eDocAmerica Health Tips

Around six million people go to the emergency department each year with chest pain.  In many cases, the determination has to be made as to whether the chest pain is due to a relatively minor condition or to a life-threatening process.  Often this means making the distinction between heartburn (a…

Your grandma may have told you to put hydrogen peroxide or alcohol on a wound, but that is actually not a good idea. The instinct to kill germs with a strong antiseptic is understandable (how many times have we used alcohol-based, hand sanitizers -like Purell- as an alternative to hand…

Your grandma may have told you to put hydrogen peroxide or alcohol on a wound, but that is actually not a good idea. The instinct to kill germs with a strong antiseptic is understandable (how many times have we used alcohol-based, hand sanitizers -like Purell- as an alternative to hand…

On any given day, 30 million Americans use a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) to treat their pain. Studies show that NSAIDs can reduce pain by about four points on a ten point scale. Ibuprofen is part of the NSAID class of drugs, and is the most popular. These common pain…

A patient recently told me that he had heard that Tylenol (acetaminophen) can damage the liver. He wondered if it was safe to use it, and how much was appropriate to take. Interestingly, acetaminophen is the most popular drug in America. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association notes: Acetaminophen is the…

The idea of checking our temperature when we are sick is deeply ingrained in most Americans. Elevated body temperature most commonly occurs when the immune system is actively fighting off an infection (bacterial, viral, or fungal). However, fevers can occur with alcohol withdrawal, drug abuse (such as methamphetamines), or heat…

Allergies develop when the immune system overreacts to substances in the environment, such as the pollen of trees, grasses, weeds, or mold spores. Allergy symptoms, triggered by the release of histamine in the body, include itching, sneezing, hives, and wheezing. Seasonal allergic rhinitis or “hay fever,” is common this time…

The body is made up of about 60% water, and daily intake is obviously vital for survival. You have probably heard that you need to drink 8 glasses of water per day, at a minimum. This is a general guideline that does not take into account your activity level, health…

There is a scene in Jurassic Park where a scientist (Laura Dern) digs through a massive pile of “droppings” to diagnose a sick triceratops. She wears armpit-high plastic gloves for her stool analysis, as a bemused onlooker (Jeff Goldblum) reminds her to “wash her hands before dinner.” Stool analysis can…

You may have heard that there is an opioid crisis in the United States with people becoming addicted to pain killers, overdosing, and dying. Even though the Trump administration has identified the opioid epidemic as a “public health emergency,” a recent public opinion poll suggested that Americans aren’t as concerned…