urgent care in Royal Palm Beach FL

How a Family Medicine Provider Can Help Manage Asthma

Asthma is a chronic condition that can cause chest pain, difficulty breathing, and wheezing. One of the most common causes of asthma is allergies, usually due to environmental factors such as dust, smoke, and pollution. A respiratory illness can also trigger asthma symptoms.

While there is no cure for asthma, you can keep your asthma symptoms under control with the help of your family medicine provider. A primary care provider can coordinate your healthcare with other medical specialists and help you maintain your quality of life.

Asthma is one of the most commonly treated conditions by family medicine providers. It may surprise you to know that even if you are already seeing an allergy family medicine provider for your asthma, the allergy specialist may recommend that you also see a primary care provider.

Let’s talk about why you need to have a family medicine provider, and how they can help you manage your asthma, and where you can go in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach for top-notch medical care for yourself and your whole family.

Reason #1: A Family Medicine Provider Can Help You Manage Several Conditions at Once

A family medicine provider helps you control not just asthma but also other chronic conditions you may have, such as high blood pressure (hypertension) and diabetes. Your family medicine provider can provide comprehensive care by taking into account your medical history, lifestyle, and preferences.

It can be challenging trying to manage several health conditions concurrently, but it’s not impossible. Some medications have ingredients that contraindicate each other, in which case they should not be taken at the same time – and your family medicine provider will make sure that none of your medicines are counteracting. Similarly, some recommendations for one condition may not be recommended for another condition, and this family medicine provider will help you to make the best decisions about how to take a comprehensive approach.

Reason #2: A Family Medicine Provider Can Help Prevent Complications of Asthma

The breadth of knowledge and experience of a primary care provider includes training in diagnosing and treating asthma, so this provider knows how to help you reduce or prevent complications that may arise – such as a worsening of asthma symptoms. Family medicine providers give personalized, high-quality care to keep you healthy for a lifetime.

How a Family Medicine Provider Helps Keep Asthma Under Control

The goal is to prevent and control asthma attacks and establish normal lung function. This includes identifying your own personal triggers and avoiding them, and also the use of medication.

Depending on your needs, you may require the use of short-acting and long-acting prescription asthma medication. The family medicine provider will educate you on the use of a peak flow meter, and teach you how to use it to detect an oncoming attack and possibly prevent it.

The family medicine provider will also teach you how to properly use a rescue inhaler to experience quick relief from your asthma symptoms. The long-term medication prescribed by your family medicine provider will help prevent asthma attacks and lessen their severity when they do arise.

Family Medicine Provider in Wellington, FL

If you want to take control of your asthma, let our family medicine provider here at Advanced Medical Clinic, Dr. Shariffa Gunawardene, help you live a better life. Dr. Gunawardene provides personalized asthma treatment for our patients who have allergy-induced asthma, and she takes her time with each patient to determine the best course of action for optimal health and wellness. She and her husband, Dr. Ishan Gunawardene, together lead our medical team and will ensure you receive the full and proper diagnostics and treatment that works for you.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, call our primary care clinic today at (561) 434-1935 or fill out our convenient online appointment request form. We look forward to serving you!

Can Whiplash Cause Depression?

Whiplash is a type of neck injury that occurs after a fast-paced vehicular or sports accident. The sudden, forceful motion during the accident can cause the neck to overextend, causing the vertebrae to become misaligned. Pain from whiplash can be physical and psychological.

You may not automatically connect whiplash with depression, but there is a connection between the two. Depression is common in those with whiplash-associated disorders. Let’s discuss how whiplash could cause depression.

Why Whiplash Could Lead to Depression

Long-Term Whiplash Injury Complications

Alignment issues in the cervical region, in addition to the co-occurring soft tissue injuries, can impede normal blood flow to and from the brain, causing other medical conditions such as chronic pain, which is also linked to depression. For some, the problems that arise from whiplash can be long-term. Pain, stiffness, migraines, dizziness, and ringing in the ears are just a few examples of long-term effects associated with whiplash.

The long-term effects of whiplash can include depression. Without getting back to normal function, the patient can be psychologically impacted. This is compounded by thoughts of the accident, such as feeling angry, scared, or anxious.

Recovery

Another cause of depression due to whiplash may be the recovery period required. Soft tissue injuries can take up to 10 weeks to heal. For some, whiplash symptoms can persist even at the six-month mark or longer, which means the condition is chronic. Patients with chronic whiplash tend to have higher incidences of and increased levels of anxiety and depression.

Recovery from whiplash takes time, and during this period, the patient is limited in the activities they can engage in. For instance, sports and exercise are going to be off-limits, as the patient will need to wear a collar or neck brace to prevent movement and to support the neck as it heals.

Don’t Want to Become Depressed After Sustaining a Whiplash Injury?

In order to get the best possible outcome from whiplash treatment, it is important to seek treatment immediately after being involved in a sport or vehicular accident. Moreover, entrust your care in the hands of experts in whiplash treatment. Whiplash is usually treated using a combination of physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, various pain management techniques, and orthopedic care.

Whiplash Treatment in Royal Palm Beach and Wellington, FL

At Advanced Medical, our primary care providers provide treatment for patients with whiplash. We are committed to your recovery. We will make sure our treatment plan is highly individualized for effectiveness and to reduce complication risk. We also coordinate care with other specialists, such as chiropractors and physical therapists, to give you the best chance at a fast recovery. We also treat patients with chronic pain and other long-term complications from whiplash.

If not treated in a timely manner, whiplash can cause serious health conditions. To schedule an appointment for whiplash treatment, call us today at (561) 434-1935 or use our appointment request form. We look forward to helping you get back to your life, pain-free.

The Difference Between a Walk-In Clinic and Urgent Care Clinic

Are you one of those people who are unsure as to which type of healthcare facility you should seek treatment at in the event of a medical situation?

Depending on the nature of your condition or injury, you have a variety of options you can try, but your ideal options are a walk-in clinic and an urgent care clinic. Let’s delineate their distinctions to help you determine where you’re supposed to go for a particular medical situation.

Treatment and Services

A walk-in clinic, also referred to as a retail clinic, is designed is for quick visits. Walk-in clinics are the ones you see in grocery stores, pharmacies, and “big box” stores, such as Target and Walmart. Some of the services you can acquire at walk-in clinics are treatment for simple, acute conditions, vaccinations, drug prescriptions for common conditions, and blood pressure checks.

Urgent care clinics, on the other hand, are typically freestanding facilities. Services in urgent care clinics include treatment for acute illnesses or minor injuries, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs), minor cuts and abrasions, minor burns, simple fractures, among others.

If you have a condition or injury that is not serious enough to be considered life-threatening, but it needs prompt medical intervention, then your best course of action is to go to an urgent care clinic. Also, because walk-in clinics have a limited menu of services, if you are living with multiple chronic health conditions, your best bet is to go to a primary care practice that offers urgent care services.

Staff and Equipment

One of the major differences between these facilities is the staffing: urgent care clinics are required by law to have at least one board-certified primary care family medicine provider, whereas walk-in clinics typically only have nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

Moreover, most urgent care facilities have multiple exam rooms and more advanced medical and diagnostic equipment. These are for conducting x-rays, administering IVs, and treating injuries.

Costs

Walk-in clinics provide more affordable options and less expensive treatments than urgent care clinics do. It is because walk-in clinics are primarily geared toward catering to the uninsured and underinsured. Urgent care services, nonetheless, are less expensive than emergency room services.

Urgent Care Clinic in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, FL

At Advanced Medical in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach, Florida, we are essentially a primary care practice that is committed to providing comprehensive, patient-centered urgent care services to people of all ages in our community. Whether what you have is an acute or chronic medical condition, you can rest assured that we will provide you with the highest quality of evidence-based medical care.

If you have an acute medical situation that needs prompt treatment, you can either walk in or book a same-day appointment by calling us at (561) 434-1935. Alternatively, you may fill out our appointment request form.  We look forward to building a long-term relationship with you!

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!