Archives for July 2017

How Walking Can Prevent Diabetes

Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevated levels of glucose in the blood. Most of the food we eat is turned into glucose, or sugar, for our bodies to use for energy, and those with diabetes have problems metabolizing it.

When someone is diabetic, the pancreas, an organ that lies near the stomach, does not produce enough insulin, which is what helps glucose get into the cells of our bodies. Diabetes can also interfere with your body’s ability to fight infection. Therefore, exercise is crucial in helping keep your immune system healthy and help prevent other diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and strokes.

If you have diabetes or have a family history of diabetes, and would like to prevent it from developing, physical activity is crucial. It is also important to maintain your blood glucose levels with a healthy meal plan and lifestyle. Exercising has many benefits, which include:

  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Controls weight and keeps weight down
  • Increased level of good cholesterol (HDL)
  • Leaner, stronger muscles
  • Stronger bones
  • More energy
  • Improved mood
  • Better sleep
  • Stress management

Walking is the best medicine and form of exercise to prevent diabetes. Research has shown that walking can dramatically boost energy levels, burn fat, and protects your heart. In other words, if you have high blood sugar, or if you have been diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes, walking can be a lifesaver. An active lifestyle can help perpetuate a total body wellness, where more of a focus goes towards diet and exercise.

Obesity is an epidemic that affects more than 35 percent of people in the United States, and is one of the biggest factors leading to type-2 diabetes. Walking shrinks your abdominal fat, reducing your risk of diabetes. Excess fat around your abdomen causes inflammation in cells, making them even more resistant to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar; this increases your odds of developing the disease. According to everydayhealth.com, walking for 30 minutes a day, can reduce your risk of diabetes by 30 percent.

To learn more about how regular exercise and activity can help prevent diabetes, call Advanced Medical PA at (561) 434-1935 to request an appointment, or request one online.

Pre-Diabetes: When to See Your Family Medicine Provider?

Prediabetes is also known as borderline diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, a condition that develops before someone receives a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. It occurs when there is a glucose intolerance, meaning your blood sugars are at a higher level than normal, but not enough to be put in the diabetes diagnosis category.

Fortunately, during the prediabetes phase the pancreas still produces insulin, but your blood sugar still remains too high, because the insulin doesn’t remove the sugar out of your bloodstream. This is a condition called insulin resistance, and requires a visit to your family medicine provider.

Someone who has prediabetes may not even know that they have it, as symptoms are not always present, and if they are, they can be mistaken or misdiagnosed for another condition. It is often the case where someone who struggles with insulin resistance may develop type 2 diabetes, if not treated properly. That’s why going to see your provider to get tested is important, especially if some common symptoms are present. Symptoms of prediabetes include:

  • Obesity
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol
  • Having a family history of diabetes
  • Lack of exercise
  • Blurry vision
  • Increased thirst
  • Tiredness/fatigue
  • Cuts that won’t heal
  •  Inflammation in your gums

As mentioned before, prediabetes is a silent condition, so getting a checkup is important in early detection and diagnosis. If left untreated, other systems in your body will be affected. If there is concern, your provider will perform the following tests, to see if the insulin in your body is doing what it should. These tests include:

1. A fasting blood glucose test: This test measures your blood sugar before you eat, and after you drink something sugary.

2. A1c (HbA1c) test (Hemoglobin)

3. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)

Being on a proper diet plan and exercise regimen will help you reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. To learn more about prediabetes, call Advanced Medical in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, at (561) 434-1935 to request an appointment, or request one online.

Selecting the Right Provider

Changes to healthcare laws and the way insurance works and what’s covered make selecting the right provider more important than ever. Your primary care provider is a vital member of your healthcare team. Find out why a small practice may offer the best overall care for your health.

Primary Care Provider

The right Primary Care Provider, or PCP gives you access to the best possible healthcare. As the “point person” on your medical team, your provider gets to know you and your health history. He or she knows the specialists you’ve seen and which medications you take. They will help manage your health through acute illnesses or chronic disease, and always explain conditions and treatment options.

Continuity of Care

Healthcare can be big business. More and more, providers work in a large practice where a patient may be seen by a different practitioner at each visit, especially if an appointment is made on short notice in the case of illness. Patients in the Welling and Royal Palm Beach, Florida areas can choose Advanced Medical Clinic for their care, and always see Dr. Ishan Gunawardene or his wife, nurse practitioner Shariffa Gunawardene.

Here are some reasons why continuity of care from your provider is so important

  • Your whole health picture – if you always see the same provider, he will know details about your health that can’t all be recorded in your file.
  • Hospital care – if you require treatment in a hospital, the Advanced Medical team will be there to advocate treatments that are in your best interest, keep you and your family informed, and provide first-hand health history information that could significantly improve treatment outcomes.
  • Accessibility – Ask your primary care provider a question without having to explain symptoms or events that have already been treated.

Advanced Medical Clinic offers personal care with continuity throughout. Call (561) 434-1935  for an appointment in Wellington or Royal Palm Beach, Florida today. Get a same day appointment or just walk in.