Dr. Ricketts

H1N1 Facts

2009-08-25T19:58:00.004-05:00

The CDC, at its current meeting on H1N1 flu, have determined these possible outbreak scenarios:

a) 30-50% of the US population becoming infected
b) 1.8 million hospitalizations
c) 30-50,000 deaths

The CDC has confirmed 8000 hospitalizations and 522 deaths from H1N1

H1N1 is more dangerous than seasonal flu for 2 reasons:

a) It penetrates deeper into the lungs and binds more tightly to tissues, causing more complications.
b) Most of the US population under the age of 60 has no immunity to the virus.

Pregnant women are at greater risk for complications from h1n1. They should seek immediate medical attention if they fever or other flu symptoms.

If allergic to eggs, you cannot receive the vaccine. You should take all other precautions against the flu and make sure those around you are immunized.

For children too young to receive the vaccine, make sure everyone around them is immunized.

Unless you are absolutely certain that you had the H1N1 flu virus in the spring, you should be immunized.

All preliminary trials on the H1N1 vaccine have proven it safe, but there is still an extensive monitoring system in place.

The vaccine should be available in late October to early November and will be given in 2 shots, 3 weeks apart.

You should receive your regular flu vaccine in September this year.

The greatest dangers from the H1N1 outbreak are

Overwhelming our health system by the sheer number of cases on H1N1
The complications following the regular flu season
Greater susceptibility to other infections in the weeks following the h1n1 infection.

15 Ways to Help Depression and Anxiety

2009-08-20T16:47:00.003-05:00

First of all, start a routine.
Diet-Stay on a good, healthy low fat diet.
Exercise-Start on a regular daily program. Any type will work.
Sleep- Go to bed and good up at the same time every day. Don't keep a computer, television, or anything that causes distraction in the bedroom.
Set realistic goals every day.
Relax- Plan to do things everyday that are positive and make you feel good.
Take a break and relax. Take a minute to put yourself outside of your stressful job/situation.
Use logic and inject some reality into your situation.
Realize other people have it worse than you and count the positive things in your life.
Keep up positive relations with friends and family.
Develop a support network that you can reach out to for help.
Check with your doctor before you use over the counter anti-depression substances.
Stay clear of drug and alcohol abuse.
Try something new and enjoyable.
Don't ignore the serious signs of depression. See a doctor if your depression is overwhelming.

Four Tips That Cut Disease Risk

2009-08-13T10:57:00.003-05:00

A fifteen year study of over twenty-five thousand people age 35-65 was recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study showed that if you regularly do one or two of the following things, the risk of contracting a chronic disease will decrease drastically.

Quit smoking cigarettes or better yet, never start.
Exercise at least three and a half hours every week.
Keep your BMI (body mass index) below thirty.
Fill your diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish.

Most of the population does one of these things, however the 9% that practices all four has a combined decrease of chronic disease risk by 78-80% and an individual decrease of risk for the following diseases.

Diabetes-93%
Heart Disease-81%
Stroke-50%
Cancer-36%

Thanks to all of the listeners.

Surgery Preparation and Football Safety

2009-08-07T12:25:00.002-05:00

SURGERY PREP

Inform your doctor of your allergies.
Tell him/her of any medications you are taking including vitamins and herbal supplements.
Make sure he/she knows your full medical history.
Check to see that the correct surgery site is marked with a permanent marker.
Review with the doctor and nurses the type of operation you are having.
Ask him/her if they have had any complications with the procedure.
Check to see the number of times the surgeon has performed the operation
Ask your surgeon if he/she has had any problems with infections and the number of malpractice cases they have been involved in.
Make sure you have thorough discharge instructions on what you can and can't do when you go home.

Football Safety

The player needs to be HYDRATED.
Let the coach know what medications he is on.
Make sure the coaching staff knows of any underlying medical conditions.
Check to see that the proper emergency procedures are in place for practice.
Water breaks have to be take during practice.

Thanks to everyone for listening.

Hello and Welcome

2009-08-05T11:47:00.004-05:00

This is the official blog of Dr. Ricketts, the Doc On Jox. We will update with outlines of the weekly radio show (12:15 pm every Wednesday on the round table) and relevant medical tips throughout the year. Thanks and enjoy.

Win a Doc on Jox Tee

2009-08-03T11:48:00.005-05:00

Name the year this Alabama team won the National Championship to win a Doc on Jox tee and have one donated in your name to the Salvation Army.