Tag Archives: queenstown

Easing Back-to-School Anxiety

By: Jamie Harms, M.D.

It’s hard for most of us to see the more relaxed days of summer come to an end. For our children and teens, back-to-school time can be exciting, but it can also create anxiety and stress. Here are a few tips to make this transition easier for the whole family:

  1. Map out the morning routine. Discuss how the mornings will work, from wake-up times to setting out clothes the night before to whether your child will be making lunch or buying it at school, etc. Do a practice run—show them how long it takes to walk to the bus stop, or drive to school so they are prepared the first day.
  2. Early to bed. Kids need 9-11 hours of sleep every night, depending on age. Once you know how early they need to be up, plan a regular bedtime and start sticking to now so the first week of school is easier.
  3. Healthy food fuels the body and mind. Let your kids help you shop for healthy foods they enjoy and encourage them to start the day with a good breakfast, especially one containing some healthy protein.
  4. Prepare a “homework space.” Clear out a designated area, complete with supplies of pencils, markers, tape, etc. so your child has space to work. Depending on his or her age, you may want to make this space in a common area of the house so you can be available to help with homework.
  5. Be a bit empathetic. Adjusting to a new school, trying to make friends, dealing with a heavier work load—all of this can be very stressful for kids. Try to be a support during these first few weeks of transition back to school.

 

Clinical Studies

Our Queenstown practice is looking for participants in two clinical studies: One, for men and women, age 18 or older, who experience hyperkalemia (excess potassium). Click for details. And, the second, for healthy women between ages 21 – 70, in a stable relationship who suffer from low sexual desire. Click for info.

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.