2022 & you: answers to your medical questions
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BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – As we enter the second week of the New Year, there are many people who have many questions for their doctors, ranging from cedar fever to the flu to COVID-19.
Dr Lon Young from Caprock Health Systems joined the BVTM team live and answered some of these questions.
When it comes to deciding if you’re sick or just have allergies, Dr. Young says to listen to your body.
“It can be difficult to sort them. A lot of the symptoms overlap between these different things, ”Young said. “One thing that I think is reliable is that the innate characteristic of having allergies is that it recurs over time. And so people tend to have similar symptoms, can be to different degrees. or maybe at slightly different times of the year. These similar symptoms should make us think “these are my allergies.” If, on the other hand, if you have something that is not typical of your allergies, it is is a concern.
Asked about face masks, Dr. Young ranks the N95 as the most effective, then the surgical mask as a good option, and the cotton mask as the least effective.
He adds that the fit of the mask is also important.
“A tight-fitting mask will be better than a loose mask, but even a loose mask will redirect your breath rather than other people,” Young said.
Flurona is also a headline-grabbing disease, and Dr Young emphasizes that people need to know that this is not a new virus.
“It’s not a new virus. It’s not even a variant, ”Dr. Young said. “It’s just that we kind of have the perfect storm. We have the flu in the community, we have [COVID-19] in the community we have had vacations, and it is already a busy time of year because we have other viruses and pneumonia going around. “
He describes Flurona’s patients as having both COVID-19 and the flu.
“They can feel even more miserable and run a much higher risk of complications, which underscores the importance of getting vaccinated against both the coronavirus and the flu virus and following health recommendations,” Young said. .
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