Preventive Medicine Specialist (Dr. Mary Chaglassian)

What is Preventive Medicine?

Preventive medicine includes all the tests, screenings, and evaluations that help doctors prevent diseases from occurring. While disease treatment is reactive – reacting to a disease that's already present – preventive care is proactive and focused on preventing diseases from occurring. Preventive care:

• Looks for initial signs of acute and chronic diseases and disorders

• Evaluates each patient's risk factors based on personal and family medical histories and an in-depth physical exam

• Identifies underlying risk factors that can make a patient more likely to develop certain types of diseases

• Develops a plan of care that includes changes in lifestyle and other habits that could be increasing the patient's risk of developing serious diseases

• She orders genetic testing when indicated like the BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes that are important to identify future cancer risks  

• She offers a wide range of comprehensive tests such as the Cologuard test to detect colon cancer, Dexa scan to screen for osteoporosis, saliva test to check for sex hormones, blood tests for vitamins, minerals, and toxins levels, and much more

• She uses a coronary the calcium scan to detect early blocking of the coronary arteries

• She orders the new Low-Dose CT Scan lung scan to screen for lung cancer in smokers 

• She offers advanced cancer screening to check for over 50 types of cancer 

How Can I Tell which Types of Health Screenings I Should Have?

With so many tests and screenings available today, routine physicals are no longer the same. Deciding which test or advanced test is right for your needs can be easily established with the right history and a thorough evaluation. Some of the tests and screenings that may be right for you can be determined by your personal history, family history, and other factors. Other tests can be determined from the results of your physical exam, which may uncover additional risk factors for specific diseases, such as moles that can make us request a genetic test for risk to develop melanoma. Dr. Chaglassian will take all your health information into account to recommend the right screenings that are appropriate for your overall health and well-being.

How Often Should I See my Doctor for Preventive Care?

The best way to make sure diseases are prevented or identified in their earliest stages is to have a physical every year. Your annual physical plays a critical role in preventive care, not just because it looks for risk factors and signs of disease during the exam, but because when you see the doctor every year, you have an ongoing health record that makes it easier to spot changes that could indicate an increased risk for disease and take a proactive approach early on. 

Call Dr. Chaglassian to Have your Physical Done Today 212-906-9111