Patient Education

Patient Education

Preventative Health

What’s considered preventive care you may ask? Examples of preventive care services include:


  • Your annual checkup – In addition to a physical exam, your annual checkup can include important general health screenings for high blood pressure, cholesterol and other health conditions.
  • Cancer screenings – Most people don’t experience cancer symptoms when diseases are in their earliest, most treatable stages. That’s why screenings are recommended at certain times and intervals throughout your life. For example, it’s recommended that both men and women begin colorectal cancer screenings starting at age 45. Other preventive screenings for women include Pap tests and mammograms. For men, prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests to screen for prostate cancer might be recommended.
  • Childhood immunizations – Immunizations for children include hepatitis A and B, chickenpox, and measles and MMR (mumps and rubella).
  • Adult immunizations – These include Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) boosters, and immunizations against pneumococcal conjugate and shingles.
  • Your yearly flu shot – Flu shots can help reduce your risk of getting the flu by up to 60%. And if you do happen to get the flu, having the flu vaccine can significantly reduce the chances of serious flu symptoms that could lead to hospitalization.

Chronic Health Conditions:

Chronic diseases are defined broadly as conditions that last 1 year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Many chronic diseases are caused by a short list of risk behaviors:


  • Tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke.
  • Poor nutrition, including diets low in fruits and vegetables and high in sodium and saturated fats.
  • Physical Inactivity.
  • Excessive alcohol use.

Common chronic illnesses

While many illnesses can be considered chronic, there are 12 major chronic conditions that are a significant burden in terms of morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs including: 


  • heart disease
  • stroke
  • lung cancer
  • colorectal cancer
  • depression
  • type 2 diabetes
  • arthritis
  • osteoporosis
  • asthma
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • chronic kidney disease
  • oral disease.

End of Life Care/ Advance Care Planning:

Advance care planning involves learning about the types of decisions that might need to be made, considering those decisions ahead of time, and then letting others know—both your family and your health care providers—about your preferences. These preferences are often put into an advance directive, a legal document that goes into effect only if you are incapacitated and unable to speak for yourself. This could be the result of disease or severe injury—no matter how old you are. It helps others know what type of medical care you want.


There are two main elements in an advance directive—a living will and a durable power of attorney for health care. There are also other documents that can supplement your advance directive. You can choose which documents to create, depending on how you want decisions to be made. These documents include:


  • Living will
  • Durable power of attorney for health care
  • Other advance care planning documents

Mental Health:


What Is Mental Health?


Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.


Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:


  •   Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
  •  Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
  •  Family history of mental health problems


Mental health problems are common but help is available. People with mental health problems can get better and many recover completely.

Early Warning Signs

Not sure if you or someone you know is living with mental health problems? Experiencing one or more of the following feelings or behaviors can be an early warning sign of a problem:


  • Eating or sleeping too much or too little
  • Pulling away from people and usual activities
  • Having low or no energy
  • Feeling numb or like nothing matters
  • Having unexplained aches and pains
  • Feeling helpless or hopeless
  • Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual
  • Feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
  • Yelling or fighting with family and friends
  • Experiencing severe mood swings that cause problems in relationships
  • Having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
  • Hearing voices or believing things that are not true
  • Thinking of harming yourself or others
  • Inability to perform daily tasks like taking care of your kids or getting to work or school




Mental Health and Wellness


Positive mental health allows people to:


  • Realize their full potential
  • Cope with the stresses of life
  • Work productively
  • Make meaningful contributions to their communities


Ways to maintain positive mental health include:


  • Getting professional help if you need it
  • Connecting with others
  • Staying positive
  • Getting physically active
  • Helping others
  • Getting enough sleep
  • Developing coping skills


You’re not alone, we’re here to help.

Make An Appointment

Our providers focus on prevention and early detection of serious diseases and provide healthy lifestyle management which include diabetes, cholesterol disorders, high blood pressure, smoking cessation programs, heart problems and weight loss issues.

Schedule Appointment

Obesity:

Obesity is a treatable disease that is a worldwide health concern associated with having an excess amount of body fat. It is caused by genetic and environmental factors and can be difficult to control through dieting alone. Obesity is diagnosed by a healthcare provider and is classified as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. Nearly 40 percent of Americans have obesity.


Low Carb Diet
Intermittent Fasting
High Intensity Interval Training

Mediterranean diet: A heart-healthy eating plan

The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthy eating plans recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to promote health and prevent chronic disease.


It is also recognized by the World Health Organization as a healthy and sustainable dietary pattern and as an intangible cultural asset by the United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

What is the Mediterranean diet?

The Mediterranean diet is a way of eating based on the traditional cuisine of countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. While there is no single definition of the Mediterranean diet, it is typically high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nut and seeds, and olive oil.


The main components of Mediterranean diet include:

  • Daily consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and healthy fats
  • Weekly intake of fish, poultry, beans and eggs
  • Moderate portions of dairy products
  • Limited intake of red meat


Other important elements of the Mediterranean diet are sharing meals with family and friends, enjoying a glass of red wine and being physically active.

The Mediterranean diet
BERG MD Nutrition


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