My Memorial Docs: Memorial Clinical Associates

How to Better Communicate with Your Doctor

If you dread visits to your doctor, learning how to communicate more openly with your physician can help you to feel more at ease. When your doctor better understands your health background, concerns and needs, he or she can provide more tailored, comfortable care. In addition, a line of open and honest communication can help empower patients by educating and equipping them with the information they want and need. While having an honest conversation with your doctor can be difficult, there are some things you can do to prepare for your appointment. Learn more about communicating with your doctor in the video below.

For expert and compassionate medical care, contact the physicians at Memorial Clinical Associates. Our practice offers exceptional, full-service primary care in the heart of Houston's Memorial communities. Visit us online, or call us today at (713) 407-3067 to schedule an appointment.

Why Staying Active is Vital to Your Health

From schoolchildren to seniors, regular exercise is vital to everyone’s health regardless of age. As you grow older and your body ages, though, staying active and making time for exercise take on even greater importance. While enjoying rest and relaxation during your later or retirement years is well-deserved, staying strong and healthy can help you maintain that quality of life and prolong your active years. For more information about the benefits of exercise and simple activities you can try, talk to your primary physician today.

• Maintain Strength and Balance: As you grow older, you may feel like your body isn’t able to perform as well as it used to. With time, muscles weaken and deteriorate, which can make performing day-to-day tasks more difficult. Weaker muscles can also cause balance problems, potentially leading to the need for a walker or wheelchair. With low-key, routine physical activity, however, you can help improve your body’s strength and support healthy muscles.  
• Boost Energy: As you age, your stamina and endurance can drop drastically. You can increase energy levels with exercise, which helps to keep your muscles active and can boost metabolism. Your primary physician can recommend specific exercises, movements, and activities to help you feel awake and invigorated.
• Improve Physical and Mental Health: In addition to keeping your body healthy, staying active can also improve emotional and mental health. Exercise helps to prevent many chronic conditions like cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and it helps to promote a better mood by boosting endorphin production.

If you are ready to act as young as you feel, talk to your doctor about incorporating exercise and physical activity into your daily routine. The physicians at Memorial Clinical Associates can provide helpful health tips and ideas to keep your body strong and energized. Our practice offers exceptional, full-service primary care in the heart of Houston's Memorial communities. Visit us online, or call us today at (713) 407-3067 to schedule an appointment.

Why Should I Have an Annual Physical?

As you age, maintaining your physical health becomes increasingly important to maintaining your overall wellness. One way to support healthy aging is to schedule a yearly physical with your primary doctor. During an annual physical, your doctor will evaluate your overall health to identify any potential health concerns, prevent conditions from developing or progressing, or to prescribe treatments for existing conditions. Here are some other ways patients can benefit from visiting their doctor for a yearly physical.

1. Support Early Detection and Diagnosis: Whether we ignore or simply do not recognize them, the symptoms of many serious health problems can go unnoticed for a long time. By the time symptoms become apparent, your health condition may have progressed significantly, sometimes to the point where treatment becomes less effective. Even if you feel fine, getting a yearly physical to check for any possible concerns is critical in early detection. Early detection helps lead to an early diagnosis and more effective treatment options.
2. Monitor Your Body’s Health and Changes: During your annual physical, your doctor will record and track all of the findings and results. These ongoing records help you and your doctor to track your body’s changes over time. Bodies respond differently to aging, so understanding how your body is changing can help to keep those changes healthy and normal.
3. Achieve a More Comprehensive Health Outlook: During an annual physical exam, your primary care physician will examine you more thoroughly than he or she would during a regular checkup examination. Physicals are comprehensive evaluations that give your doctor insight into your entire body’s health status and your overall wellness.
4. Support Patient Education: Physicals are an opportunity to develop a relationship of trust and openness with your physician. This kind of relationship, in turn, can lead patients to become more comfortable asking questions of speaking openly with their doctors. This helps not only your doctor to better understand your health but also provides you, the patient, with additional information and education to make an empowered decision about your health.

If you are ready to schedule your annual physical, contact the physicians at Memorial Clinical Associates. Our practice offers exceptional, full-service primary care in the heart of Houston's Memorial communities. Visit us online, or call us today at (713) 407-3067 to schedule an appointment.

Finding and Working with Your Primary Doctor: Resources for Further Reading

Once you have found a primary care physician you feel confident in, begin establishing a relationship of rapport and open conversation. Doing so can help your doctor to become more familiar with your health and to devise treatment plans that are customized to your health goals and needs. For more information about maintaining optimal health, contact your doctor and read more in the resources below.

• Weightlifting can help older adults overcome arthritis symptoms by strengthening the muscles that support the joints. Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information about the importance of strength training.
• Feeling comfortable around and confident in your primary care doctor can help you receive excellent health care. This article from the National Institutes of Health provides some additional information about building a relationship with your physician.
• While some wounds heal easily and on their own, others can fester and become chronic. Learn more about the types of and process behind wound healing with this medical reference guide.

For more information about finding and working with your primary care physician, contact the doctors at Memorial Clinical Associates. Our practice offers exceptional, full-service primary care in the heart of Houston's Memorial communities. Visit us online, or call us today at (713) 407-3067 to schedule an appointment.

Weight Lifting Exercises for Seniors

Strength training exercises can provide a variety of benefits for older adults, including the alleviation of arthritis symptoms, depression, diabetes, obesity and back pain. These toning and strength training exercises can also improve balance and upper body strength. Talk to your doctor about simple strength training exercises you can add into your fitness routine, and learn more in the video below.

For more information about improving and maintaining your health at any age, contact the doctors at Memorial Clinical Associates. Our practice offers exceptional, full-service primary care in the heart of Houston's Memorial communities. Visit us online, or call us today at (713) 407-3067 to schedule an appointment.