Archives for November 2018

The Different Types of Heart Disease

It’s the leading cause of death in the United States.

More than 62 million Americans have some form of it.

And to top things off, there are many different types of this disease that health care providers must contend with.

What are we talking about? Cardiovascular disease: Some are born with it, but most cases of heart disease develop later in life.

Several of the most common forms of heart disease include:

  • Coronary artery disease – This is a condition in which the heart muscles receive insufficient blood and oxygen due to blockage in the coronary arteries. This can lead to a heart attack or other heart damage with the possibility of sudden death.
  • Silent ischemia – This is a condition in which blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced but there are no symptoms and little if any pain. Usually, discomfort is only experienced during physical exertion.
  • Angina – When your heart doesn’t get enough oxygen and nutrients it can cause a narrowing of the coronary arteries or muscles spasms. This can be triggered by strong emotions, cold temperatures, cigarette smoke, or other factors. It’s not a heart attack and usually doesn’t cause permanent heart damage, but angina is nonetheless discomforting or painful. It occurs primarily in the chest and can radiate down the left arm, across various parts of the upper torso, and even in the neck, throat or jaw, usually when your heart is working harder than normal.
  • Arrythmia – When one’s heartbeat becomes slow, irregular, or skips a beat because the heart’s electrical system is not functioning normally. Its electrical signals aren’t moving in the proper sequence. Instead, the heart is beating slower, faster, or erratically, causing symptoms such as dizziness, fainting, fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest pain.
  • Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) – This is a condition in which fatty plaques or arteriosclerosis prevent oxygen-rich blood from flowing from the heart to other areas of the body such as the legs and feet. Symptoms of PAD include brown spots on the skin, coldness, numbness and tingling, pain or cramping when walking short distances, ulcers, swelling, or the slow healing of wounds.
  • Heart defects – These include obstructions called stenosis that partially or completely block the flow of blood. They can occur in the heart valves, arteries, or veins. Examples include aortic stenosis, pulmonary stenosis, and subaortic stenosis.

If left untreated, heart disease can lead to myocardial infarction – the clinical term for a heart attack – in which part of the heart muscle can be damaged or die from a lack of blood flow and oxygen.

Warning signs of a heart attack include:

  • A heavy feeling, pressure, or intense pain in the chest lasting more than a few minutes
  • Pain radiating to the shoulders, neck, or arms
  • Lightheadedness or fainting
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Rapid heartbeat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Severe weakness
  • Profuse sweating

If you experience any of these symptoms for more than several minutes, call 911 or have someone transport you to the nearest emergency room as quickly as possible.

Of course, there are ways to prevent or manage heart disease by consulting with a family medicine provider.
The friendly staff at Advanced Medical is well-versed in the diagnostics and treatment of heart disease and looks forward to serving you. If you have any questions about our primary care services, please call our office at (561) 434-1935. To schedule an appointment, you can call us or use our secure online appointment request form.

What Can a Family Medicine Provider Help You With?

Did you know that about one in every four provider’s office visits – some 214 million in the US alone – are made to a family medicine provider?

That’s because unlike medical specialists who focus on a specific ailment or injury to a particular part of the body, family medicine providers offer a wide range of care for a variety of health conditions to patients of all ages.

Here are just some of the many healthcare needs a family medicine practitioner can help you with:

  • Preventive care – A family medicine provider can not only educate you about disease prevention and maintaining your health, but also oversee your preventive care. That includes your mental and emotional, as well as physical, needs. For example, your family family medicine provider can suggest the best forms of exercise for your particular fitness level, provide weight control and nutritional counseling, conduct fertility testing, or show you stress relief and anger management techniques to improve your overall well-being.
  • Handling common health complaints – Whether it’s treating a cold or flu, a sore throat or ear infection, your family family medicine provider’s office is your first – and often only – stop for appropriate diagnosis and medication. Also, if you or your child require immunizations, your family medicine provider is the person to see.
  • Diagnosis of emerging conditions – As someone familiar with your medical history, your family family medicine provider can analyze new and unusual symptoms and recognize the development of a hidden or serious condition requiring prompt attention. For example, your family medicine provider is usually the first family medicine provider to examine you and screen for early signs of cancer, heart disease, or diabetes. That includes ordering, performing, and interpreting tests to diagnose the condition, explain the test results to you, monitor your treatment and rehabilitation, and re-evaluate your therapy when necessary.
  • Managing chronic illness – One of the responsibilities of a family medicine provider is to provide personalized, ongoing care for chronic and degenerative conditions such as asthma, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke. Using diagnostic tests, they assess your rehabilitative progress to determine the most effective follow-up steps in your personal treatment plan.
  • Coordinating your rehabilitation – Your family medicine provider is the one who refers you to a specialist if your condition requires specialized care. But his or her involvement doesn’t end there. Acting as your primary care provider, your family medicine provider coordinates on your behalf with specialists, physical or occupational therapists, pharmacists, and any other health care providers to make sure that all of your medical needs are addressed.

That is why it is often said that “family medicine providers do not treat diseases; they take care of people.”

The friendly staff at Advanced Medical is committed to providing the highest quality care you need to return your family to health and keep you well. If you have any questions about our primary care services, please call our office at (561) 434-1935. To schedule an appointment, you can call us or use our secure online appointment request form.