Mountain View Family Medicine

01/07/2026

01/05/2026

Hello local Veterans. Our clinic is an approved VA Care in Community provider. If your VA approved you can easily switch to us for Primary Care. This will allow you to stay with a local doctor while utilizing your well earned benefits.

01/04/2026

Beachgem is a Pediatrics ER physician in Florida. While our influenza numbers aren’t as significant as hers, the information she gives here is excellent!!

1830 likes, 58 comments. “We’re in the middle of a ROUGH flu season. Lots of sick kids and adults and lots of hospitalizations. The flu is miserable but the treatment is largely supportive (and sometimes antivirals). If you have questions, call your doc or head to the ER ...

12/30/2025

How do we know if it is a cold or influenza? Without a lab test, we don't, but there are a few clues that will lead us one way or another. One of the most common symptoms of Influenza is the rapid onset of symptoms. Think of a train, a semi-truck, or a speeding bullet. With influenza, you can feel fine one minute and 15 minutes later feel like you are dying. Typically, Influenza comes with a fever, body aches, and a bit more misery than a winter cold. Colds tend to come on a little slower, scratchy throat, headache, runny nose, and get worse with each day. Don't get me wrong, both can be miserable, both are treated similarly, and will have you down for a few days.
Treating influenza and the common cold focuses on a combination of supportive care and knowing when to seek medical care. Most mild cases of both illnesses can be managed at home by prioritizing rest to allow the immune system to recover and hydration with water, clear broths, or electrolyte solutions to thin mucus and prevent dehydration. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) are effective for reducing fevers and body aches, while decongestants and cough suppressants can alleviate respiratory discomfort; however, aspirin must be avoided in children and teens due to the risk of Reye's syndrome. Natural remedies such as saltwater gargles, honey (for those over one year old), and using a cool-mist humidifier can further soothe sore throats and nasal congestion. You should seek immediate medical attention if you experience severe symptoms like difficulty breathing, chest pain, or a persistent high fever.

12/24/2025

Great News…Regence and Kootenai Heslth have reached an agreement that allows those within the Regence network to continue their care with Kootenai Health.

12/10/2025

It's impossible to listen to the news or read anything online and not see that this is going to be a difficult influenza season. Reports from the United Kingdom indicate that they are already having a high rate of infection and we use that information as an indicator of what our flu seasons will look like this year. Already we are seeing pockets of influenza throughout the US, although so far, locally we are not seeing much if any. When you look at the various types of Influenza it can look like an alphabet soup of initials and numbers that make absolutely no sense to the lay person.
In general we categorize influenza into Influenza A or Influenza B, with A being the most common. There are subtypes within each category that include H1N1, H3N2, and H3N2K. Each year researchers take their best guess based on data to determine what viruses will be circulating 9 months from the development of the flu vaccine. This year's vaccine contains Influenza A H1n1 and H3N3 and Influenza B- Victoria Lineage. Unfortunately, these viruses are smart little bugs and will mutate to a new version of themselves. This year we are seeing the H3N3 mutate to a K version.
The complication of a mutated virus is two-fold. First it has changed since the vaccine was first developed so it is not covered under the vaccine. Secondly, this is a version of the virus that our body has not seen, so we have no natural immunity to it. This means that it is more likely to make more people sick and to travel from person to person with ease. Currently we are seeing pretty widespread outbreaks of H3N3 - K.
What does this mean to the average person? Not much. Even as a clinician we don’t try to determine what subtype of Influenza you have because it doesn’t change how we are going to treat you. People with Influenza develop a rapid onset of symptoms (felt great one minute and hit by a mack truck the next) that include body aches, fever, headache, sore throat cough and extreme exhaustion. Often kids will have vomiting and diarrhea as well, adults not so much. The basic treatment is rest, fluids and Over the counter medications to treat your symptoms. There are antiviral medications that must be administered within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms and will shorten the average course of the illness by 1-2 days. These are really only beneficial for those who are immune compromised or have other conditions that can be significantly worsened by the flu.

12/09/2025

We receive numerous calls each month asking if something is going around, and my answer is always...Yes. There is always something going around! So today I thought I would look at our top 5 diagnoses from last week and share them with you.

Good news...topping our list last week was HEALTH! The number one reason people came to us was for their annual physical! This is the best way to prevent seeing us when you are sick.

At number two was hypertension, followed by elevated cholesterol. These probably went hand in hand with the physicals.

Vitamin D deficiency found the number four slot, given our short days and lack of sunshine, I am not surprised. Rounding out the top 5 was migraines. Often brought on by stress, it is not surprising that we see more of them this time of year.

The good news is that we are not yet seeing any Influenza activity in our area; however, CDA has had several cases and the Spokane area is picking up significantly. It is coming our way soon.

Hope you found this interesting!