Have you ever gone to your family doctor and thought, “What is an annual physical exam, anyway? The doctor goes through the same rigmarole every time I visit. Is there a difference?”
There IS a difference – and that difference is the reason I chose family medicine as my specialty.
As a board-certified family physician, I chose my specialty for prevention. I want to partner with patients to help them live healthier, happier and longer lives. During your annual physical exam, we talk about your personal health, happiness, and goals. We dig into your family’s health history to determine whether you carry the same risks for disease, and if you do, we discuss ways we can screen for these conditions or cancers. We screen to catch diseases or cancers earlier, when there are more options available for treatment.
“What is an annual physical exam, anyway?”
What are we looking for when we do these screenings? Commonly, we’re testing your blood for high cholesterol and sugar, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, thyroid dysfunction, or a low blood count. We further screen for common cancers such as breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancer. Although there are not always defined screening modalities for every condition, we can lean on our specialists for more information.
Together, we can build a happier and healthier you. That’s why I chose family medicine as my specialty, and why I promote preventative annual physical exams.
