With October being Heart Health Awareness month, it’s a great time to learn more about maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle and to consider changes to improve overall and cardiovascular health.
Southwest Cardiovascular Associates is a state-of-the-art endovascular facility that provides a holistic and compassionate approach to care that allows patients to improve their health and receive treatment for a number of cardiovascular pathologies, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
For all patients, Dr. Carl Ferguson recommends improving heart health by implementing a healthy diet with limited saturated fats, reducing stress, getting enough sleep, managing weight and staying active.
“Being active doesn’t have to be strenuous,” said Dr. Ferguson, who has been practicing in Mesa for more than 30 years. “It can be going for walks, getting on a baseball team, just doing something that they have fun with, but at the same time they get adequate exercise. It doesn’t have to be a grueling routine in the gym to count as exercise.”
Additionally, patients should be diligent in getting check-ups and seeing their doctors when they suspect something might be wrong. Dr. Ferguson shares that chest pain/discomfort are one of the top symptoms patients procrastinate seeking help for, especially men, or disregard all together, which can result in serious consequences.
“Sometimes people put off their routine health,” he said. “They put off their routine screenings, which are important for people to catch disease processes early.”
To ensure convenience, Ferguson Family Medicine, which operates at a separate location from the main Southwest Cardiovascular Associates office, even provides walk-in hours for established patients from 7:30 to 8 a.m. every day and from 1 to 1:20 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
“This allows us to address our patients’ urgent needs without a scheduled appointment,” said Dr. Ferguson.
The most common problems patients come in for are headaches/migraines, acute respiratory related illnesses, acute sprains and strains, fevers, sore throats, and a myriad of other issues. Of course, the doctors also manage chronic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and endocrine, pulmonary and neurologic disorders, etc.
The practice also has 15 years of experience in opiate addiction treatment and provides Suboxone treatment with same-day appointments.
“We think it’s important that if someone decides to do something about their addiction that they have the opportunity to be seen that very day instead of possibly relapsing or continuing to use,” said Dr. Ferguson.
Ferguson Family Medicine also provides cosmetic treatments, including Botox, Dysport, and state-of-the-art laser treatments, including fractional resurfacing, vaginal rejuvenation, photo facial and hair removal.
At the Southwest Cardiovascular Associates main office, patients can receive specialized care, such as interventional radiology, endovascular surgery, vascular specialist and interventional cardiology.
Southwest Cardiovascular Associates is located at 140 S. Power Road, Suite 102, in Mesa and 3420 S. Mercy Road, in Gilbert. For more information, visit www.swcva.com, or call (480) 945-4343.
Ferguson Family Medicine is located at 3514 N. Power Road, Building 1, Suite 105, in Mesa. Call (480) 422-8533 for more information.