family medicine provider wellington

Where to Go for Family Medicine in Royal Palm Beach

In the hustle and bustle of daily life, ensuring your family’s health can sometimes take a back seat. However, finding a reliable family medicine provider is one of the most important steps you can take for your loved ones. If you are wondering where to go for family medicine in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, read on to find out.

What is Family Medicine?

Family medicine is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages. It focuses on holistic health and wellbeing, addressing a broad spectrum of health issues. This specialty stands out because it provides continuous and comprehensive care to families as a whole, rather than focusing on a single condition or age group.

Family physicians are trained to treat a wide range of ailments, from acute illnesses to chronic diseases. They are the first point of contact for patients and play a crucial role in preventive care. They also coordinate with specialists when advanced care is needed, ensuring a seamless healthcare experience for their patients.

Family medicine bridges the gap between individuals and the complex healthcare system, making it easier for families to receive timely and effective care.

Conditions Addressed by Family Medicine

Family medicine doctors are equipped to diagnose and treat a myriad of conditions. This includes everyday illnesses such as colds and flu, chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression.

One of the significant advantages of having a family doctor is their ability to manage multiple health issues simultaneously. For instance, they can treat both a child’s ear infection and a parent’s high blood pressure. This multi-faceted approach ensures that all family members receive the care they need under one roof.

Additionally, family medicine practitioners provide preventive services such as vaccinations, routine check-ups, and screenings for various health conditions. This proactive approach helps in the early detection of diseases, which can significantly improve treatment outcomes.

Advanced Medical : Your Go-To for Family Medicine in Royal Palm Beach

When it comes to finding the best family medicine doctor in the Wellington/Royal Palm Beach area, Advanced Medical stands out as a top choice. Conveniently located, Advanced Medical offers a wide range of family medicine services tailored to meet the needs of health-conscious adults and families.

Board-certified nurse practitioner Shariffa Gunawardene is committed to providing comprehensive and compassionate care. She takes the time to understand patients’ unique health needs and works closely with them to develop personalized care plans.

At Advanced Medical, you can expect a full spectrum of family medicine services designed to address the diverse health needs of your family. These services include:

Preventive Care

Preventive care is a cornerstone of family medicine at Advanced Medical. We offer routine check-ups, vaccinations, and health screenings to help you stay ahead of potential health issues. By focusing on prevention, we aim to minimize the risk of chronic diseases and promote long-term health.

Chronic Disease Management

For patients dealing with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease, Advanced Medical provides comprehensive management plans. We will work closely with you to monitor your condition, adjust treatment as needed, and provide guidance on lifestyle changes to improve your quality of life.

Acute Illness Treatment

From common colds to more serious infections, Advanced Medical is well-equipped to diagnose and treat a wide range of acute illnesses. Our prompt and effective care ensures that you and your family can quickly return to your daily activities.

Mental Health Services

Recognizing the importance of mental health, Advanced Medical offers support for conditions like anxiety, depression, and stress. Our compassionate approach ensures that you receive the care and support you need to maintain your mental wellbeing.

Pediatric Care

Advanced Medical provides specialized care for children, from newborns to adolescents. Our pediatric services include routine check-ups, vaccinations, and treatment for common childhood illnesses, ensuring that your little ones receive the best possible care.

Women’s Health

Women’s health services at Advanced Medical cover a wide range of needs, including gynecological exams, prenatal care, and menopause management. We are dedicated to supporting women’s health at every stage of life.

Geriatric Care

For older adults, Advanced Medical offers comprehensive geriatric care to address the unique health challenges that come with aging. Their goal is to help seniors maintain their independence and quality of life.

Family Medicine in Royal Palm Beach, Florida

Taking the first step towards better health is easy with Advanced Medical. Our friendly and knowledgeable staff members are ready to assist you in scheduling an appointment at your convenience.

You can reach out to them by phone at (561) 434-1935 or by using our convenient Request an Appointment form. We offer flexible scheduling options to accommodate your busy lifestyle, ensuring that you can access the care you need when you need it.

Schedule your appointment today and experience the difference that expert, compassionate care can make.

Heart Disease and Heart Attacks: What’s the Connection?

The connection between heart disease and heart attacks is clear.

Heart disease, or cardiovascular disease, encompasses many different conditions that can lead to a heart attack. Most types of heart disease involve atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis: Most Common Cause of Heart Attacks

Atherosclerosis is characterized by plaque buildup in the arteries that carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart and the rest of the body. When plaque builds up on artery walls, it narrows the passageway and restricts blood flow.

Plaque deposits – made up of cholesterol, fat, calcium, and other substances in the blood – build up over time and harden, damaging the smooth, thin layer of tissue within arteries that allows for the easy flow of blood. And that’s not all. If some of the plaque breaks off, blood clots can form and stop blood flow.

Atherosclerosis can affect any of the arteries that carry oxygenated blood throughout the body. For example, when blood flow is blocked within the coronary arteries (the arteries taking oxygenated blood to the heart), it can result in a heart attack. When it occurs in arteries taking blood to the brain, it can result in stroke.

Heart Diseases That Also Can Lead to Heart Attacks

While atherosclerosis is common among the heart diseases that can lead to heart attacks – there are other types of heart diseases that can result in heart attacks, too. These include:

  • Arrhythmia is a condition when the heart beats abnormally, either too fast or too slow, depending on the type of arrhythmia. When the heart beats too fast (more than 100 beats per minute), it’s called tachycardia. Bradycardia is when the heart beats too slow (less than 60 beats per minute). Either is dangerous for the heart and may cause discomfort because your heart isn’t circulating enough blood or is moving it through the body too quickly.
  • Damaged heart valves are another form of heart disease. Heart valves open and close for allowing for blood flow. There are four valves in the human heart: tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic; each has a vital function and must open and close properly without leaking. When they don’t open wide enough, blood leaks can occur. A damaged heart valve may be incurred due to poor choices like smoking, or it might be a genetic defect. Whatever the cause, damaged valves are bad news for the heart, such as in these cases:
  •  Aortic stenosis is characterized by a narrowing of the valve, which prevents proper opening, reducing blood flow from the heart.
  •  Aortic regurgitation is characterized by leaking that’s caused when the aortic valve doesn’t close tightly enough.

Many types of heart disease can be prevented – sometimes with just a lifestyle change if the heart or blood vessels are not too far damaged. Eating foods that are low in cholesterol and eliminating bad habits like smoking will help. Your family medicine provider can help determine the current condition of your cardiovascular system and may recommend particular treatments with a specialist if needed.

In addition, a regular checkup can guard against heart disease and help prevent heart attacks. Advanced Medical Clinic will monitor your heart to ensure it’s healthy. And if it’s not, we will help you to get and stay on track to good heart health. Call (561) 434-1935 today to make your appointment or use our convenient online appointment request form.

Getting the Most From Your Primary Care Visit

Have you ever gotten home from a family medicine provider visit and realized you forgot to mention something you wanted to talk about? Or maybe you arrived at your visit without important information, like the name of the new medication a specialist prescribed. Your next appointment may not be scheduled for months, and it’s often difficult to make time for an extra trip. Yet, good communication is essential for insuring that all your health needs are met. So, whether you are seeing a new provider, or returning for a follow-up appointment, here are some tips to make sure you get the most from all of your primary care visits.

Go Prepared

The time to organize your thoughts is before you get to your appointment. Preparing ahead of time will help you maximize the time you spend with your provider. Write your questions down and bring the list to the appointment with you. If you’ve researched a new treatment or have questions about a specific illness, don’t bring pages of literature with you. There’s just not enough time to review this during an office visit. It’s better to add these concerns to your list of questions so that you don’t get bogged down on one topic and miss out on addressing other health issues.

To create the best plan to meet your healthcare needs, it is important that you supply all pertinent information. If you have orders for blood work, X-rays, or other diagnostic tests, make sure you complete them in enough time that the results have been sent to the office. Also, if you had any “homework,” such as keeping a log of your blood sugars or blood pressures, make sure you bring it to the visit. And, if you have seen a specialist, have been to an emergency room, or have been in the hospital, it is best if you arrange for your records to be forwarded to your primary care office before your scheduled visit. This gives your family medicine provider the time to review the information before you arrive, leaving more time for discussion and your physical exam.

If you are seeing a new primary care provider for the first time, it is even more important that you arrive with updated and accurate information. Try to have your medical records, including all your past immunizations, forwarded before your visit. It is also a good idea for you to write out your medical history, chronologically, in your own words and bring it to the visit. Additionally, you should include a history of any illnesses your siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents had and the age that these illnesses occurred. This overview will give your new provider an even better picture of your healthcare needs.

All of Your Medications Matter

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is that your family medicine provider know ALL the medications you are taking. Five to 17% of all hospitalizations of older patients are the result of problems with medications; and drug interactions cost billions of dollars while increasing the average hospital stay by 7 days. Bring a complete list of all the medications, over the counter drugs, vitamins, herbs and supplements you are taking. It is also important to list the dosage and how many times per day you are taking them. Try to include why you are taking these medications and who originally prescribed them if you can. If you are unsure, or have any questions about what information is important regarding your medications, just put everything you are taking on a regular basis into a shopping bag, and bring it to the appointment. Updating your medication record is an important part of every visit, so make a routine of bringing updates regularly.

Use your Time Wisely

It is important to have a good relationship with your provider and he or she is genuinely interested in you, but be realistic about what can be accomplished in one visit. If you have a number of health issues, it is important to organize your thoughts and address all of your concerns. While telling stories may be entertaining, it may not be productive and could take time away from discussing important issues. So, budget your time and try to stay focused on your health. This is also not the time to paint rosy pictures or avoid embarrassing topics. Honesty and full disclosure will go a long way to help you achieve health. Use your primary care visit to its fullest potential by trusting your provider with sincere information.

Don’t Go It Alone

Sometimes you might have a lot to discuss at your visit, or you might be worried about the results of your tests. Not everyone is comfortable with medical information, so you may have trouble remembering everything your family medicine provider tells you during a visit. In these situations, you might bring a trusted friend, spouse or family member with you. They can offer you support, take notes for you, help you remember to cover all your concerns, or maybe even think of questions that you don’t.

Leave with a Plan

So now you have gone prepared, brought all your important information with you, and reviewed all of your concerns and test results. Most likely, there will be recommendations to be followed, prescriptions to be filled, or follow up testing to be done. Often, you will be advised to return within a certain amount of time. Make sure you understand all that is expected of you. Your health depends on it! So, ask questions, take notes, and clarify what you may not understand. Make sure you know the plan, agree with the plan, and are capable of carrying out all that is recommended. By arriving prepared, making the most of your time during the visit, and leaving with a good understanding of a realistic plan, you will have made the most of your primary care visit, and will be well on your way to good health.

At Advanced Medical PA, we look forward to providing you with all your primary care needs. To learn more about us and the services we offer, or to schedule your primary care visit, call us at (561) 434-1935 to request an appointment, or request one online.

The Importance of an Annual Wellness Exam

Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life. It takes conscious effort to achieve and maintain good health, and the effects can last your whole lifetime. Having an annual wellness exam is one of the most important things you can do for your body.

An annual wellness exam:

  • Is vital for the early detection and prevention of diseases
  • Provides time to review current medications and discuss side effects and benefits
  • Gives you an opportunity to work with your family medicine provider to change or adjust bad habits that can lead to poor health and long-term problems
  • Ensures you are current with vaccines
  • Offers the opportunity to measure cholesterol, blood sugar, and other indicators of potential problems through lab tests

Many times, we don’t seek medical help until a small problem has become a large one. Making the right choices for your body can eliminate a lot of pain and help extend your life! Prevention is the best way to avoid sickness. At your annual well exam, your family medicine provider gets a chance to learn about you and your health history, so that you have a baseline in case of illness or injury.

A wellness visit may include:

  • Weight and BMI
  • lood work and labs
  • Urine analysis
  • Discussion of lab results
  • Blood pressure check
  • Discussion of history and any concerns
  • New prescriptions to address health issues

As a primary medicine care provider, Dr. Ishan Gunawardene takes the time to get to know patients at their wellness exams, and is there throughout any hospital or rehabilitation stay to coordinate care and eliminate miscommunications among providers who don’t know your complete health history.

Advanced Medical Clinic provides comprehensive wellness exams with a family medicine provider who will get to know you and be there when you need him. Call (561) 434-1935 for an appointment in Wellington or Royal Palm Beach, Florida today. We offer same day appointments.

Chronic vs. Acute Pain

Pain, from the perspective of the medical professional, is often divided into two main categories: acute pain, and chronic pain. Acute pain is the type of pain that we feel as the immediate result of an injury (for example, your finger hurts after getting hit by a hammer when you are trying to drive a nail). Chronic pain is a pain that is more lasting or frequent in nature. Chronic pain, for example, might be more along the lines of having a back or joint pain that is either constant or comes and goes on a fairly regular basis. There are many different conditions linked to chronic and acute pain. These include autoimmune disorders, spine and nerve damage, neurological conditions like migraines, broken bones, nerve damage, burns, blunt trauma and lacerations, and much more.

The fact is that even minor pain caused by stubbing a toe, is seldom pleasant. Nor is it meant to be – pain is, after all, your body’s way of signaling you that something is wrong. Nature has hard wired us to feel pain when our body is injured or compromised in some way. The problem is though, that much like an alarm system that keeps blaring and refuses to shut off, your body can continue to send signals when you already know the issue exists. Acute pain is most often treated by treating the underlying cause of the pain. A broken arm for instance, normally begins to decrease in pain after the bone is set and the healing process has begun.

Chronic pain is often difficult to manage, becoming a quality of life issue. The degree of pain may vary from mild to debilitating, and in many cases, it is accompanied by other symptoms such as ongoing fatigue, depression or anxiety, irritability and an inability to concentrate. This is completely understandable. Some recent studies have also shown that chronic pain may actually alter brain chemistry, especially in the area of the brain that controls how emotions are processed.

Chronic pain conditions include:

  • Arthritis
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Cancer
  • Back or spine injuries
  • Neuropathy or other nerve damage
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • AIDS or HIV
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Migraines

When treating chronic pain, family medicine providers may employ a variety of treatments ranging from targeted injections to surgery, physical or occupational therapy, prescription medications, bracing, and other pain management treatments.

At Advanced Medical Clinic, we understand pain. We treat people from all walks of life, and we know how to deal with both acute and chronic pain. If you are concerned about how chronic pain is affecting your quality of life, Dr. Ishan Gunawardene of Advanced Medical Clinic can answer all your questions. To make an appointment with us in Wellington or Royal Palm Beach, request an appointment online or call (561) 434-1935 today.

Why Eating Fresh Fruit Can Lower Your Risk for Diabetes

Eating fresh fruit is one of the great and delicious ways to eat healthy and still pack more flavor into your diet. Not only is fresh fruit a wonderful way to help balance your diet and lose weight, it may help you avoid developing type II diabetes. Medical researchers have known for some time that the risks for developing diabetes are heavily tied to daily lifestyle habits.

Studies, for instance, have consistently shown that a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and heart healthy fats can significantly lower your risk for developing adult onset, or type II diabetes ­– especially when combined with other healthy choices such as walking or other regular exercise.

Healthy Eating Can Lower Your Risk for Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Certain Cancers

Fresh whole fruits may also boost your immune system and lower your risks of both heart disease and even certain cancers. As with any diet, it is important to remember to add a wide variety of natural, healthy food sources rather than simply eating just one or two kinds of fruit. You should also talk to your family medicine provider to create a comprehensive diet and exercise program that works with your body to help you sustain a healthier lifestyle.

Keep in mind that the best diets reduce or eliminate poor food choices such as saturated fats, empty calories, high fructose corn syrup and sugar, adding heart and blood sugar healthy foods like fresh fruit and vegetables, and lean protein sources instead.

Surprisingly, fresh fruits are not the only thing that may help prevent diabetes. Peanut butter has a high fiber content, and monosaturated (good) fats that people enjoy eating. Be sure to carefully note portion sizes though, as it can ratchet up your calories. And even with fresh fruit, while overwhelmingly healthy, too much of a good thing can cause unwanted weight gain.

Fresh fruits should be eaten as whole as possible, removing only what is inedible such as the outer peel or rind. The skins of some fruits like apples also contain additional vitamins and trace minerals. Just be sure to thoroughly wash them to remove any pesticide residue that may have been used in growing them, or look for organic varieties instead.

Be aware that fruit juices or processed fruit may have added sugars, or have stripped away healthy fiber, which can cause a rise in blood sugar levels (fiber slows down absorption and improves blood sugar levels). A diet rich in whole grains, fresh fruits, nuts, berries and vegetables is a tasty way to reduce your chances of developing diabetes.

If you are concerned about how your diet is affecting your chances of developing diabetes, Dr. Ishan Gunawardene of Advanced Medical Clinic can answer all of your questions. To make an appointment with us in Wellington or Royal Palm Beach, request an appointment online or call (561) 434-1935 today.