Recent Blog Posts

Christmas Decoration Injuries

December 28, 2018

" Christmas time is a time filled with joy and gifts, but for many unlikely individuals each year, it’s filled with trips to the ER as well. Christmas decorations result in roughly 15,000 ER visits from December to January. With the significant increase in patient volume, doctors have noticed a pattern of some of the most common injuries. Back Injury Back strains are the most common type of back injury seen this time of ...

Read more..

What is a Fever?

November 21, 2018

" What is a fever?  A fever is a temporary increase in your body’s temperature, usually caused by and a symptom of an illness.  A fever can be somewhat uncomfortable, but will subside within a few days with proper bed-rest and some over-the-counter medications that may lower the fever.  Here are a few questions you may have about a fever and how to treat it. What causes a fever? A fever is usually a response ...

Read more..

Occupational Healthcare – Caring for Employees and Employers

November 8, 2018

" Occupational Health refers to the many disciplines devoted to the safety and well-being of employees in the workplace, often concentrating on injury prevention. Even with solid practices in place, accidents do occur, and having an experienced occupational healthcare provider you trust can make all the difference. Workplace injuries can result in lost time, indemnity costs, and lower productivity for an employer. Studies have shown that the same workplace injury can have catastrophic consequences to the ...

Read more..

The Safest Time to go Trick or Treating

October 25, 2018

" Halloween is a time where kids across the country are preparing their costumes and candy buckets. While Halloween should be a fun night, it also needs to be a safe one. There are many aspects of trick or treating that can lead to unsafe situations. From unsafe candy to unfriendly strangers, parents have to be vigilant during trick or treating. One of the main factors that can lead to other unsafe situations is timing. When ...

Read more..

Family Health and Fitness

October 15, 2018

" Did you know that the family is the most important social influence for physical activity? Research shows that children of active parents are 5.8 times more likely to engage in physical activity on a regular basis. Today, most children do not meet the recommended amount of daily exercise, which is crucial to healthy growth and development. To get your kids moving, it’s important that you’re moving too! Here are a few fun ...

Read more..

When to Get a Fall Sports Physical

August 30, 2018

" As the school year approaches, and pre-conditioning season beings, coaches and organizers start putting together schedules for upcoming sports.  At the same time, parents being making plans to bring their student-athletes back and forth between school, games, and practices. To make your fall athletics safe and more manageable it’s important to get physicals performed as soon as possible.  Even if your child gets their annual physical administered, a sports physical further assesses your child ...

Read more..

Keeping Kids Healthy This School Year

August 30, 2018

" While a new school year offers fresh experiences that promote growth and potential, it also brings sneezing and coughing. With children spreading germs from coughing into their hands and touching classroom items, it’s easy to catch a cold.  Here are a few basics to help keep your kids healthy throughout the school year. Keep Germs at Bay It’s a no-brainer that a school classroom is a breeding ground for germs due to children ...

Read more..

Protect Yourself from Ticks and Mosquito's This Summer

July 20, 2018

" Summertime brings many opportunities for outdoor activities. From camping and hiking to playing tag in the backyard, kids and adults alike can enjoy the warm weather. Make sure your family takes the following precautions to avoid missing outdoor fun due to mosquito and tick bites. Before you go outside: Use bug repellent on your skin and clothing. The CDC recommends wearing an EPA-registered insect repellent that contains active ingredients such as DEET or picaridin. Wear ...

Read more..

Are Extra Pounds Weighing Down Your Immune System?

July 15, 2018

It probably comes as no surprise that losing weight and getting healthy is high on the list when it comes to New Year’s resolutions. And like so many promises we make to ourselves, it’s usually easier said than done. At American Family Care clinics, we see the effects of obesity every day. High blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes are all commonly known side effects of obesity. But what might surprise you is ...

Read more..

Poison Ivy: Signs, Symptoms and Precautions

June 27, 2018

" Poison ivy is the most common allergy in the United States, affecting about 50 million people every year. The rash from poison ivy is caused by an allergic reaction to urushiol, an oily substance in the leaves, stems and roots of poison ivy, through direct contact. Urushiol is also found in poison oak and poison sumac, which means the rash can be contracted by interacting with any of the three plants. Other than direct contact ...

Read more..

The Nose Knows When It Comes To Seasonal Allergies

May 30, 2018

" When it comes to treating your seasonal allergies with home remedies, there’s usually more fiction than fact. There are healing claims about everything from apple cider vinegar to local bee pollen. The doctors at American Family Care understand that not everyone wants to grab a drug off of the pharmacy counter, but people want to be able to breathe too! So are there any proven natural remedies that the doctors here at AFC can ...

Read more..

Is It A Cold or Allergies: A Worried Parent's Guide

May 21, 2018

" Life might be easier if kids came with an instruction book. Most parents usually have enough questions to fill one and it can be extra difficult when your child is looking to you for answers and you don’t have any. That is especially true when they don’t feel good. All they want is for you to “fix it and make it better” but that’s hard to do when you aren’t so ...

Read more..

Allergens Hiding in Your Home

May 16, 2018

" Many allergy sufferers feel they are waging a battle with the great outdoors this spring season, trying to keep watery eyes, runny noses and itchy throats from keeping them down. But the truth is, allergies can be triggered just as much by allergens hiding inside your home as they can by the ones outdoors. Before you lock yourself indoors to avoid the spring allergy season, the team at American Family Care wants to make you ...

Read more..

Is It A Cold or Allergies: A Worried Parent’s Guide

May 11, 2018

" Life might be easier if kids came with an instruction book. Most parents usually have enough questions to fill one and it can be extra difficult when your child is looking to you for answers and you don’t have any. That is especially true when they don’t feel good. All they want is for you to “fix it and make it better” but that’s hard to do when you aren’t so ...

Read more..

Allergy Alternative? A Little Exercise RX

May 8, 2018

" When you have that miserable, stuffy, sneezy, stopped-up feeling from allergies, all you really feel like doing is climbing into bed or relaxing on the couch and taking whatever your doctor has prescribed. Probably the last thing on your mind is exercising! How can you run when you can’t breathe? How do you stretch when you’re sneezing all the time? The experts at American Family Care say a mix of the traditional and ...

Read more..

Treating Seasonal Allergies

May 1, 2018

" As the blissful fragrance of the new season fills the air, the grass turns bright green and birds sing their cheerful tune, most of us will opt outside to reap the benefits of beautiful weather. However, for more than 50 million allergy sufferers in the U.S., seasonal triggers can put a real damper on the blossoms of spring. With everything on the market today, from over-the-counter tablets to doctor prescribed nasal sprays, choosing the ...

Read more..

Why Do Allergies Come and Go?

April 24, 2018

" As long as Jenna can remember, every spring and fall in Ohio brought a familiar rite of passage, red, watery, puffy eyes that were hard to keep open at times, and bouts of near-constant “a-choos” that literally brought her to a standstill because, well, you can’t walk and see where you’re going when your eyes are half closed and you’re sneezing your fool head off. Between tree pollens in the spring, and ...

Read more..

Allergies and Asthma: How They May Go Hand-In-Hand

April 17, 2018

" Spring has sprung and so have those nasty springtime allergies. The pollens, the molds; they might be tiny, but they sure can have a huge impact on your health. But, for about 25 million people in the United States that suffer from asthma, spring allergies pose an even larger risk. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, about 60 percent of all asthma sufferers have something called allergic asthma. Allergies may be a ...

Read more..

How Changing Your Diet May Improve Seasonal Allergies

April 9, 2018

" We’re in the thick of pollen season, where everything from vehicles to patio furniture is painted a bright yellow, signaling the sign of spring and misery for allergy sufferers across the country. Itchy eyes, excessive sneezing, mucus buildup, and congestion are just a few allergy symptoms that have so many of us pleading for any ounce of relief. Luckily, there are simple and natural ways, like changing your eating habits, that help treat and ...

Read more..

Spring Cleaning In, Allergens Out

April 2, 2018

" When the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and a light breeze is blowing, it is oh-so-tempting to throw open the windows and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of spring. Maybe you are even itching (pun intended) to roll up your sleeves and tackle some serious spring cleaning. But if you are one of the more than 20 million sufferers of allergic rhinitis, commonly called hay fever, you know that picture-perfect scene brings ...

Read more..

Archives

Recent Blogs

About Our Services:

Call (617) 923-2273 for more information about our Watertown urgent care services.