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'National Smile Month'
A dazzling smile can brighten the darkest day, and now there’s a whole month dedicated to it! National Smile Month is not only a celebration about smiling.
Rather, it is a vital campaign that shines a spotlight on the importance of oral health and the power of a smile.
It’s also a time when dental and health professionals, community groups, schools, and individuals can promote good oral health practices and spread happiness through the simple act of smiling.
Read more here. . . .
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'The Weekly DoctorDoug Report'
Paradise Valley Medical Clinic,
Douglas M. Lakin, M.D.
Kaitlin A. Kraemer, PA-C
9977 N 90th Street, Suite 180, Scottsdale, AZ 85258
480.614.5800 (phone), 480.614.6322 (Fax)
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Congratulations. . . .
Dr. Lakin Named “Top Docs” Again For 2024!
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Every year Phoenix Magazine publishes a guide featuring over 685 of the Valley’s best physicians. The doctors are selected through a peer-review survey. The theory is that medical professionals are the best qualified to judge medical professionals.
The survey asks the doctors to nominate those doctors who, in their judgement, are the best in their fields.
Once again, Dr. Lakin has been chosen as a TOP DOC among his peers.
Now standing at 22 years!
(2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2003, 2001)
Please join us in congratulating him!
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ATTN PATIENTS:
for a 'Telehealth' visit. You can connect using your iPad, iPhone, Android phone, a laptop, or a PC with a camera.
Please watch these videos so you can be prepared and know how to connect with Dr. Lakin for a 'Telehealth' visit.
CLICK ON THE PICTURES
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‘THE WEEKLY DOCTORDOUG REPORT’ | |
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June 9, 2024
COVID REMAINS LOW, BUT WE STILL SEE A FEW PEOPLE WITH COVID EVERY WEEK.
ALL DOING WELL. BE PROACTIVE TO PREVENT NEED FOR HOSPITALIZATION.
- IF YOU DON’T WANT COVID FROM TRAVEL…. WEAR A MASK IN THE AIRPORT CROWDS AND ON THE AIRPLANE (UNTIL 10,000 FEET) …. THIS IS NOT AS ESSENTIAL AS IT WAS WHEN COVID WAS MORE PREVALENT…BUT IF YOU WANT TO AVOID INFECTIONS IN GENERAL DURING TRAVEL...IT’S A CONSIDERATION.
- EVEN SELECTIVE MASK USE WORKS WELL… SUCH AS ONLY IN CROWDED SPACES IN THE AIRPORT, AND DURING TRAVEL ‘TO’ YOUR DESTINATION, SO THAT YOU ARE NOT ILL DURING YOU VACATION/TRAVEL TIME. LESS IMPORTANT WHEN YOU RETURN FROM VACATION.
- GET BOOSTED IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO…PARTICULARLY OVER AGE 65 WITH HEALTH ISSUES OR OVER 75 WITHOUT HEALTH ISSUES. EVERY 6 MONTHS IS THE RECOMMENDATION FOR THIS GROUP.
- IF YOU WERE BOOSTED IN SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER AND OVER AGE 65, ANOTHER BOOST IS WORTHWHILE THIS SPRING. THAT SAID...IF YOU HAVE HAD COVID IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS YOU CAN HOLD ON BOOSTING FOR 6 MONTHS.
- FLU SEASON IS OVER… NO MORE FLU SHOTS THIS SEASON
- VERY LITTLE RSV IN THE VALLEY.
IF YOU THINK YOU HAVE A COLD OR RESPIRATORY INFECTION RIGHT NOW…. YOU MAY WELL HAVE COVID. PLEASE DO A COVID TEST TO CHECK AT HOME.
ALMOST ALL DOING WELL, BUT WE ARE SEEING A FEW PEOPLE NEED THE HOSPITAL TO RECOVER.
THE CURRENT COVID VACCINE IS AVAILABLE.
IT IS KEEPING PEOPLE FROM HAVING A MORE DIFFICULT TIME WITH INFECTION AND KEEPING PEOPLE OUT OF THE HOSPITAL.
I RECOMMEND THE COVID BOOSTER GENERALLY FOR THOSE OVER 65. BUT……
- I HIGHLY RECOMMEND A BOOSTER FOR THOSE 80 & OLDER.
- I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE BOOSTER FOR THOSE OVER 65 WITH HEART FAILURE, SIGNIFICANT LUNG CONDITIONS, AND DIABETES.
CONSIDER BOOSTING WITH THE NEW COVID VACCINE TO REDUCE RISK OF COVID AND TO REDUCE COVID SYMPTOM SEVERITY
WEST NILE SEASON:
NO SIGNIFICANT WEST NILE REPORTED IN THE VALLEY AT THIS TIME BUT PREPARE TO USE PROTECTION.
IF WE HEAR OF NEW CASES…WILL REPORT TO YOU.
NO WEST NILE REPORTED…. BUT PREPARE NOW BY GETTING YOUR MOSQUITO REPELLENT.
PLEASE USE MOSQUITO REPELLENT
WHEN IN HIGH EXPOSURE SITUATIONS.
ARIZONA IS THE PRIME USA LOCATION FOR WEST NILE DUE TO HIGH WEST NILE VIRUS LEVELS IN RAPTOR BIRDS WHO ARE IMMUNE TO WEST NILE ILLNESS, BUT NOT IMMUNE TO CARRYING THE VIRUS. THIS CAN RESULT IN ARIZONA MOSQUITOS WITH PARTICULARLY HIGH VIRUS LEVELS WHEN THEY BITE.
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TOP PODCAST DONE WEEKLY
BY DR. MICHAEL OSTERHOLM
(UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA)
He is a world-renowned epidemiologist who was credited with first elucidating TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME in the 1980’s.
He provides comprehensive and understandable/actionable ideas related to COVID.
Dr. Osterholm Update: COVID-19 Podcast
May 30, 2024
(Same as last weeks.... New podcast next week!)
'An Unfolding Saga'
In "An Unfolding Saga," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the latest H5N1, COVID-19, and measles news. Dr. Osterholm also answers an ID query on influenza and shares the latest "This Week in Public Health History" segment.
According to Dr. Osterholm……
- GET YOUR LATEST AVAILABLE BOOSTER IF YOU HAVE NOT HAD COVID OR IT’S BEEN LONGER THAN 4 MONTHS SINCE YOU HAD COVID YOURSELF
- A GOOD MASK, N95 OF KN95, DOES HELP REDUCE TRANSMISSION…. USE IT AT HIGH-RISK LOCATIONS
- GOOD VENTILATION IN ROOMS/HOME/BUSINESSES IS A GREAT WAY TO PREVENT TRANSMISSION
- VACCINE, VACCINE, VACCINE…THIS IS OUR PROTECTION. ALL VACCINES ARE EFFECTIVE AND WITH TIME WE ARE SEEING THAT THE J&J VACCINE IS PICKING UP STEAM AND GIVES SOLID LONG-TERM PROTECTION.
- BOOST, BOOST, BOOST…THIS WILL BE NECESSARY TO PREVENT RECURRING SURGE AND TO RAISE ANTIBODY LEVELS IN THOSE ALREADY SET WITH THE PRIMARY COVID VACCINE SERIES.
- ANTIGEN TESTING IS USEFUL, BUT OF LIMITED VALUE. DON’T DEPEND ON IT…BUT USE IT.
Know that unvaccinated remain a source of potential infection. Avoiding unvaccinated persons will reduce your risk of COVID.
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Moderna Seeks FDA Approval For Updated COVID-19 Shot For Upcoming Season
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Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) announced that it has submitted an FDA application for review of its Spikevax 2024-2025 formula, which targets the SARS-CoV-2 variant JN.1.
The submission is based on FDA guidance, which advised that COVID-19 vaccines should be updated to a monovalent JN.1 composition for the 2024-2025 season.
JN.1 and its descendants KP.2 and KP.3 are the versions of the virus that are most common in the U.S. right now, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In its briefing document, the FDA told the advisory committee Wednesday that studies have shown that currently available COVID-19 vaccines appear to be less effective against the variants currently in circulation.
This guidance aligns with the recommendations from the World Health Organization’s panel and the European Medicines Agency’s Emergency Task Force on the use of a monovalent JN.1 lineage for COVID-19 vaccine antigen composition.
The most common local adverse event for Moderna’s updated COVID-19 vaccine was injection site pain. The most common systemic adverse events include headache, fatigue, myalgia, and chills.
Read more here. . . .
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After you received your COVID or any other vaccination outside our office, please let us know!
We would like to document this information into your chart.
What we need:
- Your name
- Name & date of vaccination received
- Brand name
- Lot number if available
- Which dose you have received
**Email your vaccine info HERE
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Mosquitoes of Arizona
. . . . Did you know there are over 40 species of mosquitoes in Arizona,
but only some mosquito species spread disease.
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Culex: Carrier of West Nile
Culex sp. mosquitoes are most active between dusk and dawn. These mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, such as ponds, puddles, horse troughs, and catch basins.
Culex sp. mosquitoes in Arizona can carry diseases such as West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis virus. It is important to avoid mosquito bites to reduce your risk of getting these diseases.
This species is most active at dawn and dusk and carries diseases like West Nile and St. Louis encephalitis.
Read more here. . . .
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New COVID Variant KP.3 Climbs to 25%, Now Largest In CDC Estimates
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The new KP.3 variant has climbed to 1 in 4 new COVID-19 cases nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated Friday, making it now the dominant strain of the virus nationwide.
KP.3's ascent comes as the CDC has tracked key metrics of spread from the virus now starting to trend up. Previous years have seen surges of the virus peak around August.
Data from CDC's wastewater surveillance has tracked levels of the virus starting to accelerate in the West. Emergency room visits for COVID-19 have inched up in recent weeks for all ages. COVID-19 infections are likely growing in 30 states and territories, the CDC now estimates.
"Very, very similar" to JN.1
KP.3 is now estimated to be outpacing the KP.2 variant, a so-called "FLiRT" strain that this week inched up to 22.5% of cases. KP.2 had risen to dominance in previous weeks, but its growth has now slowed.
Both KP.3 and KP.2 are "very, very similar" to the JN.1 variant that had dominated this past winter's wave of infections.
"When you look at KP.2 and KP.3, they're nearly identical to each other with really one difference between the two of them," Natalie Thornburg, the chief lab official at the CDC's Coronavirus and Other Respiratory Viruses Division, said Wednesday.
Thornburg was speaking at a Food and Drug Administration meeting debating what strains should be targeted by this fall's vaccines.
This difference is smaller than previous jumps in the virus, like when JN.1's parent – the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant – first emerged last year.
However, KP.2 and KP.3 are also not identical. Early data suggests KP.3's mutations might be better at evading immunity.
Read more here. . . .
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We Are Here to Take Care of Your Healthcare Needs.
We Are Here to Serve!
Our office is using all techniques to reduce exposure to a minimum during your visit. These include:
· Temperature checks of all patients and staff.
· Masks for all people in the office.
· Cleansing of hands and surfaces repeatedly.
· Multiple Super-HEPA filters to filter out potential virus and particles in the office.
· High Level UV light air cleansing in the office to eliminate bacteria and viruses in the air.
OUR OFFICE SCHEDULE
DOORS OPEN
7AM - 4PM Monday through Thursday
7AM - 11AM Friday
IN OFFICE
APPOINTMENTS: MONDAY – THURSDAY
7AM – 11:15AM & 1PM – 3:30PM
APPOINTMENTS: FRIDAY
7AM – 10:30 AM
DR. LAKIN WILL CONTINUE ‘TELEHEALTH’ VISITS WITH FaceTime, WhatsApp or ZOOM WHEN NEEDED.
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Dr. Lakin's Info For COVID-19 Kit &
Recommended Treatments
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'Improve Your Smile in 7 Ways / Natural and Authentic Smiling Exercises'
Here's how to improve your smile in 7 ways. Try these natural and authentic smiling exercises to smile better :)
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