Recent Articles

Taking a Plan Ride During The Holidays? Here’s How to Stay Healthy

As you may know, tens of thousands of Americans will be visiting family or friends for the holiday, and many will make the trip by plane. We’re privileged to live in a world where we can hop on a plane for the holidays. What isn’t so great is figuring out how to stay healthy while flying. The recycled air, tight quarters, and fast food make it seem like an impossibility. Since cold and flu season is in full swing, and the added stress of the flight isn’t helping your immune system, you should actively ensure that you stay healthy. After all, you don’t want to arrive at your relative’s house only to come down with a cold. Here are some tips to help.

• Wash your hands regularly

Germs can be easily spread, and even something as seemingly harmless as the tray table can be loaded with harmful bacteria. Be sure to carry hand sanitizer with you so that you can disinfect before eating, drinking, and touching your face.

• Get moving

Even if it’s a short flight, sitting down for an hour or more can do our bodies harm. When you’ve got the all-clear from the captain, take off your seatbelt and walk a lap of the plane. If you can’t get up just yet, practice a few simple exercises, such as calf raises, ankle rotations, shoulder rolls, and back twists.

• Stay hydrated

You may want to start your holiday off with a glass of wine or beer, but alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it dehydrates you. Instead, keep sipping on water to stay hydrated. It’s a good idea to bring your own empty water bottle with you and fill it up after you go through security.

• Get some sleep

Between jet lag, overnight bus rides, and a lack of routine on the road, our sleep is what suffers the most. Lack of sleep compromises our immune systems when we travel. Travel with an eye mask and a good set of earplugs so that you can catch some quality zzz’s on the plane and wake up at your destination feeling refreshed.

• Eat well

Many airlines will pass through the plane and sell food. Most is heavy on additives and preservatives and light on nutrition. If your airline allows, take some suitable snacks onboard so that you aren’t tempted to fill up on fast food. Opt for dried fruit, nuts, granola bars, kale chips, salads, and fresh fruit and vegetables instead.

When you need urgent medical attention, choose an urgent care with reliable walk-in treatment. At Sand Canyon Urgent Care, we can help you quickly so that you can get back to your festivities. Visit us in Irvine and Stanton.

Find out what intravenous hydration is used for.

One of the first things to happen when you’re admitted to a hospital is being hooked up to an IV, sometimes called a ‘drip’. Have you ever wondered about the fluids in the plastic bag, and what makes this treatment so helpful? Read More

Eat these foods to fight seasonal allergies.

 As the golden days of fall fade, thoughts often turn to the first cold spell of the season. If you, like 26 million other Americans, suffer from seasonal allergies, then you may be focused more on pollen counts and stocking up on tissues and allergy medicine.  Read More

Get Ready for Back-to-School

Now that summer is drawing to a close, parents are beginning to prep their child for the back-to-school season. If your child (and perhaps yourself) are feeling blue that summer is over, check out these tips that can get you back into the school routine in no time.

Send your kids off to school with a super nutritional breakfast. Getting back into the swing of school is helped by energy and nutrition. Oatmeal, fresh fruit, eggs, nuts, or even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich are great ways to start the day and will continue that to energize your child for the rest of the morning!

Prepare the night before. Make mornings as easy as possible. A simple bit of preparation can help to get your child out of your door on time and eliminate potential pitfalls. Take out clothes, pack lunches and ask your child to pack their backpack the night before. This will help make mornings a breeze.

Make coming home fun. Have a tasty treat waiting for your child when he/she returns home from school. Homemade cookies, a fruit platter or a delicious berry smoothie are sure ways to make any child smile!

Have dinner together. Gathering around the family table provides a great opportunity for everyone to reconnect after a long day. Asking questions about their friends, what they learned, and what they enjoyed gives kids a chance to talk about their day.

Reinforce good habits. Catch your child being good throughout the week and praise him or her on their good behavior. Positive reinforcement will help to sustain your child’s good habits.

You can help boost your child’s mindset with these tips. We can provide the medical attention to take of their bodies! If your child is injured, take him or her to Sand Canyon Urgent Care. With facilities in Irvine and Stanton, we can help treat your child quickly. We welcome walk-ins and have an expert team of medical professionals ready to help you.

Tips to Prevent Food Poisoning This Summer 

If you have ever suffered from food poisoning, you’ll know how horrible it is. Contracting it over summer can be particularly disappointing as it forces you to miss out on sunny days, social gatherings, and summer fun. What’s worse is contracting it while you’re on vacation, away from home and your medical resources.

Food poisoning occurs when microorganisms develop on food, particularly protein sources such as meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs. Keep in mind that food items like these are not sterile when you get them, making it easy to ingest the microorganisms on this food or to cross-contaminate other items.

Our Top Tips to Prevent Food Poisoning

 Wash your hands

Wash your hands thoroughly with cleanser and water then pat hands dry. Always wash your hands before handling food and immediately after touching raw meat, eggs, and fish. Washing your hands before eating is also important, whether you cooked the food yourself or ordered it in a restaurant.

• Wipe down worktops

Always wipe down the work surfaces before and after cooking with hot, soapy water. If you cook with meat, fish, or eggs, be especially sure to wipe down the surfaces thoroughly.

• Use a separate chopping board

Utilize different cutting boards for raw meat, vegetables, and cooked food. This habit is simple but can stop the spread of dangerous microorganism from being passed to each food product.

• Check use-by dates

Pay attention to use-by and best-before dates. Throw out anything that is past its use-by date, and check products past their best-before date for mold, unpleasant smells, changes in consistency that will signal that they are past their prime and should not be consumed.

• Make sure food is thoroughly cooked

Whether at home or away on vacation, food should be piping hot throughout and visibly cooked. Do not eat meat that is red or bloody.

These tips should help to keep food poisoning at bay this summer. For all of your health concerns and any of your medical needs, visit Sand Canyon Urgent Care. We welcome walk-in patients. Our onsite diagnostic and lab facilities help us to best serve you and your loved ones. Call us at (949) 536-7892 or visit us here to get started!

What You Should Know About Heat Stroke This Summer

Heat stroke is a medical emergency that occurs when the body can no longer cool itself. The body suffers from dehydration as it can’t release internal heat into the environment, resulting in core temperatures of over 104 degrees Fahrenheit. As you can imagine, this is neither pleasant or comfortable. The worst part is that many people aren’t aware they are in danger of heat stroke until it’s too late.

What is heat stroke?

Heat stroke occurs when your body’s natural process to cool the body fail. Generally, this occurs as a progression from milder heat-related illnesses, such as heat cramps, fainting, or heat exhaustion. It results from prolonged exposure to high temperatures, usually in conjunction with dehydration. In turn, this leads to the failure of the body’s temperature control system.

Symptoms of heat stroke

The most reliable symptom of heat stroke is having a core body temperature above 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Other symptoms may include:

• Throbbing headache
• Dizziness and light-headedness
• Minimal sweating despite the heat
• Red, hot, and dry skin
• Severe headache
• Muscle weakness or cramps
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rapid heartbeat
• Dark-colored urine
• Confusion, disorientation or staggering
• Seizures

Treating heat stroke

If you suspect that someone has heatstroke, seek medical attention immediately. If possible, take the person’s core body temperature and initiate first aid to cool it to 101 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit. These cooling strategies can help:

• Place the patient in an air-conditioned room
• Fan air over the patient while wetting his or her skin with water from a sponge
• Apply ice packs to the patient’s armpits, groin, neck, and back
• Immerse the patient in a bath of cool water
• Loosen any tight clothing
• If muscle cramps occur, gently stretch the affected muscles to ease the pain
• If unconscious or not fully conscious, place him or her in the recovery position

If you or a loved one experience any symptoms of heat stroke, visit Sand Canyon Urgent Care immediately. If a higher level of care is needed, our triage staff and/or providers will direct patients to the appropriate specialist or to an emergency room for further treatment. Call us today for more information!