Allergies

Allergies can attack at certain seasons or linger year-round, producing uncomfortable symptoms that you wish would go away. If you need expert care for your allergies, Dr. Yasmeen Agha at Dominion Family Healthcare offers up-to-date treatments to relieve you of persistent symptoms. The practice is conveniently located in San Antonio. If you’re ready to put allergies behind you, call to schedule a consultation or book one online today.


Allergies Q & A

What are common kinds of allergies?

As many as 40-50 million Americans have allergies. Allergies occur when your immune system overreacts to a substance or food. Allergies come in different forms, causing sneezing, a runny nose, and other symptoms that affect your quality of life.

Here are common types of allergies you might experience.

Food allergy

Food allergies can happen at any age, but are most common in babies and children. You can develop a food allergy at any time, even if you haven’t eaten a certain food or ingredient for years.

Skin allergy

Bumpy, red rashes are a common sign of a skin allergy. Various substances can trigger skin allergies, such as contact with a plant like poison ivy, certain foods, and medications.

Dust allergy

A dust allergy can cause year-around symptoms like itchy, watery eyes, a runny nose, and sneezing. Most dust allergies are related to dust mites, microscopic organisms that feed off house dust.

Pet allergy

Pet allergies cause an array of uncomfortable symptoms, ranging from sneezing to skin rashes. A pet allergy can provoke constant allergy symptoms at places a pet has visited, such as home, work, or school, even if the pet isn’t there any longer.

Insect sting allergy

A sting by a bee, wasp, hornet, yellow jacket, or fire ants injects venom into your skin, producing an allergic reaction. Though rare, stings cause life-threatening allergic reactions in 3% of adults and 0.4%- 0.8% of children.

How are allergies diagnosed?

Your doctor at Dominion Family Healthcare takes a detailed medical history, which will include asking you to describe when your symptoms started. You’ll want to tell your doctor if anyone in your family has asthma or allergies, including hay fever or skin rashes like eczema. To pinpoint the precise allergen or allergens causing your reaction, your doctor may recommend blood or skin tests.

What does allergy treatment entail?

The good news is several treatments are available to relieve your allergy symptoms. Your doctor may suggest you start taking allergy medications, such as:

  • Antihistamines: to relieve sneezing, watery eyes, a runny nose, and hives
  • Decongestants: to ease a stuffy nose
  • Corticosteroids: to treat inflammation in your nose

There’s no need to suffer from allergies when the right care can make you feel better and improve your quality of life. Call Dominion Family Healthcare today or schedule a consultation online.

Women’s Health

You spend much of your day juggling the responsibilities of work and family. Sometimes, you need to put yourself first. That’s where women’s health comes in. It’s health care designed to keep on-the-go women like you healthy now and in the future. At Dominion Family Healthcare in San Antonio, the team of internal and family medicine experts offers women’s health exams, including Pap tests. Take a step for your health today by calling or booking a consultation with Dr. Yasmeen Agha and her team through the online booking toole.


Women’s Health Q & A

Why is women’s health important?

Maintaining a foundation of good health is crucial at every age and stage. Your good health starts with eating the right foods, getting regular exercise, and seeing your doctor at Dominion Family Healthcare regularly for a women’s health checkup.

A women’s health exam is an annual visit with your doctor at Dominion Family Healthcare, where together you focus on preventive care. The goal is to keep you healthy today and in the future.

How do I get ready for a women’s health exam?

While you don’t need to prepare before your checkup, you might want to think about questions you’d like to ask your provider at Dominion Family Healthcare.

For example, you may have noticed changes in your monthly flow or your breasts. As you age, it’s natural for your body to change. You may wonder whether the changes you’re seeing are normal.

Here are some of the subjects you might discuss:

  • Contraceptive options
  • Trying to have a baby
  • Signs of menopause
  • Changes in your breasts
  • Safe sex; and sexually transmitted diseases
  • Mental health issues, including depression or anxiety
  • Eating healthy and staying active
  • Your relationships and your safety

What happens during a women’s health exam?

At Dominion Family Healthcare, your doctor takes a complete medical history. You can expect questions about past illnesses or surgeries, current medications you’re taking, your sexual health, and any medical conditions that run in your family.

You and your practitioner talk about the next steps to help you remain healthy. You talk about which screening tests and follow-up services are right for you. If you have health goals, such as quitting smoking or losing weight, your doctor at Dominion Family Healthcare can help you come up with a plan to achieve your goals.

Next, you have a physical exam. A practitioner checks your vital signs, including blood pressure pulse,  temperature, height, weight, and blood pressure. To finish your exam, your doctor may perform:

  • A Pap smear — To test for early signs of cervical cancer
  • Pelvic exam — To make sure your reproductive organs are healthy
  • Breast exam — To check for unusual growths

Depending on your age, your doctor may refer you to a specialist for a mammogram.

If it’s been a while since you’ve had a women’s health exam, then it’s time to put your health first. Call or schedule an online consultation today with the experts at Dominion Family Healthcare.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is often symptomless. You may have heard it called “the silent killer.” The good news is you can enjoy a long, healthy life with high blood pressure. As an expert in internal medicine and urgent care, Dr. Yasmeen Agha and Dominion Family Healthcare in San Antonio emphasize preventive care to enhance your health today — and in the future. Call or schedule a consultation online today.


High Blood Pressure Q & A

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a serious but common condition. It’s caused when your blood flow places an unhealthy level of pressure on the walls of your blood vessels. Over time, this force causes friction that damages fragile blood vessels and vital organs like your heart.

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

You can have high blood pressure and not have any symptoms at all — even when your blood pressure is dangerously high. That’s why high blood pressure is often known as “the silent killer.”

Still, you may have some signs of the condition, including:

  • Headaches
  • Shortness of breath
  • Nosebleeds

What methods diagnose high blood pressure?

High blood pressure is easily diagnosed. At Dominion Family Health, your doctor measures your blood pressure with an inflatable cuff placed around your arm. It’s called a sphygmomanometer.

The cuff works by compressing your brachial artery, which momentarily stops blood flow. Then, your doctor listens to your blood pressure with a stethoscope or an electronic monitor as the air slowly leaves the cuff.

Your blood pressure is recorded as two numbers:

Top number

This number represents your systolic blood pressure, which is the pressure of your blood pushing against your artery walls during heartbeats.

Bottom number

This number is the pressure of your blood when your heart is resting between beats.

Normal blood pressure is under 120/80 mm Hg. Generally, you have high blood pressure if the top number is 130-139 or higher at two or more readings.

How is high blood pressure treated?

Managing high blood pressure begins with making healthy changes to your diet and lifestyle. This doesn’t need to be hard. You can take simple steps, such as:

  • Quitting smoking
  • Managing stress
  • Avoiding too much salt
  • Getting regular physical activity
  • Eating a healthy, balanced diet
  • Cutting back on alcoholic beverages
  • Maintaining a healthy weight

At Dominion Family Health, your doctor works with you to explore all avenues of treatment. Along with making lifestyle changes, prescription medications can improve your quality of life and lower your chances of high blood pressure-related conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and more. Your doctor at Dominion Family Healthcare will discuss whether you might benefit from taking a medication.

Isn’t it time to talk with Dr. Agha about preventive steps to keep you in good health now and in the future? Call or schedule an online consultation with today with Dominion Family Healthcare in San Antonio.

Thyroid

Your thyroid regulates your heart rate, metabolism, and other vital functions. When it acts up, it can harm your health and your quality of life. Dominion Family Healthcare in San Antonio specializes in the most up-to-date methods in internal and urgent care. Their goal is informing you about all avenues of treatment for thyroid problems. Take a step for your lasting health today, call to schedule a consultation or book one online with Dr. Yasmeen Agha.


Thyroid Q & A

What is my thyroid?

A small butterfly-shaped gland, your thyroid is located at the base of your neck. It’s an endocrine gland, which means it makes hormones to control various vital functions in your body. Thyroid hormones control how fast your heart beats, how quickly you burn calories, and other functions.

When your thyroid isn’t working the way it should, it can affect your whole body. There are several types of thyroid problems. Some can make you feel tired, increase your heart rate, or cause you to lose or gain weight.

What are thyroid problems?

The four main thyroid-related conditions are hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, and thyroid nodules.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is brought on when your thyroid gland makes too much of a hormone called thyroxine. When this happens, you may:

  • Lose weight, even when you’re eating normally
  • Experience a rapid or irregular heartbeat or pounding sensations in your heart
  • Feel more hungry than usual
  • Feel irritable, anxious, or nervous
  • Experience trembling in your hands and fingers

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is the opposite of hyperthyroidism. Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain hormones required by your body. You may barely notice the symptoms of hypothyroidism, which occur over time.

Some symptoms to watch for include:

  • Fatigue
  • A puffy face
  • Increased sensitivity to cold
  • Constipation
  • Weight gain

Thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer isn’t very common. It’s usually detected early and is treatable. Signs of thyroid cancer include:

  • A lump you can feel on your neck
  • Changes in your voice, such as hoarseness
  • Trouble swallowing
  • Pain in throat and neck
  • Swollen lymph nodes in your neck

Thyroid nodules

Thyroid nodules are solid or liquid-filled lumps that grow inside your thyroid gland. While these nodules aren’t usually harmful to your health, if they grow too large, they may interfere with breathing or swallowing.

What is the treatment for thyroid conditions?

At Dominion Family Health, your doctor recommends a treatment based on the nature of your problem. Your treatment plan may include medications to stabilize your hormone levels, radioiodine therapy, or thyroid surgery. Your doctor’s goal is to minimize your symptoms and improve your quality of life.

If you’re experiencing any of the warning signs of thyroid problems, then it’s time to rely on the expert diagnosis and care at Dominion Family Health. Call today or book a consultation online.

Geriatric Care

Your body changes — that’s a natural part of life. The right geriatric care can enhance your quality of life with every passing year, so you remain healthy enough to do all of the activities you love. At Dominion Family Healthcare in San Antonio, the caring, experienced team includes Dr. Yasmeen Agha, who will listen to all of your concerns. Take a step for your long-term health today by calling or booking a consultation online.


Geriatric Care Q & A

What is geriatric care?

Aging is a natural part of life, and with it comes an increased focus on your health. You may find yourself with one or more long-term health conditions if you’re like most older adults. In fact, more than half of seniors age 65 and up are managing three or more health problems. These conditions include:

  • Arthritis
  • Diabetes
  • Heart disease
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • High blood pressure

Geriatric care is medical diagnosis and treatment to enhance your quality of life as you live with ongoing health conditions that come with aging.

What does geriatric care treat?

You’re more prone to certain ailments with each passing year. Geriatric care is essential to maintaining your good health, particularly if you have one or more chronic conditions.

Here are several of the most common health conditions treated by geriatric care.

Arthritis

Half of adults over age 65 have arthritis, which often causes ongoing pain and can damage your quality of life without proper care.

Heart disease

More than one-third of men and a quarter of women age 65 and older have heart disease. Making lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet and exercising, gives you a great chance of enjoying a full life with this condition.

Cancer

While cancer becomes more common as you age, preventive screenings, such as skin checks, mammograms, and colonoscopies, can catch this disease early, when it’s more treatable.

Respiratory diseases

Conditions affecting your breathing, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis, and asthma, are common among older adults. Getting tests of your lung functioning and taking the proper medications helps you live a full, active life despite these conditions.

Diabetes

One-quarter of adults age 65 and up have diabetes, making it a common condition requiring geriatric care. You can take charge of your health if you’re diabetic with routine monitoring under the care of your doctor at Dominion Family Health, eating a proper diet, and exercising.

What does geriatric care involve?

At Dominion Family Health, your doctor designs a treatment plan to enhance your quality of life as you age. Together, you explore all treatment avenues. If you have a chronic condition, this may include medications to manage your symptoms so you can do all of the activities you love.

Depending on your condition, your doctor may want to see you regularly to monitor your vital signs, such as your blood pressure and pulse. You may need routine checks of your blood sugar levels, cholesterol, and other key benchmarks of health.

Geriatric care is designed to promote a full, healthy life. To find out how the team at Dominion Family Healthcare can help you, call or book a consultation online today.

Diabetes

By one count, more than 30 million Americans have diabetes. If you’re like most, you have Type 2 diabetes. If you’re living with diabetes, the right care can enhance your quality of life and well-being. At Dominion Family Healthcare, Dr. Yasmeen Agha and the team are your partners in long-term health, with cutting-edge family, internal, and urgent care medicine. Take a step for your good health today. Call or schedule a consultation online with the practice conveniently located in San Antonio.


Diabetes Q & A

What is diabetes?

Diabetes causes sugar, or glucose, to build up in your blood. This can lead to serious health problems, such as kidney disease and neuropathy. With the right care, you can still enjoy a great quality of life with diabetes.

Diabetes occurs when your body doesn’t use insulin properly (Type 2), or doesn’t make insulin at all (Type 1). When this happens, the amount of sugar in your blood spikes to an unhealthy level.

What are the symptoms of diabetes?

Most of the more than 30 million Americans who have diabetes have Type 2. Both Type 1 and Type 2 produce some of the same warning signs, including these common ones:

  • Extreme tiredness
  • Needing to urinate often
  • Losing weight all the sudden
  • Extreme thirstiness or hunger
  • Blurry eyesight
  • Cuts or bruises that are slow to heal

With Type 1, you may lose weight even when you’re not dieting. With Type 2, you may feel tingling or numbness in your hands or feet.

What tests confirm a diabetes diagnosis?

Typically, you need a blood test. This measures the amount of blood sugar, or glucose levels. Your doctor at Dominion Family Healthcare may recommend one of these tests for you:

  • Fasting blood sugar test
  • Random blood sugar test
  • Glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test
  • Oral glucose tolerance test

The results help your doctor determine whether you have diabetes.

What is the treatment for diabetes?

Your doctor at Dominion Family Healthcare sits down with you to discuss the right steps to manage your condition. This includes:

  • Planning your meals
  • Getting regular exercise
  • Regularly monitoring your blood sugar level to keep it in a healthy range

A healthy range for your blood sugar is important. A blood sugar level that drops too low, interferes with your ability to think and function normally. A blood sugar level that remains too high can cause serious damage to your health over the long term.

Your doctor at Dominion Family Healthcare helps you explore all avenues of treatment. Medications are typically necessary for you to remain in the best health, particularly if you have Type 1 diabetes. With Type 1, your body doesn’t make insulin, so you’ll need to insulin shots or medication to replace what you’re missing.

In addition, your doctor may discuss the various kinds of medications that work in distinct ways to lower your blood sugar.

If you’re ready to take a step for your long-term health today, call or book a consultation online with Dominion Family Health.

COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects millions of Americans. The good news is COPD is often preventable. Early detection, which is available at Dominion Family Healthcare, is key to successfully treating COPD. Conveniently located in San Antonio, the practice offers specialized care to help you breathe more easily. If you need help managing your COPD, call to schedule a consultation or book one online with Dr. Yasmeen Agha.


COPD Q & A

What is COPD?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a long-term lung condition that makes it difficult to breathe. COPD includes lasting lung problems, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

What causes COPD?

Prolonged exposure to irritants can bring on COPD. Smoking is responsible for 85-90% of COPD cases. Chemicals, toxins, and fumes also can provoke COPD.

Some people have a form of COPD called alpha-1 deficiency-related emphysema, although this is extremely rare. This form of COPD is passed down in families.

What are the symptoms of COPD?

The signs and symptoms of COPD often can be confused with other health problems. If you have COPD, you’ll typically experience:

  • A persistent cough
  • Shortness of breath when you’re doing routine activities
  • Frequent respiratory infections
  • Tiredness
  • Wheezing
  • A lot of mucus or phlegm in your throat
  • A blue tinge on your lips or fingernail beds

You may not see the signs of COPD until your condition gets too far along. If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s important to contact Dominion Family Healthcare as soon as possible. Catching COPD early plays a pivotal role in successful treatment.

How is COPD diagnosed?

Your doctor at Dominion Family Healthcare asks about your symptoms, and conducts a physical exam. You might be asked questions like:

  • Do you smoke or have you smoked in the past?
  • Do family members have COPD?
  • Are you around secondhand smoke, pollutants, or chemicals?

You may need tests, such as an X-ray or breathing test, to complete your diagnosis.

What is the treatment for COPD?

At Dominion Family Health, your doctor creates a treatment plan tailored to your symptoms. Your plan may include COPD medications to help you breathe easier so you can resume all of the activities you enjoy.

Some of the medications your doctor may recommend include:

  • Bronchodilators: medicines you inhale to relax muscles around your airways
  • Corticosteroids or steroids: medicines you inhale or take in pill form to alleviate swelling and lessen the production of mucus in your airways
  • Antibiotics: to control a flare-up of symptoms caused by a bacterial infection

Depending on your condition, you may benefit from a combination of these medications.

If you think you have COPD, don’t delay. Get the expert care you need by calling or schedule a consultation online with Dominion Family Health.

Asthma

Wheezing? Coughing? These are common signs of asthma, a long-term condition. With the right care from Dominion Family Healthcare in San Antonio, you can put the uncomfortable symptoms of asthma behind you. Their team includes an experienced family medicine practitioner, Dr. Yasmeen Agha, and they remain on the cutting edge of treatments to enhance your lasting health and well-being. To find out how they can help you, call or schedule a consultation online today.

Asthma Q & A

What is asthma?

A chronic condition, asthma causes difficulty breathing, wheezing, and coughing. Asthma is brought on when the airway that delivers oxygen to your lungs becomes narrow, inflamed, and full of mucus.

What are the symptoms of asthma?

Asthma symptoms can come and go. The most common signs of asthma are:

  • Coughing
  • Trouble breathing
  • Tightness in your chest
  • Shortness of breath
  • Wheezing

You may experience asthma attacks that are mild, severe, or somewhere in between. A mild episode of asthma may last just a few minutes, while a more serious episode may persist hours or days.

What causes asthma?

Allergens and various substances can trigger asthma, including:

  • Smoke
  • Strong odors or perfumes
  • Chemical fumes
  • Extreme weather
  • A respiratory condition or the flu

Asthma is also provoked by strong emotions that disrupt your breathing. Science shows rapid breathing can tighten bronchial tubes, possibly setting off or worsening an attack.

What is the process for diagnosing asthma?

An accurate diagnosis is the first step toward clearer breathing free of asthma symptoms. Your doctor at Dominion Family Healthcare may ask if asthma and allergies run in your family, and what seems to trigger your asthma symptoms. They might ask about your experience with:

  • Sinus infections
  • Reflux disease
  • Stress
  • Sleep apnea

You might need to take a breath test, which involves blowing into a hollow tube. The test helps your doctor gauge how well the airways in your lungs are working.

To help confirm your diagnosis, you may also need a chest X-ray, exercise test, or skin test to see if you have an allergic reaction to certain substances.

What is the treatment for asthma?

At Dominion Family Health, your doctor will partner with you to explore all avenues of treatment. Together, you’ll decide on the right medicine, or combination of medicines, to manage your asthma. Generally, this includes a combination of short-term and long-term treatments.

The goal of your treatment is to prevent uncomfortable symptoms to:

  • Help you maintain healthy, well-functioning lungs
  • Allow you to continue doing all the activities you enjoy
  • Give you a restful night’s sleep
  • Prevent asthma attacks that could result in an emergency room visit or hospital stay

If you’re ready to gain relief from the symptoms of asthma, call today or schedule a consultation online with the experts in lasting health at Dominion Family Healthcare in San Antonio.