Primary care physicians are essential healthcare providers in modern healthcare. Due to their knowledge in a wide range of health conditions, your visits to them mean they know you the best. They can guide your care based on your medical history, allowing you to receive the best treatments.
Primary care physicians also provide preventive care and can refer patients to medical specialists when needed.
Let’s talk about what a primary care physician checks for to understand your health more and where you can go for primary care in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch, FL.
Your Immunizations
Your primary care physician will always check to see if you are up to date with your immunizations. Vaccines train your body to fight foreign entities by building your immune response to viruses and bacteria.
Primary care physicians commonly check if you are up-to-date on immunizations because the protection these offer fades over time.
For example, you need tetanus shots every ten years. Tetanus is an infection caused by Clostridium tetani, a bacteria that produces a dangerous toxin when it enters your body.
Risk Factors for Heart Diseases
Cardiovascular diseases are severe medical conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. They can cause several issues, such as:
- Narrowing of your blood vessels
- Heart and blood vessel problems since birth
- Heart valves that don’t work properly
- Irregular heart rhythms
Many factors can cause heart disease. One example is hypertension, when the pressure your blood puts on blood vessel walls is too high.
Another risk factor is high cholesterol levels in your blood. It causes the blood in your arteries to not flow as usual due to the fats clogging the blood vessels.
Your primary care physician will always check for these factors so that they can prevent the development of cardiovascular disease.
Indications of Thyroid Diseases
Your thyroid gland is an organ in your endocrine system that produces hormones important to many of your body’s systems.
It can make either too much or too little of these hormones. Whenever this occurs, you suffer from what is known as thyroid disease.
There are many indications that you have this condition. If your thyroid produces too much of its hormones, you may lose weight despite increasing your calorie intake. Your mood can also change, making you anxious and irritable.
If your thyroid is producing too little, on the other hand, you experience weight gain. You may also have depression. In addition, your skin and hair become dry and itchy.
Symptoms of Diabetes
Diabetes is a medical condition wherein your body cannot properly process glucose from food. It happens because the production of insulin, a hormone that allows the body to use glucose, is negatively affected.
There are three types of diabetes. The first two are Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, while the third is called gestational diabetes. Symptoms include:
- Increased hunger and thirst
- Blurred vision
- Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
- Slow healing wounds
- Frequent urination
Should these symptoms be discovered sooner rather than later, you can manage diabetes better. That is why your primary care physician will always check for these signs.
Signs of Depression
It’s easy to think that depression is more on the psychological side of things. Fortunately, a primary care physician is also knowledgeable on the subject.
Depression is a medical condition that will affect your mood and your ability to live your daily life. It significantly affects your mental and physical health, so a primary care physician always looks for any signs.
They may be able to offer treatment options if they determine that you show symptoms of depression. Treatments can include medication, or they could refer you to a psychiatrist.
Primary Care Physician Near You in Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch, FL
For the best primary care physician near you, look no further than Intercoastal Medical Group. We are a multi-specialty team of highly trained and qualified healthcare providers. As the best family practice and internal medicine office near you, we are excited to give comprehensive care tailored to your conditions and needs.
To know more, visit our website to find which location is closest to you. We have primary care physicians across eight locations. You may also schedule an appointment with our primary care doctors by filling out our convenient online request form.
