Preventive Medicine Specialist

What is preventive medicine?

Preventive medicine includes all the treatments that are focused on helping patients avoid diseases and illnesses while preserving optimal health at every age. Health screenings are a good example of preventive care, and there are dozens of different types of screenings that can be used to identify diseases in their earliest stages. Adopting healthy habits like better nutrition and physical activity is also an important part of preventive care.

Why is preventive medicine important?

Preventive medicine is one of the best ways to stay healthy, especially as patients get older or encounter different stages of life that can have an impact on their overall health and wellness. Health needs can change dramatically as a result of the natural changes that occur with aging, especially in patients with risk factors for age-related illnesses. Preventive care can help identify diseases in their earliest and most treatable stages as well as provide guidance in preventing disease.

What types of services and care are included in preventive care?

Preventive care begins with a review of each patient's personal and family medical histories to look for possible risk factors for disease. A review of lifestyle habits like smoking, diet, and physical activity is also important to determine if these habits may be contributing to a risk of disease or other medical issues. And health screenings including blood pressure, diabetes, cancer and heart disease screenings are also important. One of the benefits of preventive care is that it can be customized for the unique needs and risks of each patient.

How often do I need to schedule a preventive care appointment?

An annual physical can provide many preventive care treatments, including health screenings based on each patient's risk factors to look for early signs of disease as well as providing lifestyle guidance to help patients maximize their health and wellness naturally, without the aid of medication or other more aggressive or invasive treatments. Some patients may need to be seen more frequently, especially if they have specific risk factors or develop symptoms of diseases.