There is a stomach bug going around, giving diarrhea and "bad feelings".
If you get it, remember to drink lots of fluids, like pedialyte and gatorade, and to eat starchy foods, with nothing greasy or spicy.
You can try the BRATTY diet:
Bananas
Rice
Apples / Applesauce
Toast
Tea
Yogurt.
Please see your doctor if you have severe abdominal pain, high fever, blood in your stool or frequent vomiting and you can't keep down anything.
Otherwise, it should pass in a few days. You can take tylenol for pain and peptobismol or imodium to help with the diarrhea.

The flu is going around again.
The cold and flu are caused by viruses. This means that antibiotics are not helpful most of the time. Please don't try to persuade your doctor to give you antibiotics if he/she doesn't think they are necessary. You should get better in about a week, no matter what medications you take. Drink lots of fluids and get some rest. You can take over the counter medications for pain and fever, like Tylenol or Motrin, increase your fluid intake, and gargle with salt water if you have a sore throat.
Stay home if you are coughing so you don't infect your classmates or coworkers. When you cough, cough into the inside of your elbow, so that you can keep your hands germ free.
You may need antibiotics if you can see white stuff on your tonsils, if you have swollen painful neck glands, a high fever, a fever that lasts more than 2 days, a very bad cough with chest pain and/or shortness of breath, if you feel and look absolutely awful, if you are immunosuppressed for some other reason, or if it's your child that is sick and they are very young. Please see your doctor in these cases.
Come see me at the clinic if you are not feeling well or you need a check up. Call 327-6407 for an appointment or walk right in.
Love yourself, take care of your health! 

If you take oral contraceptive pills and you miss 2 or more pills in a row, please remember that you are no longer protected from pregnancy. You should continue taking the pills, but you need to use a condom until that pack of pills is finished. Of course, if you are not sure of your or your partner's HIV or STI (sexually transmitted infection) status, then you should always use a condom.

If your medications are making you feel strange, upsetting your stomach, making you dizzy, affecting your sexual function or any other disturbing side effects, please contact your doctor. A lot of people just stop the medications and never communicate back to their doctor, so that whatever condition was being treated is not fully dealt with. Doctors often hear " Oh yes, I used to take pressure tablets but they made my head feel funny so I stopped taking them months ago" and now your blood pressure is way high and we have to send you to the hospital.
Your doctor can work with you to find a medication that agrees with you, and if that is not possible, they can explain why it is important to continue the medication and what the benefits to you are.
Most times the risks and consequences of the condition being treated are much worse than the side effects of the medication, so it is worth it to you to take it, and sometimes they are not. If you are concerned, have this discussion with your doctor. 

If you have Diabetes or Hypertension (high blood pressure) you should focus on living a healthy lifestyle - lots of fruits and vegetables, water, and 30 minutes of exercise at least 3 times per week. Please see previous posts for more details.
You should still continue taking your medication and seeing your doctor regularly while you make these healthy changes. If your pressure and sugar normalise your doctor will be able to take you off your medications gradually.
Please, please, please, please! Don't stop taking your medications because you have decided to turn over a new leaf and get healthy. Your pressure or sugar may get dangerously high without your medications, and you may not realise it.
If your blood pressure or sugar is normal while you are taking your medications, that means the meds are working for you. You still need them. If you stop taking your meds your sugar or pressure will go up. It's only when your values start getting on the low side that your doctor will be able to reduce your medication.
Please make any dose changes of your medications in conjunction with your doctor. Nobody likes taking medication, but sometimes not taking them is much more dangerous. 

Most sore throats are caused by viruses. This means that antibiotics are not helpful for most sore throats. Please don't try to persuade your doctor to give you antibiotics if he/she doesn't think they are necessary. You should get better in about a week, no matter what medications you take. You can take over the counter medications for pain, like Tylenol or Motrin, increase your fluid intake, and gargle with salt water.
You may need antibiotics if you can see white stuff on your tonsils, if you have swollen painful neck glands, a high fever, no cough, or a very bad cough with chest pain and/or shortness of breath, if you feel and look absolutely awful, if you are immunosuppressed for some other reason, or if it's your child that is sick and they are very young. Please see your doctor in these cases.
Come see me at the clinic if you are not feeling well or you need a check up. Call 327-6407 for an appointment or walk right in.
Love yourself, take care of your health! 

Tylenol, Panadol, Calpol, Paramol, Paracetamol, and Acetaminophen are all the same medication, just different names. It is useful for pain and fever and is safe for children. Unlike Aspirin and Ibuprofen it does not irritate the stomach. The recommended dose for an adult is 325-1000 mg (1-2 tablets), and the maximum dose for an adult is 6 of the 500 mg tablets or 3000 mg per day. It can be taken every 4 - 6 hours. Acetaminophen can cause liver failure if taken in excess and this risk is increased if you drink alcohol while taking it. Again, don't take more than you have to, for longer than you have to and don't take alcohol with it.

Ibuprofen, Motrin and Advil are all the same medication, just with different names. It is useful for pain, inflammation and fever. Unfortunately it can cause stomach upset, so you should use it with caution if you have stomach ulcers, acid reflux, GERD or a sensitive stomach. It comes in liquid and tablet forms, with tablet strengths from 200mg to 800mg. It should be taken with food, 3 times daily, if necessary, and you should not take more that 2400 mg in one day - that means no more than 3 of the 800mg tabs per day. You should use the lowest effective dose for the shortest effective duration, i.e. don't take more than you have to, for longer than you have to, or you put yourself at risk for stomach irritation and other effects. If your pain or fever persists, please see a doctor.

Whenever you are prescribed antibiotics, please try to take them all. Many people stop taking them when they start feeling better or stop and save the rest for the next time. But if you do that, the infection isn't properly treated and may come back again, worse this time and resistant to that antibiotic. Most colds don't need antibiotics, but if you get them, love yourself, take care of your health, and take them all!