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Over the last two decades, the coronavirus family has been identified as the source of several highly pathogenic global outbreaks. The recent coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been identified as the culprit of the recent, highly infectious outbreak. As the COVID-19 exhibits similar to the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), clinical manifestation most commonly presents in the pulmonary system. Treatment can vary depending on the infected individuals symptoms which range from mild to seve...

The COVID-19 vaccination completion rates are now in the hundreds of thousands. The CDC has released the latest updates on contraindications, allergic reactions, and precautions for Covid-19 vaccines. While previously the agency released guidelines for contraindication to vaccination, it's now broadened to include those with a history of immediate allergic reaction to a previous dose of or any component of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, including polyethylene glycol. Anyone with a history of immediate...

Medical knowledge is continuously evolving. Staying current on the latest developments and studies outlined in medical journals can be challenging for clinicians with time constraints and professional demands. This can be especially true for the primary care physician because of the large clinical variations in their patient population. This primary care conference will offer a 2019-2020 literature review and summary of research trends for six sub-specialties of internal medicine; Infectious Dis...

Acupuncture is a 3,000-year-old healing technique of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In 1997, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) documented and publicized acupuncture’s safety and efficacy for treating a wide range of conditions. Acupuncture is now covered by many insurance policies and is used most broadly to relieve pain. Acupuncture improves the body’s functions and promotes the natural self-healing process by stimulating specific anatomic sites--commonly referred to as acupuncture po...

There are an estimated 1.4 million transgender adults in the U.S. and Illinois alone has an estimated population of 50,000. Transgender individuals are commonly described as those individuals who have a gender identity not fully congruent with their assigned sex at birth. Because of expectations of discrimination or misunderstanding in medical settings, many transgender persons avoid or delay seeing a health care provider. But even when transgender individuals do access care, they have difficult...

During 2015–2016, according to the CDC, the prevalence of hypertension was 29.0% and increased with age: age group 18–39, 7.5%; 40–59, 33.2%; and 60 and over, 63.1%. High blood pressure, is a common medical problem that can increase the risk for heart disease and stroke. Hypertension is also a culturally based issue. Hypertension prevalence was higher among non-Hispanic black (40.3%) than non-Hispanic white (27.8%), non-Hispanic Asian (25.0%), or Hispanic (27.8%) adults. Controlling high blood p...

On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex M. Azar II, declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community in responding to COVID-19. The outbreak of respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, COVID19, from Wuhan City, Hubei Province in China has caused high morbidity and mortality rates. The beginning of the outbreak was linked to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. Later, a...

Leukemia is a cancer of the early blood-forming cells. Most often, leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells, but some forms of leukemia start in other blood cell types. There are several types of leukemia, which are divided based mainly on whether the leukemia is acute (fast growing) or chronic (slower growing), and whether it starts in myeloid cells or lymphoid cells. Different types of leukemia have different treatment options and outlooks. Leukemia was a deadly condition for many years. ...

Recent behavior/violence reports in RL6 (ambulatory setting) have identified that providers and staff are unintentionally escalating patients or visitors towards more aggressive behavior. During staff debriefing, it has been identified that staff does not know how to handle these situations. The undesirable behavior is often unintentionally rewarded and communicated to others. The purpose of this class is to teach basic de-escalation and limit-setting techniques to all staff and providers in ...

Bleeding disorders are a group of disorders that share the inability to form a proper blood clot and can be present in adolescents and young adults. They are characterized by extended bleeding after injury, surgery, trauma or menstruation. Evaluation of adolescent girls who present with heavy menstrual bleeding could include assessment for underlying causes and evaluation for the presence of a bleeding disorder. Treatment for blood disorders vary, depending on the patient's age, condition and se...