No one is entirely aware of what the appendix does. It’s about 3.5 inches long, and you can live without it. However, this can be an emergency if the appendix faces a blockage. 1 in 20 individuals in the United States generally has to have their appendix removed at some time.

What are the Indicators of Appendicitis?

There isn’t a lot of information out there about the appendix, true enough. But most physicians can recognize the signs of appendicitis. There are five significant appendicitis indicators, and those are:

• Abdominal pain on your lower right side – Unlike the gallbladder or stomach, the appendix is on your right. If there is a sudden, sharp pain on the right side of your stomach, it could be a sign of appendicitis. It could also be a sign of an infected appendix; the pain sometimes feels centered near your navel.
• Nausea and vomiting – Appendicitis can affect your digestive system. A blockage of the intestines or an appendix infection generally causes appendicitis. The appendix, when infected, will become inflamed and cause digestive problems. These digestive issues generally result in nausea and vomiting. It will become a struggle to keep anything down once the pain starts, and sometimes before.
• Constipation, an inability to pass gas, and cramps – A blockage in your intestines is usually related to appendicitis. If you’re struggling with consistent, uncomfortable constipation or inability to pass gas, it could result from a partial or total obstruction of your bowels. On the other hand, appendicitis can also cause severe diarrhea and stomach cramps. 
• Fever and chills – Fevers are your body’s way of fighting infection. Paired with abdominal pain, nausea, and other symptoms, a low-grade fever might indicate that your appendix needs attention. If your appendix ruptures, your fever will skyrocket. 
• Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms – Appendicitis can also appear to be a urinary tract infection (UTI), making passing urine difficult and painful. If you display symptoms of a UTI paired with any of the above symptoms, it could be an issue with your appendix instead of a bladder issue. Seek medical attention immediately to prevent your appendix from rupturing.

Any combination of appendicitis symptoms should be enough to send you to the doctor immediately. Accurate diagnosis is vital to ensure you get the proper treatment. Food, drink, laxatives, and heating pads can cause an inflamed appendix to rupture, so avoid these as much as possible. If you cannot see your primary physician immediately, go to the emergency room if you’re experiencing appendicitis.

Seek Medical Care Immediately

Ruptured appendices are medical emergencies that require immediate surgery to remove the appendix. If left untreated, a ruptured appendix can leak harmful bacteria into your abdominal cavity, resulting in peritonitis. This inflammation of the lining inside your abdomen can be life-threatening. Appendicitis can be imposing and frightening, but the surgery to remove the appendix is relatively simple and painless. Appemdectomies are performed laparoscopically, only resulting in a few small incisions. These smaller incisions heal faster than most, and you’re back to your old self in no time.

“Covid Tongue” is a painful side effect of Covid-19. This condition refers to when the tongue is swollen and inflamed. Often, patients experience bumps or ulcers on the tongue as well. Sometimes, the tongue is white with a patchy appearance. Other times, the tongue is red and swollen. Covid Tongue is often the cause of a patient’s inability to taste food when they have Covid.

Swollen Tongue and the Link to Covid 

A swollen tongue doesn’t always indicate Covid. Many different diseases and viruses cause a swollen, inflamed tongue. If your tongue is swollen and inflamed, a Covid test doesn’t hurt, but it might not be the cause of the inflammation.

Cells contain enzymes called ACE receptors. SARS-CoV-2 attacks these enzymes, allowing the virus to attack the cells. When the virus attacks and replicates in the cells, illnesses are caused. The tongue holds many ACE receptors and is prime real estate for viruses. When a virus attaches to the ACE receptors in the tongue, bumps and inflammation are caused.

Does Covid Cause Muscle Pain?

Covid isn’t the only thing that causes a swollen tongue. Glossitis is another condition that can cause inflammation in the tongue. Often, glossitis presents as Covid tongue, causing a sore or swollen tongue. However, glossitis can appear due to many other factors. Sometimes, an allergic reaction to oral hygiene products or food can cause it. Other cases include skin conditions in the mouth, mouth injuries, hormones, or vitamin deficiencies. If your tongue is swollen, look for other symptoms of Covid to ensure that Covid is the culprit.

Treatments

While there aren’t any treatments specifically for Covid Tongue, there are options. Because Covid Tongue causes inflammation in the tongue, other remedies for swelling and inflammation can provide relief.

• Maintain good oral hygiene with products you aren’t allergic to.
• Avoid things that can cause tongue inflammation, including foods and substances.
• Continue any antibiotics you’ve been prescribed.
• Change your diet and take vitamins if you need to.

There is also the chance that the swelling and inflammation related to Covid would go away when treating Covid. When suffering from Covid-19, the CDC suggests staying rested, hydrating, and taking cold medication are helpful ways to treat the symptoms.

You Might Have Covid Tongue. What Now?

If you notice that your tongue looks unusual or is painful and inflamed, it might indicate another virus. It could even be something you ate that didn’t agree with you. Different viruses that cause inflammation of the tongue aren’t always specific. Inflammation in the tongue can increase suspicion of coronavirus, but other symptoms lead to that diagnosis instead.

Covid has many symptoms, but according to the CDC, there are more problematic symptoms you should look out for, including: 

• High fever accompanied by chills
• Exhaustion and fatigue
• Bodily aches and headaches
• Sore throat
• Congestion of the nose and a runny nose
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea 

The bottom line is that you don’t want to ignore bumps or inflammation of your tongue—but don’t panic if you develop one of these symptoms, either.

If you notice that you have bumps, ulcers, or inflammation of the tongue, don’t ignore them. They might be Covid, but there’s no reason to panic if you experience these symptoms either.

If You Think You Have Covid, Contact a Physician

If you notice the symptoms of Covid Tongue and suspect you have Covid, you should get tested for Covid as soon as possible. Even if the cause of your tongue’s inflammation isn’t Covid, you might still have the virus. But even if you don’t have Covid Tongue and are presenting other symptoms of Covid, reach out to a physician for a Covid test.

The winter holiday season is filled with joy and cheer, but for people with heart disease, it also presents some serious risks to their health. According to research from the British Medical Association, there has been a growth in heart attacks and other cardiac events more so than at any other time of the year. The holidays can be busy and stressful, and it can be easy to lose sight of the warning signs. It’s essential to be aware of these risks, and taking simple steps to protect your heart health can help you celebrate the upcoming new year without complications.

Being Mindful of Your Heart During The Holiday Season

The holiday season is often a time of excess, where people eat bigger portions of salter, rich food, drink more alcohol, and let their regimens fall by the wayside. Because of the excessive indulgence of the season, it can also be easy to push off warning signs of a heart attack. 

Higher levels of stress can contribute to heart attacks quickly due to the events of the holidays, and while enjoying the break of the holidays is an excellent way to bring joy to your life, having chronic conditions such as heart failure can pose risks that impact your season in heart-rendering ways. 

Here are some things to be aware of for everyone this holiday season:

• Know Your Symptoms and Take Action: Chest pain, upper body discomfort, shortness of breath, and cold sweats are some of the largest signs of a heart attack. Catch them early and call 911 for help. The sooner medical treatment begins, the better the chances of survival. 
• Celebrate Moderately: Unhealthy dieting habits can easily occur during this season, but you can eat smart by keeping track of your sodium intake, eating indulgent foods more moderately, and limiting your alcohol intake. 
• Be Active, But Avoid Overexertion: The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of physical activity during the holidays. Keep exercising, but don’t overexert yourself to help manage stress and keep your heart healthy. 
• Keep Taking Your Medications: Even with travel and busy schedules, taking your medications each time as needed can help promote the drug’s effectiveness and keep your blood pressure healthy. 
• Choose Your Parties Wisely: Spend time with the people you consider family most, avoid pushing yourself too far, and even skip parties if needed to care for your health. 
• Make Time To Rest: Rest by taking a few moments to relax, and even try relaxation techniques such as meditation and prayer to keep your heart calm and stable. 

Experience More Joy With A Healthy Heart

By caring for your heart, you can effectively enjoy the holiday season with those you consider family and move forward into the new year. If you’re unsure about your symptoms and need medical attention, visit your local urgent clinic to receive immediate medical care. 

Throughout our lives, we experience numerous moments that interfere with our normal routine. Studies have shown that these events can significantly impact our day-to-day lives. One area that seems to be frequently impacted is our activity levels. If not addressed in a proactive manner, it can have a significant impact on our heart health. Acknowledging these events’ impact on our activity level has led to ongoing studies. Below we’re going to expound upon some of the events that have been shown to change activity levels.

Life Events That Can Impact Activity Levels

The importance of studying the levels of physical activity adults and children participate in cannot be understated. There has been a mounting epidemic of obesity in the United States. This is aggravated by the fact that only 20% of all teenagers and 24% of adults get enough physical activity each day. These numbers are consistently low across all available samples. However, there has been a noted worsening of these rates in those who have suffered significant life events. These events aren’t necessarily traumatic. However, they represent a change in that person’s life paradigm. Some examples include

• Beginning a new career or their first job
• Becoming married
• Pregnancy
• Retirement
• Difficulties in parenting
• Transition to a long-term care facility

These events tend to upend the habits and traditions of an individual’s life. The ability to participate in these habits, such as daily visits to the gym, is often impacted. There may also be a notable impact on their social activities. Even indirectly, many social gatherings increase the amount of physical activity an individual gets. Other life factors have been shown to influence the level of activity individuals engage in.

• Limited educational background
• Poor access to safe outdoor areas to engage in physical activity
• Motor coordination
• Age
• Gender
• Poor body image
• Real or perceived barriers to participation

Their parents’ level of education influenced the weight and physical activities of those under 18 years of age. Those in communities with high crime rates, poor access to school programs, limited recreational facilities, and walkable areas also showed reduced activity levels. What can be done with all of these barriers influencing an individual’s ability to engage in physical activity?

How To Improve Your Physical Activity Levels

There are abundant ways to improve the amount of activity level you do each day. However, underneath all of these options lay the core issue. You must commit to improving your health and life by engaging in greater physical activity. There is no need for a gym or related equipment. Instead, you can reference the numerous websites and social media channels (Such as YouTube) that provide instructional videos and guides. You can also join community groups like MyFitnessPal and other physical fitness resources. Many of these sources are free and can provide significant options for engaging in physical activity at home. They can also provide important resources for improving the activity level that you may not have considered.

People active in sports, construction, or other high-energy activity can experience various forms of soft tissue damage. Soft tissue damage occurs along the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, and these injuries can cause pain, swelling, bruising, and other forms of damage. But deciding if you should see urgent care can be challenging when the pain becomes unbearable. This article will provide you with symptoms to watch out for and help you learn when to go to urgent care for a soft tissue injury. 

What Types of Soft Tissue Injuries Are There?

Sudden, hazardous impacts on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments typically cause soft tissue injuries. They can also be caused by excessive use of the soft tissues over time and most commonly occur during sports events. There are many different types of soft tissue injuries, including: 

• Contusions: Contusions are bruises that occur to the soft tissues from blunt force. Pain, swelling, and discoloration occur due to bleeding inside the tissues. 
• Sprains: Sprains are partial tears to the ligaments. The ligaments can get injured from sudden twists and wrenches to the affected area and typically occur along the ankles, wrists, and knees. 
• Strains: Strains are muscles or tendons that have been overused or overstretched. The muscles or tendons will feel sore, sensitive to sudden movements, and tight, and typically require rest to ensure healing. 
• Tendonitis: Tendonitis is an inflammatory condition in the tendon from overuse and repetitive motion. Elbows, wrists, knees, ankles, and other areas where tendons are found tend to experience this condition, usually caused by sports movements. 
• Bursitis: The bursa is a fluid-filled sac between the bones, muscles, and tendons; these areas can also get inflamed and are usually caused by overuse or direct trauma to the joint. 

When Will I Need To Go To Urgent Care For A Soft Tissue Injury? 

These conditions will usually require R.E.S.T, using ice compressions and elevating the area to help the injury heal within the first few days. However, urgent care is highly needed if a week has passed and the injury hasn’t shown any progress in healing or has worsened. Some symptoms to look out for when dealing with soft tissue injuries include: 

• Persistent pain or pain that radiates down the arms and legs
• The affected joint pops or cracks along the injury site or if the site is moved post-injury.
• Experience difficulties walking, sitting, or getting out of bed due to the injury.
• Numbness or tingling around the joint area or injury site
• Inability to move or bend the injury site due to throbbing, persistent pain
• All painful symptoms persist and cannot be relieved with over-the-counter pain relievers or other medications. 

If these symptoms occur, schedule an appointment with urgent care as soon as possible. When you visit an urgent care clinic, they can provide specialists for complex injury treatments, offer prescription-level pain medications, and help soothe pain while your injury heals. By visiting your local urgent care, they can diagnose your injury and recommend the best route to recovery.

In the past decade, there’s been a growing trend of seeking IV Vitamin Treatments as a health treatment. These infusions have become so prominent that a range of special IV clinics has opened to make them available. These clinics are popularly referred to as ‘drip bars’ and are the topic of some controversies. More recently, these services have started being offered as a “concierge service,” where the provider will come to your home to administer these infusions. These services can run as much as $300 for a treatment lasting 30 to 60 minutes. With rates like these, it’s essential to ask whether they’re safe or benefit the recipient.

The Rise of IV Infusions In Spa Trends

The origin of the IV infusion can be found in the 1960s with Dr. John Myers. These treatments were developed with the hope that they’d aid those with asthma, migraines, and fibromyalgia. A specific type of cocktail was developed by Myers and underwent extensive scientific study after years of being administered. Unfortunately, these studies revealed there was no notable benefit in those patients who were receiving it. As a result, this cocktail would slowly be phased out. Recently, however, there’s been a notable resurgence in infusion therapy.

Unfortunately, the power of hype and trendy internet fads is the driving force behind this. No new information has been brought forward that shows the earlier studies were faulty or challenged their findings. Instead, it was a collection of Hollywood debutantes with no medical training or authority who began hyping their so-called effectiveness. Chrissy Teigen and Gwyneth Paltrow are notable advocates of these “treatments” for boosting energy, curing hangovers, and reversing signs of the aging process. The less reputable clinics offering these services will repeat these claims, adding that they can ease heart disease, fight cancer, manage diabetes, and countless other dangerous claims.

Experts quote the following facts to debunk the effectiveness of these treatments:

• Vitamin C – This nutrient has long been proven effective at preventing colds. However, this is misleading at best. It is known that those taking it often recover more quickly, but there’s no proven prophylactic effect. Despite the body of evidence showing otherwise, these clinics claim it will keep you from getting sick.
• Vitamin B3 and NAD+ – The claims they make about this being able to reverse brain aging and treat Alzheimer’s are misleading. These two vitamins help prevent the onset of these conditions. However, there is no evidence showing that they can do anything to reverse them once they’ve begun. A simple infusion isn’t enough to address the problems associated with aging.

Vitamin Infusions Can Actually Cause Harm

One thing you won’t hear from these clinics is the potential risks of receiving vitamin infusions. While our bodies need vitamins and minerals to remain healthy, it’s possible to receive too much. Vitamin toxicity is a genuine danger for those receiving infusions regularly. As some vitamins get stored in the muscles, liver, and fat, they can quickly go above safe levels over multiple treatments. You would be better served by eating healthy, seeing your physician regularly, and getting plenty of exercise.

Maintaining routine heart checkups matters – regular screenings for heart health should begin at 20 years old and be performed every two to four years. That’s because even the healthiest of individuals can face heart problems later in life, and it’s often due to how delicate our hearts are to age and disease. In cases where abnormal symptoms arise, it’s important to learn when to see urgent care to determine whether you’re facing life-threatening effects or have a condition that needs treatment. 

Why You Should Keep An Eye On Your Heart Health

Even in the healthiest individuals, however, heart issues can arise. In some cases, these heart issues can be life-threatening. One of the most prominent symptoms that indicate poor heart health are chest pain and heart palpitations. While chest pain and heart palpitations don’t initially indicate heart problems, other conditions such as rib joint inflammation, panic attacks, lung diseases, and esophageal spasms can easily cause pain throughout the chest. In these scenarios where you don’t know whether or not it’s you’re heart, going to urgent care can help determine what’s causing it and provide you with the help you need. 

Other symptoms often associated with heart health problems include:

• The heart is beating too quickly
• The heart is beating too strongly
• The heart is irregularly
• The heartbeat is skipping and rapidly fluttering
• The heart feels like it is flipping and flopping in the chest

While some instances of heart palpitations and chest pain may appear obvious, other cases may not resolve on their own if they go untreated. Symptoms such as fainting, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, fever, and dizziness can also indicate serious heart health issues that require surgical or therapeutic treatment to handle. However, other conditions, such as strenuous physical activity, hormone changes, stimulants, and emotional triggers, can easily lead to physical symptoms. Hence, it’s important to see urgent care if you are unsure. 

When Should You Visit Urgent Care For Heart Health

Regardless of whether you have a heart problem or experiencing signs such as chest pain, you should seek medical attention immediately. When you take the time to visit urgent care, you can receive a quick diagnosis for your condition, especially if you feel that you are experiencing a non-emergency scenario. All urgent care professionals can easily connect their patients with heart health specialists and surgeons to help assist with long-term problems associated with heart health. 

One way to determine if you should visit urgent care is by noticing how your symptoms formed. If your chest pain has been treated before in the past and you don’t experience the symptoms of heart attacks, strokes, and other emergency conditions, then it’s best to visit an urgent care for immediate treatment. However, if the chest pain, heart palpitations, and other symptoms worsen, then it’s important to go to the emergency room right away for treatment. Your experts will be knowledgeable and experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of even the most complex heart conditions and will be able to help you feel better. 

If you’ve been feeling constant stress, then you’re not alone. At least 2 in 3 adults say that they’ve experienced increased stress over the course of the pandemic, with nearly half of adults reporting that their stress levels have taken a physical and emotional toll, resulting in a high increase in burnout. Burnout is what happens when you are physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted from the excessive and prolonged stress you experience from the constant demands of everyday life. When burnout happens, it’s important to find ways of recovering and managing your stress, as it can affect almost every part of your life, including your home, relationships, work, and social life. Here’s what we have to say about burnout and how to handle it.

Burnout: The Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Stress

Both chronic stress and burnout are gradual processes. If you are living your life with high levels of stress, then your well-being is at risk. Chronic stress causes significant damage to your emotional and mental health by narrowing your ability to think clearly, function efficiently, and enjoy life on a regular basis. When chronic stress becomes unmanageable for long periods, then burnout develops. Burnout is the red flag, indicating that something is wrong and needs to be fixed to prevent a major breakdown.

Burnout affects everyone in different ways but presents very common symptoms that affect people in varying degrees. These symptoms include:

• Physical: Physical symptoms include frequent headaches, muscle pains, constant feeling of tiredness, frequent illnesses, changes in appetite, and sleep problems.
• Emotional: Emotional symptoms create feelings of self-doubt, helplessness, detachment from everyday life, feelings of loneliness, cynical thinking, and a complete loss of motivation.
• Behavioral: In behaviors, burnout causes withdrawal from responsibilities, skipping work, procrastinating, drug and alcohol reliance, and complete isolation from others.

All of these symptoms can affect anyone, but burnout is a highly prevalent problem among those in high-risk, heavily demanding careers such as medical nurses, emergency responders, construction workers, and financial institutions. The fine line between chronic stress and burnout comes from the feeling of not being in control over your circumstances and, in many ways, can feel like drowning.

Ways to Deal With Burnout From Chronic Stress

In urgent care, many people can experience health problems, including frequent illnesses and eventual chronic diseases, from the onset of burnout. It’s important to address these stress problems early before they become overwhelming and impossible to manage. To help with this, some tips we can offer to manage burnout include:

• Reaching Out to Others: Reaching out to others can help relieve stress, open up about burdens, and find ways to make life more positive. This includes being around loved ones, positive-minded people, and other social groups.
• Practicing Mindfulness: By changing the way you look at the world, you can reduce the amount of burnout and stress felt each day, including meditations, taking time off, and finding value in everyday tasks.
• Reevaluating Priorities: Setting boundaries, taking breaks from technology, and nourishing yourself with activities you enjoy can help you relieve stress and give you ways to remove signs of burnout.

If you feel you’re at risk of workplace burnout and need help, then your local urgent care practice can provide you with the resources you need to build resistance to stress and adversity and find treatments for chronic stress. 

Would you recognize you were experiencing trouble with your heart? Most know that if your arm is hurting, you’re having trouble breathing, and your chest hurts, those aren’t good signs. There are other signs of heart issues that aren’t as well-known. Many of these warning signs can appear in places other than your chest. This makes it hard to identify that your body is trying to tell you that your heart is in trouble.

Poorly Understood Heart Attack Signs

The less typical signs of heart disease are more common in those who have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, are overweight or are above the age of 60. The more risk factors apply to you, the more concerned you should be about watching for signs of heart trouble. If you are demonstrating any of the following indicators, your heart may be trying to warn you:

• Chest Discomfort – This is one of the most common signs of problems with the heart. You may feel this as pressure, pain, or tightness. This sign can appear as part of a heart attack but may appear with a blocked artery. The feeling will be persistent, often lasting for more than a few minutes. It can appear when you’re physically active or at rest. If you experience a brief stab of pain, it probably doesn’t involve your heart. It’s still smart to have it checked out, however. In cases where the symptom doesn’t pass in a few minutes, call 911.
• Nausea, Heartburn, Stomach Pain, Indigestion – When some individuals are experiencing a heart attack, they may have these symptoms. Some people will even vomit when a heart attack happens. These symptoms are more frequently seen in women than men. This symptom can be associated with many health conditions, but it’s worth paying attention to if you’re at risk for a heart attack.
• Pain Spreading To The Arm – This is another well-known symptom. If you feel pain in your chest that then begins to spread down the left side of the body, it’s likely a heart attack.
• Dizziness or Lightheadedness – You may experience a loss of balance or feel faint when hit by a heart attack. However, call a doctor immediately if you feel unsteady while experiencing chest pain or trouble breathing. This is often the result of your blood pressure dropping due to your heart’s inability to pump properly.
• Throat Or Jaw Pain – Throat or jaw pain isn’t a sign on its own. However, pain that starts at the heart and then radiates up into the jaw or pain is a definite warning sign. Play it safe and call 911.
• Rapid Exhaustion – A lack of exercise can make a lot of activities more daunting than they would be otherwise. However, if the experience is sudden, it’s important to have it checked out. Being able to climb the stairs fine one day and being out of breath the next is a reason for concern.

Numerous other signs point to a potential heart attack, but these are the more prominent and easily identified.

Contact Your Physician For More Information

Get a consultation with your physician if you have multiple risk factors associated with heart disease and cardiac problems. You must start taking steps to address your heart concerns immediately. They’ll help you get your health on track and take steps to protect your heart against disease.