Blog Archive

Despite improved awareness of what causes it and advances in treating it, heart disease remains the leading cause of death among men, women, and most ethnic groups in the United States.  Fortunately, heart disease is often preventable, and a stress test may help with that goal. That’s why our team...

November is National Diabetes Month. Diabetes is treatable, but only if you know you have it. Researchers say about 20% of people who have diabetes don’t know it, and 80% of those with prediabetes are unaware of the condition. Knowing the early warning signs allows you to start treatment before...

If you have any symptoms that suggest you could have a heart problem, the first thing your doctor does is order an echocardiogram. An echocardiogram is fast, safe, and easy—we can even do one right here in our office. We’ll get immediate images of your heart and be able to...

Angina, or chest pain, is often the first symptom of heart disease. It serves as a precursor to a future heart attack, and it’s also a sign that you’re currently having a heart attack. Would it surprise you to learn that many people initially ignore angina? That’s because chest pain...

An irregular, racing heartbeat can lead to blood clots in your heart. Atrial fibrillation, called AFib for short, increases your risk of heart failure and stroke. While there are medical treatments for the condition, part of its control depends on lifestyle changes. An overall heart-friendly diet provides the nutrition you...

Proper hydration is essential for everyone at every age. Awareness of the need for water has increased over the last five years and has caused a surge in the sales of reusable water containers — an industry expected to reach $10.19 billion by 2024.  These days, you see people in the...

Varicose veins are veins that have become enlarged, dilated, and overfilled with blood. They usually look like bluish-purple bulges just underneath your skin, and they can be painful and itchy. Varicose veins are typically easy to spot and commonly develop on your legs. While varicose veins don’t pose any threat...

Did you know 90% of heart disease is preventable through better diet, exercise, and quitting smoking? The benefits of exercise for your cardiovascular — and overall — health are almost limitless, but you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your efforts. A great way to optimize...

Chronic diseases are a major issue for people living in the United States. In fact, 60% of Americans have at least one chronic illness, and type 2 diabetes makes up a vast majority of those long-term health conditions. Thankfully, type 2 diabetes can be avoided by making healthy lifestyle choices. ...

Cholesterol is a fatty substance produced by your liver. Your body needs it to function. Problems arise when too much cholesterol circulates in your blood. The body only requires a small amount of cholesterol. When there’s too much, it threatens your heart health.  Healthstone Primary Care provides outstanding primary care...

Hopefully, you’ve had your flu vaccine and will escape getting the virus this season. And not just for the obvious reasons — feeling crummy, missing work and socializing. Though not widely discussed, the flu can also trigger severe heart complications and even a heart attack.  Dr. Hector Fabregas and his...

The Pap smear stands out as the primary test for identifying cervical cancer or pre-cancerous alterations in cervical cells. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of most cervical cancers, with over 79 million women and men in the United States affected, often without their knowledge. At Healthstone Primary Care,...

Whether you’re flying from Florida to New York to spend the holidays with family or jetting to Colorado to hit the slopes, air travel can take a toll on your body.  Fluctuating cabin air pressure, temperature, oxygen levels, and low humidity are all factors that affect your body's normal functions....

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) affects people of all ages, but it poses particular concern for babies under 12 months and, increasingly, adults aged 65 and above, especially those with heart and lung disease or a compromised immune system. A highly contagious virus that primarily targets the respiratory system, RSV symptoms...

Symptoms of atrial fibrillation (AFib) can vary significantly from one individual to another. Some people have subtle symptoms, while others find their AFib episodes hard to ignore. Also, some individuals have frequent attacks, while others might experience symptoms sporadically. Our team at Healthstone Primary Care specializes in primary and geriatric care services designed to meet...

No one wants to get the flu. From the body aches to the fever, this illness takes quite a toll. And if you’re over the age of 65, things can get even more serious — potentially even life-threatening. The good news? There’s an easy, proven way to protect yourself against this...

Thanks to thermoregulation, your body maintains a fairly steady core temperature. When you get cold, your thyroid releases hormones that speed up your metabolism, your muscles produce heat by shivering, and your blood vessels constrict to keep your blood away from your skin and closer to your inner core. On...

It’s no secret that the body goes through a lot of changes with age. At first, you may notice a little more sagging or wrinkles in places they hadn’t appeared before. But, more alarmingly, you may find yourself forgetting more things than you used to. In reality, the brain typically...

Tetanus is a severe bacterial infection that affects the nervous system and causes muscle stiffness, spasms, and lockjaw. It can even be fatal.  The good news is that tetanus is rare and highly preventable. If you’re not current on your tetanus shots, the primary care providers at Healthstone Primary Care...

Blood pressure is the force through which blood moves oxygen and nutrients through your arteries to your tissues and organs. Blood pressure also helps carry the toxic waste in your body through your liver and kidney.  A normal blood pressure reading is essential to your well-being. But do you know...

The CDC estimates that 16 million Americans suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This condition can make it extremely hard to breathe under normal resting conditions, and even harder anytime you attempt being active.  At Healthstone Primary, with locations in Weston, Pembroke Pines, and Davie, Florida, Dr. Hector Fabregas provides chronic disease management and advice for...

At Healthstone Primary Care Partners in Weston, Davie, and Pembroke Pines, Florida, our primary care providers use a variety of tools when evaluating your health. We check blood pressure for hypertension, lipid levels for high cholesterol, and glucose numbers for diabetes. But one of the simplest tools we use to assess health is your body mass index...

More than 400,000 people are hospitalized every year in the United States with complications of pneumonia. A simple vaccine could have prevented many of these severe cases.  The pneumococcal vaccine is available at Healthstone Primary Care Partners at our offices in Weston, Davie, and Pembroke Pines, Florida. The practice also...

When you have your regularly scheduled Pap smear, it’s a fairly routine affair. Your provider takes a swab sample, sends it to a lab, and you wait to hear the results, but no news is good news. However, if you get a notification that your Pap smear is abnormal, you...

 Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in all adults, but your risk rises as you get older. More than 10% of women aged 65 and over have UTIs, increasing to nearly 30% after age 85. Men are less likely to develop a UTI at any age than women, with fewer...

You notice that you’re now seeing eye-to-eye with a once taller parent or, perhaps, you’ve lost an inch of height yourself. Age-related height loss is largely caused by a loss of bone density as you age, and there are ways to safeguard your bone health to prevent or slow down...

The food you consume directly impacts your health, including your blood pressure. Some foods can help decrease it, while others can have the reverse effect. In fact, your diet is so vital to your blood pressure that what you eat can prevent and, as well as remedy high blood pressure,...

As the season starts to change, with temperatures dropping, daylight hours growing shorter, and children heading back to school, it’s time to start thinking about your annual flu shot. Each year, new strains of the flu put millions of Americans on their backs with symptoms, such as fever, vomiting, and...

The health issues that strike after age 50 don’t come out of the blue. Though they’re diagnosed at that age, the underlying disease gradually develops for years before you notice signs of a problem. You can prevent most chronic diseases with routine wellness visits that catch them early. But by the time...

When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t properly use or create enough of the hormone insulin. As a result, you can quickly develop high glucose, or blood sugar, levels, leading to a broad range of issues, from nerve damage to heart disease. And in certain ways, summertime heat and travel may...

The thought of developing age-related dementia is frightening, no matter your age. Fortunately, you can do much to keep your brain in shape as you age, and most of these healthy habits also benefit your heart, bones, and joints. Our team of primary care specialists and geriatric care experts at Healthstone Primary Care Partners in Weston,...

Arthritis is one of the most common chronic health conditions in the United States, affecting more than 58 million people, and causing pain that affects mobility and function. The best arthritis care is early care.  Many people get relief from their arthritis pain with over-the-counter (OTC) anti-inflammatory medications. But if...

High blood pressure, or hypertension, quietly damages your blood vessels and organs without showing outward symptoms. You usually don’t know you have high blood pressure until you’ve reached a crisis state.  Almost half of the adults in the United States have high blood pressure, and a significant amount of them don’t know...

Wondering if you could possibly have an STD? Think you’re safe because you don’t have any symptoms? Many STDs don’t cause any symptoms and can be passed to others easily with neither party being the wiser. While thinking about this fact can be uncomfortable, it’s best for everyone’s health to...

Pain is your body’s built-in warning system. And though some pains are short-lived and no big deal, it’s safe to assume that chest pain is never normal.  The tricky part is figuring out why your chest is hurting. Because there are a variety of reasons why you’re experiencing chest pain,...

If a simple lab study existed that might detect abnormalities in your cells before they develop into an invasive and life-threatening disease, you’d probably sign up quickly — like yesterday. Schedule your visit now, because the Pap smear does just that. Well known for its outstanding commitment to women and...

Holiday travel is back this year, but you still need to be mindful to stay safe and infection-free. Even if you’re fully vaccinated and got your flu shot, wearing masks and washing your hands is a must on airplanes and strongly advised in any public areas. At Healthstone Primary in...

The holiday season is full of delicious temptations and treats that can derail even the healthiest eaters. Holiday food and cheer cause millions of Americans to gain weight every holiday season.  But for over 34 million Americans living with diabetes, the stakes are higher than carrying a few extra pounds....

Did you know that exercise is one of the most effective treatments for arthritis? Though many people worry that exercise may harm their arthritic joints, staying active does the opposite: It helps slow down the progressive joint damage. If you think you just can’t tolerate exercise, remember that you only...

More than 68 million Americans are walking around with hypertension, many of whom don’t even know it.  If you’re one of them, your blood is slamming into the walls of your arteries with every heartbeat and causing damage that can lead to dangerous health conditions. At Healthstone Primary Care, with...

Do you think of hearing loss as a frustrating or annoying problem that leads to loud televisions or strained conversations? While it is all that, hearing loss can also cause changes in the brain that increase your chances of dementia.  Unfortunately, even mild hearing loss can double your risk of...

It’s estimated that more than 34 million people in the United States have diabetes. But of those 34 million, nearly 8 million are undiagnosed.  Could you be among those who have diabetes and don’t know it?  At Healthstone Primary Care, with offices in Weston, Pembroke Pines, and Davie, Florida, our...

If you’re living with chronic joint pain that hasn’t improved with first-line treatments, such as oral anti-inflammatory medications and physical therapy, you may benefit from joint injections. For many individuals suffering from joint pain, joint injections can reduce the pain and inflammation caused by certain conditions, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid...

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Around 5.8 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, accounting for 60%-80% of dementia cases. While you can’t completely prevent Alzheimer’s disease, you can make changes now that might lower your risk. Our team of compassionate health care providers here at Healthstone Primary...

Falling is a major cause of disability in older adults. Every year, 36 million older adults fall, and 3 million of them end up in the emergency room.  Aging brings on chronic conditions that increase your chance of falling. If you have diabetes, peripheral neuropathy in your feet, Parkinson’s disease,...

Vaccines and boosters are a routine and vital part of health care for most children and teens in the United States. At Healthstone Primary, Dr. Hector Fabregas and his team, offer adults the many health benefits of vaccinations and boosters they need. Some are age-specific, such as the pneumonia vaccine,...

Chest pain can be really scary. You’ve seen heart attacks depicted in film and on TV. You know that they can be fatal. So when you first feel a sharp or throbbing pain in your chest, you may worry that it’s coming from your heart.  If you think you’re having...

With nearly 55 million people in the United States diagnosed with arthritis (a number that’s expected to climb over 78 million by 2040), it’s more important than ever to tackle the problem from every angle, including nutrition. At Healthstone Primary, Dr. Hector Fabregas and his team believe that excellent health...

For many, the holidays are a break from the usual routine. It’s a time filled with celebrations and festivities that often center around food. If you have diabetes, you may find it harder to enjoy this festive time of year. The disruption to your usual schedule and all the tempting...