Recent Blog Posts

Local urgent care centers in Raleigh Midtown, or family walk-in clinics, offer patients convenient and affordable urgent healthcare services. When you visit a family walk-in clinic, you can expect quick, quality care at a fraction of the cost of your local emergency room.  Emergency rooms tend to be very busy and crowded and are associated with longer waiting times and higher fees. By going to a walk-in doctor’s office for a non-life-threatening illness or injury ...

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What is an urgent care clinic? And how does it differ from the emergency room? When should you go to the emergency room, and when should you go to an urgent care center? Whatever questions you may have, AFC has the answers.    What Is An Urgent Care Clinic? Urgent care is the level of healthcare that lies between your primary care physician (PCP) and the emergency room. When you go to urgent care, you can ...

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Lately, concussions among football players have been the talk among medical professionals, and for good reason, especially after the inappropriately, and even denied, treatment of Miami Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovaila, who recently sustained multiple head injuries in the 2022 NFL season. Concussions are brain injuries any football player can sustain; as a parent or coach, understanding the signs and symptoms of this condition can help increase the speed at which your child receives treatment. Read ...

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STD symptoms, though common, can show up differently for men and women, so it’s vital that you know what signs to look for if you suspect you have contracted an STD. The sooner you notice these signs and symptoms, the sooner you can treat these sexually transmitted diseases. Keep reading to learn more. Chlamydia Symptoms One of the most commonly reported STDs is chlamydia, which affects more women than it does men. Women will ...

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Knowing the incubation period and how long you’re contagious is important when contracting an illness, especially one like COVID-19. We can limit the spread of the virus if we better understand when someone is at their most contagious to prevent passing it on to a family member or friend. Keep reading to understand what an incubation period is, the timeline for COVID-19, and when you’re most contagious. What Is an Incubation Period? An ...

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Every winter, a new flu vaccine becomes available, but not many people understand when adults and children should receive their shots. This vaccine is important for protecting yourself and your loved ones from contracting the illness this season. Get a head start on your immunization by getting vaccinated for the flu at the correct time each year. Who Should Get the Flu Vaccine? The majority of your community should be receiving the flu vaccine. Everyone ...

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Are you visiting a doctor for routine health check-ups? This practice is important for preventative healthcare and ensuring you remain healthy. Exercising regularly, taking care of your mental health, and eating a balanced diet are all great tools for taking care of your health. However, you must still see a medical professional once a year—keep reading to learn why. Detect Health Conditions and Diseases Early An annual physical or health check will allow your ...

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At the beginning of the pandemic, when you needed a COVID-19 test, you most likely had to wait in line at a testing site. A couple of years later, you can now use at-home kits or simply walk into an urgent care clinic. Understand the differences between the two tests so you can find the best option for you and your family. Urgent Care Testing Testing at a facility such as urgent care ensures accuracy ...

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Landing a new job is a huge accomplishment. But before you start your new career, your employer will likely require you to take a pre-employment physical. These assessments are quick and painless but necessary to ensure you are in good health. Make the process easier by preparing beforehand. What To Expect at the Physical These physicals are typically done at a facility of the employer’s choosing or from a list of clinics that perform ...

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Learn what sets primary care and urgent care apart so you can make a better decision when it comes to your health. You’ll find everything you need to know about those differences in this article, along with what sets AFC Urgent Care apart from the other urgent care clinics available to you. Take better control of your health today. The Ins and Outs of Primary Care Primary care means you have a long-term relationship ...

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COVID-19 originally came about at the end of 2019, and like many viruses, it has undergone many mutations to produce many variants. With various strains of the virus out there, knowing which ones are more severe than others can be confusing. This article will give you a brief overview of the variants and what you can expect from each one. Alpha Variant The first widely publicized variant of the COVID-19 virus was Alpha. This variant ...

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Spring is a time for nature to start blooming again, but with it comes pollen, the culprit that causes seasonal allergies. Not everyone suffers from allergies. But if you do, the bothersome symptoms, like congestion, runny nose, and itchy eyes, cause you to desperately seek solutions to alleviate some of those symptoms. Take control of your allergies this spring season in different ways to ease the effect pollen has on your body. Check Pollen Counts ...

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Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) typically pass from person to person through sexual activity, including vaginal, anal, or oral sex. In other cases, genital herpes and warts can spread through skin contact. Here, we explore the different types of treatments for STDs so that you know your options. Regular testing can prevent and help stop the spread of STDs. Antibiotic Treatment Doctors use antibiotics to treat curable STDs. Typically, the medication is a single injection, one ...

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What happens if your child contracts the COVID-19 virus? Parents should know about COVID-19 testing for kids, so they know what to do to help if the occasion were to arise. There are multiple different tests, and with the CDC evolving COVID-19 protocol, it is best to become familiar with the standard tests in case a situation arises in your household. How Many Tests Are There? In general, there are three different types of COVID-19 ...

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STDs or sexually transmitted diseases are common yet preventable with safe sex practices. It is best to educate yourself on the three most common STDs to prevent contracting one in the future. If you are sexually active, you should do an STD screening at least once a year—or after each sexual encounter—if protection is not used to keep your health in good condition. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) The most common STD is the human ...

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People often confuse emergency rooms as one and the same as urgent care clinics. This is not true; follow along as we debunk the top myths about urgent care clinics. You’ll soon learn that urgent care clinics are just as capable and reliable as emergency rooms and hospitals when it comes to providing quality care. Urgent Care Centers Don’t Provide Specialized Services or Doctors Urgent care centers can staff doctors, physician assistants, nurse ...

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Since the novel Coronavirus was introduced, scientists and healthcare professionals have been working tirelessly to give the public more information. You may have been in contact with someone who contracted the infamous virus, but how long does it take for COVID-19 symptoms to appear? When Is Someone Most Contagious With COVID-19? If an individual is infected or exposed to the virus, contagion can begin up to 48 hours before symptoms appear. However, the person is ...

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Urgent care vs. the emergency room? There are a lot of different factors that distinguish each of these professional medical facilities. Next time you need to decide which of these two to go to, reference back to this article to get the best possible care for you or a loved one. The Emergency Room Emergency rooms are staffed 24/7 with physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses. Going to an emergency room gives you ...

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COVID-19 testing is a common method for learning your health status after interacting with infected individuals, or for when you feel symptoms but are unsure whether you have the virus. However, multiple COVID tests exist, which can make the choice seem confusing. Don’t worry; you can use the list below to begin understanding the different types of COVID-19 tests. Rapid Antigen Tests As the name suggests, this test is the speediest option available. It ...

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If you feel ill or have a minor injury, a walk-in clinic is a perfect, cost-effective solution for you. Walk-in clinics, also known as urgent care clinics, have increasingly become a popular option for patients with sudden medical issues that aren't life-threatening. Why? Because they offer convenience, familiarity, and affordability that hospitals and ERs cannot match. Besides, walk-in clinics provide much-needed care quickly without needing an appointment to see the physician. Here are five ...

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