How To Choose A Primary Care Physician For Your Family?

Almost every family is associated with a primary care physician in NYC. Choosing these healthcare professionals is very important for your family. Primary care physician is a doctor whom you consult for the medical issues like cough, cold, regular health checkups etc. They are also responsible for referring you to a specialist in case of a serious health issue.

People trust their primary care physicians, which is why some physician-patient relationships last for decades while others last only for a short time. Regardless of the time span, it is essential to have a well qualified doctor as your primary care physician.

Here are some important tips for choosing the right one.

Doctors in your network

Health plans have special rates with specific doctors and hospitals in your area. It is important to ensure that the doctor you are choosing is in the network to avoid extra charges during medical procedures.

Doctor’s expertise

There are different physicians who specialise in handling patients like children, elderly etc. Choose your doctor wisely according to your family’s needs. You can narrow down your search by filtering the physicians who do not match your specific needs.

Referrals

Referrals help you in the selection process. A word of mouth assurance works better than reviews written at a doctor’s clinic. Always consider the experience of your friends and relatives before choosing your primary physician.

Location

It is always a good idea to have your primary physician close to your office and home. You can reach your doctor easily in the case of an emergency.

Official Visit

An official visit and face to face interaction will seal any doubts you have as well as make you comfortable about your decision. Share your medical history and analyse if the physician is capable of managing your health.

Many doctors use email and mobile alerts to notify you of upcoming examinations, which are important to maintain your good health. Take note of small things like staff interaction, call handling and environmental factors in their office. Take your time and then finalize your primary healthcare physician

Few Medical Tests Performed By A Primary Care Physician

Physicians are the health care specialists who are responsible for diagnosing and treating health issues of a person, whether an infant, a teenager or an adult.

There are a number of medical tests that a primary care physician performs. Some of the common tests are listed below-

• Allergy test - These days, many people a suffering from some kind of allergy such as food allergy, dust allergy, allergic asthma, seasonal allergy, skin rashes, hay fever, dermatitis, venom allergy and more. To discover the main cause behind these allergies, physicians conduct different allergy tests. The diagnosis of allergy is done through skin test or blood test.

• Carotid Doppler - Plaque in carotid arteries prevents blood flowing to the brain, which can cause some serious health, issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease.

• Holter test - The Holter test helps in determining whether proper oxygen is received by heart or not. To check this, a small device is attached to the patient’s body for approx. 24 hours.

• Full Body checkup - The physicians are also responsible for performing full body checkup, which includes checkup of cardiovascular system, respiratory system, ears, lungs, eyes etc. In addition, regular checkups are also conducted that include heart rate, temperature, weight, and respiration rate.

• Echocardiogram - The ultrasound test helps in diagnosing heart diseases like valve disease, congenital heart disease, pericardial disease, and myocardial disease and more. With the help of test results doctors can prescribe proper medication to the patients.

The above-mentioned are just few of the tests that a physician performs. However, it is very important for you to look for qualified primary care physician in NYC that can provide you proper guidance and medications according to your test results.

Importance Of Cholesterol Screening Tests

A person’s health is greatly affected by the cholesterol level. Higher blood cholesterol puts a person at risk for coronary heart disease or stroke. Multiple cases of strokes are reported annually in the Glen Oaks area alone. So it is recommended to be aware of your cholesterol levels. For this purpose, you need to go for appropriate screening.

What is the cholesterol screening process?

• High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein (LDL) can be measured during a cholesterol screening in any clinic in the Glen Oaks area.  A blood sample is evaluated at the same time when other tests included in the procedure are being conducted. Usually the samples are taken at the same time and your blood sample is examined in a lab.

• It is advised by the doctors to avoid consuming food, medicines or beverages for nine to twelve hours prior to the blood test. The parameters being examined can be affected by the consumption of food, which may lead to inaccurate results.

• Cholesterol levels are measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). Doctors interpret the numbers based on other risk factors like blood pressure, family history and smoking.

How often you should get your cholesterol checked?

• In case you have been diagnosed with a heart condition and are above 20 years of age, then it is recommended that you get your cholesterol levels examined every once in awhile.

• You can have your cholesterol tested more often to mitigate other risk factors. Your doctor can give apt solutions based on your reports.

It is best to get yourself tested under the supervision of a primary doctor. Once you know the results, your doctor can suggest required treatment and an effective prevention plan, as well as follow-up testing.

In case you are going to public screening to get your cholesterol tested, make sure it is conducted by a reputed company. Cholesterol levels are integral in your overall cardiovascular profile. Timely detection of high levels can be controlled and further risks can be mitigated through a preventive action plan.

Types Of Primary Care Physicians

You may need to consult primary care physicians for a routine checkup or for immunization against a disease. Selecting a physician is an important step to manage all your medical and health care needs. There are many reasons you may require primary care including prevention of a disease, health promotion, counselling, diagnosis or treatment of chronic illness.

Most physicians also treat minor medical problems like casual pains or fever. There are different kinds of primary care physicians for different purposes. Here is a description of the types of physicians that might be available in your area.

• Internal medicine physician: These physicians commonly treat people of     age 14 and above and are certified in the understanding of the internal organs of the adult body. They are specialized in prevention, diagnosis and management of diseases in adults. They particularly focus on specific part of body such as heart, lungs or specific diseases like diabetes.

• Family practitioner: They are specialized in general family care for patients of all ages and perform routine checkups. Their specialist includes: adolescent medicine, general     medicine, preventive medicine and treat special conditions like sports injuries or women's health needs.    

• Gynecologist or obstetrician: Through the reproductive years and so on, this physician is a key health resource for a woman. The obstetrician has the knowledge to advise you on your well-being and recommend tests necessary at different stages of life.        

• Geriatricians: Geriatricians     provide care for aging adults, they address the specific needs of adults above 60 years. They provide medication management, physical and mental assessments related to issues like falls, memory and other aging aspects.    

• Pediatricians: They  are commonly specially educated to care for children, ranging from     newborns up till 21. If your child needs special care, the pediatrician will work closely so that your child gets the best care.

If you live in New York City, then you need to choose a  primary care physician in NY,  who can provide you the best medical care. They will help you to stay health by modifying bad habits and taking into account the family history.

Understanding Glaucoma - The Eye Disorder

Glaucoma is an eye-disorder, which often causes blindness, if not prevented beforehand. Glaucoma can damage the eye’s optic nerve and deteriorate vision over time. This is associated with abnormally high pressure inside the eye.

Causes of glaucoma

According to theories, glaucoma might be due to abnormal eye development, eye infection, drugs, or no supply of blood to the eye. However, the exact reasons behind optic nerve damage are still not certain.

Symptoms of glaucoma

Gradual loss of vision is a major symptom of glaucoma. A few other symptoms that might also cause glaucoma include-

• Severe headache
• Sudden loss of eyesight
• Nausea and vomiting
• Flashes of light
• Redness of eye
• Severe eye or eyebrow pain
• Hazy or Blurred vision
• Appearance of rainbow colored circles around bright lights

Risk factors of glaucoma

As signs and symptoms are not easily apparent, it is difficult to know if anyone is suffering from glaucoma. Following are a few possible risk factors about which one should be aware-

• Age – People around the age of 40s or 60s and above are at a risk of glaucoma.

• Family history – This is a genetic problem. If anyone in a family is suffering from glaucoma, then it is possible that other members in the family may also develop this disorder.

• Medical conditions – Medical problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart diseases are also the reasons behind glaucoma. People suffering from these health issues are prone to the glaucoma problem.

• Long-term medication use – Intake or use of medicines such as eye drops for a longer duration of time can also cause glaucoma.

• Other risk factors – Besides the above mentioned risk factors, a few other risk factors that can cause this problem include-
• Contraceptive medications
• Nearsightedness
• Sleep disorders
• Migraine

Diagnosis process

Medically there is no cure for glaucoma eye disease. The only way to prevent is regular examination of eyes. Eye specialists recommend people to go for regular eye tests in every three to four months.

Glaucoma tests include following medical testing procedures-

• Tonometry - Examining the inner eye pressure
• Ophthalmoscopy - Examining the shape and color of the optic nerve
• Perimetry -Examining the complete field of vision
• Gonioscopy –Examining the angle in the eye where the iris meets the cornea
• Pachymetry –Examining the thickness of the cornea

Why Cholesterol Screening is Important?

Cholesterol is an important part of everyone’s body composition. However, too much of cholesterol can have a serious impact on one’s health. It can put you at risk of heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.

Therefore, it is very important for you to check your cholesterol level regularly. If you live in Glen Oaks you can check it with a simple cholesterol screening in Glen Oaks from a reliable health care facility and work on the required treatment and prevention options to remain safe and healthy.

One reason why getting your cholesterol checked is so important because high cholesterol does not show any symptoms. Without routine check-up, a person may not even know that he has high cholesterol until some serious problem arises. Often called the silent disease, high cholesterol can result in very serious problems, as it takes just seconds for a clogged artery to cause a heart attack or a clot-forming stroke.

Another important reason to get a regular cholesterol screening is that if you are already a patient of high cholesterol you can continue to consult your doctor to develop a better prevention and treatment plan.

A person with high cholesterol should always prefer a diet that is low in saturated fat. Along with this, a healthy body weight, a regular exercise, healthy lifestyle changes can also help keep cholesterol in control.

However, if you have many risk factors or have high cholesterol caused by genetics, the doctor may also prescribe you certain medications to keep it under control.

There are a number of things that can affect the cholesterol level. Some of them are mentioned below.

• Diet

• Weight

• Exercise

• Age and gender

• Genes

• Medications

Checking your cholesterol level is very easy. So, make sure to get it checked regularly to avoid any serious health problems in future.

Top Medical Services Provided By Primary Care Physicians

Health is the most important thing that you need to take care of, if you want to lead a normal and independent life. However, at some point of time, everyone does fall ill. It can be due to changing weather conditions, infection or some other reason.

If you live in Mt. Sinai and have a health concern, then in order to get the medical attention you need, you will have to consult a primary care physician in Mt. Sinai. A primary care physician provides many services. This may include relevant tests and screenings that are important to ascertain the overall health of the individual and to detect any signs of illness.

The treatments for the medical conditions mentioned below, are some of the top medical services that are provided by a primary care physician.

Obesity- Obesity is a     most common medical issue all over the world. It is a condition     where the intake of calories is more than those you burn, which over time results in massive fat and cholesterol build up. The primary care physicians help the patients in controlling their weight by guiding them to follow a strict diet and healthy lifestyle.    

Depression- These days, a number of people are suffering from depression. Even     teenagers and young adults are becoming a victim of this problem. The doctors at primary care help the victims of depression by identifying the source and conducting several counselling sessions.    

Diabetes- Primary care physicians provide medical care to the patients suffering from     diabetes. The body of a diabetic patient is unable to create the required amount of insulin and as a result the organs fail to get the amount of glucose they require. The physician provides the proper medication to control diabetes.    

Asthma- The primary care physician also deals with the different types of respiratory     problems such as asthma. There is no exact cure for this problem, but the physician helps by providing the required equipment and medication to control the problem.    

The primary care doctors can easily be found at any heath care facilities including hospitals, clinics etc. So, in case of any of the aforementioned condition, make sure to consult a primary care physician as soon as possible.