McLaren Health Care

With spring upon us, tradition has it that we refresh our homes by "spring cleaning" after the long winter. But this doesn’t have to be limited to your home. Spring cleaning is also the perfect time to check up on your overall health. No matter your age or stage of life, annual exams with your primary care doctor are essential to your health. An annual exam is a great time to review your numbers and determine where your health stands. Your doctor may perform a physical exam, measure your vital signs, or...

An innovative heart procedure helps a man regain his energy. Had it not been for an old racquetball injury and eventual foot procedure, Ken might not have known the extent of his atrial fibrillation. It was during the routine, pre-op tests that his doctor first told him he was, at that very moment, in AFib. “There was none of that classic fluttering of the heart,” Ken said, “but I always thought there was something there.” Ken, like so many other men and women in their 60s, has encountered bouts of shor...

Vaccines are here, bringing hope of returning to life as we knew it before the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ve received your vaccine, so now what? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have issued new guidelines for those who are fully vaccinated. You are considered fully vaccinated: Two weeks after your second dose in a 2-dose series, like the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or Day 29 after a single dose vaccine like Johnson & Johnson If you have been fully vaccinated, there are some things yo...

Throat cancer now surpasses cervical cancer as the most common HPV-related cancer. Doctors have long known that the human papilloma virus (HPV) is linked to cervical cancer. However, many members of the general public and even members of the medical community aren't aware of the strong link between HPV and head and neck cancers. Dr. Ammar Sukari, leader of the Head and Neck Multidisciplinary Team at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and associate professor in the Department of Oncology at Wayne ...

Screening mammograms and COVID-19 vaccines are both really important to your health. But recent reports about the vaccine potentially causing “false positives” on mammograms have certainly created confusion and stress over whether to continue delaying that annual screening. “If you, like many women, cancelled your annual mammogram last year because of COVID, it’s really important that you make it a priority to get that screening as soon as possible,” says Dr. Kimberley Clark-Paul, a breast surgeon at Mc...

It’s not news that breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. But with different recommendations for screening mammograms floating around, it’s often difficult to determine what’s right for you. Before you delay a mammogram, talk with your physician — your family history and overall health may be factors to take into consideration when deciding when to schedule the screening. “My recommendation, and the recommendation from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network and American College of ...

How big of a risk are COVID-19 breakthrough cases? People getting a COVID-19 vaccine have an expectation of being protected. But with reports of breakthrough cases, experts urge everyone to understand what to expect from the vaccines’ protection. Breakthrough cases of COVID-19, though rare, are patients who have tested positive for the coronavirus two or more weeks after their vaccination — once plenty of time has passed for the body’s immune system to build an antibody defense. This situation was one p...

You’ve been craving your grandmother’s famous chocolate cake and decide to look up the recipe. As you glance through the list of ingredients, you are shocked to learn how much sugar is in there...no wonder grandma’s cakes always tasted so good! But before you reach for that bag of sugar, you remember that conversation with your doctor and his concern over your upward trend of fasting blood glucose levels. Sugar helps make baked goods puffy, golden brown and moist. Finding alternatives for sugar in bakin...

Sunshine and some time in nature can lead to health benefits. Taking a jog along a trail in a park or playing a pick-up game in a field with some friends have obvious exercise and health benefits. But it has also been determined that simply being outside and spending some time around nature also gives one’s health a boost in a number of ways. “All too often we forget to shift back and focus on self-care,” said Dr. Tara Eastin, an internal medicine specialist with McLaren Macomb. “I find people feel bett...

Vaccines are the safest way to reaching herd immunity. When it’s your turn, be ready. Months into the deadly pandemic, the medical community had a genuine cause for celebration with the authorization of multiple safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines. Health care professionals and public health experts now have a way to defend and fight back against the coronavirus. It will take patience, but with the nationwide vaccine program currently underway, it’s vital everyone be ready when his or her turn arrives....