 At Deerwood Family Practice, we emphasize the importance of annual physicals and blood work. An important test within your lab results is called C-Reactive Protein or “CRP.” This value can be added to your labs and is an indicator of inflammation.
CRP is a protein produced by your liver, usually rising in periods of acute inflammation. However, it has both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects. It clears foreign pathogens but can also exacerbate tissue damage by activating an inflammatory response in your body. There are many reasons behind elevated CRP levels, but most elevated levels are associated with infections or trauma. Other known causes include sleep issues or periodontal disease. In healthy adults, a normal level is less than 3mg/dL. Certain medications like NSAIDs or statins can falsely decrease CRP levels. High levels above 50mg/dL are most often due to infections. CRP has been recently used as a predictive factor in conditions like Hepatitis C, dengue and malaria, but these studies are still limited. Additionally, there is believed to be some correlation between elevated CRP and cardiovascular risk, but this research is still developing as well. At your follow-up lab review visit, your provider will be sure to highlight and discuss your CRP level with you. We look forward to seeing you and educating you about your health! Caitlin Vandermolen FNP student University of Southern California Class of 2025 Reference: Nehring SM, Goyal A, Patel BC. C Reactive Protein. [Updated 2023 Jul 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441843/
0 Comments
 A wellness visit focuses on preventative care.
At this visit we discuss how to improve your overall health and watch for warning signs that something may change in your health. We don’t want to wait for you to develop a chronic disease, we want to stop it before it happens! Think of this visit as a “status update” with your provider to evaluate for any health changes in the past year. We collect your vital signs, check on your medications, ask about recent surgeries or specialist you may have seen, and assess what screenings are appropriate for your age and gender. Some screenings we may discuss include cholesterol and diabetes screenings, blood pressure evaluation, mammograms, Pap tests, PSAs, colonoscopies, osteoporosis or even STI/STD testing. Your family medical history is just as important as your own personal medical history. We want to look out for early warning signs to keep you at your best health! Vaccines and immunizations status is also important for all patients. A full body exam is also performed along with an EKG or Max Pulse depending on your age and personal medical history. Specific issues that you may have not related to the Wellness visit are considered part of the follow up. These additional concerns are considered a “sick visit” by insurance companies and may require a copay if they are addressed at the same time. Please let your provider know if you have additional concerns at your Wellness visit and depending on their complexity, they may have to be addressed at your lab review visit.  This May we’re shining the light on skin cancer. This is one of the most common cancers in America and it’s estimated that everyday over 9,000 Americans are diagnosed. Sun protections is one of the easiest ways to decrease your skin cancer risk. Look for products that are broad spectrum, water resistant, and SPF 30 or higher. Make sure you wear it throughout the entire year and not just during the sunny months. Reapply every two hours to maximize protection. If you have a mole or growth you’re worried about consider your ABCDEs! Asymmetrical, irregular Borders, Color, Diameter > 6mm, and Evolving.
Come see us at Deerwood Family Practice for latest skin care treatments, products, and prevention. Sources: https://www.skincancer.org/get-involved/skin-cancer-awareness-month/ https://www.beaumont.org/conditions/melanoma/abcde's-of-melanoma#:~:text=ABCDE%20stands%20for%20asymmetry%2C%20border,the%20shape%20isn't%20uniform.  1 in 3 adults age 45-75 are not receiving adequate screening for colon cancer. In adults under 50, colorectal cancer is the top cause of cancer related death in men and the 2nd in women. Colonoscopies should start at age 45 and are still the gold standard for screenings; they are the only test that can visualize and remove colon polyps. These polyps can grow and progress into cancer if left untreated within 10 years. If you are nervous or hesitant to get this done, come visit with us about your other options for screenings. 68% of colon cancer related deaths could have been prevented by early screenings. Don’t become a statistic!
One alternative option we have at Deerwood is Cologuard. This is a kit that analyzes your stool for colon cancer DNA and microscopic blood. With Cologuard there is a risk for having a false positive or a false negative result. In a clinical study, 13% of patients who did not have cancer received a false positive result. In that same study 8% of patients who actually did have cancer received a false negative result. An additional option is Shield. This is a blood test that can be done at any of your lab visits. This test works by looking for colorectal neoplasm DNA in the blood. With this test there is no prep required or elimination of food or meds from your diet. These results are back in about 2 weeks. Shield demonstrates a high sensitivity rate of 83% detection rate and 90% specificity as well. If these tests come back positive it could mean you have colorectal cancer or advanced adenomas. This would require a follow up colonoscopy. These tests are meant for adults 45 years old who are at typical risk for colon cancer. It’s not meant to replace a colonoscopy in individuals who are at high risk. This would mean people with IBD, chronic ulcerative colitis, crohn’s, or a family medical history of colorectal cancer need to consider a colonoscopy. Source: https://fightcolorectalcancer.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/2024_CRCFactSheet_Web_Compressed.pdf https://www.cologuardhcp.com/crc-screening-unmet-need/impact-of-choice https://guardanthealth.com/wp-content/uploads/Guardant_Shield_FactSheet-1.pdf  Don’t wait, prevent!
At Deerwood Family Practice we offer Invitae Testing that screens for 85 genetic cancer markers. We also offer Galleri testing which looks for active cancer tumor DNA in the blood. https://www.dhd10.org/national-cancer-prevention-month-february-2023/ https://cancerprogressreport.aacr.org/progress/cpr22-contents/cpr22-preventing-cancer-identifying-risk-factors/ https://www.chcw.org/february-is-national-cancer-prevention-month/  February is the time when all people, especially women, are encouraged to focus on their cardiovascular health.
 Written by Alexis Sekula, BSN, RN, TAMUCC FNP-Student (Graduation May 2024)
Sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep-related breathing disorders (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2022). This disorder causes repeated lapses in breathing as a result of a blockage in your airway (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Sleep apnea affects about 3 % of people of normal body weight and over 20% of obese people (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2022). Why does this matter? The blockage of the airway results in decreased oxygen levels and the build of carbon dioxide levels which triggers a survival reflex that wakes you up to correct the obstruction (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). Sleep apnea does not only impact sleep quality but, uncorrected sleep apnea can lead to serious health problems such as increased cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, and metabolic disease (Cleveland Clinic, 2022). What happens to the body? Blockage of the airways leads to carbon dioxide retention in the bloodstream. This causes a problem as this will decrease the body’s ability to exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen. What are the symptoms of sleep apnea? #1 symptom is snoring or pauses in breathing while asleep. Other symptoms include daytime sleepiness, mood changes, disruption in brain function, insomnia, night sweats and feeling restless at night, sexual dysfunction, waking up feeling short of breath, headaches - especially when waking up (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2022). How do I know if I have sleep apnea? Your PCP can perform a physical evaluation and order a sleep study. Treatment for sleep apnea should be coordinated with your primary care provider. The most common treatment is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Studies have shown that regular use of CPAP reduces blood pressure, lowers the risk of stroke, heart attack, and blood glucose, and improves daytime sleepiness (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2022). References Cleveland Clinic. (2022). Sleep apnea: What it is, causes, symptoms & treatment. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8718-sleep-apnea Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2022, November 1). The dangers of uncontrolled sleep apnea. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-dangers-of-uncontrolled-sleep-apnea National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2022, March). What is sleep apnea? NHLBI, NIH. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-apnea National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2022, March). Sleep apnea-symptoms? NHLBI, NIH. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-apnea/symptoms  More than 14,000 women in the U.S are diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer each year.
Starting at age 21, every person with a cervix should have a Pap smear, and then at age 30 co-tested with a pap and HPV test. HPV (human papillomavirus) is directly liked to cervical cancer and most sexually active people will be exposed to it at some point in their lives. This infection is usually harmless and the body is able to destroy it most of the time, but some types or strains of this virus can lead to cancer if untreated. The HPV vaccine can protect you from cervical cancer. Vaccines are recommended starting at age 11 all they way to 45. https://www.nccc-online.org//wp-content/uploads/2019/01/January_2019_printable.pdf https://www.nccc-online.org/cervical-health-awareness-month/ https://www.nccc-online.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/HPV-Vaccine.pdf  January is blood donor awareness month! Did you know…
Where you can donate: South Texas Blood & Tissue - Shavano Donor Center 4079 N Loop 1604 W #102, San Antonio, TX 78257 South Texas Blood & Tissue - Northeast Donor Center 8500 Village Dr #102, San Antonio, TX 78217 https://www.rrvbc.org/faq-items/30-fascinating-blood-facts/ https://www.redcrossblood.org/donate-blood/how-to-donate/how-blood-donations-help/blood-needs-blood-supply.html https://americasblood.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Whitepaper-National-Stats_5.22.pdf |
Deerwood EducationWe are passionate about educating the next generation of PAs and APRNs. These are the posts from our providers and the students we mentor. Archives
March 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed