Archives for December 2020

Coronavirus Treatment Evolution – What we now know about how to treat COVID-19

Coronavirus Treatment Evolution – What we now know about how to treat COVID-19

You may be hearing about coronavirus on a daily basis, but do you know what to do in case you develop symptoms? There’s no telling whether you will get mild or severe symptoms when you get infected. Fortunately, we have learned a lot about treatment over the past several months.

Mild Symptoms

If you develop a fever, dry cough, and body aches and think you may have COVID-19, you must stay home. Call your primary care family medicine provider and let them know of your symptoms. Your family medicine provider may recommend that you get tested to make sure you know the cause of your symptoms. Follow your family medicine provider’s instructions to help make your recovery more comfortable. Monitor your symptoms closely.

According to the CDC, people with mild symptoms of coronavirus can recover from home. Take care of yourself and do what you can to be healthy and help your body fight the virus. Rest, eat nutritious food, take your vitamins, hydrate, take a fever reducer, sleep, and do light exercises. Most people with mild symptoms feel better after a week. Most people who get COVID-19 have mild symptoms. As such, there is no need for prescription medication while they recover in most cases.

Moderate to Severe Symptoms

In the case you have severe symptoms, treatment may be necessary. Your family medicine provider may prescribe medications to help with symptoms, but not to treat COVID-19 itself. While the world awaits a vaccine, so far, only one medication has been approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19, and that is Remdesivir. This is only for patients who are hospitalized. A corticosteroid called dexamethasone is also used for patients with severe symptoms who need a ventilator. Convalescent plasma therapy or using the blood of people who recovered from COVID-19 is also used to help reduce the severity of the symptoms and help patients recover. If you have severe symptoms, your family medicine provider will determine which (if any) of these treatments can help you.

If you develop severe symptoms such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, a consistently high fever, or if your lips turn blue, go to an emergency room immediately. Remember, only patients with severe and life-threatening symptoms are admitted to the hospital.

The FDA is expediting the development of COVID-19 treatments at this time. In the meantime, mind your hygiene, follow social distancing guidelines, and do what you can to strengthen your immune system.

Family Medicine Provider in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, Florida

Our primary care providers, Dr. Ishan Gunawardene and Shariffa Gunawardene, ARNP are dedicated to providing personalized care and treatment. They are focused on restoring you to your optimal health. In light of the pandemic, we closely monitor patients who are COVID-19 positive and those who are showing symptoms but have not been tested. We understand that these are scary times, which is why we provide personalized care and support backed by medical science. If you have questions or if you would like to schedule an appointment with a primary care provider, call (561) 434-1935 or use our online request form.

The Rising Cost of Insulin in the U.S.: A Looming Crisis?

Insulin is a hormone that is naturally produced by the body in order to metabolize carbohydrates and to regulate blood sugar levels. People with type 1 diabetes, whose pancreas produces little to no insulin, are insulin-dependent – needing shots of insulin to replenish what their body is not manufacturing. Similarly, those who have type 2 diabetes may also need to have insulin shots to regulate their glucose levels.

The men who discovered insulin in 1923 sold the intellectual property rights for just 3 Canadian dollars. Today, the average price of insulin in the United States is $98.70, with some rates going as high as $250 per vial.

Diabetes is big business for pharmaceutical manufacturers. Even as far back as 1941, several companies were indicted on antitrust and price-fixing charges when they were caught inflating the prices of insulin.

Expensive Insulin – Who Is to Blame?

For those of us who have diabetes, these rising costs are becoming more and more painful in the wallet. Diabetics in the United States pay at least eight times the cost of insulin as compared to those who live in other high-income nations.

The insulin market is broken, from the insulin manufacturers and their lobbyists to the wholesalers and retailers to governmental and nongovernmental regulatory bodies. Insulin prices will continue to rise with no real policy-level solutions.

What then can be done to help patients with diabetes afford the cost of insulin?

What Family Medicine Providers Can Do

Some providers are proactive in helping their patients to better manage their disease. The local family medicine providers may not be able to singlehandedly change the system, but they can provide low-cost options such as human insulin – which is doable and effective.

Moreover, drug manufacturers offer affordable treatment options to certain healthcare facilities through the 340B program, of which more than 12,000 facilities are participating. As a patient, ask your family medicine provider whether you have access to this or to something similar.

Family Medicine Provider in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, Florida

The skilled and experienced healthcare team here at Advanced Medical Clinic specializes in diagnosing and treating patients with endocrine disorders, including diabetes. Dr. Ishan Gunawardene, our internal medicine family medicine provider, aims to help his diabetes patients find insulin that they can afford to control their disease.

His wife, Shariffa Gunawardene, is a board-certified nurse practitioner who can treat patients of all ages. Together, they can serve the medical needs of your whole family. We are highly flexible and take a personalized approach for your family’s optimal health.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, contact our friendly staff today by calling us at (561) 434-1935 or by filling out our easy-to-use appointment request form online now. We have convenient locations in Wellington (off SR7/441, north of Lake Worth Road) and in Royal Palm Beach (near the intersection of Okeechobee Boulevard and Royal Palm Beach Boulevard), and we look forward to being your family’s healthcare partner!