When you enter the waiting room of MDVIP affiliate Dr. Greg in Baton Rouge, you might think you actually walked into an art gallery. The warm and welcoming waiting room boasts a one-of-a-kind, original artwork made by a local artist. Created by a longtime MDVIP patient and titled “Doc’s Curbside Service,” the drawing features Dr. Ferrara caring for a patient in the tumultuous early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

Ticks are known for causing a wide range of illnesses, with the most common being Lyme disease - a bacterial illness that affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are about 475,000 new cases of Lyme disease each year in the U.S.; however, only about 36,000 cases are reported to the CDC.  

It’s common for people to experience the flu differently. In some people, the flu triggers strong cold-like symptoms, while other people develop life-threatening issues. 

Influenza is a virus responsible for about 9 million illnesses, 4 million medical visits, 10,000 hospitalizations and 35,000 deaths each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

With winter less than two months away, now is a good time to prepare yourself for colder temperatures, especially if you have health conditions affected by lower temperatures.

Circulation, in particular, can be impacted by winter weather. Colder air narrows blood vessels in your toes, fingers and skin, causing heat loss. In turn, the heart works harder to pump blood throughout the body to maintain your body temperature. And when it does, it also raises the heart rate and blood pressure.

From annual physicals to acute care for minor injuries and illnesses that come up, primary care is an essential part of healthcare. But what happens when you need care beyond what a primary care physician or PCP can provide?

If you’ve taken part in the MDVIP Wellness Program, you may have had your blood tested for myeloperoxidase or MPO. It’s one of the tests that may be included when your doctor draws blood. MDVIP added this option so physicians would have an additional tool to better identify heart disease risk — elevated MPO levels are linked to heart attack risk.

Vegetarianism has gotten a lot of hype over the last 15 years. A lifestyle once written off as earthy crunchy, went mainstream around 2010.

There are many reasons people go vegetarian, with the most popular being health. Studies suggest a vegetarian lifestyle may help: 
•    Lower the risk for certain cancers
•    Manage weight 
•    Forestall type 2 diabetes
•    Prevent metabolic syndrome
•    Improve heart health

We all feel tired some of the time, and often it’s nothing a few restful nights of sleep can’t cure. Fatigue is also common when you’re suffering from allergies or fighting an illness or infection.

Medical conditions such as autoimmune disorders and fibromyalgia can also cause ongoing tiredness, and treatments like chemotherapy are major culprits of fatigue. Fatigue can also be a symptom of long COVID, when tiredness is typically accompanied by other indications.

A future version of the Apple Watch may include the ability to measure blood sugar without a finger prick. While this is good news for people with diabetes who must regularly test their blood sugar, it’s also a response to the rising trend of Americans keeping tabs on their blood glucose levels.

Monitoring blood sugar has been part of diabetes management for decades, but it’s recently become associated with weight management and high-end athletics, too. In fact, many people are embracing a new kind of blood glucose monitoring technology, whether they really need it or not.

There’s a new term for an epidemic you’re probably aware of: Diabesity. It probably sounds a little melodramatic, but it is the largest epidemic in human history, according to a study published in Clinical Diabetes and Endocrinology.