'Happy Mother's Day'!

For many families around the world and throughout history, it has traditionally been the mother who has the often thankless job of keeping the family and household running.

Starting with lending their bodies to house babies before they are even born, mothers have a tendency to give up a lot for their families and are rarely given the accolades they deserve.

So, Mother’s Day is the perfect opportunity each year to remind Mom how much she is loved, appreciated and noticed. (Of course, she will certainly be happy to be appreciated at other times of year as well!)

Get ready to learn about and celebrate Mother’s Day



Read more here. . . .



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!

May 12, 2024

COVID IS AT IT’S LOWEST LEVEL IN THE PAST YEAR. IT REMAINS AROUND THIS SPRING BUT IS LESSENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY…. BUT STILL …. THERE ARE INFECTIONS 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 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.  

• 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.

• 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 IS COMING:

WEST NILE SEASON IS COMING.  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.

H5N1 INFLUENZA

THERE IS A LOT OF NEWS ABOUT THE ‘BIRD FLU’….H5N1, AS IT HAS BEEN FOUND IN LARGE QUANTITIES IN COWS MILK IN THE USA.  THIS IS NOT INFECTIOUS IN MILK, BUT IT DEMONSTRATES THAT THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF THIS SUB-TYPE IN THE COUNTRY.

IT IS NOT A WORRY, BUT IS SOMETHING THAT IS TO BE MONITORED, AS WIDESPREAD INFECTION IN HUMANS WOULD CAUSE A VERY LARGE INFLUENZA OUTBREAK OR ANOTHER PANDEMIC…THIS TIME OF INFLUENZA.

THAT SAID, THE RISK REMAINS PRESENT BUT LOW.  WE SHOULD NOT BE WORRIED ABOUT THIS IN OUR DAY TO DAY LIVES, BUT WE WILL KEEP MONITORING AND KEEP YOU AWARE.

H5N1 IS A SUB-TYPE THAT IS DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT FROM THE NORMALLY CIRCULATING FLU AND ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE AN IMMUNIZATION FOR THIS IF IT BECOMES WIDESPREAD IN HUMANS, THERE IS LITTLE NATURAL IMMUNITY TO THIS FORM OF FLU AND IT IS FELT THAT H5N1 HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR PANDEMIC EFFECTS.

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 2, 2024

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/episode-156-h5n1-impending-crisis

(Same as last week's..... New podcast next week!)



"H5N1: An Impending Crisis"

In "H5N1: An Impending Crisis," Dr. Osterholm and Chris Dall discuss the spread of H5N1 avian influenza in US

dairy cows, cover the latest COVID-19 trends, review two articles on long COVID, and answers a listener question about the safety of raw milk and other dairy products. Dr. Osterholm also shares a timely "This Week in Public Health History" segment and interviews the final two members of the podcast team.

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.

Disease experts anticipate a small uptick in Covid cases this summer, as a new variant spreads. 

The KP.2 variant represents 28% of Covid infections in the U.S., up from just 6% in mid-April, according to data released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

KP.2 became dominant at the end of April — meaning it accounts for the largest share of new cases — outpacing the JN.1 variant, which took over in the winter.

Some scientists collectively refer to KP.2 and another variant called KP.1.1, which shares the same key mutations, as “FLiRT” — a reference to their amino acid changes.

Both are descendants of JN.1, which is part of the omicron lineage, like all versions of the coronavirus that have gained dominance in the last couple of years.

But KP.2 has three additional mutations in its spike protein compared with JN.1, which disease experts said could make it easier for the virus to bypass protection from vaccines or prior infections.

Read more here. . . .

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:

1. Your name
2. Name & date of vaccination received
3. Brand name
4. Lot number if available
5. Which dose you have received

**Email your vaccine info HERE

AstraZeneca says it is withdrawing Vaxzevria, its vaccine to protect against COVID-19, from global markets. The vaccine was used early on in the pandemic in many countries, including Canada.

In an update on the European Medicines Agency's website on Wednesday, the regulator said that the approval for Vaxzevria had been withdrawn "at the request of the marketing authorization holder."

More than three billion doses of the vaccine have been supplied since it first was administered in the United Kingdom in January 2021.

AstraZeneca said as multiple vaccines against newer variants of the pandemic coronavirus have been developed, there is a surplus. Demand for Vaxzevria declined and the company said it is no longer being manufactured or supplied.

Read more here. . . .

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.

SUMMARY OF A COVID KIT & CHECK LIST:

This is what you should have at home to prepare for possible COVID, to monitor yourself if you were to get infected:

DIGITAL ORAL THERMOMETER: MANY BRANDS ARE FINE…HERE IS ONE EXAMPLE:

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Thermometer-Reading-Waterproof-Indicator/dp/B087T3S4TR/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=THERMOMETER&qid=1597159324&sr=8-6

PULSE OXIMETER:  TO CHECK OXYGEN LEVELS. MANY BRANDS ARE FINE...HERE IS ONE EXAMPLE:

https://www.amazon.com/Innovo-Fingertip-Oximeter-Plethysmograph-Perfusion/dp/B07YVGZPRZ/ref=sr_1_20?dchild=1&keywords=PULSE+OXI&qid=1597159388&sr=8-20

OTHER ITEMS FROM THE HOME MEDICAL KIT:

·       TYLENOL, ADVIL, OR ALEVE

·       Sudafed 30mg tablets

·       Chlorpheniramine 4mg tablets

·       Robitussin DM syrup

·       Imodium AD

'Mother's Day'

"Mother's Day" is the latest star studded ensemble comedy from director Garry Marshall ("Pretty Woman," "Valentine¹s Day"). Bringing together Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Julia Roberts along with Jason Sudekis, it's a celebration of mothers everywhere.

This big-hearted comedy invites us all to enjoy the laughter, tears and love as three generations come together in the week leading up to Mother¹s Day.



Stay Safe!