Treatment and Management of Chronic Conditions
Chronic health conditions like anxiety/depression, diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity can have a profoundly negative effect on your quality of life. Untreated, they may even shave years off your lifespan. When you visit us at Hampton Family Practice, we’ll gather information about any chronic conditions you live with, and we’ll formulate a clear plan to managing your chronic illness.
Asthma & Allergy
Management
Asthma and allergies are respiratory conditions that can greatly affect your quality of life. Asthma is a chronic condition affected by particulates and other substances in the air, which cause spasms in the lung’s bronchi and make it hard to breathe. Allergies are the body’s autoimmune response to substances that are actually harmless, like dust, mold, pollen, and pet dander, and these can cause ear, nose and throat discharge, as well as hives and other symptoms.
Chronic condition management of asthma and allergies involves removing triggers from your environments. We may prescribe you a medication, such as an antihistamine or an inhaler, to stop symptoms before they start, and abort attacks in progress.
Diabetes
Management
Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects your body’s ability to produce or process insulin, which in turn affects your body’s blood sugar levels. You may have diabetes from birth (type 1), or you may develop it over the course of your life (type 2). Diabetes can affect your energy levels and ability to heal, and it may increase your risk of other health conditions over time.
Your treatment plan will include monitoring your blood sugar, as well as other factors like your blood pressure and cholesterol. You may be prescribed insulin to regulate your blood sugar, and we’ll create a diet plan to keep your blood sugar steady.
Heart Disease, High Blood
Pressure & High Cholesterol Management
These three interrelated conditions can impact the function of your cardiovascular system, increasing your risk of a heart attack or stroke. Managing these chronic health issues will typically involve increasing your aerobic exercise, decreasing your saturated fat and sugar intake, increasing unsaturated fats, managing your weight, and possibly taking medications to reduce cholesterol and thin blood clots.
Obesity & Weight
Management
Obesity and being overweight can increase your risk of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, heart attack, and stroke. We will first eliminate any medical causes of obesity such as thyroid problems. We’ll help you create a diet and exercise plan to manage your weight in a healthy, sustainable way. In some cases, we may recommend bariatric surgery to move you back toward your optimal weight.
