Health Education

Episodes of racing heart, Panic, or feelings of impending doom, loss of control, feeling like you’re “going crazy.” Often starts with a trigger but can become Generalized Anxiety. If exercise, cutting down and caffeine, and focusing on good sleep hours aren’t helping anymore, come see us.

Coughing or shortness of breath, sometimes triggered by cold air, viral illness, or Allergic rhinitis, above. If you’re feeling these symptoms regularly, or more than a few times a month, it may be time to review your current treatment strategy.

Screenings for skin cancers, breast, cervical, colon, lung, prostate, and uterine cancers are all basic screening tests offered in primary care offices. These are usually addressed at an Annual Wellness Visit.

COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is illness of the lungs most often found in long time smokers, but longstanding, untreated asthma, can end up with a similar picture, as well.

Flu, or viral influenza, is a serious illness, often occurring during the cooler seasons of the year. Early diagnosis and treatment are important, because antivirals can shorten the duration and severity of flu, but only if started within the first 48-72 hours off illness.

Heart Disease, or coronary artery disease, is often a result of longstanding, untreated risk factors, which include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cigarette smoking, obesity, diabetes, and many times occur in a setting of family history of heart attacks or strokes. Screening for these risk factors is often offered at a Wellness Visit, but routine follow-up is important to be sure that therapy is controlling the risk factors.

Obesity, or severe overweight, can result from prolonged inactivity, as well as excessive calorie intake. Commonly an inherited trait, which often raises the question of genetics versus poor habits started at a young age. Guided nutritional counseling, a large number of medication therapies, and sometimes surgery can help to bring the weight into a healthier range. Longstanding obesity can result in diabetes or contribute to hypertension or heart disease.

Osteoarthritis (OA), or “wear and tear” joint damage, occurs to varying degree in different people with normal aging. OA is usually sporadic and asymmetric, and often results in atrophy, wearing away of the joint cartilage lining. This is different than Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is an autoimmune condition, in which autoantibodies from your own immune system attack all of the joints. RA is usually symmetric and inflammatory, joints look the same on both sides and can be red, swollen, and inflamed.

Sinusitis, or inflammation of the sinus passages in the face, can be bacterial, allergic, or even associated with chronic headache or migraines. Symptoms including fever, excessive mucous production, and severe pain in the face or teeth should be evaluated urgently.

Sprains and strains are soft tissue injuries of the extremities, usually due to trauma. Loss of function, such as trouble walking or inability to use the arm or hand should be evaluated as soon as possible. Changes in color, loss of feeling in the limb, obvious deformity, or inability to move the limb should be evaluated in an Emergency Room. A dislocated joint is considered a medical emergency because of the impaired circulation.