Jon Conde

3/27/2013

I had the opportunity to interview Dr. McLane from the Utah Valley Sports Medicine office before she moved to Pennsylvania. She has seen me for a number of Rugby injuries and works closely with BYU athletics. She has been working as a sports medicine DO for many years here in Utah Valley and was very familar with some of the trends she see's on a daily basis.

1) Influenza: Dr. McLane said the number one reason she see's most patients is because of the flu or flu-like symptoms. This year was especially hard on the population and she saw multiple cases of the flu from the same patient over the season. She said that some of this can be attributed to people being hesitant to get the vaccine, or vaccine early enough for it to be effective, and that if someone gets the flu they need to stay home and rest instead of stressing out over school, work, or other activities.

2) Obesity: The number two health risk she saw in Utah county was obesity, even among some athlete groups. According to the Utah office of Public Health, over 60% of adults in UT are either over weight or obese. Dr. McLane said this could be the result of a long winter but that people need to start becoming more active even when it's cold outside and if someone is overweight, they need to take a smart and healthy approach into getting in shape instead of fad diets over overworking themselves.

3) Asthma: Asthma and other forms of respiratory illnesses have become quite serious in Utah County especially has the air quality has decreased at times. Pollution is the main culprit and she encouraged those who are susceptible to stay away from rigorous outdoor physical actives during low quality air periods. Dr. Mclane always recommends people use the medication they have been prescribed and know their limits.

4) Smoking: She said that although Utah County has a significantly lower rate of smoking among its residents as compared to other states and counties, she still see's the effects of smoking in patients that visit her. Smoking can lead to serious health effects such as respiratory illnesses and different types of cancer. Some people feel pressure and stress in Utah because of the culture and one of the ways peopletescape is through smoking. While it's not easy to quit the addiction, it is always possible and anytime to quit is the right time to quit, it's never too late.

5) Prescription Abuse: As a DO, Dr. McLane is generally opposed to prescribing drugs when possible and prefers to use more natural methods of healing and allow the body to self-correct. Still, she says that prescription drug abuse is a big problem in Utah County and is probably due to the culture and people feeling pressure from family and friends. This pressure leads to different kinds of activities that are unhealthy but most people don't feel too bad about overusing medications. People can even be abusing their drugs without even knowing by sharing painkillers or keeping and using medications after they expire.