Chronic Disease Management

Chronic conditions like diabetes, thyroid disorders, and cardiovascular disease require ongoing care to optimize quality of life. Integrative Health DPC in Zionsville, Indiana, offers comprehensive chronic disease management services to patients with these and other long-term health problems. With the practice’s medical expertise, on-site lab testing, and affordable direct primary care model, you can enjoy a longer, better life. Call Integrative Health DPC for more details or schedule a chronic disease management consultation online today.

What is chronic disease management?

Chronic disease management prevents or minimizes chronic illnesses’ effects by monitoring and coordinating your treatment. It’s a vital aspect of primary care alongside urgent care services that you use for acute illnesses and injuries.

Chronic conditions last for months and often years. Many are lifelong. These conditions can reduce your quality of life, adversely affect your mobility, increase your risk of disability, and/or lead to premature death, so they benefit from ongoing medical attention.

What conditions does chronic disease management cover?

Integrative Health DPC diagnoses and treats numerous chronic diseases and provides ongoing management for common problems such as:

• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Stroke
• Asthma
• Chronic kidney disease
• Arthritis
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Cancer
• High cholesterol
• Thyroid disorders
• Osteoporosis
• Alzheimer’s disease

Integrative Health DPC also manages men’s health problems like benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and women’s health challenges like menopause.

What does chronic disease management involve?

The specifics of chronic disease management vary depending on your condition and its severity. Your age and other health problems are also essential factors your provider considers when designing a chronic disease management plan.

Regular check-ups are vital for all chronic diseases. They allow your provider to assess your health, check for new or worsening symptoms, and discuss the day-to-day issues you face. Most exams will involve checking your vital signs (heart rate, breathing rate, temperature, and blood pressure).

Some involve additional procedures like feeling your joints if you have arthritis or a diabetic foot check to ensure you have no wounds that could become ulcerous. Your provider will also take samples for lab tests. For example, they can monitor your cholesterol and blood sugar levels with regular blood tests.

Medication management is also vital for people with chronic diseases. You might need to take several or multiple medications to help manage your disorder — medication management ensures your drugs are effective, necessary, and cause minimal side effects.

How does preventive medicine help with chronic disease management?

You might think that it’s too late for preventive healthcare to have any effects once you’ve got a long-term illness. However, preventive medicine continues to have benefits.

A healthy diet, weight loss, regular exercise, and stress management support better general health, slowing symptom progression and helping you avoid complications. You can even reverse some problems with preventive medicine.

Call Integrative Health DPC today or request an appointment online to benefit from comprehensive chronic disease management.