family medicine provider near me

Common Chronic Pain Conditions

Bodily pain that interferes with your ability to perform tasks, keeps you up at night, and saps you of energy is considered chronic pain. This condition plagues more than 50 million Americans – one in five adults – and it has many different reasons why it can occur.

If you have chronic pain, it is in your best interest to have an evaluation by a skilled family medicine provider who can diagnose the underlying cause. The family medicine provider will then work with you to determine appropriate measures of treatment.

Let’s talk about some of the most common reasons behind chronic pain, and where you can go in Wellington for a thorough medical evaluation and treatment that works to reduce or eliminate your pain once and for all.

What Is Chronic Pain?

Chronic pain is constant or intermittent physical discomfort which lasts longer than three months without improvement. Chronic pain is a frequent cause of missed workdays, lost wages, and lost productivity.

It differs in severity and character from person to person, and it can even change on a daily basis. Patients often describe their pain as shooting, stabbing, burning, or throbbing.

Chronic pain conditions include the following:

  • Fibromyalgia
  • Migraine headaches
  • Arthritis
  • Cancer pain (from the disease itself or from its treatment)
  • Back pain
  • Neuropathy
  • Pain due to kidney disease
  • Postoperative pain that continues unabated

Along with the pain itself, you may experience comorbidities (simultaneous health problems) such as:

  • Insomnia
  • Fatigue
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Poor appetite
  • Depression and anxiety

How Can My Family Medicine Provider Help?

In order to determine what is causing your chronic pain, your family medicine provider will first ask you to describe your pain. Give as much detail as you can regarding its severity, timing (how often it occurs), location(s) on your body, and what, if anything, helps to mitigate it.

The family medicine provider will then perform a complete physical examination, order bloodwork and other lab tests as needed, and possibly do X-rays and other kinds of imaging scans. With a proper diagnosis, your family medicine provider can create a care plan to help keep your chronic pain under control.

Your treatment plan may include:

  • Over-the-counter or prescription pain reliever
  • Antidepressant medication
  • Cortisone shots (in-office injection therapy)
  • Physical therapy
  • Heat and cold therapy
  • Chiropractic care (spinal adjustments)
  • Stress management
  • Relaxation techniques
  • Biofeedback
  • Acupuncture 

Trusted Family Medicine Provider in Royal Palm Beach and Wellington

Here at Advanced Medical Clinic, we will work diligently with you to get you the pain relief you deserve. You may have to try several things before finding a solution that works to quell your chronic pain, but we will indeed find something that works for you. There are many effective treatments out there today.

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 online request form now. We look forward to helping you enjoy life without pain!

Top Questions To Ask Your Family Medicine Provider

Having a family medicine provider is essential for accessing adequate medical services. Family care providers’ are generalists who can deal with health issues impacting people at all stages of life. They help diagnose health problems and provide effective treatments to alleviate them. They can also refer patients to specialists for more extensive treatment, when necessary.

Building a strong professional relationship with your family medicine provider is paramount to ensuring the well-being of you and your family members. You can start cultivating this bond by asking these questions during your first appointment.

What are your credentials and experience level?

While standards exist to ensure that primary care providers meet adequate healthcare competencies, each provider has their unique skill set. Experiences from working on real-life cases can provide insight and expertise that complement theoretical practice. As such, it’s good to check if your provider’s experience aligns with your needs. For instance, if you have diabetes, you want a family medicine provider who routinely treats patients with this condition.

It’s also wise to inquire about your provider’s credentials. In particular, board certification provides concrete evidence that a family medicine provider has mastery in their medical practice.

What healthcare services do you offer?

Family care providers’ can address a wide range of medical conditions, given their status as general practitioners. However, you should make sure your family medicine provider is adequately equipped to handle your family’s specific needs.

Note that specific diagnostic tests and treatment options might require relatively uncommon equipment. As such, it helps to discuss the medical history of your family members with your provider, so you can tentatively plan for medical services you might need in the future.

Work with a family medicine provider who continuously updates their practice with cutting-edge technology and state-of-the-art techniques. Innovative family medicine providers will allow you to take better advantage of new developments in medicine.

What check-ups and screening procedures do my family members need?

An annual check-up is a norm for some adults, but the ideal frequency can depend on various factors. If there is a family history of specific illnesses, you might need more frequent check-ups. Having a chronic disease also warrants a more frequent check-up schedule to ensure you remain in control of your condition.

Age also matters when planning check-ups. Children might need more visits to the family care provider to check if they are meeting essential growth milestones. The elderly may also need more screening tests as the risk of some diseases rises with age.

What vaccines does my child need?

Vaccines protect your child from many illnesses and encourage herd immunity. If enough people are vaccinated in a community, those who are unable to take a vaccine will still receive protection. Hence, you should ensure that your child gets the vaccines they need.

Vaccination schedules can be complicated, as specific doses work best at certain ages. Many programs also incorporate booster shots to lengthen the duration of immunity. Coordinate with your family care provider to ensure that everyone completes their vaccination schedules.

How can I access your services?

During your first meeting, establish logistics with your family care provider. Inquire about their schedule, so you can plan accordingly. Consider how you’ll go to and from the family medicine provider’s office, especially if you live far from the facility. Check out the facility premises, especially if a family member has accessibility needs.

Likewise, establish communication lines with your family care provider. Will they respond to email inquiries, or do they prefer phone calls? Know how to reach your family medicine provider, so you’re better prepared when an emergency happens.

Ask if your family medicine provider has telemedicine options. Virtual consultations can save time and allow people who cannot go outside to still get medical advice. The presence of telemedicine options also indicates that your family medicine provider embraces technology and innovation.

What are your office policies?

Don’t forget to ask about appointment options. Would you need to schedule in advance, or can you have same-day and walk-in appointments? Finally, ask about financial considerations, such as insurance coverage and payment methods.

Family Care In Wellington And Royal Palm Beach, FL

Having an experienced and compassionate family medicine provider is crucial for your health and that of your family members. Establishing a strong relationship with them starts with asking about their expertise and services. You should also discuss your medical needs, as well as the ways you can contact your family medicine provider in emergency situations. Working with a reliable and professional medical provider is a big step toward securing your health.

With facilities in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, Advanced Medical provides top-notch primary and urgent care to Florida’s families. Our family medicine providers design comprehensive treatment plans to address a wide range of urgent and non-urgent conditions. Call us at (561) 434-1935 and set up an appointment to learn more. We hope to see you soon!

What To Expect From A Walk-In Clinic

It’s understandable to be concerned when you suddenly get sick or develop pain and cannot get an appointment with your primary care provider immediately. A common alternative is visiting a hospital emergency room for medical care, but the costs will be astronomical, along with the wait times. Fortunately, you have another option: walk-in clinics.

Walk-in clinics accept patients without previously scheduled appointments and provide urgent medical care for a variety of common and non-life-threatening conditions.

What Can I Expect From A Walk-In Clinic?

You can receive multiple services from a walk-in clinic. You will be assigned to an attending family medicine provider who will assist and provide you medical care. Here are things you can expect from your visit:

Treatment For Common Conditions

Walk-in clinics are the place to go if you’re experiencing common health problems. These conditions are usually mild but can cause you concern and discomfort – especially if you can’t get medical care from your primary care provider for several days. The following are common issues that can be treated during your visit:

Imaging And Laboratory Tests

Some walk-in clinics are also able to perform imaging and lab tests to aid in diagnosis. Your attending family medicine provider will recommend these based on your signs and symptoms. Common tests that may be conducted are urine and blood analysis, x-rays, electrocardiography (ECG), and ultrasounds.

Depending on your results, the attending provider will decide if you can be treated in-house, need prescription medication, or need a specialist. Your family medicine provider may also recommend more tests for a definitive diagnosis.

Urgent Care

Walk-in clinics can address numerous non-life-threatening problems that need urgent medical attention. These include injuries from small accidents like minor fractures, sprains, and burns. With walk-in clinics, you can expect quality and timely medical care without worrying about steep expenses.

However, you should also be aware of when to seek emergency care. Trouble breathing, chest pain, continuously high fever, and severe pain after an accident are things to look out for. If you are experiencing a life-threatening situation, you are advised to call emergency services or go to your local ER.

Convenience

Going to a walk-in clinic has several advantages, including convenient hours, short waiting times, and cost-efficient medical care.

If you don’t have time during the day to consult with a family medicine provider, some walk-in clinics are open after work hours or accept calls 24 hours a day. Medical costs are also reasonably lower for consultations, tests, and treatments. Services such as physical tests for school or work and pregnancy ultrasounds are also available in most walk-in clinics.

Walk-In Clinic In Wellington And Royal Palm Beach, FL

If you need urgent medical attention, Advanced Medical will ensure you get the proper care you deserve. Our compassionate primary care providers also accept same-day walk-in appointments to address conditions and concerns you may have.

To learn more about our services, call our office at (561) 434-1935 or request an appointment online. We have clinics in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach that are ready to provide you with quality healthcare. We look forward to serving you!

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.

Treating Chronic Bronchitis

Do this for a moment: place your hand over your chest, take a deep breath, and then let it out. Your respiratory system can often seem both intricate and delicate, very susceptible to change and problems. From the common cold, to conditions such as asthma or bronchitis, there are many things that can compromise the delicate balance of the respiratory system.

Many conditions that irritate the lungs will lead to coughing fits, especially if the lungs are inflamed and there is increased mucus production. Depending on the person, a cough generally is considered acute, and lasts for less than three weeks. However, sometimes if a cough is persistent and last more than eight weeks, this is called a chronic cough, commonly seen with a respiratory infection.

Most coughs are meant to clear up or significantly improve within a two-week period, but if you have a barking cough that hasn’t improved after a few weeks, then, talk to your primary care family medicine provider, as something may be wrong. A common condition people get in their lower respiratory tract is chronic bronchitis.

What is Chronic Bronchitis?

Bronchitis is an infection in the lungs. Bronchitis can be acute (short-lived) and last for a couple weeks, or more commonly chronic bronchitis, where the infection lasts three months or longer, sometimes even years. Simply put, bronchitis is a condition in which the air passages of the lungs become inflamed and irritated due to an infection or irritation. This inflammation commonly affects the trachea, known as the windpipe, and the large and small bronchi. Bronchi are tubes, or tree-like air passages in the lungs.

Bronchitis also causes the thin mucus linings that protects the lungs to become inflamed. This inflammation causes the airway linings to start leaking mucus into the lungs, causing build up.  Therefore, coughing is the body’s natural reflex to clear the lungs, to help us be able to breathe normally. If coughing does not clear the lungs properly, chronic bronchitis can lead to a common condition known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), where breathing is compromised due the airflow of the lungs being obstructed.

Symptoms of Chronic Bronchitis

Some of the symptoms associated with chronic bronchitis may include:

  • Chest discomfort
  • Coughing mucus
  • Shortness of breath
  • Fatigue
  • Nasal congestion
  • Sore throat

Yes, bronchitis can be contagious, especially if it is chronic and caused by a viral illness or bacterial infection. Therefore, it is important to take necessary precautions to not get others sick.

Treatments for Chronic Bronchitis

In most cases, bronchitis goes away on its own after a couple of weeks, with the most severe symptoms lessening after the first few days. If the bronchitis is caused by bacteria then a family medicine provider can prescribe antibiotics. Often times people with bronchitis have or develop asthma. If you have asthma or allergies and contract bronchitis as a result, the family medicine provider will most likely prescribe an inhaler, which opens up the abnormal narrowing of the airways, helps shortness of breath, allowing us to breathe properly.

To learn more about chronic bronchitis and how to treat it, call Advanced Medical in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, Florida at (561) 434-1935 to request an appointment, or you can request an appointment online.

How to Treat ED (Erectile Dysfunction)

Many men are embarrassed when it comes to experiencing erectile dysfunction (the inability to obtain or keep an erection), but it is actually more common than you might think. Erectile dysfunction is a disorder that affects almost 50% of men between the ages of 40 to 70. Once you finally speak with your family medicine provider, you will find it is much more common than it first seems, and more importantly, there are many different treatment options available.

What Treatment Options Are There?

Treatment for erectile dysfunction can range from medications to lifestyle changes, to surgery. The more honest and open you are with your family medicine provider, the more likely your family medicine provider will be to properly diagnose your ED and get you started with the most appropriate treatment.

Certain medications may be used to enhance the natural chemicals in your body, in order to relax the muscles in your penis and increase blood flow, thereby enabling an erection. There are also medications that you can inject directly into the penis to produce an erection immediately. These injections use a very fine needle causing little to no pain. Penile suppositories are yet another option. Using a special applicator, a suppository is inserted into the urethra (the tube from which you urinate), causing an erection within 10 minutes.

Some ED is complicated by low testosterone levels. Hormone replacement therapy may also help correct low levels. Delivery methods include gels, patches, injections and oral medications. Sometimes medications are not enough, or there may be a reason, such as heart issues, that stop testosterone medications from being a good treatment option.

In such cases, a surgically implanted device, such as a penis pump may be considered. A penis pump is a hallowed tube placed over your penis. It uses a vacuum to pull blood into your penis. When an erection is accomplished, a tension ring can be placed around the base of your penis to hold the blood in and keep it firm.

Penile implants may also be considered. Penile implants are semi rigid or inflatable rods placed in both sides of the penis. These rods allow you to control when and how often you have an erection. All treatment options ultimately depend on the cause of ED, and the guidance of a qualified men’s health family medicine provider.

Common Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

The most common underlying causes of ED include: Heart disease, medications, neurological (nerve) disorders, diseases of the endocrine system, and lifestyle factors. Alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, marijuana, and heroin, for instance, can also cause erectile dysfunction. Some common medications that may contribute to ED include: antidepressants, antihistamines, diuretics, blood pressure medications, chemotherapy, hormone replacements, psychiatric medications, and Parkinson’s disease medications. However, you should never stop taking a medication without your family medicine provider’s approval, as this could be extremely dangerous.

If you have questions or concerns about erectile dysfunction, call Dr. Ishan Gunawardene at Advanced Medical in Wellington or Royal Palm Beach. He will take the time to properly diagnose and treat you, and answer any questions you may have. Call today at (561) 434-1935 or request an appointment online.