Preventative Medicine

Preventive medicine is an approach to health care that aims to optimize your well-being and stop you from getting sick.

Treatments for medical conditions are more effective now than ever before, but prevention remains optimal. You enjoy a better quality of life, live longer, and don’t have to suffer the pain and distress diseases cause. Preventive medicine is also far more cost-effective.

NP Services At Home’s Jolene Hodges has considerable experience in this area and promotes preventive medicine to all her patients.

Jolene provides preventive medicine services that include:

Immunizations enable your immune system to defend you against many potentially life-threatening diseases. Most immunizations occur in childhood, but several important ones need regular boosters, including flu, pneumonia, and COVID-19.

Screening for early signs of disease before they develop into a major problem is another highly effective form of preventive medicine. Cancer screening might involve checking your skin for any suspicious lesions, having a breast or prostate exam, or a Pap smear to identify cell changes that could develop into cervical cancer. Rectal exams and colonoscopies that screen for colon cancer are also recommended

Jolene also offers screening for other diseases. Examples include measuring your blood pressure to screen for hypertension and blood tests to check your cholesterol and blood glucose levels.

Annual physicals or wellness checks are routine exams you have each year to review your health. Jolene checks all your vital signs, including heart and lung function, and performs a physical exam. Routine blood tests form part of your annual physical, providing information about nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, disease markers, and more.

One of the keystones of preventive medicine is addressing unhealthy lifestyle habits and diets. Most of the main causes of death in the United States are caused or worsened by issues like:

• High-fat diets
• Smoking
• Eating too many sugary and salty snacks
• Lack of exercise
• Chronic stress
• Excessive alcohol consumption

Jolene offers patients advice and support to help them lose weight, reduce stress, quit drinking and smoking, increase their physical fitness, and improve their diet. You can take advantage of house calls for preventive medicine consultations or use secure telehealth to speak with Jolene remotely.

To find out what you could gain from preventive medicine, call NP Services At Home today or book an appointment online.