Tag Archives: medical-issues

Is it a Cold or Flu?

Q & A with Neil Padgett, M.D., MPH

Q:  How can I tell if I have a cold or the flu?

A:  While the common cold and flu can have similar symptoms, they are very different illnesses in terms of how long they last and how severe they are.

The first sign of a cold is often a sore throat. Symptoms that follow can include a runny nose, congestion or a cough. A cold usually lasts a few days to a week. Adults don’t often run a fever with a cold, but children may.

Flu symptoms are likely to come on suddenly and be more severe. Common signs of flu are a sore throat, fever, headache, muscle and body aches, congestion and cough. Some people get vomiting and diarrhea. While the flu can last a week or longer, it can also result in more serious illnesses like pneumonia, particularly in the elderly or very young.

Q: How can I treat a cold or flu?

A: First, get lots of rest and drink plenty of clear fluids — water, broth and sports drinks. Next, treat your symptoms with over-the-counter medications to ease fever and aches, congestion and coughs. For the flu, your doctor may prescribe antiviral medications such as Relenza® or Tamiflu®. They can make flu symptoms less severe and help you recover faster.

Q: Should I take antibiotics?

A: Antibiotics will not help because they fight bacterial infections, not viral illnesses like flu or the common cold. Taking an antibiotic will not make you feel better or help you get better faster.

Using antibiotics when you don’t need them contributes to a growing problem: antibiotic resistance. Due to over-use of antibiotics, some diseases that were once easily cured by antibiotics have become resistant to them. So, if you have a cold or flu, antibiotics are not a  treatment option.

Q:  When should I see a doctor?

A:  If you experience persistent coughing, fever, congestion, headache or painful swallowing (which may indicate strep throat), you should talk with your primary care provider. In general, if your symptoms aren’t getting better ‒ or start getting worse ─ call your doctor.

Q:  How can I prevent getting colds or the flu?

A:  Wash your hands often and avoid close contact with others who have a cold or flu.  A cold is contagious during the first three days, while a person with the flu can be contagious a day before feeling the symptoms and up to 5-7 days after getting sick.

The annual flu vaccine is your best defense against the flu.  After you get the shot, the vaccine takes 1-2 weeks to give you maximum protection, so the sooner you get vaccinated, the better.

Neil Padgett, M.D., MPHDr. Padgett is a Maryland Primary Care Physicians, LLC partner and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1984 and completed his residency program in Internal Medicine at University of Maryland Medical Center in 1987.

ADD in Adults

by Janice Rutkowski, M.D.

add-160ADD & ADHD* are similar disorders that often first present in childhood, but can extend into adulthood as well. It is estimated that a full third of children with ADD will continue to be affected later in life. Since this disorder was not well understood in the past, many individuals were un-diagnosed. But the onset of the internet and better understanding of disordered human behavior, have helped many patients realize they may have a problem.

Most adults with ADD find they have difficulty with organization and planning, are easily distracted, feel a sense of restlessness or anxiety, and lack ability to resist impulses to stray from a task or project. Unfortunately, this inability to stay on task can lead to problems at school, in the workplace, and in personal relationships. Serious consequences such as divorce, job loss and substance abuse can be more common for those with ADD/ADHD.
However, there are several treatment options to help! The first step is talking with your doctor. While there is no one test to diagnose the condition, detailed information from the patient and sometimes family members can be very useful. A physical, including blood work and an EKG, should be done to ensure there are no other health issues causing the symptoms.

Treatment is usually very effective with a combination of diet, behavioral therapy and stimulant drugs, such as Adderall or Ritalin. There are many newer medications as well and your doctor will work with you to find the most effective. Some drugs come in extended-release form so you do not have to take multiple doses during the day, and some non-stimulant drugs are also available. Side effects may include sleeplessness, loss of appetite, mood changes or heart rhythm abnormalities. But most patients tolerate the therapy quite well and are amazed at the difference in their work and home life.

So, please talk with your doctor if you are concerned you might have ADD or ADHD- or the symptoms- so you can work together to treat it effectively.

*ADD stands for Attention Deficit Disorder. ADHD is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Janice Rutkowski, M.D.Dr. Rutkowski is a Maryland Primary Care Physicians, LLC partner and is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. She received her medical degree from the University of Limoges in 1981 and completed her residency program in Internal Medicine at Maryland General Hospital in 1984.

Concussions & Head Injury

Q: What prompted you to get certified by the CDC in diagnosis & treatment of concussions?

A: I was initially interested as a result of my children’s participation on travel lacrosse teams. I also wanted to expand my knowledge to include head injury assessment in my practice. I see this as key information that needs to be more widely understood by individuals of all ages. The CDC points out that head injuries occur in falls and accidents in young children and older adults, so it pertains to more than sports-related head trauma.

Q: What exactly is a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) or concussion?

A: It’s a complex process affecting the brain caused by a blow or jolt to the head that disrupts the brain’s function. It results in a constellation of physical, cognitive, emotional and/or sleep-related symptoms and may or may not involve a loss of consciousness. MTBI symptoms may appear mild, but can lead to significant, life-long impairment. Symptoms can last from several minutes, to days, weeks, months or longer in some cases.

Q: If I’m a parent of a young athlete, how can I help protect my child before a head trauma occurs?

A: To reduce the risk of concussion or traumatic brain injury, individuals should always wear a seat belt when riding in a motor vehicle, wear a properly fitted helmet when biking, skiing, etc., or when playing any contact sport. Athletes should also get a baseline screening every year before the start of the sports season. A set of simple cognitive tests will allow your health care provider to assess changes that may occur with any subsequent head trauma. Also, parents should check with schools or county sports programs to make sure there is a process in place for handling concussions.

Q: What should I know about the recovery process if a loved one is diagnosed with a concussion?

A: It’s important to limit physical and mental activity after a concussion (generally at least one week) until being reevaluated and cleared to return to normal activities by a health care provider.

Julie Henne-Reese, CRNPJulie Henne-Reese, is a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner at our Queenstown office, who has been with Maryland Primary Care Physicians since 2001. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and her Master of Science in Nursing degrees from the University of Maryland School of Nursing. Ms. Henne-Reese is board certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in Family Practice, and has recently received her CDC certification in diagnosis and testing of MTBI (concussions).

No Bleach Please: How to Treat Poison Ivy

By: Jamie Harms, M.D

Does this scenario sound familiar? You’re out in your yard, cleaning up vines and weeds. Two or three days later, you develop an itchy rash on your arms. Two days after that, the rash is on your legs and face. The rash swells and oozes, but it’s the itching that makes you so uncomfortable. Poison ivy season is here.

Most children and adults are sensitive to poison ivy to some degree. Poison ivy grows.poison-ivy image
vigorously in this part of the country. It grows as a low ground cover or climbs as a vine, using trees and poles to support it. The leaves, stems, and roots of the plant contain the clear, odorless oil, called urishiol, that causes the skin reaction. When you brush by the leaves or break the vine, the oil comes in contact with your skin.

You scratch your elbow, wipe the sweat from your face, roll up your sleeves, and each time, you move a little bit of poison ivy oil around your body. Imagine how your arms and hands look after checking the oil in your car—that oil is dark, so you can see where it’s smeared on your skin. Poison ivy oil spreads around the same way. Ultimately, you wash the oil off your skin, but often not before your body has noticed the urishiol and starts sending immune cells to fight it.

A couple of days later, your skin begins to itch, and you notice some small blisters filled with clear fluid. And here is where some common myths about poison ivy begin.

Myth 1: You can spread poison ivy to other places on your body or to other people by touching the rash, especially the fluid inside the blisters. In fact, that fluid is made of cells from your own body- immune cells- not the urishiol that causes the rash. The rash itself is not contagious at all. People often notice the rash “spreading”, but this is because the rash emerges over several days. It comes out first in places where the skin is thin, like the undersides of the wrists and between the fingers. Later, it comes out in places where the skin is thicker.

Myth 2: A little bleach on the rash will dry it right up. A poison ivy rash is a break in the skin. Any caustic material, such as bleach or rubbing alcohol, can damage your tissues and make it harder for a wound to heal. Keep the rash clean with soap and water. Cover it with a bandage if it’s oozing to help prevent bacteria from getting into the wound.

Some cortisone cream will help reduce your poison ivy rash. Keep cool—you’ll itch more if you’re warm. An antihistamine such as Benadryl can help with the itch. If your poison ivy is widespread, or involves the skin around your eyes, make sure to see your doctor.