We are pleased to announce that we now have a new website with a different look and feel. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with it.

Please Contact Us if you see any problems or issues with the website, or if you see any information that is not accurate or complete. We’d also like to hear from you if you have any ideas about what we could add to the website to make it more useful for our patients and other website visitors.

By living a healthy lifestyle, you can help keep your blood pressure in a healthy range and lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. A healthy lifestyle includes:

• Eating a healthy diet.
• Maintaining a healthy weight.
• Getting enough physical activity.
• Not smoking.
• Limiting alcohol use.

Healthy Diet

Choosing healthful meal and snack options can help you avoid high blood pressure and its complications. Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Eating foods low in salt (sodium) and high in potassium can lower your blood pressure. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan is one healthy diet that is proven to help people lower their blood pressure.

Healthy Weight

Being overweight or obese increases your risk for high blood pressure. To determine if your weight is in a healthy range, doctors often calculate your body mass index (BMI). If you know your weight and height, you can calculate your BMI at CDC’s Assessing Your Weight Web site. Doctors sometimes also use waist and hip measurements to measure excess body fat.

Physical Activity

Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower your blood pressure. For adults, the Surgeon General recommends 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise, like brisk walking or bicycling, every week. Children and adolescents should get 1 hour of physical activity every day.

No Smoking

Cigarette smoking raises your blood pressure and puts you at higher risk for heart attack and stroke. If you do not smoke, do not start. If you do smoke, quitting will lower your risk for heart disease. Your doctor can suggest ways to help you quit.

Limited Alcohol

Avoid drinking too much alcohol, which can raise your blood pressure. Men should have no more than 2 drinks per day, and women only

(This article was originally posted at the United States Center for Disease Control website – http://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/healthy_living.htm)

With summer coming to an end and fall quickly approaching, our days are becoming shorter and nights becoming longer. Vacation time for many of us is ending and it’s time to get back in the swing of things.

During this transition where it’s not quite summer and not quite fall is a good time to think about scheduling your yearly physical. This is the visit that can help to identify any potential medical issues before you develop any symptoms of problems – such as high blood pressure which can lead to heart disease. Depending on your age and sex, preventative screening tests can also be ordered such as:

• Cholesterol panel
• Fasting blood sugar for diabetes screening
• Pap smear for cervical cancer screening (females, 21 and older)
• Mammogram for breast cancer screening (females, 40 and older)
• Colonoscopy  for colon cancer screening (50 and older)
• Low dose CT scan for lung cancer screening (smokers, 55 and older)
• Immunizations
• And much more!

Lastly, this is also a good time to bring up any questions or concerns that you may have with your doctor. It is always a good idea to have your questions written down beforehand in case you forget.

Be sure to give the office a call and schedule your yearly physical!
Source: United States Preventative Task Force

Both a cold and the flu are viral illnesses and the symptoms are usually treated with over the counter medications (not antibiotics).

If you have any questions or concerns, please call (586) 778-1881 and speak to a provider at our office.

According to a study involving thousands of older adults, nine of every 10 new cases of diabetes after age 65 are linked to lifestyle factors that can be altered for the better. These include exercise, eating and smoking habits; weight; and alcohol use.

Researchers found that each factor creates independent risk for the disease. This means that making small changes in even two or three areas can significantly help prevent diabetes. Of course, focusing on a healthy lifestyle that includes all five habits is even better. Follow these proven steps:

1. Eat Healthier

Study participants who had a lower risk for diabetes followed these dietary habits:

• Eat more dietary fiber. Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and peas. Aim for 20 to 35 grams of fiber each day.
• Add polyunsaturated fat to your diet. Polyunsaturated fat – one of the “good fats” – can be found in canola and soybean oil, walnuts, flax seed and fish like salmon or trout.
• Cut out trans fat. Trans fat is found in many processed foods, such as prepackaged crackers, cookies and pies.
• Eat low glycemic carbohydrate foods. These raise blood glucose less than other sources of carbohydrates. Examples include whole wheat bread, barley, kidney beans, lentils and most fruit.

2. Get Active

The study found that regular exercise greatly reduced the risk for diabetes. But you don’t have to run a marathon to reap the results. Engage in moderate activities, such as gardening or taking a 30-minute walk, on most days of the week.

3. Drink in Moderation

Researchers found that those who drank in moderation actually had a lower risk for diabetes than those who didn’t drink at all. But beware, as overindulging erased the benefits. If you drink, stick to one drink a day.

4. If You Smoke, Take Steps to Quit

The health benefits are substantial. Research shows that besides helping you prevent diabetes, quitting smoking can add years to your life – even at an older age.

5. Watch Your Weight

It can be challenging to drop extra pounds, but reaching a healthy weight can substantially reduce your risk for diabetes. Study participants with the lowest risk for diabetes maintained a waist circumference of 34.6 inches or less for women and 36.2 inches or less for men. Or they had a body mass index of less than 25. According to government guidelines, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal weight