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Health Matters

Spring: Time for Your

HEALTH INVENTORY

ith Spring approaching and ‘Spring Cleaning’ not the new thirty and actually is the time when most people
on our minds, it’s a wonderful time to take starting feeling their “true age” and have days when
W inventory of different things in our lives. Some everything hurts. Breast cancer screening begins for most
may also begin decluttering their minds and seek ways to women unless they have a significant family history of early
improve their overall happiness and health. This time of forms of cancer. Also, colorectal screening through rectal
year is a great time to perform a “health inventory” and exams, occult blood checks, and potentially colonoscopies
are soon to begin in this age group. Again, having a trusted
identify areas of your health that can be improved.
medical advisor on your side can help you make the right
Do you “know your numbers”? My wife, Dr. Tiffany choices for you.
Sizemore, has a great guide to women’s heart health that
can be readily applied to any patient. Do you know your It is time to do your
blood pressure? Do you know your glucose and cholesterol personal “health
levels? Do you know your weight and body mass index inventory” and take
(BMI)? These simple measurements are good predictors of action. Along with the
overall health and can identify patients that require extra new diet and exercise
care such as medication to reduce their levels of cholesterol, regimen that you started,
blood sugar or their blood pressure. She says that “you taking a ‘health
should know your numbers like you know your shoe size”. inventory’ with your
doctor can help you be
Do you have a medical advisor? Many see doctors as the the healthiest and
person in the white coat that orders some labs and gives happiest you can be for
antibiotics when you have a cold. The truth is that doctors 2020 and beyond.
should really be a medical advisor and voice of reason in
regards to your medical decisions. Doctors train for many
years and build a knowledge base through years of Camilo A. Ruiz,
practice. It is these seasoned clinicians that can provide DO, FACOI, FAASM
insight into murky areas when dealing with complicated Medical Director,
medical cases that sometimes don’t seem to have a right or Choice Physicians Sleep Center
wrong answer. A trusting relationship with your doctor is Choice Physicians of South Florida
built over years of care. Find a doctor that you can trust - Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Sleep Medicine
and if you have one already, visit him or her regularly. Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine,
How old are you and what is your family history? Have you NSU-KCPCOM
had labs recently? Lab work, despite the fact that most Voluntary Clinical Assistant Professor, FIU-HWCOM
despise yearly blood draws, provides early diagnostic clues. Clinical Affiliate Assistant Professor,
Liver or kidney problems, thyroid issues, electrolyte FAU-Charles E. Schmidt COM
abnormalities, or low blood counts (anemia) are just a few Office (954) 523-4141. Fax (954) 523-4142
conditions that can be picked up with blood testing. Forty is www.choicephysiciansfl.com

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