Parkway Medical Blog

Everyone loves to make New Year’s Resolutions, but often we fail because our resolutions are not realistic. Habits are hard to change, and if you are looking to change your unhealthy habits, beginning with small steps will increase your changes of long-term success. Start with one or two small changes, and then add more when you are ready. Some things to try:

• Park a little further away from entrances to increase walking.
• Add one piece of fruit or vegetable to your diet everyday.
• Cut out one dessert per week.
• Add one glass of water to your daily consumption.
• Change from white bread to whole wheat.
• Substitute fish for red meat once a week.
• Eat breakfast, or at least a small snack, every morning- it improves metabolism and energy, helps concentration, and those who eat breakfast tend to weigh less than those who don’t.
• If you are sedentary, take a walk once a week; add days when you can.
• Start stretching - it helps combat stress, headaches, muscle tension, and improves overall fitness.
• Actively try to laugh more- doing so lowers blood pressure, increases endorphins, reduces pain, and can help mitigate chronic illness.

- Dr Jennifer McMahon

MYTH: Colds are caused by getting wet or being out in cold weather.
TRUTH: Upper respiratory infections are caused by VIRUSES, regardless of weather. Colds are more common in the winter months because they survive longer in cold, dry weather.

MYTH: Drinking milk during a cold produces more phlegm.
TRUTH: Milk consumption has no impact on phlegm production, but it can produce a similar feel while swallowing it.

MYTH: The flu shot can cause a person to contract influenza.
TRUTH: The fly vaccine is a dead virus and cannot cause an active infection, just like a tetanus shot cannot cause tetanus. However, the necessary immune response that vaccines produce can cause flu-like symptoms including body aches and fever.

MYTH: If your mucous is green or yellow, you have a bacterial infection.
TRUTH: Viral infections are the most common cause of discolored mucous and phlegm for the first 1-2 weeks of a respiratory infection.

MYTH: Muscle turns to fat when you stop exercising.
TRUTH: Muscle and fat are composed of different tissues. Your heart cannot turn into a long. Stop exercising and your proportion of fat increases as muscle mass decreases.

MYTH: You need 8 glasses of water a day.
TRUTH: Adequate water intake is necessary for many health reasons, but there is no scientific basis for the 8 glass recommendation.

MYTH: Burns should be immediately treated by applying butter.
TRUTH: Burns should be treated with cold running water. Applying butter increases the risk of infection.

MYTH: Q-tips are effective in removing ear wax.
TRUTH: Q-tips push wax deeper into the ear canal, causing impaction.

Dr. Jennifer McMahon

The vast majority of upper respiratory infections (URI), including sinusitis and bronchitis, are caused by viruses. In most cases an antibiotic is not warranted unless symptoms persist beyond 10-14 days, are accompanied by a fever, or symptoms continue to worsen rather than improve after several days. Most URIs will resolve within 1-2 weeks without treatment, and an antibiotic will not speed recovery. It is a myth that colored phlegm and mucous are caused only by bacteria; viruses will produce similar symptoms.

Parkway Medical recommend supportive care for cold symptoms, including antihistamines, decongestants, expectorants, fluids, etc. Medical care should be sought for worsening symptoms, fevers, shortness of breath, or symptoms lasting more than two weeks.

-Jennifer McMahon, MD

On Friday, May 22, the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention (Council) invites you to “slap on a hat” - preferably a wide-brimmed one. By doing so, you can help raise awareness of the need for sun protection.

Sun protection can be easy to forget after a long winter spent covered up. That’s why this Council, of which the American Academy of Dermatology is a core member, created “Don’t Fry Day.” Occurring the Friday before Memorial Day, this day is meant to encourage sun-safety awareness and remind people to protect their skin while enjoying the outdoors. Why not show your support by wearing a wide-brimmed hat? You may educate someone about the dangers of overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays, a leading cause of skin cancer. You could even encourage people to protect their skin this summer.

For more information, visit Don’t Fry Day:

Hypnosis is often plagued with misconceptions and misunderstandings.  It is NOT sleep or mind control.  In hypnosis you cannot be made to do anything against your will, your belief system or moral value, in fact you can’t do anything you do not wish to do.  Rather you gain control over a part of your life that may have been previously out of control.

Most people are unaware that they experience hypnosis in their everyday lives.  For example, if you have been driving and suddenly realize that you do not remember passing the last few exits, you were in a state of waking hypnosis.  In fact, the most common hypnotic state is a daydream!

Hypnosis works, ask me how.  Hypnotic techniques are useful tools to assist in the treatment of stress, sleep disorders, pain and depression.  It is used very successfully for weight loss and smoking cessation. Hypnosis is not a replacement for medical care or any other modality, it is a compliment to all therapies.  For more information on how hypnosis can help you please call Julie Jones, Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, at 602-576-8821 or click here to read more.