Scott Roberts, ARNP

Acute Diseases
At some point in our lives, we will all experience a health problem, whether it's the common cold or the pesky flu. While some will go away on their own, there are health issues that require urgent medical attention, and it’s important to know when to seek proper treatment.

What Is An Acute Disease?
An acute disease appears suddenly and lasts for a short amount of time. This is different from chronic diseases, which develop gradually and remain for months on end. Some examples include the influenza virus and the common cold.

Acute diseases can include these common symptoms:
Fever
Sore throat
Cough
Sneezing
Earache
Diarrhea
Runny nose
Nausea
Rash
Headache

Through a physical examination and identifying your symptoms, your internist can provide a diagnosis and individualized treatment plan to care for your acute illness.

Serious Acute Illnesses
Many acute diseases can be self-limiting and may go away on their own, or can be treated with a simple course of antibiotics or other prescription medications. There are some acute diseases, however, that come on suddenly and produce life-threatening symptoms. These include:

These more serious acute diseases require urgent medical care. If you suspect you may have a severe acute illness, it's important that you call 911 or go to your local emergency room. By seeking treatment for your acute illness as soon as possible, you lessen the chance for further complications or other long-term health issues.

Heart attack
Asthma attack
Pneumonia
Appendicitis
Organ failure
Acute bronchitis

Chronic Disease
According to the Center of Disease Control, chronic diseases cause 7 out of 10 deaths each year and are responsible for 86 percent of America’s health care costs.

Some of the most common chronic diseases include:
Heart disease
Stroke
Cancer
Diabetes
Obesity
Arthritis

Other types of chronic conditions include:
Asthma
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
Cystic fibrosis
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Eating disorders
Gum disease

As of 2012, about half of all American adults had at least one chronic health problem. About one in four adults had two or more chronic diseases. Unfortunately, these conditions can also cause other long-term complications, including kidney failure, disability and limb amputation. Your internist, however, can often help prevent these diseases altogether, or find the best ways to treat your condition and manage your symptoms. Through routine medical visits, we can pinpoint issues while they are manageable - sometimes even when still reversible.

Causes of Chronic Disease
So, what causes chronic diseases in the first place? While there are many factors, one of the main issues is unhealthy behaviors such as:

Inactivity
Poor nutrition
Heavy alcohol use
Using tobacco

By changing these habits, you can greatly decrease your chances of developing some of these chronic illnesses. It can be a challenge to know exactly what constitutes a healthy diet or what exercise plan is right for you. Your doctor can discuss foods you should eat, as well as foods you should avoid. Plus, we can recommend exercise regimes that are right for your needs and abilities. This will help you maintain a healthy weight and lower the risk of chronic diseases. We can even help you find programs that will aid you in quitting bad habits, like smoking and heavy drinking.

Turn to your internist to have your chronic disease diagnosed and treated, and you can see your quality of life drastically improve. Don’t hesitate - if you think you may be suffering the symptoms of a chronic disease, schedule an appointment today.

Mental Health
Mental health disorders are common and can affect anyone, no matter their age. It’s believed that as many as 54 million Americans suffer from a mental disorder every year. It can be difficult for families to accept that a loved one has a mental illness. If you or someone you know is currently experiencing symptoms of a mental disorder, know that there are many resources available to help.

What is Mental Illness?
No doubt you’ve heard a lot of about mental illness, but how much do you really know about it? A mental illness is a disorder that affects the thoughts and behaviors of an individual, and can make it difficult to cope with day-to-day life. There are currently over 200 different types of mental illness. Some produce more mild symptoms, while other can be more severe and debilitating.

Common forms of mental illness include:
Depression
Anxiety disorders
Bipolar disorder
Schizophrenia
Dementia

You may start to notice personality or mood changes in someone you love. They may also change their habits or seclude themselves from social interactions. Mental illness can be caused by severe stressors, including death, divorce or job loss. It may also be caused by a genetic component, chemical imbalance, or a combination of all of these. Fortunately, with proper treatment, those with a mental illness can often learn to cope with their disorder and lead a healthy life.

The Warning Signs
It can be challenging to determine whether someone you love is dealing with mental illness, particularly in young children and teens.

Here are some of the most common symptoms.

Adults and Teens
Persistent sadness or irritability
Extreme anxiety or fear
Having extreme emotional highs and lows
Severe anger
Delusional thoughts
Confused thinking
Hearing or seeing things that aren’t there
Suicidal thoughts
Substance abuse
Inability to cope with daily life

Older Children and Pre-teens
Substance abuse
Vandalism, theft or defying authority
Intense or unpredictable mood swings
Poor appetite
Suicidal thoughts
Outbursts of anger
A change in sleeping or eating patterns
Inability to manage responsibilities at school or home

Young Children
Poor school performance
Extreme fear or anxiety
Persistent nightmares
Changes in sleeping or eating habits
Frequently being disobedient or angry, or throwing temper tantrums
Hyperactivity

Mental illness affects everyone, not just the individual. Families can find the support and care they need through both family and individual counseling.

How Can Your Family Physician Help?
Not only is your family doctor likely to be the first medical professional who identifies that an individual is experiencing the symptoms of a mental illness, they may be able to provide referrals, help you build a treatment plan, or even have a mental health professional on staff. Never hesitate to bring up any unusual symptoms you or a loved one are experiencing with your primary care physician - even if those symptoms are mental, not physical!

Preventive Care
Everyone would agree that if they could avoid getting sick, they would. But we often don’t think about going to the doctor when we’re healthy. The best way to prevent diseases from affecting your health is to visit your internist for preventive health care.

What Is Preventive Healthcare?
Also referred to as preventive medicine, the purpose of these medical services is to take proper measures to ensure that a patient remains free of the physical and mental disorders that can be brought on by genetics, environmental factors, and your lifestyle.

Millions of people die from illnesses that could have been prevented, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Our goal is to to help you arm yourself with both knowledge and quality medical care, even while you’re healthy, to prevent these illnesses from developing.

What Can I Do?
One way people of all ages from can prevent certain disorders is by coming in for regular checkups with their internist. Even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms and feel perfectly fine, these routine visits can screen for potential issues. We’ll make sure you are up to date on your immunizations, and help to alter your lifestyle and habits to improve your quality of life.

Many conditions, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, can be “silent killers”. Often, patients only discover that they have these conditions by coming in for a standard wellness visit.

Your healthcare provider will tell you how often you should visit for check-ups. This may vary, particularly if you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic disorder. While adopting good habits can reduce your chances of contracting certain illnesses, your internist is also here to make sure that you remain as healthy as possible!

What is Family Medicine?
Your family means everything to you, and you want to ensure your loved ones live long and productive lives. The purpose of family medicine is to focus on creating long-term relationships with patients and their families, while also providing quality, compassionate care for a full range of issues. This includes acute and chronic diseases, preventive care and even mental health. Unlike other specialties that may focus on a specific illness or organ, family medicine specializes in treating the whole person, no matter their age or gender.

Family practitioners help patients remain healthy and free of disease through routine visits, immunizations and screenings. They may provide medical care in a variety of different settings, including at-home care, standard clinics, hospitals and urgent care centers.

From diabetes and heart disease to asthma and physical injuries, the practice of a family practitioner offers patients long-term individualized care to handle their most serious health issues.

What Does a Family Doctor Do?
Some responsibilities of your family physician include:

Treating and diagnosing a comprehensive range of health issues
Creating a treatment plan with other health professionals
Providing health care that focuses on the patient as a whole
Establishing relationships with patients and their health
Preventing illness
Offering up advice and tips for patients to take control of their health

Family physicians offer the care you need to reduce your risk of developing illness. In fact, it has been shown that those with primary health care have better overall health than those who do not. By maintaining an active relationship with your family physician, you can reduce your overall health care costs, while getting the preventive care you need to keep you feeling healthy and happy.

Women's Health
Women's health is a field covering the numerous health concerns that women face, from reproductive and sexual health to mammograms. Women are more likely to develop chronic health issues such as migraines, arthritis or depression. From teen girls to adult women, your family physician is here to provide your family with medical services and screenings.

Some of the preventive services we offer include:

Mammography
Hormone therapy
Pregnancy and childbirth
Reproductive disorders (e.g. polycystic ovarian syndrome)
Osteoporosis
Heart Disease
Bladder Health
Pap Smears and Regular Gynecological Checkups
Immunizations

Women's Healthcare for All Ages
It's important that you find a family physician that understands your health and can tailor treatments to fit your needs, health, and lifestyle. This is particularly important for teen girls and young women experiencing major changes to their bodies and health as they mature. At this stage in life, it's important that they have a family physician to turn to that is able to provide them with the health information, education, and sensitive care they need. Whether it's a first gynecological exam or a physical examination before starting the school year, our medical team is here to offer the women in your family a variety of essential services.

As women age, various health concerns begin to arise, and regular check-ups become all the more important. This typically means more medical screenings to check for breast cancer, depression, diabetes, and other long-term or serious conditions. In many cases, diagnosing these conditions early can be the key to a full life.

Your health is important, and you know your body! If you are experiencing any changes or have any concerns, don't hesitate to turn to us for care.