Archives for June 2021

Coping With Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction (ED) impacts 30 million men in the United States alone. Fortunately, there are many effective treatments for ED. In Royal Palm Beach, Advanced Medical Clinic is the place to go to discuss erectile dysfunction confidentially and to get the coping strategies and treatments you need for satisfying sexual health.

What Is Erectile Dysfunction?

Frankly, most men would admit they experience some degree of sexual dysfunction from time to time. However, persistent difficulties in achieving and maintaining an erection sufficient to have intercourse are abnormal. Men who experience this issue need help from their primary care provider.

What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?

Your family medicine provider encounters many patients who struggle with ED. The reasons for the problem vary, but usually, they fall under two categories: physical and psychological.

The physical causes include:

●     Poorly controlled diabetes

●     Injury to the groin, abdomen, or back

●     Obesity

●     Cardiovascular disease

●     Hypertension

●     Prostate issues, such as benign prostatic hypertrophy

●     Neurological problems

●     Certain medications

●     Some surgeries

The psychological causes include:

●     Alcohol or substance abuse

●     Family or work stress

●     Relationship issues between partners

●     Depression

●     Anxiety

Coping With Erectile Dysfunction

The first and best coping mechanism is an open, honest discussion with your primary care provider. They will assess your overall health and ask about your symptoms. They may order blood tests and other lab work to check for diabetes and other problems which could cause ED.

Additionally, your family medicine provider will screen you for emotional health issues, such as depression and anxiety, to determine if you require counseling or other psychological interventions.

To manage your ED, you and your family medicine provider will pursue a treatment plan tailored to your individual needs. Some men benefit from oral medications, such as Viagra and Cialis. There are suppositories and self-injectable medications that help many men, as well.

Other men may need a surgically-inserted penile implant to aid in obtaining and keeping an erection. Plus, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is not just for women. Men with erectile dysfunction may have low-T (testosterone) and can benefit from HRT taken in pill form.

For most men–and this likely includes you–lifestyle changes greatly improve sexual function. Here are some suggestions that really work:

●     Avoid being sedentary, and start exercising. Regular exercise improves your mood, reduces stress, and benefits your vascular function.

●     Stop all smoking, and limit alcohol consumption. Both adversely impact the microcirculation in the lower extremities.

●     Achieve a healthy body weight. The bigger your waistline, the greater your chances of developing ED.

●     Eat fewer processed foods and more vegetables and fruit. Studies show a direct link between junk food and ED.

Don’t Wait for Erectile Dysfunction to Go Away

You can manage sexual problems, such as erectile dysfunction, with the help of your primary care provider. So, why not take back control by calling Dr. Ishan Gunawardene? He is board-certified in internal medicine and has expertise and training in many subspecialties, including men’s health.

Contact Advanced Medical Clinic to schedule a consultation. Call us at (561) 434-1935, or request an appointment online.

How Do I Find the Right Family Medicine Provider for Me?

Having a family medicine provider, as research shows, is linked to better health outcomes. But there’s one other great reason to have a family medicine provider, and that is the provider-patient relationship you can rely on for your and your family’s healthcare needs over the long term.

If you don’t have a family medicine provider or are not at ease with whom you’re currently seeing, now is the time to find a new one—one you can see yourself establishing a lifelong relationship with. Don’t wait till you or a family member gets ill. Pressure and illness can cause you to make a hasty, uninformed decision.

Here are some simple tips to help you streamline your search for the right family medicine provider for you.

  • Gather several recommendations.

The first step in finding the best family medicine provider is to get lots of referrals.

Ask your family, relatives, friends, and colleagues. Word-of-mouth recommendations are inherently reliable, as they come from people you personally know and trust.

You can also get referrals from other medical practitioners. Talk to your dentist or therapist. They possibly work with general practitioners, so they are in a position to recommend a family medicine provider who fits your family’s needs.

  • Do an internet search.

The World Wide Web is replete with resources that can help you find the right family medicine provider for you.  You can find information about the practice’s business hours and the provider’s credentials on their website.

Additionally, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) website has a helpful database that allows you to verify the practitioner’s board certification status, the number of years they have spent in practice, and whether they have any medical malpractice history. 

  • Check their location.

Distance is one important factor that many tend to overlook. Twenty miles may only seem like a quick ride, but if you need to take time off work to drive there, then it can be inconvenient.

There are big advantages to having a family medicine provider whose office is located close to where you live or work. This lessens the burden of having to travel far and ensures you have fewer hindrances to showing up for your appointments.

  • Read reviews.

In this day and age, it is very easy to find out about a medical practitioner’s reputation. Online reviews, though not necessarily a deciding factor, can help you make an informed decision with greater confidence.

You can find the answers to your own questions about the attitude of the family medicine provider or the staff, quality of services, and wait times by reading reviews, which you can find either on the practice’s website and/or social media page.    

  • Schedule a visit.

This is a great way to ascertain the family medicine provider’s bedside manner and communication style, both of which have a huge impact on your confidence in their care and expertise as well as your overall experience.

Talk to the family medicine providers you have on your list and observe whether they have a soothing bedside manner and communicate effectively.

Are they able to explain complex medical concepts? Do they answer all your questions politely? Do you feel comfortable talking to them? If you answer no to any of these questions, it might be a sign that they may not be the right one for you.

Family Medicine Provider in Wellington, FL

If you’re searching for the right family medicine provider in the Wellington area in Florida, visit us at Advanced Medical Clinic for a consultation with our board-certified nurse practitioner, Shariffa Gunawardene. She is as equipped to provide you and your family with the highest quality of primary care services— the very same one you get from a family medicine provider in Wellington.

Call us at (561) 434-1935 to set an appointment with our highly qualified family medicine provider. You can also use our convenient online request form.