There has been a lot of news recently about outbreaks of Zika virus infections particularly in Brazil. The virus, which has been associated with fetal abnormalities in pregnant women, is causing a real scare in Central and South America. The government of El Salvador took the unprecedented step of calling for women to refrain from getting pregnant for two years. 

The virus is thought to be at risk for spreading to the U.S especially in areas where the Aedes mosquito exists. The virus is mosquito borne and is transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. The Aedes mosquito bites during the daytime and breeds in standing water. 

What should you look for?

Unfortunately the symptoms of Zika virus infection are very vague and non-specific. These symptoms include low-grade fever, rash, joint pain, and pink eye. Signs and symptoms occur within 2 - 12 days and the symptoms are usually mild. Many patients have no symptoms at all. 

For now, individuals should be concerned if they have the clinical symptoms and recently traveled to an area where the Aedes mosquito is present and cases have been reported. This is especially true for pregnant women who should get lab testing and an ultrasound to evaluate for Zika virus related birth defects. 

There is no treatment for the  infection and no vaccine. The key is prevention which includes wearing personal protective equipment and instituting measures to eliminate and control mosquito breeding sites. 

Recently the CDC advised that pregnant women consider forgoing travel to any area where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. 

Of course, each individual case is different and the advice in this post should not substitute for getting a consultation with your doctor. 

Visit the home page for more information on Murdock Health and our services or call 214-929-2411 to schedule an appointment today.
​

Back pain is one of the most common issues people face in their lives. Back injuries are also one of the most common work injuries and the majority of people will experience back pain sometime in their lives. 

Many people that experience a back injury or back pain fail to find significant relief and many live with back pain. 

The most common treatments include Tylenol, Ibuprofen, muscle relaxers, physical therapy, and surgery. The outcomes for back surgery are notorious poor especially in patients without specific nerve findings. 

But what about exercise?

In a large meta-analysis Chris Maher and colleagues reviewed 21 studies, which included more than 30,000 people, to determine what works and what doesn't. Many common treatments that are commonly recommended like back supports and shoe insoles didn't help but exercise did.

In the study those that exercised even with a history of back pain had a 25 - 40 % lower risk of recurrent pain in the following year as compared to those that didn't exercise. The type of exercise didn't matter. The key was maintaining activity. 

In another study of patients with neck pain those that exercised had a significantly increased chance of becoming pain free over those that took medication. 

In conclusion, more and more evidence confirms that exercise and staying active is crucial to our health and may help prevent and alleviate back pain. 

Of course, each individual case is different and the advice in this post should not substitute for getting a consultation with your doctor. 

Visit the home page for more information on Murdock Health and our services or call 214-929-2411 to schedule an appointment today.

A common assumption out there is that rapid weight loss is inferior to slow, gradual weight loss.

Is this really the case?

According to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine:

Within weight-loss trials, more rapid and greater initial weight loss has been associated with lower body weight at the end of long-term follow-up. A meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials that compared rapid weight loss (achieved with very-low-energy diets) with slower weight loss (achieved with low-energy diets — i.e., 800 to 1200 kcal per day) at the end of short-term follow-up (<1 yr) and long-term follow-up (≥1 year) showed that, despite the association of very-low-energy diets with significantly greater weight loss at the end of short-term follow-up (16.1% of body weight lost, vs. 9.7% with low-energy diets), there was no significant difference between the very-low-energy diets and low-energy diets with respect to weight loss at the end of long-term follow-up. Although it is not clear why some obese persons have a greater initial weight loss than others do, a recommendation to lose weight more slowly might interfere with the ultimate success of weight-loss efforts.

For those of you looking to lose weight in the new year we are offering weight loss programs to help get you started. 

Visit the home page for more information on Murdock Health and our services or call 214-929-2411 to schedule an appointment today.

With some news outlets in the Dallas area reporting spikes in hospitalizations related to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) virus I wanted to provide some basic information about RSV to help dispel any misinformation. 

RSV is a virus that causes seasonal outbreaks primarily in the winter season much like the flu virus. It causes acute respiratory illness in people of all ages but seems to affect children the worst. It is a very common cause of lower respiratory tract infection in children and a frequent cause of hospitalization. Most children have been infected by RSV by age 2 and it is possible to be reinfected. 

RSV has cause severe illness in high risk groups like the young and old or those with pre-existing lung or heart conditions like asthma or congenital heart disease. 

Symptoms vary by age with children often presenting with fever, cough, respiratory distress, and wheezing. These symptoms are often preceded by upper respiratory symptoms like congestion. Adults tend to present with upper respiratory tract symptoms. 

Apnea is a frequent cause for presentation to the ER and hospitalization. RSV infections are usually self-limited and treatment is supportive. There are rapid tests that can confirm the presence of RSV but there are no anti-virals that treat the infection. 

If you or your child show any signs of any respiratory illness that is consistent with RSV it may be worth seeing your health care provider. 

Of course, each individual case is different and the advice in this post should not substitute for getting a consultation with your doctor. 

Visit the home page for more information on Murdock Health and our services or call 214-929-2411 to schedule an appointment today.

Most people believe that multitasking is not only possible but essential to maximizing productivity. But is this true?

To understand this better I will refer to the research outlined by Dr. Compernolle in his book “Brain Chains”. According to him we have essentially three brains. The “reflex” brain, which we share in common with animals, controls our automatic reactions to sensory data as it is received in the present. This is the unconscious brain. The “reflecting” brain is what allows to think abstractly including about the past and the future and to create and invent. Mathematics is in the realm of this brain. The “archiving” brain stores information into memory. The "archiving" brain is in competition with the "reflecting" brain as they both use working memory to function. This means that when you are thinking hard you are not storing much information and vice versa. Archiving works best during breaks from thinking or when you are asleep.

The key to remember is that the thinking or "reflecting" brain can only work on one thing at a time and when it is distracted by various demands like emails, texts, phone calls, etc. the efficiency of the thinking brain is significantly reduced. The means that you will spend a lot more time to complete the various tasks if you try to multitask as opposed to completing each individual task separately. 

So what are some practical things you can do to avoid “multitasking”?
​

1. Batch Processing: Complete emails/social media responses in batches and at most 4 times per day.
2. Avoid CC'ing people
3. Don't answer every email
4. Avoid using the smartphone for work related items
5. When driving turn off your phone
6. Wear earplugs to eliminate distractions
7. Take micro breaks
8. Disconnect from electronic media
9. Finish what you start before moving on. 

In conclusion if you want to be more efficient then eliminate your need to multitask.  

If you need a doctor to help you get healthy in 2016 please send me an email or give me a call. 

Visit the home page for more information on Murdock Health and our services or call 214-929-2411 to schedule an appointment today.