Category Archives: Preventative Medicine

Do you tend to go to the emergency room or urgent care when illness or injury strikes? You could be saving yourself a lot of time and money by having a primary care doctor. Your insurance company wants you to have one primary doctor that you see for minor ailments and disease management alike. Here are three great reasons to have a primary care doctor.

Managed Coordinated Care

When you have a primary care doctor, all of your healthcare professionals have one central point of contact. Your primary care doctor serves as the go between for all of your other healthcare professionals and specialists. Primary care doctors are usually the ones to discover medication interactions or conflicting therapies. 

You have probably heard that you should have an annual physical with your primary care doctor each year. Yet how often have you followed this advice? Many people skip their annual physicals because they feel they are in decent health and that it is not necessary. However, there are some very good reasons not to skip or put off your annual physical this year.

Routine Testing

There is some routine testing that should be done each year, especially as you get older and your risk factors increase. You should have your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar levels, and other routine blood work to ensure that there are no underlying problems waiting to be diagnosed. The metrics that are checked by your doctor during your physical are risk factors for other illnesses, and it is important that you know what they are and whether or not treatment is required.

Many people fail to get a physical each year. You may believe that there is no reason to go to the doctor if you are not ill, but preventative medicine can extend your life by several years or even decades. Preventative annual physicals are an important part of your self-care, and they should not be neglected. Here are some excellent reasons why your annual physical is important and you should schedule one today.

Early Diagnosis

Many health conditions are not severe for some time after they begin. With many health conditions and diseases, there are often no severe symptoms until the condition is well progressed. You may be experiencing some minor discomforts or nuisances that you may have dismissed that could be symptoms of a troubling condition. During an annual physical, your doctor will give you a complete examination and ask you questions about your lifestyle and symptoms. Often health conditions can be found early in this way, and they can be treated more effectively and quickly with early diagnosis.

Everyone understands the necessity of going to see your doctor when you are ill, but have you considered annual physicals? Annual physicals are an important part of maintaining your overall health. These yearly checkups are so important that many health insurance companies are now offering incentives for those who complete them. Annual physicals are important for many reasons.

Addressing Concerns

You may have some concerns about your health that don’t seem important enough for a special visit to your doctor. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get those concerns addressed. An annual physical is a great time to talk to your doctor about how to lose weight, quit smoking, get healthier, or address chronic pain or headaches. Your doctor can give you referrals and resources, and occasionally medications, to help with these general health concerns.

Early Detection of Medical Conditions

Some medical conditions have few symptoms in the early stages. It may be that you are experiencing symptoms of high blood pressure, diabetes, or other medical conditions without realizing it. A part of your annual physical is routine lab workups and blood pressure checks to detect these types of medical conditions in the early stages. Many medical conditions are more easily treated and controlled when they are detected early.

Assessing Medical Risks

There are some health factors that contribute to your risk of diabetes, heart disease, lung disease, and other serious medical conditions. During your annual physical, your doctor will examine you and ask you about your lifestyle and medical history. This will allow them to accurately assess your risk for these medical conditions and provide you with advice and resources to mitigate your risk and keep you healthy.

If you haven’t had your annual physical yet this year, contact our offices to schedule an appointment. We look forward to assisting you in preventative medicine to keep you healthy for years to come.

Resveratrol has gained a reputation as an essential ingredient to ongoing health, but do you know why? Ongoing research continues to reveal the benefits of resveratrol and its abilities to protect and enhance your health. Learn why and stock up on your own resveratrol now.

Reduce Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress is Enemy Number One in your body. It occurs when the production of free radicals in your body is higher than your system’s ability to counteract them. Just like oxidation is responsible for the rust on your bike after it’s left in the rain, oxidation also has terrible impacts on the body.

You can blame oxidation for prematurely aging skin, cancer, and everything in-between. This is exactly why resveratrol is so valuable! As a potent antioxidant, resveratrol combats oxidative stress to protect cells from being damaged. Read More →

Suffering from migraines is a serious health problem suffered by 39 million Americans. Migraine symptoms like nausea and throbbing pain actually disable 1 in 5 people who get them. These people are forced to call off from work, cancel plans with friends, and writhe in pain until the migraine finally ends.

It is possible that the FDA just transformed the ability for migraine sufferers to seek relief by approving Aimovig, the first in a new class of migraine drugs that aim to fight migraines before they start. If you have multiple migraine days a month, this medication could change your life. Read More →

If your morning, afternoon, or evening isn’t complete without a cup of coffee in your hand, you can breathe a sigh of relief for your health. According to new research, coffee’s health benefits are more extensive than previously thought! It’s possible that your java habit might actually be an asset to your overall wellness. Here’s everything you need to know!

Commonly Known Benefits of Coffee Read More →

It would be an understatement to say that Thomas Edison changed the world when he invented the lightbulb in 1879. In reality, he transformed the very way that people live their lives. Rather than going to bed with the sunset and waking with the sunrise, artificial light has made it possible to extend the day for as many hours as we need. Unfortunately, health experts believe that this ability has also created extensive and damaging health effects on the human body. Read More →

It’s no secret that men and women have many significant differences, especially when it comes to their reproductive and sexual health. These differences shouldn’t be taken lightly, since they require males and females to seek different types of preventative health services. For women, a pap test checks for cervical cancer, a deadly disease that kills more than 4,000 women a year. As a preventative screening, the pap test or pap smear can identify cervical abnormalities early enough to help women escape the threat of cervical cancer unscathed. Read More →