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Chronic Disease Specialist

Marina Village Medicine

Medical Clinics located in Alameda, CA

Jagmohan Khaira, MD and the team at Marina Village Medicine, in Alameda, California are experts at providing help managing chronic health conditions such as, but not limited to, asthma, diabetes and high blood pressure. If you have one or more chronic illnesses and are looking for a skilled doctor to help with your management, call Marina Village Medicine for an appointment to book online today.

Chronic Disease Q & A

What are chronic diseases?

Chronic diseases include diseases that persist for a long time – sometimes for an entire lifetime. Some of the most common chronic diseases and conditions include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and arthritis. Chronic diseases typically involve multiple causes or contributing factors and require ongoing treatment to keep them under control.

What can I do to reduce my risk of developing a chronic disease?

Some chronic diseases develop because of genetic or hereditary risk factors. Others develop from of lifestyle choices. While you can’t change your heredity or family medical history, it’s helpful to know which lifestyle choices raise your risk for developing a chronic illness. Some of these include:

  • Smoking any type of tobacco
  • Second hand exposure to tobacco smoke
  • Being sedentary and not physically active
  • Drinking too much alcohol
  • Eating too much saturated fat
  • Eating too much salt
  • Not eating enough fresh fruits, fresh vegetables or lean proteins
  • Being overweight or obese

For example, smoking damages your lungs and arteries and raises your risk of developing several types of cancer, including lung cancer, COPD as well as a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure — hypertension — increases your risk of having a heart attack and stroke and can also damage the arteries of your kidneys, which raises your risk for chronic kidney disease.

How are chronic diseases treated?

Chronic disease treatment is an ongoing process that includes regular evaluations and lab tests to assess the efficacy of treatment, and to modify treatment as needed to ensure it remains as effective as possible.

Your doctor will also:

  • Discuss your personal medical history and family medical history
  • Discuss your diet and how you can improve it to help your condition
  • Talk about your level of fitness and how much you should exercise
  • Assess current medications, their effectiveness and make any changes needed
  • Examine your emotional health to determine if anxiety or depression are impacting your health
  • Discuss weight loss and weight management to reduce symptoms

The team at Marina Village Medicine sees themselves as a partner in your health, and are dedicated to working with you to maintain and improve your overall health and well-being.