What is adult primary care?
Adult primary care medicine is arguably the most important element of successful health care, because it gives you a medical foundation with a go-to provider who can meet all your general health and preventive care needs. As a primary care physician who specializes in adult medicine, Dr. Navarro routinely:
- Provides thorough first-contact care for new patients
- Provides regular continuing care for established patients
- Performs annual physicals and as-needed vaccinations
- Performs patient-specific health screenings
- Investigates symptoms that may indicate an undiagnosed condition
- Identifies problems that require further medical intervention
He also takes time to recommend specific lifestyle changes that are most likely to enhance your overall health and well-being while keeping chronic illness at bay.
What are the benefits of regular preventive care?
Although acute illness care and disease management are fundamental components of adult medicine, the number-one goal of any comprehensive primary care program is to prevent the development of common chronic conditions like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Navarro uses annual wellness physicals, routine health screenings, and patient-specific screenings — such as mammograms and colonoscopies — to help pinpoint known risk factors and diagnose existing health conditions as soon as possible.
Having regular preventive care exams and screenings makes it easier to identify and manage a variety of potential health issues, including:
- Pre-diabetic conditions
- Excess body weight
- High blood pressure
- Unhealthy cholesterol levels
Discovering and treating such problems before they have time to progress can help you avoid full-blown diabetes or heart disease, and may even help reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
What does the annual well-woman exam cover?
The annual well-woman exam includes a comprehensive physical along with specific gynecological health screenings to evaluate virtually every aspect of your health. It includes:
General health exam
A well-woman exam typically includes screenings for high blood pressure, diabetes, and bone density, among other things.
Cancer screening
During the pelvic exam portion of your well-woman appointment, you may have a Pap smear test to check for cervical cancer. Breast and colon cancer screenings may also be part of your annual exam.
Sexual infection screening
If you’re concerned about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), you may be tested for chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, and other infections that are spread through sexual contact.
Contraception counseling
Whether you’d like to start using birth control for the first time or you’d like to switch your current form of contraception, Dr. Navarro can give you information about the advantages and drawbacks for each type of birth control and help you choose the method that best meets your needs.
To learn more about adult medicine or schedule your next visit, call the office or book an appointment online today.
