" Summertime is upon us and so are the beach’s resident stingrays, which make their annual appearance from April to October to mate. Stingrays are by nature docile creatures. They’re known for relaxing motionless near the beach shores, where they lie camouflaged under a layer of sand. It’s only when they feel threatened (such as when accidentally stepped on) that they defensively swing their venomous stingers in hopes of striking an attacker with ...
" After a mild winter, there was no mistaking allergy season’s early arrival to the ‘Burg this year. St. Petersburg’s tree pollen normally peaks in mid-March, followed by grass pollen in late May and finally weed pollen in mid-June. It was no later than February, though, and our freshly waxed vehicles were already covered with a yellow film of tree pollen every other day and patients were filling up doctor’s waiting rooms with ...
" With an estimated average of 360 days of sun throughout the year, they call St. Petersburg the Sunshine City with good reason. But with all that glorious sun comes unrelenting heat…and it’s just too darn hot!!! We’ve seen the heat wave across the nation on the news, but when the heat index in St. Petersburg reaches 96 degrees on a typical day…it hits close to home and it becomes time to ...
" Flu season is quickly approaching. Some years the season kicks off as early as October, lasting for many months…at times well into May. The CDC recommends that all individuals over the age of 6 months be vaccinated and as people start making preparations, the question these days for most individuals will not be “should I or should I not be vaccinated?”, but rather “HOW will I be vaccinated?”. In 2003, the FDA approved FluMist ...
" According to the 2011 Fireworks Annual Report conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, roughly 9600 patients were treated in U.S. hospital E.R.s for firework related injuries in 2011. So what should you do if you find yourself this Fourth of July with a couple singed fingers from a sparkler or rocket…and at what point do you seek professional help? Minor burns consist of 1st degree and 2nd degree ...
" Come Monday, August 20th, schools all over Pinellas County will be back in session. Summer time will officially be over for parents and just when you think it’s safe to take a breather… it happens: your child goes into the first sneezing fit of the 2012-2013 school year. It will be the first of many and before you know, the whole family must be quarantined. Good grief! Why is it that every year your ...
" You have just crashed your bike and need to get medical attention immediately. You’re not sure if your arm is broken or not and you think that some of your cuts may require stitches. You dread the thought of heading to the emergency room and waiting 5 to 6 hours just to be seen and then having to wait even longer to get scheduled for an x-ray and possibly some stitches. In these types ...
