FAMILY MEDICINE

Every year, the average American adult contracts two or three common colds, and children often get more. Millions of people miss work, school, and other activities during peak cold seasons in the fall and spring. Characterized by sneezing, coughing, and runny nose, most colds last from 2-14 days. While most sufferers recover quickly, you are more vulnerable to serious complications if you have underlying health issues.

During the height of cold season, it’s difficult to avoid these highly infectious viruses. Still, by utilizing a few common sense measures, you can greatly decrease your chances of getting a cold.

• Avoid touching your eyes and nose
• Clean surfaces with disinfectants
• Frequently wash your hands with soap and water
• Minimize contact with anyone who is sick

When you have a cold, rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take over-the-counter pain relievers for fever, headache, and aches. You can soothe a sore throat with cough drops or by gargling with salt water. Additionally, cough suppressants and expectorants can ease persistent coughing, and antihistamines can stop a runny nose.

If your nose is stuffed, numerous over-the-counter decongestants are available. For more severe blockages and other respiratory-related issues, Dr. Chen can prescribe a nebulizer, a device that delivers quick-acting medicine in an inhalable mist.

Although more than 200 kinds of viruses cause colds, rhinoviruses are the most common. The cold virus often enters through the eyes or nasal passages and quickly attacks the upper respiratory system. Once infected, sufferers spread the highly contagious virus through tiny droplets expelled from sneezing and coughing. The virus also lingers on surfaces the sick person has touched, like counters and doorknobs.

Apart from sneezing, coughing, and the telltale stuffy or a runny nose, symptoms often include:

• Aching muscles
• Chills
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Mild fever
• Sore, scratchy throat
• Watery eyes

The early symptoms of influenza are very similar to those of colds. If you develop a high fever, severe coughing, and extreme exhaustion, contact Dr. Chen for an examination.

Although most colds resolve on their own, sometimes they can lead to more serious complications. If your symptoms continue for more than 10 days; become more severe (high fever and chills); or you are over 65 or have a medical condition like asthma, diabetes, or heart disease, call or book an appointment online for an examination with Dr. Chen.

Diabetes is a chronic medical condition that occurs when your blood sugars are consistently elevated. When you eat certain types of foods, primarily carbohydrates such as bread and fruit, your body breaks it down into sugar or glucose. The glucose travels through your bloodstream and enters your cells with the help of insulin to provide energy.

If you have diabetes, you either don’t make enough insulin or your body isn’t using the insulin you do make properly.

There are three types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes: With this type, the body doesn’t make insulin and you must take insulin injections as a result.
• Type 2 diabetes: In patients with this form of diabetes, the body makes insulin, but the insulin can’t get the sugar into the cell.
• Gestational diabetes: This kind of the condition occurs during pregnancy.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form.

If your blood sugar is high, you may experience a number of different symptoms, including:

• Extreme hunger and thirst
• Frequent urination
• Weight loss
• Blurry vision
• Tingling in the hands or feet
• Feeling run-down
• Wounds and sores that are slow to heal

As a holistic practice, Dr. Chen and his team at Goldome Healthcare, Inc. work one-on-one with you to develop the best treatment plan to help you get your blood sugars under control. This might include:

• Diet
• Exercise
• Medication

If you have Type 2 diabetes, Dr. Chen may first recommend you make changes to your diet and exercise routine to improve your blood sugar. Dr. Chen recommends a healthy and balanced diet and at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. Eating right and working out may also help you lose weight, which also improves blood sugar.

Medications may be added to your regimen if you’re not able to control your blood sugar with diet and exercise alone. Such medication includes oral medications or insulin injections.

Diabetes increases your risk of developing a number of other medical conditions, including:

• Heart and kidney disease
• Stroke
• Problems with your feet, such as peripheral neuropathy
• Neuropathy
• Eyesight issues

If you have diabetes, Dr. Chen closely monitors kidney function with regular blood tests and checks your eyes at each visit. 
If you need help managing your blood sugar or have concerns about diabetes, call the office or book an appointment online.

High blood pressure is a medical condition where the force of the blood against the walls of your arteries is chronically high, increasing your risk of other health conditions.

Your blood pressure consists of two numbers:

• Systolic pressure: the force of the blood against your artery walls when your heart beats, or the top number
• Diastolic pressure: the force of blood against your artery walls in between beats, or the bottom number

Blood pressure is categorized based on the measurements of your systolic and diastolic numbers. The measurement is notated in mm HG, or measurement of mercury.

• Normal blood pressure: 120/80 mm Hg or less
• Elevated blood pressure: 120 to 129/80 mm Hg
• Stage 1 high blood pressure: 130 to 139/80 to 89 mm Hg
• Stage 2 high blood pressure: greater than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg

In most cases, you may not even know you have high blood pressure because it doesn’t usually have symptoms. However, some people experience headaches, nosebleeds, or shortness of breath when blood pressure is very high.

If you have concerns about your blood pressure, you can monitor at home with a home blood pressure machine or check it at your local pharmacy.

As a holistic practitioner who prefers to treat medical conditions naturally, Dr. Chen may recommend you eat a healthy balanced diet and add regular activity if your blood pressure is running high.

Simple diet changes, such as not adding salt to your food or eating more home-cooked meals instead of ordering out, can have a significant impact on your blood pressure.

Regular exercise also improves blood pressure numbers. For good health, aim for at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity, such as walking or swimming, most days of the week.

Eating a healthier diet and getting regular activity may also help you lose weight, which also improves blood pressure. 

If diet and exercise alone can’t improve your high blood pressure, Dr. Chen may prescribe medication.

Types of medications used to treat high blood pressure include:

• Diuretics
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
• Beta-blockers
• Calcium channel blockers

If you’re looking for a natural treatment for high blood pressure, call the office or book an appointment online.

Produced in the liver, cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance your body uses to build strong cellular membranes in the heart, nerves, brain, skin, and other organs. It also helps make numerous hormones and produce vitamin D. However, because a little cholesterol goes a long way, your body doesn’t need much. In fact, high levels can lead to serious health issues.

There are two major types of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL).

Often called “good cholesterol,” HDL sweeps up excess cholesterol from around the body and transports it back to the liver where it is eliminated. LDL, or “bad cholesterol,” combines with other substances to form arterial plaques.

High cholesterol has no symptoms and can only be detected with a blood test. Young adults ages 20 and older should be tested every five years. Men should be tested every one to two years after age 45. Women over age 55 should schedule checkups annually or every other year.

Excess cholesterol circulates in your blood, eventually settling on arterial walls and binding with other substances to make plaque. Over time, this hard material narrows arteries and makes it difficult for the heart to pump enough oxygen-rich blood through the body. Known medically as atherosclerosis, it can eventually lead to blood clots, heart attack, and stroke.

Although many factors contribute to high cholesterol, genetics are key. If either of your parents had high cholesterol, there’s a greater chance you’ll develop it, too. Beyond heredity, these behaviors can increase cholesterol:

• Eating foods high in saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol
• Being overweight or obese
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol use

Although age and genetics are beyond your control, you can often lower cholesterol through lifestyle changes:

• Eating a heart-healthy diet
• Regularly participating in cardio exercise and strength training
• Maintaining a healthy weight

Sometimes, despite doing all the right things, your cholesterol remains high. Fortunately, cholesterol-lowering drugs can restore healthy HDL and LDL levels. When you come in for your exam and consultation, Dr. Chen explores your options and creates the best cholesterol management plan for you.

If left untreated, high cholesterol can lead to heart disease and other life-threatening complications. Call or book an appointment online today for a cholesterol screening with Dr. Chen at Goldome Healthcare Inc.

Good mental health depends on a delicate balance of psychological, emotional, and social factors. When these components are in sync, you feel a sense of well-being that helps you navigate the demands, stresses, and disappointments of life.

While it’s normal to feel blue sometimes, ongoing negative emotions can mark the onset of mental illness.

Mental illnesses arise from a complex web of factors and influences, and can’t be narrowed to a single source. Some commonly seen causes include:

• Abusing alcohol and other drugs
• Genetic traits that disrupt the neurochemical balance in the brain
• Childhood trauma
• Social isolation and loneliness

Apart from affecting your mood, behavior, and ability to think, mental illness can hurt your physical health. This is especially true of depression, which has been linked to the development of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

When you come in for your consultation with Dr. Chen, he performs a physical exam, and orders lab tests to rule out issues with your thyroid gland or other problems that mimic the symptoms of mental illness. Then, he talks with you about your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and symptoms.

If you continually experience any of these symptoms, contact Dr. Chen for an evaluation.

• Anxiety, fearfulness, or worry
• Confused or muddy thinking, or an inability to concentrate
• Difficulty relating to other people
• Overwhelming feelings of sadness or guilt
• Insomnia
• Feeling overwhelmed by daily problems and stresses
• Suicidal thoughts
• Exhaustion and fatigue
• Withdrawal from friends and activities

Although there are hundreds of different disorders, only a handful of mental illnesses are widespread. Dr. Chen specializes in treating these common disorders:

• Attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD)
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Sleep disorders

If your disorder falls outside the scope of Dr. Chen’s practice, he’ll refer you to a qualified mental health specialist.

Depending on your diagnosis, Dr. Chen creates a treatment plan that could include counseling and guidance, a referral for psychotherapy, and prescriptions for psychiatric medicines like antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, or antipsychotic medications.

Good mental health is key to a fulfilling and productive life. If you are experiencing symptoms of mental illness, Dr. Chen and an expert team of partnering healthcare providers will help you manage symptoms and achieve optimal mental health. Call or book an appointment online today.

A physical exam is an evaluation of your current medical condition. During your physical, Dr. Chen uses an array of techniques to probe for signs of infections, diseases, and congenital disorders. He also makes sure your immunizations are up to date and takes the time to discuss with you any questions or concerns you have about your health.

After Dr. Chen checks your vital signs — blood pressure, heart rate, and weight — he follows up with questions about your health. Based on his observations, he might order blood tests to measure your cholesterol or check for diabetes and other diseases.

Additionally, if you’re employed by the California Department of Transportation, he’ll conduct a hearing test, vision exam, urine analysis and other specific tests as dictated by Department of Transportation.

One of the great things about physical exams is that medical issues can be caught before they become big problems. In fact, some disorders like high cholesterol and hypertension can be treated with weight loss, stress reduction, and exercise instead of more aggressive medical and drug-based therapies.

When you have a cold, rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take over-the-counter pain relievers for fever, headache, and aches. You can soothe a sore throat with cough drops or by gargling with salt water. Additionally, cough suppressants and expectorants can ease persistent coughing, and antihistamines can stop a runny nose.

If your nose is stuffed, numerous over-the-counter decongestants are available. For more severe blockages and other respiratory-related issues, Dr. Chen can prescribe a nebulizer, a device that delivers quick-acting medicine in an inhalable mist.

The type of physical Dr. Chen performs is determined by your age, medical history, lifestyle, and sometimes your line of work. Goldome Healthcare Inc.’s comprehensive exams include:

• Annual physicals
• Department of Transportation physicals
• Pre-operative physicals
• School physicals
• Sports physicals

According to the Centers for Disease Control, vaccinations will prevent almost a million deaths among children born during the last two decades. That’s why Dr. Chen believes it is so vital for all children from birth to 18 years to receive the scheduled program of vaccination for:

• Chickenpox
• Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis
• Hepatitis A and B
• Influenza
• Measles, mumps, and rubella
• Polio

Of course, adults need to stay current with vaccinations, too. Dr. Chen recommends annual vaccinations for influenza and periodic booster vaccinations for diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. If you’re over 65 years old, you should also be vaccinated for shingles and pneumococcal viruses.

Regular physical exams are your best insurance policy for continuing good health. Drawing from his years of experience in emergency and urgent-care medicine, Dr. Chen has a well-trained eye for assessing your condition and helping you achieve optimal health. Call or book online today for your physical exam with Dr. Chen.