• Home
  • Services
  • About
  • News
  • Contact

Swimmer's Ear

7/30/2017

0 Comments

 
Swimmer's ear, also known as otitis externa, is an inflammation of the outer ear canal. Although it is most prevalent among young adults and children. Often contracted due to frequent swimming, and even from showering.  Swimming in polluted water can easily bring harmful bacteria into the outer ear.

Swimmer's ear can lead to a painful and often itchy infection. The skin inside the ear canal may flake due to moisture. This flaking may cause persistent itching that may lead to a break in the skin from scratching. Broken skin allows bacteria or a fungus to infect the tissues lining the ear canal. 

The diagnosis of swimmer's ear is made from clinical observation. The doctor looks inside the ear with an instrument called an otoscope. The otoscope allows him or her to see whether there is swelling, redness, and a discharge.

Tips to Help prevent Swimmer's Ear

  • Drying your ears immediately after swimming (or even showering) is a good habit to get into. Removing excess moisture reduces the chance of bacterial growth and therefore reduces the chance of infection.
  •  Ear plugs are great way to minimize the amount of water that enters your ear while swimming.
  • Don’t use cotton swabs to remove ear wax. They may pack ear wax and dirt deeper into the ear canal.
  • Avoiding in-ear headphone usage.

The Team at Gateway Urgent Care

0 Comments

Staying Hydrated in the Sierras

6/30/2017

0 Comments

 
Our bodies lose fluids faster at altitude. It takes a little bit of extra care to stay hydrated at higher elevations. Whether your relaxing, boating, biking, hiking, running, climbing, or paddling it is important to carry extra fluids. Your body's effort to cope with less oxygen and low humidity can cause changes to your electrolytes (salts) and your body's balance of fluid and salts.

You may be low on fluids even before you feel thirsty. Caffeine, sugary drinks can cause you to lose additional fluids from your body. Water is the best form of hydration. Dehydration can hit abruptedly, or slowly. Dehydration is a serious condition and can require medical attention. At Gateway Urgent Care we can re-hydrate patients very quickly and easily with intravenous fluids.
 
Signs of dehydration
  • Increased heart rate
  • Increased respiration
  • Decreased sweating
  • Decreased urination
  • Increased body temperature
  • Extreme fatigue  
  • Muscle cramps
  • Headaches
  • Nausea
 
Remember the end point of re-hydration is your urine output. Enjoy your stay in the Sierra's. Be Safe, and Hydrate.

The Team at Gateway Urgent Care
 
0 Comments

    Author

    Dr. Chez has practiced Emergency Medicine in the North Lake Tahoe area for over thirty-five years. He is the founder and Medical Director of Gateway Urgent Care in Truckee which he opened in 1995.

    Archives

    July 2017
    June 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Services
  • About
  • News
  • Contact