Transcription:

Cheryl Martin (Host): It's common for us to stop what we're doing and take a trip to urgent care or the emergency room if we are experiencing constant pain, running a high fever or we had a serious accident for example. But there are some simple everyday actions we can take to help keep us healthy and strong.

Welcome to Baptist Health Radio, a podcast by Baptist Health of Northeast Florida. As the most preferred health care provider in Northeast Florida, we are here to help you stay informed with the latest news, views and resources for your health and wellbeing. I'm Cheryl Martin. With me to discuss ways to be proactive about your health is Dr. Jeffry Jacqmein, a family medicine physician with Baptist Health. Doctor, thanks for being on.

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: Thank you, Cheryl.

Cheryl Martin (Host): My first question is can you describe what it means to take a reactive approach versus a proactive approach to your healthcare. What’s the difference between the two approaches?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: Certainly. A reactive approach is a kind of a way of describing the scenario where a patient presents with a symptom and the healthcare team responds with a particular treatment. Recognizing the amazing advances in how we heal and save, for instance, babies in the womb and premature newborns and trauma patients from death are worth reacting to, but possibly becoming more proactive may reduce having to be so reactive, especially when we think about how we're treating preventable diseases with lung cancer or heart disease and dementia. Taking a proactive approach compared to a passive or reactive one, I would consider to be more enthusiastic initiating acting prior to the development or symptoms or disease. If I take good care of myself in my 20s, 30s and 40s, I'll likely reduce my chances for developing type 2 diabetes, for instance, which is a metabolic disorder that adversely affects all organs.

Reacting to symptoms is not all bad. It can certainly motivate us to be more proactive. If I pull my hamstring every time I exercise without warming up, eventually, I'll learn to take the few additional moments to warm up.

Cheryl Martin (Host): So how do you suggest patients take a proactive approach to their healthcare? What are some tangible things we can do?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: I think finding a doctor that you connect with is fairly important, establishing and maintaining a patient-doctor relationship with someone who listens, remains current and strives to look after the whole person and possibly even the family can help advance your health goals. Like other areas of life, investing in your health care at an early age often pays dividends later. We all know the benefits of balance and clean nutrition, adequate sleep and exercise. But it's in those wellness visits where we can discuss screening guidelines and negotiate the best action plan.

Cheryl Martin (Host): Now, is there such a thing as being too proactive?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: There is a balance. One can be over-proactive, which can lead to hyper-reactive. The increased stress and resources spent pursuing fuzzier, questionable supplements or testing can often lead to healthcare frustration. I encourage working as a team to avoid these pitfalls.

Cheryl Martin (Host): Doctor, we hear so much about weight management, being more physically active, having a better sleep routine. How do these things play into being more proactive?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: Cheryl, these are really the bread and butter of what we do. I think there's a lot that gets the press as far as technology and in different advances. But if we can really focus on the basics of sleep, seven and a half to nine hours a night, making sure we're physically active. Some people, they have a certain number of minutes or times per week. But in my opinion, I think the most important is that you get some vigorous activity throughout the week several times. And then nutrition, probably the biggest, most important, but also sometimes the most nebulous. There's so much advice and experts that talk about nutrition. But if we can find a plan specifically for you, that you can stick with, that can really go a long ways towards preventing some of these diseases.

Cheryl Martin (Host): And what do you say to your patients who have struggled with their weight? What advice are you giving them to manage that?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: So really, just like in any condition, we try to get the best history, what you've tried and what your goals are. And sometimes we'll order some labs and meet back as a team and kind of go over some of the defects or maybe it's just somebody that's healthy that just tends to store some weight. And so we will work on a plan that includes some of that bread and butter. A lot of that is accountability and education. And then sometimes, it really has to do with working together. I think some people go to the doctor with the idea that the doctor can have a hundred percent role in the improvement. And I think working together where I can hopefully hand off some homework, we meet back, we track, we grade, we reassess, and then for some folks, it ends up where they might need some metabolic help, whether that's with medication or certain more specialized nutrition.

Cheryl Martin (Host): You mentioned staying up to date on wellness visits and screenings. Why is this so important to keep track of for yourself as well as your family?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: Well, ultimately, it's up to you to lead the charge. I mean, you move, doctors change. But I find that patients who initiate preventive visits and chart their vitals and screening results give themselves the best chance to avoid what's preventable. I think knowing where you stand on your health can lead towards certain confidence, which really can combat the stress of not knowing about how your health is going.

Cheryl Martin (Host): Now, I imagine that a big part of being proactive is staying up to date, as you just mentioned. With advanced technology right at our fingertips, how do you know where to go? Let's say, for the latest news and information on health and wellbeing, either for yourself or your family?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: Yeah, true, Cheryl. The advances are mind-boggling, what we can do and see ahead of time these days. But staying true to the staples, like clean living and avoiding tobacco and keeping the ideal body weight, like you mentioned, are very important as far as trying to avoid the fads and the swings. But when faced with a health question, when you actually have something that you're dealing with, I don't have any problem with people using online resources. They're certainly helpful in pointing us in the right direction. I would just caution some that you have to look at who's putting that information out and different advertisers but there are some sites that I strongly recommend that you crosscheck. And I think if you compare multiple resources and sites, I think you'll start getting an idea. And when patients bring that information to me, it's very helpful to know where they're coming from and so that advances the conversation And you can go anywhere from plugging in symptoms to a certain condition to really find a lot of information that then we can work with together.

Cheryl Martin (Host): And so you're also saying, be careful that you don't believe everything on the internet or everything you read on Google.

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: Pretty much. I think it's a help. I wouldn't get too carried away or hang your hat on everything you read. But often, if you're seeing certain things enough times that ring true, I think that's gives us a good direction and putting that together with our opinion as a family doctor, and then often involving the specialist. And that's where it's so wonderful with the group here. We have almost every specialty that goes all the way up to surgical and cancer care that we can get help in conference. And whenever there's conundrums, people meet and talk behind the scenes. So, it's really a collaborative effort between the patient and the staff and team.

Cheryl Martin (Host): I'm glad that you mention that because children and teens are used to attending regular checkups with their doctors that are often set up for them by their parents or caregivers. But when it comes to switching from a pediatrician to an adult primary care doctor, this step is often missed. So why is it important to help adolescents with this transition?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: I'd say most young patients, if they're seeing a pediatrician, will make their way over to us, probably between 16 and 21. But I encourage even if the parent or caregiver accompanies the patient in the exam room, I like the young patient to lead the visit as soon as they feel comfortable. I think that the earlier the bond is formed, the motivated that young patient will be to take charge of their health. I think that at that age, I strive to really help them.

Cheryl Martin (Host): What can the parent do or the caregiver expect during this transition? When should they start working on it?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: I think it really does come down to an individual child and young adult. I think the best communication between the caregiver and parent, and the child really can help guide that. And I think when we have those regular visits, sometimes what can happen is if we see the kid at 10 or 11 for their sixth or seventh grade shots. And then, we may not see them for four or five years, that can make it a little bit more difficult. But if we have those regular visits that we have that relationship ongoing, it just becomes more natural. And so we can read and then know what to kind of ask same with the parent or caregiver. And it just kind of happens at that level without having to have a particular standard of making that work.

Cheryl Martin (Host): How does helping them take charge of their health now set them up for a proactive, healthy future?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: I think that's where I would spend the most emphasis on. It's really not the medical taking care of the patient. It's the patient taking care of themselves with the medical as a team player. We're certainly able to be on board and make the recommendations along the way. But the more that person can take care of themselves and not just let life happen to them, so to speak, I find that the folks that tend to do well and really are able to avoid some of the preventable diseases, at least.

Cheryl Martin (Host): Can you talk about the transition of service care from Wolfson Children’s Hospital Specialists and affiliated pediatricians to the Baptist Health Primary Care System? What does the transition look like going from peds to adult care?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: I just have to say, it's amazing. You know, I've been in this area for 25 years and just the flow and the communication and it's very positive. From whether the child moves over at 12 years old or 21 years old, some of them go kicking and screaming from their pediatrician. But it's really wonderful, just not only the electronic records and the information that comes over, but just knowing the relationships that have occurred from the parents and patients to the new doctor and then knowing who we have available for them to take over their care. A lot of these folks that have had chronic diseases are seeing the more specialists, are able to move into the adult world. And we have really a great team, people that are geared towards patient care, team-oriented, superbly trained. And I find that we're all just fired up to practice medicine, which makes a great difference.

Cheryl Martin (Host): So, you’re saying if we take the responsibility to be proactive in our health now, we ultimately could save ourselves from having a severe health crisis in life later on?

Dr Jeffry Jacqmein: You nailed it, Cheryl. I think if you can take that approach early on, if you have a problem along the way, feeling like life has taken over and I don't really have time or wherewithal, I would encourage you to take that retreat from every day. Just like you would be in an interview, and somebody asks you, "Where do you want to be in 10 or 20 years?" I would consider your health goals. I would encourage you to chart a course and stack your habits and grade yourself every so often. And if you find yourself kind of going backwards, you always pick yourself up and meet with your doc and get going again.

Cheryl Martin (Host): Dr. Jacqmein, thanks so much for that encouragement. Some great tips for being proactive about our health. Dr. Jeffry Jacqmein is a family physician with Baptist Health. If you'd like to book an appointment with Dr. Jacqmein or another primary care physician in the Baptist Health Network, just call 904-202-4YOU, that's 4968. Thank you for listening to Baptist Health Radio. I'm Cheryl Martin. Stay well.