Preventive Care
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Richard R. Bobé, MD, FACP
Internist & Concierge Doctor located in Delray Beach, FL
Preventive care combines lifestyle changes, immunization, and screening tests to avoid many of the most devastating causes of ill health and death, including cancer and heart disease. Richard R. Bobé, MD, in Delray Beach, Florida, has considerable expertise in safeguarding patients' physical and mental health and optimizing their well-being using preventive care measures. For expert preventive care, call Dr. Bobé's office or book an appointment online today.
Preventive Care Q & A
What is preventive care?
Preventive care is about using a combination of approaches to help you avoid many health problems and diseases that could make you sick.
Preventive care measures like making lifestyle changes, keeping your immunizations up to date, and attending regular screenings for diseases like cancer can make a massive difference to your quality of life.
Preventive care helps you avoid the pain, distress, and fatigue of being sick. You also benefit from savings in lost time and money, and the inconvenience of being sick.
How do screening tests help with preventive care?
Screening tests identify diseases in their earliest stages, before they cause serious damage or become incurable. For example, screening for colorectal cancer detects the polyps that have the potential to become cancerous growths. Pap smears pick up cell changes that could lead to cervical cancer.
Both these cancers can lead to premature death if you don't receive a diagnosis early enough, but screening prevents the disease from occurring.
Other screening tests you might need include:
- STDs
- Mammogram for breast cancer
- Bone scan for osteoporosis
- Prostate check
- In Office Blood Draw
Some of the simplest tests play a significant role in preventive care. Blood pressure screening and blood tests for high cholesterol and diabetes can detect problems before these conditions cause any symptoms.
How does immunization help with preventive care?
Immunizations are a highly effective way of enabling your body to fight off infections, many of which could cause serious complications and be life-threatening. Dr. Bobé provides immunizations for a wide range of diseases, including:
- Diphtheria
- Hepatitis A and B
- Herpes zoster
- Human papillomavirus (HPV)
- Measles
- Meningococcal meningitis
- Mumps
- Pertussis
- Pneumococcal meningitis
- Rubella
- Tetanus
- Varicella (chickenpox)
With many of these diseases, an initial course of vaccinations is sufficient to protect you for life, while others require regular boosters.
The flu shot is a bit different, as there are multiple strains of the flu virus. An annual flu shot protects you against the strain that's most widespread in the current year.
How do lifestyle changes help with preventive care?
Many common diseases and chronic health problems develop because of poor lifestyle choices and unhealthy habits. Some cancers, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease all have direct links to being overweight or obese, having a poor diet, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, a lack of exercise, and/or high stress levels.
If you need advice and support with making changes to your lifestyle, Dr. Bobé can help. He offers weight loss support programs and assistance with smoking cessation and alcohol reduction. He can also give you the information and assistance you need to start eating a healthier diet, increase your activity levels, and reduce stress.
All these preventive care methods combine to help you avoid the pain, misery, and numerous complications ill health can cause. Call Richard R. Bobé, MD, to get started with preventive care or book an appointment online today.