Phoenix residents have certainly been struggling, whether it is COVID-19 itself or the quarantine. There have been 135 deaths in the Phoenix area and 140 more statewide.

Reported cases included 3,572 in Maricopa County and another 3,240 statewide. That number is certain to go up as Arizona prepares for a testing blitz. Statewide testing will be held May 2 and the two consecutive Saturdays. The goal is to test as many as 20,000 people.

Our office’s response to the crisis, beyond keeping our facility very clean, has been to add telehealth visits. We are also offering an urgent care alternative by providing same-day appointments in person, when necessary. Whether you have the coronavirus or some other problem, we are here for you.

What are COVID-19 symptoms?

Some symptoms are very familiar. They feel like the flu, a bad cold, or a sinus infection. These include fever, sore throat, aching joints, sore throat and cough. It may include stomach problems.

Major Covid-19 clues include a bad headache, although not all patients will have one. Also, breathing problems are a big clue. Your symptoms may feel similar to pneumonia and bronchitis.

Although it isn’t as scary, the loss of smell and taste is another sign. Likewise, some patients have experienced a tingling in their arms or legs or a strange sensation on their skin.

Doctors have now confirmed that strokes can be a symptom of COVID-19, even in younger patients. This is just one of the reasons it’s essential to get tested and get expert medical advice.

Could you have COVID-19?

It’s time to get tested if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms or any known Covid-19 symptoms (bad headache, loss of sense of smell, etc.). Or you may have been in contact with someone who has it.

It’s time to call for an appointment. If you have a Covid diagnosis or you are concerned, Innovative Family Health offers telehealth appointments to allow you to stay home and still get medical attention.

You can get better. There’s no need to panic if you get a COVID diagnosis. Talk to our office for medical advice, and get extra sleep, rest, and drink fluids. Track your temperature and let us know if it is spiking. It is imperative not to drink wine, beer or other alcoholic drinks while infected with the coronavirus.

If you can’t breathe, call 911 or have someone drive you to the ER.

Are you a high-risk patient?

• Remember each person has individual factors that may make them high risk. That’s why it is vital to schedule a telehealth appointment with Dr. Randall if you are diagnosed with COVID.
• Due to the breathing issues and stroke risk, some younger patients have become so sick that they ended up in the hospital.
• Like the flu, the elderly and those over 60 are considered high risk.
• Fatality rates are highest for those who are coping with lung diseases, heart problems, diabetes and other pre-existing chronic conditions.
• Even if you think you are low risk, you are urged to stay in touch with your doctor.

Can Medicines Cure Covid-10?

• There is no known cure, but there are many treatments.
• Two common pharmaceutical treatments include antibiotics and steroids. Call our office to learn more.
• Prescription cough medicines may provide relief.

How can you learn more about the Phoenix Arizona Quarantine and Area Testing?

• Expanded Testing in Arizona.
• Arizona Quarantine Information.
• Arizona Together Resources for Employees, Employers, Parents, and More.

Remember the Basic Ways to Avoid the Coronavirus in Arizona.

• Maintain a 6-to12-foot distance from others as much as possible.
• No hugging, kissing or shaking hands.
• While in public, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• As often as possible, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
• Stay out of the homes, cars and company of those who are sick.
• Stay home if you are sick.
• Avoid crowds.
• If in public, wear a mask and gloves.
• If wearing gloves, wash them before removing them.

Call us to schedule Covid testing, a telehealth appointment, an in-person appointment or for more information.

More Help from Experts:

World Health Organization: 2019-nCoV

Center for Disease Control: COVID-19

The range of motion that your back permits is astonishing in complexity, yet it’s normal to take this movement for granted, as long as everything works as it should. When back pain sets in, even the simplest tasks can become an ordeal. The bones of your spine and the soft tissues that support them must work in harmony while protecting the spinal cord and nerve roots that branch from it.

It’s perhaps not surprising that around 31 million Americans may be experiencing back pain right now, adding up to over 260 million lost days from work annually. As the aging population develops degenerative conditions that commonly accompany getting older, the risk of back pain rises. It’s not inevitable that you’ll be sidelined with back pain, but the chances increase with every birthday.

The age of decline

The most common reason for increasing back pain is simply wear-and-tear, especially your spine, a complex system with many interconnected parts. Age-related issues include joint and disc degeneration, spondylolisthesis, and spinal stenosis.

Joint and disk degeneration

Your spine is made up of 33 spinal bones, or vertebrae, though some people have a slightly different number. There are discs between each of the vertebrae that allow your back to bend and twist. The discs act as shock absorbers between the bones.

These discs allow you to bend, twist, and flex your back without causing compression of your spine. However, as you age, these discs can shrink and lose their elasticity. As a result, you may experience inflammation and pain in your back.

Arthritis can affect every joint in your body, and your spine is no different. This collection of over 100 conditions can affect virtually every aspect of joint mobility in your back.

Spondylolisthesis

When one or more of the lower vertebrae slips forward and makes contact with the bone directly below it, you’ve got spondylolisthesis. It can cause lower back pain or severe leg pain after standing for long periods of time. Spondylolisthesis can often be treated using either surgical or therapeutic methods.

Spinal Stenosis

Since nerves pass through special gaps along your spinal column, anything that affects the size of these gaps is a potentially painful problem. Any narrowing of these spaces is called spinal stenosis. When narrowing puts pressure on the nerves that travel through the spine, you may experience tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, and pain in your arms, legs, buttocks, and back.

Back pain risk factors

Age isn’t the only risk factor for back pain. Other conditions that may contribute to your back pain can include:

• Obesity
• Back injuries
• Osteoporosis
• Osteoarthritis
• Loss of muscle elasticity
• Inactivity
• Poor posture
• Degenerative joint conditions

Though you can’t always prevent or control some of these disorders, you may be able to moderate and ease pain through a combination of treatment and lifestyle changes.

Back pain can be incredibly uncomfortable while reducing your mobility, and it can make participation in activities you enjoy difficult. If you’re suffering from back pain symptoms, it’s time to contact Innovative Family Health Practices. From diagnosis to treatment, their back pain specialists do what it takes to create an effective plan to manage your condition.

Call the office or request an appointment online with the convenient booking tool. A comfortable life is too important to ignore, so contact the office today.

Time takes a toll on your body, whether from the effects of aging to the ravages of sickness or injury. However, when you experience physical deterioration, your body also naturally begins the process of making repairs. Wounds heal, tissues regenerate, and even mental deterioration from chronic conditions can sometimes reverse.

Your body possesses natural healing abilities that regenerate your tissues. With regenerative medicine, you can tap into these abilities, using them to accelerate healing and improve your overall physical condition. At Innovative Family Health Practices, we offer regenerative medical therapies for patients in the Mesa, Arizona area.

Natural healing

Your body possesses natural regenerative healing and recovery powers. When you get sick or hurt, elements present in your blood, like your platelets, rush into the affected area to start repairing tissue damage and creating new tissue. The most commonly used procedures in regenerative medicine rely on factors present in blood and stem cells.

Stem cell therapies continue to show promise for treating a wide range of physical issues. We can also use platelet-rich plasma (PRP) derived from your own blood to enhance your natural healing processes.

With regenerative medicine, we enhance your body’s own healing capabilities, using targeted treatments to produce definite results. Regenerative medicine doesn’t just treat symptoms. It goes right to the source of your problems to kick-start real healing. Some of the conditions addressed by regenerative medicine include:

• Knee and leg pain
• Injuries like sprains, tears, fractures
• Arthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Parkinson’s disease
• Heart disease
• Dementia

We continue to learn more about the potential of regenerative medicine and how the natural process of healing works. The field of regenerative medicine evolves every year, as we discover how best to engage your natural healing capabilities.

Minimal risks

With regenerative medical therapies, physical problems like injuries that would otherwise potentially require surgical intervention can be dealt with noninvasively. Regenerative treatments tend to be quick and relatively simple, with little downtime needed afterward for recovery. And, because regenerative medicine uses your own natural healing factors, treatments don’t typically pose many serious risks.

To learn more about what regenerative medicine can do to help you recover from injuries, illnesses, or even the impacts of aging, contact Innovative Family Health Practices today. Our care team, led by primary care physician Gary Randall, DO, specializes in regenerative medicine. After reviewing your symptoms and medical history, we can advise you on the best regenerative therapies for your unique health care needs. To schedule your initial consultation appointment, call our office, or use the online booking tool.

If you’re relatively healthy, chances are you only see your primary care physician a few times each year — once for your yearly wellness exam or physical, once or twice when you have a bad cold or some other contagious illness you just can’t seem to shake, and maybe once more for your annual flu shot.

Your primary care doctor may be the first one you turn to when you’re sick or experiencing worrisome symptoms, but helping you get healthy is just one of their objectives. Their other goal, which they aim to accomplish through comprehensive preventive care and ongoing patient education, is to help you stay as healthy as possible throughout your life.

Here at Innovative Family Health Practices LLC, we recognize that exceptional primary care is a team effort that requires a high level of training, skill, organization, coordination, and respect. Here’s what makes our approach just as efficient as it is effective.

Complete, high-quality care

You rely on your primary care doctor to meet most of your health care needs, ranging from wellness and prevention to acute care and chronic disease management. As a board-certified family medicine physician who’s dedicated to providing high-quality care to patients aged 12 and up, Dr. Randall is specially trained to:

• Conduct physical exams and wellness checkups
• Perform routine preventive health screenings
• Investigate and diagnose unexplained symptoms
• Diagnose and treat acute illnesses and injuries
• Manage & improve chronic disease with coordinated care

To deliver such an exhaustive range of services without sacrificing quality, consistency, or efficiency, Dr. Randall relies on two things: his 30+ years of experience and a supportive team of qualified practitioners, licensed physician assistants, and certified care coordinators.

Organized, efficient care

Providing organized patient-centered care that’s as efficient as it is effective is one of the central principles of any top-tier primary care provider, and Innovative Family Health Practices LLC is no exception.

So what’s the secret to delivering thoughtful, comprehensive care that places your health needs and personal preferences first? The strongest patient-physician relationships are built on trust.

A solid patient-physician relationship begins with respect, and to that end, we provide readily available appointments that prioritize your care and keep you out of the waiting room. A secure patient-physician relationship is also a lot like a partnership, in that it empowers you with the information, resources, and support you need to actively engage in your care.

Efficient primary care is convenient, too — in addition to providing high-quality, personalized care without the wait, we also offer comprehensive on-site diagnostic testing and phlebotomy services and 24/7 access to an online patient portal that helps you keep track of test results, recommended screenings, and upcoming appointments.

Confident, coordinated care

Primary care doesn’t mean basic care — it means confident care. Dr. Randall’s comprehensive training and far-reaching expertise extends to a variety of specialized areas, including:

• Chronic disease management and improvement (diabetes, hypertension)
• Dementia evaluation, management, and potential normalization
• Infectious disease treatment (respiratory, urinary, reproductive)
• Allergy testing, management, and desensitization (immunotherapy)
• Musculoskeletal disorder treatment (joint pain and spinal disease)
• Comprehensive weight loss and lifestyle improvement strategies

As a coordinated care provider, Dr. Randall also serves as your point of access to a wide range of medical experts that specialize in very specific health care needs, ranging from orthopedic surgeons to oncology physicians, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, psychiatrists, and more.

For patients who are living with multiple chronic illnesses, coordinated care may also include medication management, a systematic and comprehensive approach to eliminate unnecessary medications and reduce the risk of side effects and drug interactions.

Reliable, patient-focused care

Here at Innovative Family Health Practices LLC, we’re passionate about providing the kind of patient-centered primary care that makes adolescent and adult patients of all ages happy to call us their primary care medical home.

To find out how we can help you stay healthy today, tomorrow, and in the years to come, call our Mesa, Arizona, office today, or click online to schedule an appointment with Dr. Randall at any time.