Southwest Viral Med - SWVM

01/29/2026

🔮 2026 Healthcare Predictions: What You Need to Know

Healthcare is evolving fast — and these trends will shape patient care, costs, and outcomes in 2026.

💸 Costs continue to drive healthcare decisions
• Rising out-of-pocket expenses
• Coverage limits affecting treatment options
• Growth of value-based care

📈 Why insurance costs are rising
• Expiring subsidies
• High-cost specialty medications
• Increasing premiums

🏥 Impact of rising healthcare costs
• Employers → higher premiums, cost shifting
• Individuals → delaying care, downgrading plans, seeking alternatives
• Hospitals → increased ER strain

💊 Weight-loss medications continue to surge
• Oral GLP-1 options
• Increased patient screening
• Focus on long-term safety

💵 GLP-1 cost comparison
• Brand injections: $800–$1,600+
• Oral options: $149–$299
• Compounded: $150–$500

🧬 Longevity & health technology expansion
• Smart scales
• Sleep & stress tracking rings
• Glucose monitoring synced to apps

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🌸 Women’s health takes center stage
• Menstrual cycle, fertility & menopause tracking
• Easier at-home monitoring
• More visibility than ever

🧪 Saliva-based hormone testing
• Measures hormone levels
• Tracks stress & body trends
• Easy, painless, at-home testing

🦠 Infectious diseases still demand attention
• Ongoing outbreaks
• Vaccination remains critical
• Continued public health surveillance

✨ The future of healthcare is personalized, tech-driven, preventive, and cost-conscious.

👉 Which trend are you most excited — or concerned — about?

HealthTech Longevity InfectiousDisease PatientEducation NursePractitionerLife

01/29/2026

01/16/2026

2025: Healthcare didn’t slow down — it evolved.
Follow along with Dr Alozie 👨🏾‍⚕️

From exam rooms to our wrists, this year reshaped how care is delivered, paid for, and experienced.

🔹 GLP-1s went mainstream
Weight-loss meds entered everyday conversations, while insurance coverage stayed… complicated.

🔹 AI entered the exam room
Less typing, more eye contact — with doctors saving hours each day, even as the tech finds its footing.

🔹 Health tech went personal
Smart rings, OTC glucose monitors, and real-time data became part of daily health decisions.

🔹 Costs kept climbing
Longer waits, more prior auths, and fewer services — especially in smaller hospitals.

🔹 COVID faded from headlines (not from reality)
Flu, RSV, and resistant infections reminded us that vigilance still matters.

🔹 Cash-pay care surged
Patients chose speed, transparency, and convenience over insurance headaches.

💬 One thing’s clear: patients are more informed, tech-driven, and selective than ever — and healthcare is being forced to adapt.

What trend impacted you the most this year? 👇

PatientCare HealthcareInnovation HealthTech FutureOfMedicine HealthcareReality

12/19/2025

🎄 Holiday Health Myths—BUSTED 🎄

The holidays come with joy, food, family… and a lot of health myths.
Let’s clear a few up 👇

❌ “If it smells fine, it’s safe to eat.”
❌ “Food poisoning only happens at restaurants.”
❌ “Cold weather makes you sick.”
❌ “If I feel fine, I’m not contagious.”
❌ “It’s just a cold.”
❌ “The holidays ruin my health.”
❌ “I’ll start being healthy in January.”
❌ “Everyone is happy during the holidays.”

✅ Truth:
• Harmful bacteria can’t be seen or smelled
• Most foodborne illness happens at home
• Viruses spread more indoors—not because it’s cold
• You can be contagious before symptoms
• Mild illness for you can be dangerous for others
• One week won’t undo your progress
• You don’t need to wait until January
• Stress is real—and common—this time of year

✨ The goal isn’t a perfect holiday—just a healthier one.
✔ Be smart with food
✔ Wash your hands
✔ Move a little
✔ Give yourself some grace

💬 Which myth surprised you the most?
📌 Save this for the holidays
❤️ Share with someone hosting this year

FoodSafety InfectionPrevention SelfCare HealthyHolidays WellnessEducation HealthcareIG

12/18/2025

🎄 Happy Holidays from the Sunset West Team! 🎄

Dr. Alozie and the entire Sunset West team sincerely appreciate your loyalty, trust, and continued support. It is truly our pleasure to care for you and your family.

✨ Holiday Schedule ✨

Regular Hours:
• December 22–23

Skeleton Crew (Limited Availability):
• December 26, 29, 30
• January 2

Closed:
• December 24–25
• December 31
• January 1

We will resume normal business hours on January 5.

Wishing you a joyful, healthy, and safe holiday season! 🎁✨

12/13/2025

🦠 Flu season is here — and it’s not “just the flu.”

Each year, influenza leads to thousands of hospitalizations and preventable deaths across the U.S. The good news? Protection is possible.

📊 By the numbers:
• Millions get sick every year
• Hundreds of thousands considered high-risk
• Communities are already seeing rising flu activity

👶👵🤰 Who’s at highest risk?
✔️ Children under 5 (especially under 2)
✔️ Older adults
✔️ Pregnant individuals
✔️ Those with chronic health conditions

💉 The best protection:
Getting your annual flu vaccine — safe, effective, and recommended for everyone 6 months and older. Even if you still catch the flu, vaccination helps make illness shorter and milder.

🧼😷 Layer your protection:
• Wash hands often
• Cover coughs and sneezes
• Avoid close contact when sick

📍 Vaccines are available at:
Pharmacies | Workplaces | Community clinics | Urgent care centers

👉 This flu season, protect yourself, your family, and your community.
Because prevention is powerful 💙

12/03/2025

🩺 November was Bladder Health Month!
Your bladder plays a big role in keeping your body balanced — storing urine, removing waste, and working hand-in-hand with your kidneys and urethra. Taking care of it matters more than you think!

💛 Common Bladder Issues:
• Urinary Incontinence (leakage)
• Overactive Bladder (urgency)
• Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
• Interstitial Cystitis (chronic bladder pain)

📊 UTIs by the Numbers:
• 50–60% of women experience at least one UTI
• 2.8 million infections each year are antibiotic-resistant
• Up to 40% of urinary antibiotics are unnecessary 😮
This is why avoiding antibiotic overuse is so important!

🚫 When NOT to take antibiotics:
• No symptoms
• “Just in case”
• Negative urine tests

✔️ When treatment is needed:
• Burning or urgency
• Fever, chills, back/flank pain
• Positive urine tests

🌿 At-Home Tips for UTI Relief:
• Drink plenty of water
• Unsweetened cranberry juice
• Heating pad
• OTC pain relievers
• Probiotics

💧 5 Ways to Improve Bladder Health:
• Pelvic floor exercises
• Drink enough water daily
• Wear breathable cotton underwear
• Go to the bathroom when needed
• Avoid triggers like spicy foods, caffeine, carbonation, & alcohol (for some people)

👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️ Nurse Practitioner Appreciation Week
Nurse Practitioners are the fastest-growing primary care providers — with nearly 1 billion patient visits each year.
Thank you, NPs, for the care, compassion, and commitment you bring to our community! 💙

✨ Resources Available in El Paso:
Rio Grande Urology • Texas Urogynecology & Laser Surgery • FYZICAL • El Paso OBGYN • Eastside Women’s Healthcare • Planned Parenthood
(Always seek evaluation if you have ongoing bladder symptoms.)

12/01/2025

❤️ World AIDS Day Caption (Educational + Supportive)

Today we honor World AIDS Day — a moment to remember, learn, and stand with everyone affected by HIV.
HIV is treatable, people living with HIV are thriving, and stigma has no place in our communities.

⭐ What everyone should know:
• Modern HIV treatment allows people to live long, healthy lives
• U = U: When viral load is undetectable, HIV is untransmittable
• Testing is quick, confidential, and lifesaving
• Prevention tools exist: condoms, PrEP, and PEP

But beyond the science, compassion matters.
Every person deserves dignity, understanding, and access to care — no exceptions.

Let’s spread facts, fight stigma, and support each other today and every day.

11/21/2025

Keeping our families safe starts at home — and it begins with knowing our medications, storing them safely, and disposing of them the RIGHT way.

Here’s what everyone should know ⬇️

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💡 Why Medication Safety Matters

• Nearly 50% of Americans take at least one prescription
• Misunderstanding or mixing meds can cause serious harm
• Talking openly with your doctor or pharmacist can literally save lives

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🚫 Common Medication Mistakes

• Skipping doses or stopping meds early
• Mixing prescriptions with alcohol or OTC drugs
• Using expired meds
• Not storing meds safely

Small mistakes can lead to big health risks — but they’re all preventable 🙌

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🗣 Tips for Talking About Your Meds

• Bring a full list to every appointment (Rx, OTC, vitamins)
• Ask about side effects + drug interactions
• Double-check dosage + timing
Your provider WANTS you to ask questions — it’s part of staying healthy 💙

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👩‍⚕️ Pharmacists & Providers = Your Medication Safety Team

They help prevent dangerous interactions, personalize treatments, and guide safe use.
Never hesitate to reach out — that’s what they’re there for!

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🔐 Safe Storage & Disposal

• Keep meds in a cool, dry place and away from kids
• Never share prescriptions
• Use community drug take-back boxes
• Don’t flush meds unless they’re on the FDA flush list

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⚠️ The Fentanyl Reality

Just 2 mg — an amount smaller than a few grains of salt — can be deadly.
One pill can take a life. Stay aware, stay empowered. 💔

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📍 El Paso Resources

✔️ Year-round drug drop-off: Albertsons, Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, UMC of El Paso
✔️ Poison Control (24/7): 1-800-222-1222

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♻️ Have meds to get rid of?

Check DEA take-back sites or local pharmacies for safe disposal.
Medication safety is a community effort — and YOU play a role 💪💙

10/18/2025

🦷✨ Happy Dental Hygiene Month! 🍂
A healthy smile = a healthier YOU! 😁

Did you know…
🪥 Only 68% of Americans brush twice a day
💧 Fluoride helps fight childhood cavities
🧠 Oral health impacts heart, brain, and even gut health!

This month, let’s celebrate our pearly whites by:
✔️ Brushing 2x daily
✔️ Flossing once a day
✔️ Visiting your dentist every 6 months

Because when you take care of your mouth, you take care of your whole body 💪❤️