primary care providers Near Me

How a Primary Care Provider Can Help with Preventative Care

One of the most important roles of a primary care provider is to provide preventive care. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and the best way to stay healthy is to avoid illness in the first place. That is why primary care providers play a critical role in keeping their patients healthy by providing preventive care.

Regular Check-Ups

One of the best ways to prevent illness is by regularly visiting a primary care provider for a check-up. Your primary care provider can detect early signs of health problems and recommend interventions to address them before they become serious health issues. During a check-up, your primary care provider will review your medical history, ask you questions about your health, and may perform some tests, such as a blood pressure check, a cholesterol test, and a physical examination.

Identifying Early Signs of Diseases

During check-ups, providers can monitor the health of patients, identify any changes in their health, and detect early signs of diseases. Diagnosing a disease in its early stages provides a better chance of managing it, improving the quality of life for the patient and, in some cases, saving their life. For example, early detection of cancer or diabetes can lead to effective treatment to prevent it from spreading and causing further complications.

Managing Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

Regular check-ups are especially important for patients with pre-existing medical conditions such as heart disease, asthma, and hypertension. During these check-ups, providers can monitor health status, conduct necessary tests, adjust medications, and make recommendations to improve care. Managing these conditions can reduce the risk of complications such as heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure, which can result in hospitalization.

Preventing New Illnesses

Counseling patients on ways to reduce their risk factors for illnesses, such as smoking cessation, can reduce the development of new medical conditions. For example, during a wellness examination, providers can discuss the importance of exercise, healthy eating habits, and stress management.

Improving Patient Engagement and Satisfaction

When patients understand their health status, they are more likely to follow through with recommended treatments and make positive lifestyle changes. In turn, this leads to higher patient satisfaction and improved overall health outcomes. Regular check-ups help to build a relationship between the patient and the healthcare provider and provide an opportunity for a more in-depth discussion of the patient’s health history, health goals, and current status.

Vaccinations

Vaccines are developed to offer protection against infectious diseases that can pose a threat to our lives. Regular vaccinations are the most effective way to treat and prevent such diseases. Vaccinations work by preparing the immune system to fight against a particular disease by creating antibodies. This immunity helps to keep you healthy and prevent the spread of infectious diseases to others.

Vaccinations are essential for preventing the spread of deadly diseases like polio, measles, chickenpox, mumps, hepatitis, and many other infectious diseases. Failure to vaccinate can lead to the spread of disease and sometimes even result in outbreaks that can be fatal. Moreover, they can also help you get vaccination for a specific purpose like travelling abroad.

Cancer Screening

Every year, more than 1.7 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed, and it is estimated that nearly 609,000 people die due to its complications. However, we also know that early screening can help identify cancer in an individual before it gets a chance to spread. As such, cancer screening plays a significant role in preventive care.Cancer screenings can identify the presence of cancer in people with no symptoms that could lead to an early diagnosis.

Counseling

One aspect of primary care that often goes overlooked is counseling. People with chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are at a higher risk of developing depression and anxiety. Counseling is a valuable tool primary care providers can use to help their patients improve their mental health as well.

Primary care providers can help patients manage their mental health by coordinating counseling and/or medications. These interactions can also help patients manage stress, improve their coping skills, and develop healthier habits.

Primary Care Near Me in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, Florida

Finding a quality family medicine facility near you is as easy as calling Advanced Medical Clinic. Our team of dedicated, compassionate, board-certified family medicine providers, is proud to offer comprehensive, personalized care to you and your family members. Whether you are feeling like you have a flu or need help managing chronic conditions like diabetes, you can rely on our team at Advanced Medical Clinic.

To make an appointment with one of our family medicine provider, call us today at (561) 434-1935. You can also make an appointment online using our convenient online appointment request form.

Bronchitis: What Happens in Your Lungs

Bronchitis is the inflammation of your bronchial tube lining – the air passage linking your mouth and nose with your lungs that carries air to and from your lungs. It can be either acute or chronic.

Acute bronchitis is a prevalent condition that often develops from cold and respiratory infections, while chronic bronchitis (more severe form) usually occurs due to smoking.

Bronchitis can result in symptoms like:

  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest discomfort
  • Production of mucus that can be white, clear, yellowish-gray, green, or sometimes red
  • Slight fever and chills

Let’s talk about what happens in your lungs during bronchitis and where you can go in Wellington to get treatment for your bronchitis.

What Happens in Your Lungs During Bronchitis?

Bronchitis is also known as an infection of the lower respiratory tract. Both viral and bacterial infections can cause bronchitis. Nearly 95% of bronchitis cases are caused by viruses, while bronchitis caused by bacteria is uncommon.

Besides bacteria and viruses, other factors trigger bronchitis, such as allergens and irritants like smoke, dust, and polluted air, can also irritate the epithelial lining of your lungs and cause acute inflammation of the bronchi. This swelling and inflammation of the bronchi occur when your body tries to fight the triggers.

When the walls of the bronchi get inflamed, you develop a cough. Initially, the cough is dry, but when the mucus-producing goblet cells of inflamed bronchi produce and excrete more mucus, your cough becomes productive with mucus. The swelling of airways also narrows them, allowing less air to pass through, and causes wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.

Acute bronchitis lasts for 10 to 14 days, and you feel symptoms for about three weeks. However, if the productive cough persists for three months in a year for at least two consecutive years, this is called chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis can further cause the obstruction of the airflow causing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

How does a Primary Care Provider Manage Bronchitis?

Typically, the treatment of bronchitis depends on the type of bronchitis you have. Usually, acute bronchitis may not need treatment or sometimes get better with over-the-counter drugs. However, chronic bronchitis – also considered COPD – is not curable but its symptoms can be managed with a variety of treatments. These treatments may include:

  • Medications, such as antibiotics, bronchodilators, anti-inflammatories, and their combination.
  • Pulmonary rehabilitation involving breathing exercise programs that manage breathing problems and improve lung strength and quality of life
  • Oxygen therapy
  • Surgery

Bronchitis Treatment in Wellington

If you think you or your loved one has chest tightness, wheezing, shortness of breath, and other discomforting symptoms, don’t hesitate to contact our primary care providers at Advanced Medical Clinic. Our highly skilled experienced and compassionate providers will offer your proper treatment for your bronchitis so that it doesn’t develop into pneumonia. Our providers know that each person’s illness is different, so they offer a highly personalized and evidence-based treatment plan.

To make an appointment with our providers, call us at  (561) 434-1935 or request an appointment online now. We look forward to serving you!

What Do You Talk About with a Primary Care Provider?

Making an appointment with a primary care provider is the first step to achieving optimum health. A primary care provider can help you keep your health issues under control, which may extend your life while also offering a better quality of life.

If it’s your first time seeing a primary care provider or it’s been a while since you’ve seen one, you may be wondering how to make the most out of it. Let’s talk about a few key things you should discuss with your primary care provider during your visit, and where you can go in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach for world-class primary care.

#1: Health Concerns and Symptoms

During your visit to your primary care provider, don’t hesitate to bring up anything concerning your health, such as:

  • Aches and pains
  • Digestive issues
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Reproductive issues
  • Sexual issues
  • Diet and lifestyle issues

Be sure to be honest with your primary care provider in order to help them develop a clear picture of your overall health and wellness. If you do not bring up something because it’s embarrassing, then the issue cannot be addressed – so don’t worry, your primary care provider has seen and heard it all.

#2: Current Medical Condition

During your annual or semiannual checkup, your primary care provider will perform bloodwork and a urinalysis. The primary care provider will also check your heart, blood pressure, breathing, eyes, ears, nose, and throat.

The family medicine provider will give you a prescription for any health condition you have if necessary. Let your primary care provider know if you have been experiencing any unusual health symptoms, such as abdominal pain or occasional dizziness.

Your primary care provider will also be the one who organizes and evaluates all of the reports from the medical specialists you see, such as an ophthalmologist, allergist, neurologist, gynecologist/urologist, and endocrinologist. Part of a primary care provider’s job is to ensure that you do not have any prescriptions that have contraindications, which means that they would work against each other or work against a different underlying condition you have. This is why every specialist will ask you who your primary care provider is.

#3: Health Goals

A primary care providers’ treatments are centered not just around maintaining your quality of life, but also helping you reach your health goals. Examples of health goals include:

  • More energy and stamina
  • Less pain
  • Better control of blood glucose (sugar) levels
  • Lower blood pressure readings
  • Improved cholesterol management
  • Losing weight
  • Better balance and mobility
  • Better sleep patterns
  • Stress management
  • Better mental health
  • Better sexual health

Primary care providers can help you improve every aspect of your life that relates to your health through a range of primary care services.

Primary Care Provider in Royal Palm Beach, Florida

If you are looking for a primary care provider who truly cares, choose the Advanced Medical Clinic. Our primary care providers are a husband-and-wife team that advocates for our patients’ health and serves the whole family.

Dr. Ishan Gunawardene and nurse practitioner Shariffa Gunawardene are with you every step of the way. To schedule an appointment, call Advanced Medical Clinic today at (561) 434-1935 or fill out our appointment request form online. We look forward to being your healthcare provider!