North Polk Family Medicine

05/04/2026

People who included more ultraprocessed foods – chips, candy bars, frozen meals, sugary cereals, or soda, for example – in an otherwise healthy diet had worse attention scores and a higher risk of dementia. Investigators found that each 10% increase in ultraprocessed food intake was associated with a significant decrease in attention and memory among adults 40 and older. This relationship persisted even in people who followed an otherwise very healthy diet. The findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring.

04/15/2026

It is tick season in Iowa, and we are getting a lot of questions about Lyme Disease. It is now considered to be best practice to use prophylactic treatment. It consists of one dose of antibiotic in higher risk situations.

Criteria for Prophylaxis
All of the following criteria should be met to consider prophylaxis:
• Tick Type: The tick is an Ixodes species (blacklegged/deer tick) and not a wood tick.
• Duration: The tick is engorged or attached for at least 36 hours.
• Timing: The prophylaxis is administered within 72 hours of tick removal.

When NOT to Use Prophylaxis
• The tick was attached for less than 36 hours or flat in shape.
• The tick is not an Ixodes species.
• More than 72 hours have passed since removal.

If criteria are not met, the recommended approach is "watch and wait" for signs of a rash, muscle aches or fever.

04/08/2026

A major study published in February looked at statin side effects — and the results were striking.
Researchers analyzed data from 19 double-blind randomized trials, covering 123,940 people followed for about 4.5 years.
Out of 66 side effects listed on statin labels, only 3 were found.
Statins were not found to cause:
• Memory loss
• Depression
• Sleep problems
• Erectile dysfunction
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Nerve damage
• Joint pain
The side effects that were confirmed:
• A small increase in liver enzymes
• About a 1% chance of muscle symptoms
• A slight rise in blood sugar in people already close to diabetes

03/26/2026

A controlled study with 150,000 patients showed that statin use for 5 years would prevent about 1000 heart attacks per 10,000 patients with known heart disease and about 500 per 10,000 high-risk patients without known heart disease. In the same study the side effect rate was under 0.2% annually.

03/05/2026

✨ What Is Soluble Fiber — And Why Does It Matter?
Soluble fiber is the type of fiber that dissolves in water and forms a gel-like texture in your digestive system (think oatmeal or flaxseeds). Unlike insoluble fiber, which adds bulk to stool, soluble fiber helps slow digestion and offers powerful health benefits.
💚 Here’s why it’s important:
• Helps lower cholesterol
• Supports heart health
• Stabilizes blood sugar
• Feeds healthy gut bacteria (acts as a prebiotic)
• Keeps you fuller longer (great for weight management)
• Can help firm up loose stools
🥑 Top soluble fiber foods include:
Oats, barley, lentils, beans, flaxseeds, apples, pears, oranges, avocado, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and even macadamia nuts.
Adding more of these foods to your diet is a simple way to support digestion, heart health, and metabolic balance — naturally.

02/23/2026

We greatly appreciate your votes!

02/21/2026

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a simple blood test that helps predict your risk for heart attack and stroke by measuring chronic inflammation.
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a marker of chronic inflammation and can help assess cardiovascular risk — including heart attacks and strokes.

How to interpret hs-CRP levels:

3.0 mg/L → Higher risk (if not due to acute illness)
The good news? Elevated hs-CRP can often be improved.
Ways to lower hs-CRP:

Adopt an anti-inflammatory diet:
Fruits and vegetables
Lean or plant-based proteins
Olive oil
Whole grains
Maintain a healthy weight
Exercise regularly
Consider statin medications when appropriate
We are now adding hs-CRP to all of our standard lab panels to better assess inflammation and cardiovascular risk as part of a proactive prevention strategy.
If you have questions about your numbers, we’re happy to review them with you.

02/10/2026

A Nature Medicine study asked a simple question: are A.I. chatbots actually good at giving medical advice?
Answer: not really.
Researchers found the chatbots were no better than Google searches. They often skipped key follow-up questions, missed safety flags, and delivered incomplete guidance — sometimes with a lot of confidence.
A reminder that sounding authoritative isn’t the same thing as being medically reliable.

02/04/2026

Why is it hard to walk off weight?
- A 5 minute walk burns four peanuts
- 15 minutes burns one peach
- 30 minutes burns one latte
- 60 minutes one donut
- 60 minutes one cheese burger
- 60 minute one small bag of chips
- 6.5 hours one medium pizza
Exercise is very important to your health but not a great weight loss tool. Work on healthy eating and pay attention to calories.

01/23/2026

We will be closed tomorrow to keep our employees safe. Feel free to call if you have any concerns. We will be refilling medication as usual.

01/14/2026