At Pedre Integrative Health we specialize in a variety of general primary care and preventative services for our patients. This includes the management of the following:
For a more complete list of the most common medical conditions seen and treated, see Conditions Treated
“The path to Health begins with Prevention. And prevention is all about education. Prevention is the key to a long health-span (the time of your life spent unburdened by disease). I practice Preventative Medicine by teaching patients how to get well and stay well. Most of these issues are addressed during the yearly General Health Screening, where we screen for preventable diseases. I also address preventative issues further throughout the year, depending on individual circumstances.
This is a working relationship, where I see myself as a partner and guide in each of my patient’s health journey. I do my part to direct each of my patients in the right direction, but ultimately I encourage each person to take responsibility for their own health. A successful health journey starts with the person’s desire to invest in their health. That means coming to talk about prevention when no problems seem to be at hand or if there is a significant family history of major diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease. The most successful prevention is that done before these conditions have fully manifested.”
A general health screening is a complete individualized health assessment. It involves a complete medical history and physical exam. During this extended visit, we will spend time going over any medical issues you have dealt with in the past, any medications your have taken or are currently taking (bring name, doses, frequency and prescribing physician) and any relevant family medical history, to paint an accurate picture of your health. Hand in hand with your health screening is our conversation about prevention of such diseases as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc… It is important to discuss these things and develop a life plan for how to maintain health and/or achieve optimum health. This is the goal of a general health screening.
Immunizations have created some of the greatest advances in modern medicine in the last century. From the discovery of cross-immunization through infection with cowpox to protect against smallpox by Edward Jenner at the end of the 18th Century, the ability to immunize against certain diseases has changed the picture of modern medicine. Diseases that were once deadly, now could be totally prevented. Immunizations have warded off thousands upon thousands of new cases of diseases, such as tetanus, hepatitis, diphtheria, and pertussis, that were once tremendous hazards to the health of our society. Vaccination for smallpox literally eradicated this disease from the face of the earth. However, immunizations can also cause harm, and some immunizations have led to the development of other diseases or conditions and in the rarest of circumstances, even death.
Dr. Pedre believes in the prudent use of immunizations, and believes that this should be analyzed on an individual basis. Certain immunizations are recommended for everyone. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention provides information on routine vaccinations. For an overview of these, visit Adult Routine Vaccination Guidelines.
Pedre Integrative Health is dedicated to the health of the international traveler. Our patients travel for both business and pleasure. Special circumstances and needs may arise as a result of international travel, and we are here to help.
Pedre Integrative Health provides complete care for the international traveler, from pre-trip counseling to vaccinations to malaria prophylaxis to tips on how to stay healthy and avoid traveler’s diarrhea or altitude sickness. Dr. Pedre has helped his patients travel safely to the far reaches of the globe, from China to India to Southeast Asia to Africa to Central and South America, including Macchu Picchu. We stay current with the most up-to-date travel resources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to provide the best travel advice possible. Each patient is given a destination-specific travel consultation. During this consultation, you will learn of potential health risks of the trip. Your pre-travel consultation will include a risk assessment as well as immunity screening (if necessary) and prescriptions for prophylactic medications, such as antibiotics, anti-diarrheal, anti-malarial and altitude sickness. We will go over routine, required and recommended travel vaccinations. These may include hepatitis A, hepatitis B, diphtheria/tetanus, polio, typhoid, influenza, pneumonia, measles, mumps, rubella, rabies, yellow fever, varicella (chicken pox) and Japanese encephalitis.
Call us to make an appointment for a travel consultation at least 4 weeks prior to the trip [or preferably 6 weeks prior to an exotic destination that may require more vaccines] in order to allow enough time for vaccinations (if required) to take effect. Vaccinations require at least 2-4 weeks to develop blood antibody immunity that is effective in preventing disease.
Please call us directly at (212) 860-8300 so that one of our staff members may answer any questions you may have about a travel consultation and vaccine prices. We will not respond to email inquiries.
We understand that not all travels (especially business-related) can be predicted, so we are able to accommodate appointments on short notice for those special circumstances. Travel consultation appointments must be confirmed with a credit card. A cancellation fee will apply for cancellations less than 24 hours prior to the scheduled appointment time or for a missed appointment.
Dr. Pedre is available via phone consultation or email to answer any questions that may come up. Care can be coordinated with international doctors.
Post-travel consultations and treatments are available to international travelers that become sick after their trip. We understand the urgency of these matters and offer priority appointments to our established patients.
STD stands for Sexually Transmitted Disease. This is a general term used to describe any disease that may be transmitted from person to person via sexual contact.
STD screening and testing is important as it is the one way to prevent unknowing transmission of a sexually-transmitted disease to another person. There are a number of STD’s that a person may have but be asymptomatic, meaning they have no symptoms. Without symptoms of an infection, a person usually will not be aware that they are a carrier of the disease. Screening and awareness of these diseases, such as genital herpes, is the one way to take control over these maladies that affect the public health and inconvenience the persons that carry them. Some of these diseases may also lead to a number of consequences that have wide-ranging effects for the future health of the person. At Pedre Integrative Health we do STD screening, including screening for HIV, under the strictest confidentiality.
HIV is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a syndrome in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to opportunistic (i.e. infections by pathogens that normally do not cause disease in an immune-competent person) that may be life-threatening.
The main routes of transmission are through unprotected sexual intercourse, sharing of contaminated needles and from a mother to her baby during childbirth or by breast feeding. Infection with HIV occurs from an infected person through the transmission of blood, semen, pre-ejaculate, vaginal fluid or breast milk. Screening of the blood supply for HIV has greatly eliminated its transmission in the U.S. through blood transfusions.
HIV has been one of the largest pandemics in history, with AIDS claiming the lives of over 25 million people (according to the World Health Organization) since its discovery in 1981. By screening, we increase awareness of this devastating disease, so that HIV infection can be prevented. As per the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), in the U.S. alone, prevention efforts have decreased the rate of new infections from 150,000 per year in the late 80’s to 40,000 per year today. HIV screening and prevention saves lives in the U.S. and worldwide.
In 2006, the CDC revised its Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care Settings stating that all adults ages 18-64 should be tested for HIV unless the patient declines. It also recommended that people at high risk for HIV should be tested at least once per year. Why did the CDC revise its recommendations? The main reason is that out of the approximately 1 million persons infected with HIV in the U.S., about one-fourth are believed to not know of their diagnosis, thus increasing the chances of unknowingly transmitting it to other persons. Making HIV testing routine, will increase the number of people that know they are infected and help prevent its spread.
HIV testing is done by a simple blood test. In our office HIV testing is Confidential and Private. The standard blood test done as an initial screening looks for antibodies in the person’s blood. This is known as ELIZA (Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay). If this test is positive, the blood undergoes further testing by Western blot, which is the confirmatory test for HIV infection.
