A healthier New Year

The past 20 years have shown us just how critical primary care medicine is to the health of both patients and the medical establishment as a whole.

Since 2000, the proportion of women appropriately screened for cervical and breast cancer has declined. In 2002, the U.S. infant mortality rate rose for the first time in 40 years, the only industrialized nation to experience such a rise. The U.S. still trails most of the industrialized nations in life expectancy, death rates from cardiovascular disease and cancer, and infant mortality, and since 2000, the gaps have widened.* ocalaice.comocalaice.comlimbstitute.com

The precipitous rise in the costs of health care and the drain on resources has, in recent years, increased interest in preventive medicine. Patients, doctors, and even insurance companies realize the best way to avoid the pain and high cost of disease is to not get the disease in the first place. So, the focus has shifted from treating the problems when they arise to emphasizing healthier lifestyles that eliminate them.

Enter family practice and the primary care physician. Family practices like IME are uniquely positioned to be the vanguard for counseling patients on nutrition, the benefits of exercise, and the elimination of bad habits like smoking and overeating. Wellness programs that catch problems early underscore the importance of regular visits with a primary care physician. Patients, in particular, and the health care establishment as a whole will be all the healthier for it.

Ocala 4730 SW 49th Rd. // 352.854.0681

Summerfield 10435 SE 170th Place // 352.233.4393

Tavares 2754 Dora Ave. // 352.259.5960

The Villages 1950 Laurel Manor Dr., Bldg 240 // 352.509.9295

The Villages 1050 Old Camp Road // 352.259.5960

Williston 412 W. Noble Ave. // 352.528.0790