HEALTH and Wellness
As your personal physician I recognize the importance of preserving your good health. I recommend appropriate preventive strategies in order to keep a vigilant watch for potential dangerous medical situations. Along with your annual HEALTH program and individualized medical treatment plans I will order the best medical therapies when needed. When necessary I may refer you to specialists locally or at one of the nationally recognized Centers of Excellence. I refer to leaders in health care like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Duke Medical Center, MD Anderson and other excellent medical centers.
Sleep
As more research comes forth, it becomes more evident that restorative sleep is an extremely important component necessary to maintain wellness. During a regular night of sustained, restorative sleep, brain cell regeneration begins after about a seventh hour of sleep. Sleep deprivation over time can lead to emotional and physical fatigue, depression, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and other medical conditions. Sleep apnea is a very common form of a sleep disorder. Inadequate ventilation or the absence of ventilation (of breathing) during sleep creates a very low oxygen environment for the organs including the heart and brain. This creates an excessive stress on the body, prevents restorative sleep, and increases the risk of abnormal rhythms of the heart and even death. Elevated blood pressure, obesity and weight gain, and other medical issues are also associated with this condition.
Regular exercise
I consider regular exercise to consist of a minimum of 30 minutes of an aerobic type activity. For example, a brisk walk including a 5 minute warm-up, a 20 minute sustained brisk pace, and a 5 minute cool-down is an adequate form of exercise if done on a daily or almost daily basis. Regular exercise contributes to overall wellness and preservation of health by improving bone density, improving glucose metabolism, improving HDL cholesterol, reducing LDL cholesterol, elevating endorphins and other chemicals that help produce a feeling of wellness aiding in weight management, stress reduction while producing cardiopulmonary fitness.
Nutrition
The human body is created to absorb nutrients out of the environment that are necessary for health, wellness, and longevity. The normal body can extract these nutrients as long as it has access to a proper nutritional environment. Good nutrition includes eating regularly throughout the day. Minimizing meal time feasting on a regular basis so that moderation of food consumption is obtained including multiple servings of vegetables and fruits, while limiting fat and meat is considered good nutrition. Processed meats like salami, pastrami, pepperoni, and bologna are not considered healthy because of the high content of fat and salt. Fish and lean meat like skinless white meat chicken or white meat turkey are preferred. It is important to avoid foods that have been processed. Processing foods makes them easier to digest and absorb which increases the metabolic burden on the endocrine system especially related to weight and glucose metabolism.
CONDITIONS
The Internet has a plethora of information related to different medical conditions. Some of the information is helpful and accurate.
Heart:
The American Heart Association has information regarding cardiovascular disease and health. You can register for a monthly heart-health e-news letter at http://www.heart.org.
Memory:
Individuals interested in memory disorders may visit http://www.alz.org for information on dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Diabetes:
The American diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org) has information on the importance of good nutrition, exercise, and diabetes. There are fantastic recipes at http://www.diabetes.org/mfa-recipes/.
Medication:
Epocrates.com or drugs.com provide information on medications and medication side effects and interactions.
Tobacco:
Anyone still smoking should visit smokefree.gov.
Nutrition/Protein:
The United States Department of Agriculture has information on nutritious eating at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/.
Research Health and Science Information:
Search the National Institute of Health at NIH.gov for the latest research studies. It is also a resource for information on health and science.
With more than 20 years of experience in the treatment of medical diseases and practicing preventive health, preservation, and wellness since 2009, I have developed a HEALTH Program that provides a comprehensive screening physical, emotional and biochemical evaluation and an opportunity to look for medical conditions which may be developing. Having an opportunity to prevent or offer early intervention to eliminate health risks is important. Old-fashioned doctoring with modern technology and the ability to care for and treat patients in the way we would expect is rewarding. The combination of the intense evaluation coupled with compassion, caring, and interest creates a HEALTH and Wellness program that replaces the traditional practice and pace of insanity with a Mission to serve unselfishly, care excellently, and minister compassionately.