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Primary Care Doctors
At Heart and Health Medical, we take pride in providing excellence in primary care at our four convenient locations across Long Island. Our primary care physicians are dedicated to delivering high-quality healthcare services, promoting preventive care, and serving as your first point of contact for your medical needs. We have offices in Suffolk County, including Coram and North Babylon, as well as an office in Nassau County in Plainview.
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What Does a Primary Care Doctor Do?
A primary care doctor plays a crucial role in managing and overseeing your healthcare. Here’s a glimpse into the responsibilities and services offered by our primary care physicians:
1. Initial Evaluation: When you visit a primary care doctor, they serve as your initial point of contact for medical concerns. They evaluate your symptoms, medical history, and overall health to provide an initial diagnosis and treatment plan.
2. Preventive Care: Our primary care physicians emphasize preventive healthcare measures to keep you healthy. This includes vaccinations, screenings, and health maintenance recommendations to detect and address potential health issues early.
3. Chronic Disease Management: For individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and heart disease, our primary care doctors provide ongoing management and monitoring to optimize your health and prevent complications.
4. Diagnosis and Treatment: Primary care physicians diagnose and treat a wide range of common medical conditions, such as infections, minor injuries, allergies, and respiratory issues. They can prescribe medications, recommend lifestyle modifications, and offer guidance for managing your health.
5. Referrals to Specialists: If your condition requires specialized care or further evaluation, our primary care doctors can refer you to experienced specialists within our network or in the broader medical community.
6. Comprehensive Care: Our primary care services extend to patients of all ages, from pediatric care to adult and geriatric medicine. We provide comprehensive care that considers the unique healthcare needs of each patient.
7. Health Education: Primary care doctors are educators and partners in your health journey. They provide guidance on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, making informed healthcare decisions, and understanding your medical conditions.
8. Coordination of Care: Our primary care physicians play a central role in coordinating your care, ensuring seamless communication with specialists and other healthcare providers involved in your treatment.
9. Long-Term Relationships: Establishing a long-term relationship with a primary care doctor allows for continuity of care, personalized treatment plans, and a deeper understanding of your health history and needs.
10. Accessibility: Our primary care offices offer convenient access to healthcare services, including same-day appointments, extended hours, and urgent care services, so you can receive the care you need when you need it.
Whether you’re seeking routine check-ups, addressing specific health concerns, or managing chronic conditions, our primary care physicians at Heart and Health Medical are here to provide compassionate, comprehensive, and patient-centered care. Your health and well-being are our top priorities, and we look forward to serving as your trusted healthcare partners.
Common Conditions Treated By Primary Care Physicians
Arthritis
Arthritis is a condition in which the different joints of the body become swollen (inflamed) and the joint cartilage begins to deteriorate. A joint is defined as an area where two bones join. Cartilage plays an important role in protecting the joints, making them more efficient. For example, when too much pressure is exerted on a joint, the cartilage acts as a cushion to relieve the excess pressure.
Asthma
Asthma is a medical condition which results in the narrowing and swelling of the lung’s airways. Since these airways become restricted, common symptoms of asthma are shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest tightness. During an asthma attack, the lining of the airways tighten and narrow, therefore reducing the amount of air passage.
Normal and Asthmatic Bronchiole
There are many triggers of an asthma attack. Some triggers are also allergy-causing substances and include things like mold, pollen, dust, and animal hair. There are many tests that can detect asthma are Arterial Blood Gas, Peak Flow Measurements, Pulmonary Function Tests and blood tests to measure eosinophil count.
Care of Geriatric Population
Geriatrics is a branch of medicine that centers around the care, health and well being of the elderly population. Rather than focusing on the standard adolescent, geriatric medicine focuses on the aging process and how the body physiologically changes with age. There aren’t specific qualifications that categorize a patient as being a geriatric because each patient is different. As patients age, there are many impairments that begin to surface. These are referred to as geriatric giants and consist of things such as incontinence, immobility, and loss of memory, vision, and hearing. However, the most common issue facing geriatric patients is delirium. This condition is very common for geriatric hospitalized patients in which there are severe changes in brain function that results in the patient becoming very disoriented.
Depression Screening and Care
What is Depression?
Depression has become very common, and it is a highly treatable medical illness that can affect anyone. About 1 in every 20 Americans get depressed every year. Almost everyone occasionally feels sad or blue; however these feelings usually last for a short amount of time and pass within a few days. Individuals suffering from depression, on the other hand, have these same feelings, but it interferes with their daily life and can cause pain for both themselves and those around them.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Depression?
- Constant sad, anxious or empty feelings
- Fatigue and lack of energy
- Decreased interest in typical activities or hobbies which were once enjoyable.
- Loss of appetite or overeating
- Feeling worthless, helpless, hopeless or guilty
- Thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts
- Problems sleeping, oversleeping, insomnia, or early-morning wakefulness
- Aches, pains, headaches, or digestive problems
Causes of Depression:
Depression can be caused by a combination of biological, genetic, environmental and psychological factors. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has proven that the brain of a person with depression appears different in comparison to that of an individual who has never had depression. The regions of the brain that are involved in thinking, sleep, mood, behavior, and appetite do not seem to work normally. There has been a suggestion that neurotransmitters which are crucial chemicals involved in brain cell communication become out of balance. With this being said, we should keep in mind that this imaging technology has not exposed why the depression came about.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition in which there is an increased amount of sugar in the blood. The main factor that plays a role in diabetes is insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is secreted by the pancreas to control the levels of sugar present in the blood. There are two distinct types of diabetes. In Type 1, the body is unable to produce insulin. This type is more common in young children and teens. In Type 2, the body does produce insulin but it is at lower levels or the body may completely reject the insulin.
In non-diabetic patients, food becomes digested and glucose gets released into the blood. Insulin then transfers the glucose to areas such as liver cells, muscle, and/or fat where it is stored as a source until it is needed for energy. Patients without diabetes cannot remove the glucose from the blood, which results in increased blood sugar levels.
Diabetes Treatment
In general, all people who are diagnosed with diabetes should take control by maintaining a proper diet and exercise plan. They should also be aware of their glucose levels with regular measurements and make sure they take their oral medications and take insulin injections in order to keep their sugar levels at an appropriate level. Individuals with Type I diabetes lack the hormone insulin and therefore are required to take insulin. A majority of diabetics receive multiple insulin injections daily or utilize an insulin pump. An insulin pump is an apparatus that is worn outside of the body and it pumps insulin through a bendable tube to a tiny needle that is then inserted beneath the skin. The pump can be programmed to provide small amounts of short-acting insulin continuously throughout the day as well as supplementary doses before meals.
Elevated Cholesterol
An important structural component of all human cells is a fatty substance known as cholesterol. The body gets 75% of its cholesterol from the liver and the remainder is obtained by food. Good cholesterol or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) can aid in protecting against heart attacks and strokes. Bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is involved with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Cholesterol is important for the body to function, however, elevated levels of cholesterol can cause cholesterol deposits to form in the walls of arteries and this can form artherosclerotic plaques which will grow and ultimately rigger blood clot formation. When this type of Elevated Cholesterol blockage occurs suddenly in the artery by a blood clot, oxygen is prevented from going to the heart muscle or brain and can cause heart attacks and strokes.
Headache Management
Headaches are defined as “pain in various parts of the head, not confined to the area of distribution of any nerve,” according to MediLexicon’s medical dictionary. There are different types of headaches, each type presents with its own set of symptoms and causes. Headaches are the most widespread pain complaints and often times the causes of headaches are benign while other causes can be considered as medical emergencies. A common type of headache is a tension headache and this generally affects adults and adolescents and can rarely affect younger children as well. When someone has a tension headache there is muscle tightness in precise areas of the head, scalp and/or neck. The pain associated with tension headaches are usually dull, and occupies most of the head. Tension headaches are commonly believed to be predominantly caused by tension built up in the scalp and neck muscles as a result of stress, depression, anxiety or a head injury, but the exact cause or causes are still unknown. Some factors that attribute to tension headaches are stress, depression, poor posture, anxiety, staying in one position for a long time, clenching one’s jaw, and working in an awkward position for a long time.
Headache Management
Keeping a diary of your symptoms is useful in diagnosing such headache management; this way, it is easier to identify what triggers your headache. For instance, you can start by writing when your headache started, write about what you drank and ate the previous 24 hours, note how much you slept, and whether it was a good night’s sleep and when you slept. It can also be helpful to record what kind of stress you were going through in your life immediately to the onset of your headache and how long the headache lasted and also what made it stop.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure (HBP) is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems. “Blood pressure” is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways.
Overview of High Blood Pressure
About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has HBP. HBP itself usually has no symptoms. You can have it for years without knowing it. During this time, though, it can damage the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of your body. This is why knowing your blood pressure numbers is important, even when you’re feeling fine. If your blood pressure is normal, you can work with your health care team to keep it that way. If your blood pressure is too high, you need treatment to prevent damage to your body’s organs.
Blood Pressure Numbers
Blood pressure numbers include systolic (sis-TOL-ik) and diastolic (di-a-STOL-ik) pressures. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. Diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats. You will most often see blood pressure numbers written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic, such as 120/80 mmHg. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury—the units used to measure blood pressure.)
Infectious Disease
Infectious diseases are caused by organisms such as viruses, bacteria, parasites, or fungi. They can also be passed on from person to person. Some can even be transmitted by bites from insects or animals. Others forms can be obtained by consuming contaminated food or water or other environmental contact. The signs and symptoms of infectious diseases can vary, but most commonly consist of fever and chills.
Symptoms:
- Fever
- Decreased appetite
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
Smoking Cessation Counseling
An estimated 25.9 million men, 22.8 million women and 4.1 million teenagers ages 12 through 17 are smokers in the United States. Tobacco smoking is the most common cause of preventable disease and death. Approximately 75% of coronary heart disease cases are due to cigarette smoking. Eliminating smoking can greatly reduce the occurrence and risks of coronary heart disease and other cardiovascular disease. Quitting smoking will decrease an individual’s risk of developing chronic lung disease, stroke, as well as cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth and bladder. Tobacco smoke contains more than 40 chemicals that, besides being a carcinogenic to humans and animals, are air pollutants.
Thyroid Disease
Thyroid disease is a medical condition that affects the function of the thyroid. The thyroid gland is one of the largest glands in the endocrine system and is located in the neck. The thyroid cells absorb the iodine and convert it into two hormones; thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) which help control the body’s metabolism. The pituitary gland, which is located at the bottom os the brain, controls the thyroid gland. As the different levels of T3 and T4 become very low, the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) is released from the pituitary gland to help increase the amount of T3 and T4 hormones. Once the levels of T3 and T4 are equal, the TSH will stop being produced.
Weight Loss Counseling
Heart And Health believes that weight loss can be achieved by proper nutrition and fueling your metabolism. Our preferred weight loss program addresses the efficiency of your metabolic processes by fueling your body every 3-4 hours with small meals. If you’re ready to make a life change and want to lose weight in the process, then this clinic is perfect for you! We offer a unique 3 Step Program for weight loss / weight control.
Women’s Health
Obstetrics and gynecology are two fields of medicine that involve the female reproductive organs during both the pregnant and non pregnant state.
Contraception
Contraception, or birth control, refers to different techniques to prevent pregnancy. Birth control pills have two hormones in them: estrogen and progestin which prevent the women from ovulating and alter the cervical mucus, making it hard for the sperm to find the egg. There are many different types of birth control.
Intrauterine Contraception
- Copper T Intrauterine Device (IUD) – This is T shaped, small device that is placed in the uterus and can stay implanted for up to 10 years.
- Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System (IUS) – This is another T shaped device that is placed in the uterus and releases progestin and can stay implanted for 5 years.
- Immunizations
- Diagnosis and Treatment of Uncommon Illnesses
- Outpatient and inpatient care for diseases
- Preventive health maintenance exams
- Heart disease, in-office EKGs