DrSontag.com

It seems as even the First Coast isn’t immune to the infamous swine flu!  Two cases have been confirmed thus far- one being a 15 year old girl in Oak Leaf in Clay County.  Many people are up in arms over the thought of coming down with the infection.  People are bombarding the emergency rooms at the Mayo Clinic, Orange Park Medical Center and St. Vincent’s to find out if they have the flu.  The swine flu presents similarly to the regular flu- Fever (which may or may not be present), cough, runny nose, sore throat, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea.  You may have all or just one of these symptoms.  If you feel like you may have come down with the swine flu, you should see a doctor that has the capability of testing for the flu.  This involves a simple nasal swab and results are known within minutes.  The state has now allowed for more rapid testing for swine flu by sending the testing kits to the state labs, including the one in Jacksonville.  If you test positive for the flu with the nasal swab, your swab will then be sent on to determine if it is indeed swine flu.  If you need a physician that can perform these tests, please contact us at 264-8621.

Every year, on the third Thursday in November, the American Cancer Society holds their annual Great American Smokeout.  On this day, they encourage all smokers to quit, or use less tobacco products than usual.  This year, November 20, 2008, marked a special day for several area hospitals.  Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Baptist Health, Orange Park Medical Center, UF-Shands, Memorial, St. Vincent’s and St. Lukes all formed an partnership to become smoke-free campuses.  As part of their agreement, all the hospitals promised to provide their employees with tobacco cessation tools that their employees would need.  This is a great idea for the local hospitals.  Unfortunately, it is not all that uncommon to see a patient admitted to the hospital with a tobacco related disease, standing outside in front of the hospital, oxygen tank and IV pole in tow.  Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death.  I encourage all smokers to think seriously about asking their primary care doctor about the new strategies and medicines we have available to help our patients quit smoking.  Tobacco is one of the most addicting drugs that exist and one of the most difficult to quit.

Welcome to DrSontag.com.  Here you will find discussions about current medical topics pertaining to Orange Park, Middleburg, and Jacksonville, Florida  If there is a topic you would like discussed, please let me know.  I practice evidence-based medicine, and all my discussions on medical topics will have a foundation in this philosophy.