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Russell Medical: Many Ways to Keep You Healthy Through the Holidays

Medically-Supervised Weight Loss Programs

Nearly two years into the pandemic, the CDC recently released data that shows what we’ve probably been suspecting all along — that the pandemic has made us more obese, as a country. Likely due to quarantines and the resulting decrease in physical activity and all the increased stress and anxiety brought on as a result of the pandemic, obesity is a more significant public health issue than ever before.

Whether you’re looking to lose some of that excess pandemic weight in time for your pictures during the holidays or you’re looking ahead to a new start for the new year, Russell Medical offers medically-supervised weight loss programs that can help you achieve permanent weight loss while helping you reach your short-term and long-term health and wellness goals along the way. Known to improve your mood, energy, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and sleep, healthy weight loss also reduces aches and pains and your risk of heart disease.

Because there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for weight loss, the medical professionals at Russell Medical know that success starts with a program that’s as unique as you are. Beginning with a comprehensive physical and laboratory evaluation, the experienced staff at Russell Medical will guide you and support you with proper nutritional counseling, energy supplements, and prescription medications to help you manage your appetite and cravings. In addition, you’ll have access to a personal health coach and prepared meal plans to help you achieve and maintain your success. Because we know that losing weight the healthy way isn’t an easy road when traveling alone, our team of health experts will provide you necessary support and encouragement, while also helping to keep you accountable and motivated every step of the way!

Get Your Flu Shot at Russell Medical

Now more than ever, it’s incredibly important for you and your family to stay healthy this flu season. Not only does a flu shot reduce your risk of contracting the flu, but it also helps to reduce the severity of the illness, should you contract it. In addition, getting a flu shot also helps to reduce the likelihood that you might transmit the flu to someone close to you that might be at high-risk for more severe symptoms, hospitalization, or even worse. An annual flu shot also goes a long way in helping to protect your community by way of herd immunity. When enough people in a community get a flu shot, it lowers the risk of spreading the disease throughout the community, which obviously benefits everybody in the community.

Longer Hours, Greater Convenience

Russell Medical now makes it easier than ever to seek and receive the medical care you and your family need. With our new, extended hours, you can book an appointment to visit with one of our medical professionals at a time that works around you and your busy schedule. Now open 7 days a week from 8:00AM to 8:00PM, you’ll find it easier than ever to make the most of your time while also improving your physical, emotional, and spiritual health.

If you’re in the Forsyth area or any of the surrounding counties, and looking for a friendly and experienced medical staff to provide you and your loved ones with quality healthcare in a friendly, efficient, and affordable manner, make sure to call Russell Medical today to schedule a one-on-one appointment with one of our outstanding doctors.

Russell Medical Now Offering Monoclonal Antibody Therapy to Fight COVID-19

Russell Medical Now Offering Monoclonal Antibody Therapy to Fight COVID-19

As a majority of the U.S. continues to see the number of new cases of the delta variant coronavirus drop after a spike earlier in the year, health officials are continuing to endorse the efficacy of vaccinations to help keep the virus at bay. But for those who become infected, either because they’ve never been vaccinated or even if they have been vaccinated, but test positive for a breakthrough infection, there is still hope that they can lessen their chance of hospitalization or the severity of their COVID-19 symptoms.

As the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to monoclonal antibody therapy late last year, early clinical data has shown that monoclonal antibodies can be effective in treating mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and some pediatric patients, reducing the number of hospitalizations and/or emergency room visits for those who have tested positive and are at risk of progressing to severe COVID-19.

What are Monoclonal Antibodies?

Monoclonal antibodies are man-made antibodies that are similar to the ones naturally produced by the human body in response to an infection, but designed to target what’s known as the spike protein located on the outer shell of the virus, which helps to prevent the virus from attaching itself to human cells in order to gain entry.

Is Monoclonal Antibody Therapy Safe?

While the FDA has not yet officially approved the use of monoclonal antibodies, the EUA allows the use of medical countermeasures (much like the COVID-19 vaccines, initially) during public health emergencies. By granting an EUA for the use of monoclonal antibodies, for example, the FDA concludes that “the known and potential benefits outweigh the known and potential risks” of the treatment. As part of the EUA, certain FDA criteria must be met, in addition to the presence of evidence that patients have benefited from the treatment, and that there are no adequate alternatives, either available or approved.

Once the EUA was granted, FDA Commissioner, Stephen M. Hahn, M.D. said,

“The FDA remains committed to advancing the nation’s public health during this unprecedented pandemic. Authorizing these monoclonal antibody therapies may help outpatients avoid hospitalization and alleviate the burden on our health care system… As part of our Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program, the FDA uses every possible pathway to make new treatments available to patients as quickly as possible while continuing to study the safety and effectiveness of these treatments.”

Do I Qualify for Treatment?

Monoclonal antibody infusion is generally available to individuals 12 years of age or older, weighing at least 88 lbs. who have recently tested positive for mild to moderate COVID-19 or shown symptoms for 10 days or less, but have not been hospitalized due to COVID-19, AND are at high risk of infection due to age (generally 65 or older) or other serious health conditions (heart, lungs, obesity, diabetes, immunodeficiency, etc.).

To find out if you’re eligible for monoclonal antibody therapy or to discuss the various guidelines regarding treatment eligibility, contact the medical specialists at Russell Medical to learn more about this revolutionary step in preventive health care.