on the effects of cigarette smoking on the disease, with some early reports even suggesting that cigarette smokers who contract COVID-19 actually fare better than non-smokers. Subsequent studies have found the opposite: that smoking increases the risk that the virus causes more damage in smokers.

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safely celebrate holidays

How to Celebrate the Holidays Safely

As we head into the holidays, our concierge doctors are concerned that pandemic fatigue might tempt people to throw caution to the winds and just celebrate, starting with Thanksgiving.

The fact is, we’re all fed up with the “new normal.” People want more than anything to return to the way our lives were before this scourge attacked the world early this year. Pandemic fatigue is not only real, it’s totally understandable.

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flu shot twindemic

Flu Shots Can Help Avert a ‘Twindemic’

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends all adults and children older than six months receive a flu shot by the end of this month. The CDC says it takes at least two weeks for the vaccine to become effective. Then it won’t reach its peak effectiveness until another week after that. And children who are being vaccinated for the first time need two vaccines spaced a month apart to become fully protected.

Therefore, our concierge doctors suggest you get your flu shot for the 2020-21 influenza season as soon as possible. While there have been scattered reports of shortages around the country, The Washington Post recently reported a record number of flu vaccine doses—between 194 million and 198 million—have been ordered. Because the vaccine is shipped in stages, more is on the way.

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coronavirus covid19

How Viruses Work and How to Stop COVID-19

Our concierge doctors thought this would be a good time to tell you about viruses in general, especially the novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, aka COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus; COVID-19 is the disease it produces. This nomenclature is similar to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its resulting disease, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

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Important Message

A Covid-19 Update from Dr. Poncy & Dr. Lubarsky

So much has happened in the last few weeks. Finally, though, it seems as though we can see a faint light at the end of the tunnel. There is so much conflicting data on how to move forward that we thought we would try to help you parse through it.

As I’m sure you have noticed, there has been noticeably less talk about hydroxychloroquine. Unfortunately, some recent studies have shown no positive effect with its use, and possibly increased risk. It’s too early to say since there are larger ongoing studies, but for now hydroxychloroquine doesn’t seem to be recommended for treatment of Covid.

There has been exciting news from Gilead in regards to their drug Remdesivir. Their most recent studies showed significant improvement in a vast majority of critically ill patients. That’s one to definitely keep an eye on and may be one to help us come out of this crisis.

There are recommendations that have not changed, and, frankly, ones that should continue indefinitely. Those include staying active, exercising, eating well, sleeping well and avoiding excessive alcohol use. Although we would discourage outdoor activities at peak sun exposure (10-2), we would strongly encourage you to go outside for walks, bike rides, etc. This helps build Vit D levels which are helpful for your immunity, improves physical fitness which has shown to correlate with improved Covid survival, and can have a significant positive impact on your mental health.

There is a lot of confusion about testing and test results. And, to be honest, the picture is not clear. Rapid Immunoglobulin testing has gained significant traction. Several of you have already had the test. While the accuracy of the testing nationwide is under investigation, we still have to make certain assumptions based on the information we have. If you have a positive IgM it suggests that you have had a recent exposure to Covid. IgG antibodies develop later following infection, and generally do not begin to appear until 7 – 10 days after infection. When IgG antibodies are present it often indicates a past infection but does not exclude recently infected patients who are still contagious, especially if detected with IgM antibodies. It is unknown how long IgM or IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 will remain present in the body after infection and if they confer long term immunity. Therefore, we suggest, if you are positive for IgM (with or without IgG) that you follow strict isolation guidelines for 2 weeks assuming you can be contagious. If you are positive for IgG only, then hopefully congratulations is in order. We do not suggest letting your guard down and encourage you to follow statewide mandates. However, there is a good chance you have some degree of immunity which could have implications going forward. There are several options for testing for active Covid infections. If you have symptoms that are concerning please call (561) 642-1000 to schedule a test at FITTEAM ballpark of the palm beaches. Another option, while a little pricey, is a home test provided by Access labs in Jupiter. If interested please go to https://accessmedlab.com/covid19.

Some of you who have tested positive have generously volunteered to donate plasma. While the protocol is not exactly clear, we have been made aware that Oneblood is taking plasma donations at their center in Pompano. If interested, please check their web site at Oneblood.org.

We are very thankful to you, our wonderful patients, for your patience and understanding during these difficult times. Although we are encouraging you to stay away from the office to avoid unnecessary exposure, we are still available and ready to take care of any issues, Covid related or not. We look forward to seeing you face to face in the near future when things settle down.

 

Sincerely,

Morgan and Amir

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